A New west resident is concerned about the “piecemeal” approach being used to create bike lanes on city streets.
Arley Drew, speaking to council via Zoom at its Dec. 16 meeting, expressed concern that New Westminster has bike lanes on routes like Stewardson Way and Seventh Avenue, as well as sections of lanes on Sixth Street and Eighth Street, but they don’t connect.
“A week or two ago, there was another public information session regarding one being installed on Seventh Street, for grand total of four or five blocks,” he said. “None of these projects connect with each other and create any sort of meaningful impact on the bicycle community. And I wonder if there could be a better study on how to create a real network for bikes, instead of just this random spending all over the place.”
Drew said a more comprehensive system of bike lanes also ties in with requests to provide safe ways for children to get to school.
“For instance, they could use Eighth Avenue to get to both the high school and to the middle school if there were a safe bike lane all the way down there,” he said. “It'd be great. And it would also be nice to see the law enforcement protect the 30 (kilometre) zone around Moody Park; there's constantly people speeding there. There are many things we can do within our existing framework to protect children and to protect bicyclists, and it'd be great to have it looked at.”
Mayor Patrick Johnstone agreed New West’s bike lanes are disconnected but explained that is being addressed through the city’s active transportation network plan, which was approved in 2022.
“A lot of the routes that you're seeing built today are designed specifically to fill in this plan so that we can actually have a connected network,” he said.
Johnstone said the city can’t build a completed bike network in a day, but it intends to do it over time.
“That is ongoing work that we've identified as a challenge, and we are trying to do. A good example of Seventh Street is it actually does connect the Agnes Greenway to the Crosstown Greenway. And the route on Sixth Street is designed to connect the Crosstown Greenway directly to the high school,” he said. “So, I hear you and I recognize that the network's not complete. We have a lot of work to do to complete the network, but I just want to let you know that that's in our mind, we're aware of that, and we are trying to work as quickly as we can to get the network filled up.”
Drew told council he’s glad to hear the city has a plan to replace the piecemeal infrastructure with a comprehensive system of bike lanes.
In October 2022, city council adopted the All Ages and Abilities Active Transportation Network Plan, which is working to develop a core active transportation network and to connect neighbourhoods and schools. The city has identified 26 corridors for the $36-million network. (Budgets for individual projects in this plan have to be approved before they proceed.)
The city developed the active transportation network with three guiding principles: it will provide a network that is comfortable for people of all ages and abilities, all year round; it is complete and places all residents within a short walking, rolling or cycling distance of an AAA active transport corridor route; and it is a network that connects all neighbourhoods and major destinations. These destinations include schools, parks, commercial areas, community facilities, hospitals, regional and adjacent communities’ cycling facilities, and multi-modal connections such as SkyTrain and the Q to Q ferry.
More coming
The City of New Westminster recently completed engagement for the Active Transportation Network Plan’s proposed work for the Seventh Street corridor.
According to Be Heard New West, city staff are now working to analyze and report back on the feedback they heard during the engagement process before finalizing the detailed designs for this route. The proposed timeline would see construction starting in spring 2025.
Some of the key changes being proposed include: adding a two-way bike lane from Belmont Street to Agnes Street; widening the sidewalk corners (curb extensions) to slow down traffic and shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians and adding new crossings for cyclists; changing Seventh Street from two-way traffic to one-way northbound traffic for vehicles between Fifth Avenue and Queens Avenue; adding quick-build curb extensions, improved pavement markings, and signage for cyclist and pedestrians on crossroads on Seventh Street; and connecting the new bike lane on Seventh Street to the existing Agnes Street Bikeway.
The Seventh Street project could also see the removal of some street parking spots to accommodate the two-way bike lane and improved sight lines.
The Active Transportation Network Plan also included a bike route corridor in Sapperton, including the area around the Royal Columbian Hospital.
In March 2024, a construction notice from EllisDon and the Royal Columbian Hospital redevelopment team stated that improvements were set to begin on East Columbia and Sherbrooke streets as part of the city’s plans to turn East Columbia Street into a Great Street. The notice stated that work being done as part of the Royal Columbian Hospital redevelopment project would improve accessibility and transportation management around the hospital campus, including along Sherbrooke Street.
“We will be making improvements such as upgrading the sidewalks, adding better lighting, creating bike lanes and building safer intersections for pedestrians. While this work is underway, vehicle and pedestrian access to the hospital will be maintained,” Fraser Health said in a March 2024 statement to the Record. “We thank the community for its patience and support as we work to enhance local infrastructure and continue our work on the Royal Columbian Hospital redevelopment project.”
The segment of East Columbia Street between Keary Street and Sherbrooke Street will be constructed through redevelopment of the Royal Columbian, while other components planned for the McBride Sapperton neighbourhood will be constructed by the City of New Westminster.
