A TransLink plan to turn a section of the Hastings Street HOV and parking lane into a dedicated all-day bus lane proved controversial at a Burnaby city council meeting Monday.
Council ultimately approved a shortened version of TransLink’s plan which will dedicate curbside bus lanes between Delta Avenue and Duthie Avenue on Hastings, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The bus lanes are planned to replace what are currently used as HOV lanes in peak direction during peak hours and as parking lanes at all other times, according to TransLink’s recommendation report to council.
Councillors expressed concerns about the impact losing the parking lanes would have on the small businesses along Hastings.
“The impact of what you are proposing is insurmountable for most of those businesses,” Coun. Pietro Calendino said.
Matt Craig, TransLink’s director of system planning, said a parking analysis on the original plan showed about 60 potential people would be unable to find parking at peak periods on Saturdays but, on weekdays, there is more parking available on Hastings than demand.
He added those numbers assume people are travelling as they do today, but the hope is that the bus lanes can influence more people to use transit in the area.
TransLink had originally recommended a 3.7-kilometre stretch from Willingdon to Duthie, but councillors worried about the public consultation process.
Mayor Mike Hurley said he heard there wasn’t much engagement with people along the Hastings corridor.
The Heights Merchants Association released a statement Monday calling the report a surprise “bombshell.”
Craig said the engagement process began in 2021 when the scope of the project was larger.
He added TransLink held public and targeted engagement on improvements to Hastings as a whole and received more than 900 responses through an online survey.
But councillors weren’t satisfied with that larger scope of consultation.
Coun. Maita Santiago asked why a second round of engagement on the “preferred plan” didn’t happen, despite TransLink’s website saying it would.
“Have we done public engagement on this preferred plan? The answer is no,” Craig said.
Craig said TransLink and Burnaby staff were comfortable with what they learned in the first engagement that could be applied in this case and added they wanted to “move with some urgency” as funding was available.
In 2023, the Hastings corridor in Burnaby had a daily ridership of 24,000 people, and bus riders are facing delays due to “growing congestion” in the area, according to TransLink.
TransLink’s report said the bus lanes would provide faster and more reliable bus service along Hastings, making taking the bus a more competitive option when compared to vehicles and contribute to a variety of targets laid out by the City of Burnaby including:
- To have three-quarters of all trips made by public transit and active transportation by 2050
- To reduce vehicle emissions by 100% by 2050
The plan is separate from TransLink’s bus rapid transit program between West Vancouver and Metrotown, which is currently under review west of Willingdon.
The transit authority estimated the potential savings for the bus lane plan from Willingdon to Duthie at about $220,000 annually if the buses were implemented in each direction.
Coun. Daniel Tetrault, who successfully motioned for the change from Willingdon to Delta, said he hoped shortening the proposed bus lane would balance the common goals of transit advocates and merchants.
“These transit riders, they do care about these small businesses, and they want to access these small businesses,” Tetrault said, and added, “At the same time, many Burnaby residents and merchants in the area care passionately about climate change and improving transit as well, but also want to ensure the businesses continue to succeed and thrive.”
Tetrault also asked staff to study the possibility of bus bulbs between Willingdon and Delta while retaining the curbside parking on both sides of the street.
Burnaby staff will prepare an engagement plan to launch early 2025 to receive public input.
The bus lanes are expected to be put in by 2026.
