A group of horseback riders wants Burnaby council to reverse a decision to pave over a gravel multi-use path in Burnaby Lake Regional Park.
In December, council approved paving a section of Burnaby Lake’s southeast greenway, which Metro Vancouver Regional District has identified as a pedestrian and cyclist connector.
But the Burnaby Horsemen’s Association, which has its stables (home to 59 horses) at the edge of the park, wants the paving to be stopped.
“Paving is not a safe surface for horses,” said director Erika Nassichuk, speaking to council as part of a delegation Jan. 14.
“Paving ends horseback riding on the trail. Proceeding with this paving project will remove half of all of the horseback riding trails in the park,” she said.
The equestrian non-profit, which had 154 members in 2024, half of whom were Burnaby residents, said it feels the city has left its members out of the public consultation process.
The paving is planned for a chunk of about 1.35 kilometres of “well-maintained BC Hydro access gravel road” underneath the aerial power lines, according to a staff report.
Staff said in December the estimated cost for that section is a little less than $1.5 million.
Coun. Sav Dhaliwal referred the delegation’s presentation to staff for further discussion and engagement.
He highlighted the association’s decades-long history in the park, but added new interest in cycling means the city has to consider the whole community of park-goers and pointed to the in-the-works Highway 1 pedestrian overpass project, which is intended to connect Burnaby Lake to the cultural hub and park at Deer Lake.
Wrong cycling priority?
But the horseback riders aren’t the only ones with concerns about the paving.
Coun. Alison Gu was the sole opponent of the project in December, when she voted against the recommendation to pave the gravel section.
“I don’t see how this aligns with our transportation goals,” she said. “Because this is already (an all ages and abilities) cycling network.”
“We need to be concentrating all of our resources … on separating cyclists from vehicular traffic to make sure that people are safe,” she added.
She raised further environmental concerns about paving green infrastructure.
Coun. Pietro Calendino disagreed.
He said the route is part of the region’s cycling network and noted the city had previously made a commitment to Metro Vancouver (which manages Burnaby Lake Park) to finish the project.
The city is considering paving more sections of the trail, although the remaining sections are expected to be more complicated to pave due to environmental, jurisdictional and archeological challenges.
In the meantime, staff are working on a comprehensive master plan for Burnaby Lake “to establish the ultimate goals and objectives” for the park, including from a “social, environmental, economic and amenity perspective.”
As of the December report, staff are working on the engineering designs for the paving project but will report back to council before any construction begins.
