A Burnaby resident is concerned someone may be seriously injured before the city installs sidewalks on a street sandwiched between an elementary school and a major community centre.
The City of Burnaby decides where to put new sidewalks based on a street's "proximity to schools, community centres, parks, transit facilities and whether streets are missing gaps in the network," according to the city's website.
So North Burnaby resident Carlo Sferra thought the 4400 block of Triumph Street must have been overlooked by the city since the stretch is right between Rosser Elementary School and Confederation Park but doesn't have sidewalks on either side.
Sferra told the NOW children and seniors use the street daily to get to school, the community centre, park and library, but he couldn't find it on the city's new sidewalks program webpage.
All of the streets north and south of Triumph have sidewalks on at least one side.
Two summers ago, Sferra contacted the city to ask if there were plans to install sidewalks on his block, but the city's response – from a co-op student in the planning department – didn't provide a lot of information.
"Your request for sidewalks along that block has been documented," stated the July 5, 2022 email. "Our goal is to have sidewalks on the majority of the streets in Burnaby. If it is currently not on the website, it is in progress, and if that is not the case, we have been tracking new sidewalk requests for our project teams to review down the road."
One and a half years later, however, there are still no sidewalks on the block and no plans, that Sferra knows of, to install them.
In wet and snowy weather, he said children on their way to school walk on the street beside the parked cars.
When he takes his grandchild out in a stroller, he is forced to push it across his neighbours grass or roll it along the street until he can get to Rosser Avenue where there are sidewalks.
Public engagement is integrated into the city's planning process for new sidewalks, according to its 2023-27 financial plan.
Far being asked for input, however, Sferra said he can't even get information about whether his block is on the city's radar for sidewalks.
"My concern is that someone is going to get seriously injured before the city acts," Sferra said.
The NOW asked the city the following questions last week and has not received an answer:
- Where can residents find street/area-specific information about the city's sidewalk expansion program?
- Are there plans to build a sidewalk in the 4400 block of Triumph?
- If so, when?
- If not, how can residents engage with the city to advocate for one?
- Is the city’s consultation process just waiting for residents to email complaints?
- If so, how are these complaints tracked?
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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