Editor:
I cycle several times a week uphill from New Westminster along the BC Parkway to shop for groceries at Metrotown.
This is a great, comfortable route as it has been designed for cyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. However, there is one disconcerting short section located at the south end of Central Boulevard where it joins onto Imperial Street where cyclists and pedestrians are funnelled from a three-metre-wide, multi-use paved pathway, suddenly at a bend, to a 1.5-metre-wide concrete sidewalk. There is a posted sign at the bend that pedestrians and cyclists are to share the sidewalk.
During this unprecedented time of pandemic strife, where more than ever cyclists and pedestrians seek physical exercise and outdoor fresh air, I deem the funnelling of pedestrians and cyclists onto a narrow sidewalk a contravention to the public health officer's orders to maintain two-metre social distancing, and a violation for health and safety reasons.
Even on the existing, well-used three-metre-wide paved multi-use pathway, it is difficult enough to avoid conflicts and social distance between numerous cyclists, pedestrians with dogs, baby carriages, shopping carts, oblivious pedestrians with earphones and those engrossed on their cell phones going in both directions - let alone funnel all this onto a narrow sidewalk. All users prefer to use the sidewalk rather than walk or ride on the grass and conflicts result, along with non-compliance to two-metres distancing.
The mayor and council are responsible for seeing that its powers are used for the benefits and protection of its citizens and is most directly involved in providing services to citizens.
This is the time to act.
This approximately 50-metre short section of sidewalk either needs widening or a separate bike path needs to be installed for safety, avoiding conflicts, and social distancing. This is not an unreasonable request. It's not like widening a sidewalk on a bridge, which would be exorbitant. There is plenty of wide and open space in the grassed area with no structures or utilities to relocate on a city-owned right of way and relatively inexpensive.
A one-time study estimated the annual economic impact of cyclists to be almost nine times as much the one-time expenditure of public funds to construct bicycle facilities in the region.
Investing in cycling facilities is a highly profitable venture for governments and is in line with Burnaby's vision for zero emission vehicles, transitioning to carbon neutrality by 2050, building the core of the cycling network by 2030, as outlined in Burnaby's Transportation Plan.
Funding perhaps can be obtained from the Canada Infrastructure Program Covid-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream initiative by provincial and federal governments of which $136.5 million is allocated for capital projects in B.C., or from other city reserves. Let's fix this for health and safety and comply with COVID orders.
Robert Wong
