Only an hour passed after publishing an article about Burnaby homeowners battling the city to stop new sidewalks when emails poured in from incredulous residents.
These folks were some kind of angry.
The city’s target for new sidewalks, according to a recent staff report, is 30 kilometres per year, but for 2021 only 22 kilometres are expected to be completed due to pushback from some residents. These residents are fighting the sidewalks for a number of reasons, including a loss of parking spots and landscaping.
Jeff in Burnaby was livid over this.
Why? Because he’s been begging the city to add sidewalks in areas he says are death traps.
“I just want to mention that 2nd Avenue between Boundary and Gilmore is a potential deathtrap,” Jeff said. “No sidewalks and heavily populated with parked cars during the day. It is literally impossible to not be walking on the road where cars are travelling. Additionally, there are complete blind spots if you are heading both east or west due to a large change in elevation at one point on 2nd Avenue. There are lots of pedestrians using this patch of street due to the recent construction of two large residential towers that have been populated with hundreds of residents over the last two-year period with many more planned to come.”
Jeff can’t believe some residents at fighting the city on something that provides safety for everyone while other areas are “ignored.”
Another resident, Catherine C, wrote in because she’s fed up with neighbours who have fought a badly needed sidewalk project in her area.
“I live on North Holdom and we could not get a sidewalk on the west side because residents voted no, for the same reasons you mentioned: loss of parking (some have paved areas in front), loss of landscaping (some gardens go right to the street), and the imperative to shovel any snow by 10 am. It might help if they were reminded that that land in front of their homes is not theirs, but city property.”
The city should be commended for ramping up sidewalk projects, but need to develop a stronger stomach when it comes to just getting these projects done.
A few months ago, council approved $5,558,910.53 for road rehabilitation, construction of concrete curbs and sidewalks, and street lighting improvements at the following locations:
- · 12th Avenue from 2nd Street to Newcombe Street;
- · Aubrey Street from Sperling Avenue to Cliff Avenue;
- · Berkley Street from Canada Way to 6th Street;
- · Curragh Avenue from Clinton Street to Neville Street;
- · Gilpin Street from Inman Avenue to Patterson Avenue;
- · Humphries Avenue from Edmonds Street to 16th Avenue;
- · MacDonald Avenue from William Street to Parker Street;
- · Stanley Street from Walker Avenue to Leibley Avenue; and,
- · Stanley Street from Lakeview Avenue to Sperling Avenue.
These neighbourhoods have been begging for sidewalks for years and are finally getting them so full credit to the city for approving them.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
