Cycling advocates for Maple Ridge are worried about plans for an east-west greenway and are urging pedestrians, scooter riders, and bike users to speak out at a Jan. 20 public hearing.
Jenny Wright, co-chair of the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows HUB Cycling Committee said the plans for the West Ridge Greenway won’t be safe and comfortable for riders and pedestrians as it’s currently planned.
The greenway plan is just one part of a larger plan the city of Maple Ridge is considering for the Lougheed Transit Corridor. The new plan contemplates many significant changes for the area as Maple Ridge grows, including new development, higher densities, and the creation of more walkable neighbourhoods and more bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly amenities.
One key factor is the plan to add Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) down the Lougheed between Golden Ears Bridge and Haney Place.
The greenway is planned to run between Lougheed Highway and Dewdney Trunk Road between 203 and 221 Streets. It will run along a variety of routes, including Wicklow Way, Donovan Avenue, Cook Aveue, and 119 Avenue.
Wright said that the city has no direct control over major bike lanes on Lougheed itself, which is a provincial highway. TransLink has told HUB that new cycling lanes on the Lougheed are not contemplated as part of the BRT upgrade, making the West Ridge Greenway even more important.
Cyclists have a number of concerns about that project, she said, because the current plan calls for a single multi-use path running down one side of the road to accommodate bikes going in both directions, as well as pedestrians. The other side of the street would have a 2.5 metre sidewalk.
“Three metres is totally inadequate,” she said.
It’s not enough room to make all the users – cyclists, pedestrians, people on mobility scooters, and users of electric powered scooters – all feel safe. And people won’t use the path if they don’t feel safe, she said.
HUB is advocating for each side of the street to have its own separated bike lanes, along with sidewalks.
“Pedestrians should also have a place to walk on either side of the road,” she said.
The public hearing on the Lougheed Transit Corridor will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 20 starting at 7 p.m. in City Hall.