Willingdon Linear Park officially opens today

The Willingdon Linear Park officially opens today.   The pedestrian/cycling path will connect Brentwood Town Centre from Brentlawn Drive to Hastings Street along the east side of Willindgon Avenue.

The official opening event takes place from 10:30-2:30pm between Midlawn Drive and Parker Street.
The City of Burnaby has enacted no stopping or parking on certain streets in the neighbourhood (photo of map below).

Linear Park traffic delays

As construction of Willingdon Linear Park along Willingdon Ave progresses, traffic delays have lately been more frequent between Brentlawn Drive and Hastings Street.

Linear park or social housing?

There has been much criticism of Burnaby City Council over the years for not doing enough to build affordable and social housing in the city as low income earners are being pushed aside to make room for market condo developments.  Most of the public criticism comes from political opponents that are aligned with the ruling provincial BC Liberals around municipal election times.  Burnaby City Council, which is affiliated with the BC NDP, has maintained the argument that social housing is a provincial matter and that the provincial government has allowed its political ideology to get in the way of cooperation and adequate funding support to build affordable social housing in Burnaby.  Furthermore, the critics of Burnaby Council have conveniently excluded the outgoing BC Liberal MLA (of the last 16 years) Richard Lee and his provincial government from any criticism on this matter.  A central part of the criticism has pointed out that the City of Burnaby has been sitting on massive consecutive surpluses that it has managed to build up into a massive reserve over the years and that the reserve should be used to build the needed social housing. This argument is quite disingenuous since the the big knock on the NDP by those very opponents has been that the NDP is not good at fiscal management while the BC Liberal-affiliated opponents in Burnaby have aggressively argued that the NDP affiliated City Council spend its hard-saved funds in an area that has always been within the realm of responsibility of the BC Liberal Government.

With the result of the recent BC provincial election paving the way for a potential coalition government being formed by the Greens and NDP, the impasse on affordable housing between Burnaby and Victoria may come to an end.  While this debate continues, a letter writer to the Burnaby Now has made a suggestion about where affordable housing could have been built.

Burnaby Now letter below

LETTERS: Think housing, not trail
Mike Horton / Burnaby Now
May 12, 2017 09:22 AM

Dear Editor:

The spring Info Burnaby newsletter published a full-page spread on the merits of a proposed linear park running along the east side of Willingdon Avenue between Hastings Street and the Brentwood mall. A multi-use trail is envisioned to accommodate cyclists, pedestrians and joggers. One can imagine the conflict that will occur between this group of users!

It is also proposed that seating and “gathering” areas be developed along this linear parkway – all adjacent to one of the busiest vehicular corridors in North Burnaby. One questions the safety of pedestrians, especially children, unless a formidable fence is installed.

Mayor Derek Corrigan has indicated this project will be funded by community benefit funds, as provided by building developers, hence there will be no cost to taxpayers. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that for many years the City of Burnaby has spent a considerable amount of taxpayers’ money, purchasing many properties along the aforesaid route, with a view to accommodating rapid transit. Rapid transit along this route, being no longer considered a priority, has opened the door for the proposed linear parkway. However, I submit that prior consideration for said route should have been given to the construction of suitable housing along the route, to accommodate the huge number of low-income families who cannot afford to purchase the boxy, highly expensive apartments being erected throughout Burnaby. Further, the cost of rental accommodation is also beyond the reach of the unfortunate low-income earners.  Economical housing situated at the southeast corner of Confederation Park would be an ideal proposal for the east side of Willingdon Avenue.

Mike Horton, Burnaby

© 2017 Burnaby Now

Work begins on Willingdon Linear Park

Willingdon Linear Park debate continues

As the Willingdon Linear Park gets set for construction this summer, the debate over its design continues and will likely continue long after it is built.  The linear park will connect Brentwood to Burnaby Heights between Brentlawn Drive and Hastings Street along the east side of Willingdon Avenue.  Cathy Griffin of HUB Cycling wrote the following piece to the Burnaby Now last month.

Burnaby Now article below

OPINION: Willingdon plan lacks vision

Cathy Griffin / Burnaby Now

March 24, 2017 09:01 AM

Anyone travelling along Willingdon Avenue in North Burnaby could not have failed to notice that over the years the City of Burnaby has accumulated properties on the east side of Willingdon north of Brentwood mall. The city recently announced its plan to develop this land into what is being called the Willingdon Linear Park: a 1.2-kilometre greenway connecting rapidly growing, high-density Brentwood Town Centre with Hastings Street, Confederation Park and community amenities such as the library, community centre and high school.

There is much to like in the plan, including landscaping, benches and public art; however, there is also a significant flaw. A single path would be shared among people walking (some with mobility aids, strollers, children or dogs) and people cycling. Drivers turning onto and off Willingdon would face cyclists crossing in both directions from a curved path set in landscaping, so potentially hidden from clear view.

Research from UBC has identified shared paths as among the most hazardous types of infrastructure for cycling. Best practices from around the world support separating people walking from those cycling, particularly in an urban environment where there will be many users and there are frequent intersections to cross.

Underlying these design issues is the lack of community consultation. A single open house was held with relatively little notification despite the fact that many thousands of Burnaby citizens will be affected and millions of taxpayer dollars are wrapped up in the project. Not only has the city neglected to adequately consult on this project, it has neglected to acknowledge and address by far the most frequent concern of those who did attend the open house: the safety and suitability of the proposed shared path. The result is a plan that neglects the needs of the people it is intended to serve.

Since 1995, Willingdon Avenue has been identified in the Burnaby Transportation Plan as a commuter cycling route, to be built when adjacent development takes place. Burnaby’s newly adopted Environmental Sustainability Strategy confirms the direction of the transportation plan, calling for making walking and cycling easier, safer and more comfortable, and emphasizes the need for high quality north/south cycling connections. However, the Jan. 17 report recommending the Willingdon Linear Park fails to even acknowledge these. Mayor Corrigan has recently stated Burnaby is developing a new transportation plan.

This is welcome news, and it raises an important question: should we, the citizens of Burnaby, be spending $8 million on a project that not only disregards our current planning policies but is even less likely to meet our new ones? 

Willingdon Avenue represents a wonderful opportunity. Taking a prudent approach and delaying implementation of a final design until the new transportation plan is completed would enable the creation of a state-of-the-art public space: one that includes not only aesthetic enhancements but also the safest and most comfortable accommodation for people walking, cycling and driving on this crucial north/south corridor.

Acting chairperson, Cathy Griffin, Burnaby Committee of HUB Cycling

© 2017 Burnaby Now