Active Transportation Network Plan: Wood Street

Project update, February 19, 2025:

The What We Heard Report for Wood Street is now available.

The Wood Street Route will provide a 0.8 km north-south connection through the Queensborough neighbourhood. It will connect to the Boyd Street multi-use pathway (Active Transportation Network Plan: Year 1 Route) in the north, to the Ewen Avenue multi-use pathway, and to Salter Street in the south.

This route is not an existing bikeway. It is a local street with a short pathway connecting to Boyd Street and the Queensborough Bridge at the north end. Needed improvements to this route were identified in both the Active Transportation Network Plan and the Queensborough Transportation Plan. The Queensborough Quick-build Transportation Project identified which routes in need of pedestrian infrastructure would be improved as part of the Active Transportation Network Plan – Year 2 project.

Map: the Wood Street Route highlighted on the Active Transportation Network Plan Year 2 Routes map.

Click here to view a larger version.

Who's Listening

Stacy Lee

Transportation Engineer

transportation@newwestcity.ca

The Active Transportation Network Plan and the network of routes identified in the plan were approved by Council in 2022, with construction for all routes to be completed by 2030. The plan and its routes, including the Wood Street route, support Council’s Strategic Priorities of a people-centred economy and the safe movement of people. Decisions about the overall network, routes, and timelines have already been made.

Active transportation changes along each route include planned safety improvements (informed by technical information), and other proposed improvements with several feasible options. At this stage, we are asking for your feedback on the proposed improvements along this route, to help finalize the detailed designs.

We want to hear from you to understand how well the proposed improvements will contribute to a more comfortable, walkable, bike-friendly New Westminster. The City is also engaging directly with interest groups along the route to hear their perspectives on the proposed improvements.

Active Transportation Changes

Improvements along this route aim to create an active transportation connection that is comfortable for most users, with lower vehicle speeds and safer intersection crossings. These improvements also respond to community input collected during the Queensborough Transportation Plan, where gaps in the network and safety improvements at the intersection of Wood Street and Ewen Avenue were considered particularly important. The improvements will also be based on community input collected during the Queensborough Quick-build Transportation Project engagement in June 2025.

On-street parking restrictions between Boyd Street and Rennie Place. The City is considering removing up to 18 street parking spaces between Rennie Place and Boyd Street, to create more space for people cycling and driving to comfortably share. These parking spaces could be removed from the east side of Wood Street (next to Gurdwara Sahib Sukh temple), the west side of Wood Street, or a combination of both (some spaces removed from each side of the street). Narrow local streets can be difficult for vehicles and active transportation users to comfortably share.
Quick-build protected walkway between Ewen Avenue and Salter Street, to close the gap in the pedestrian network identified in the Queensborough Transportation Plan. A quick-build protected walkway would remove all street parking along both sides of this section of Wood Street (30 spots total, 14 on the east side and 16 on the west side). Narrow local streets are uncomfortable for active transportation users to share with vehicles. The protected walkway would create a safe, protected space for pedestrians.
Alternatively, speed humps could be installed between Ewen Avenue and Salter Street, to slow vehicle traffic and make sharing the street more comfortable for active transportation users. This would not require any parking removal, but would not create any protected walking space for pedestrians.

Widening the existing pathway that connects Wood Street to the Queensborough Bridge, to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to share and navigate.
New painted crosswalk at the intersection of Wood Street and Rennie Place to provide safer crossing for pedestrians. This would require removal of one legal parking spot on the east side of Wood Street and enforcement of the no stopping restriction approaching the intersection.
Rectangular rapid flashing beacons (pedestrian and cyclist-controlled crossing lights) at the intersection of Wood Street and Ewen Avenue. A review of this intersection was identified in the Queensborough Transportation Plan.

Example of a rectangular rapid flashing beacon in the City of New Westminster

These proposed improvements are shown on the graphic below.

Map: Proposed active transportation improvements along the Wood Street Route

Click here to view a larger version.

💬Pop-ups

Share your thoughts with the project team in-person at one of our pop-ups.

Tuesday, November 25, from 3:00 – 5:00 pm at Irving House, 302 Royal Avenue
Wednesday, November 26, from 3:00 – 7:00 pm at the Queensborough Community Centre, 920 Ewen Avenue
Saturday, November 29, from 12:00 – 2:00 pm at the Queens Park Arena, 51 Third Avenue

📝Online survey

Share your thoughts on these proposed improvements by taking the Wood Street Route survey on Be Heard New West.

The survey is open until December 10, 2025.

Your input will be reviewed following the community engagement and will be used to adjust and refine the proposed improvements along the Wood Street Route. Updates to the design based on the feedback received will be shared on this project page. Final designs are expected to be completed in the winter 2025-2026, and construction of the new active transportation route is expected to begin in spring 2026.

Check back here for updates as work progresses!