FAQs

We followed the Council-approved Active Transportation Network Plan guiding principles of comfortable, complete and connected to design these two these two routes (Eighth, Ninth and Tenth streets and London Street). 

• COMFORTABLE: Use an All Ages and Abilities (AAA) design to make it easy and safe for everyone to get around, year round. This means we focused on safety, providing protected bike lanes physically separated from vehicle traffic on busy streets and shared local street bikeways on streets with low traffic volumes and vehicle speeds.   
• COMPLETE: A complete network that places all residents within a short walking, rolling, or cycling distance. This means, ultimately, all residents will be within 400 metres of an active transportation route, depending on the local environment.
• CONNECTED: A network that connects to all neighbourhoods and major destinations. This means the network considers connections to schools, parks, commercial areas, facilities, hospitals, multi-modal connections (SkyTrain, Q2Q Ferry) and regional and adjacent community cycling facilities.

Quick-build designs are fast to construct, easy to change, and much less expensive than permanent, conventional builds. That means we can get them in place quicker and save money at the same time!

Quick-build projects offer a cost-effective way for users to experience changes to street infrastructure, and for the City to evaluate the project impacts on traffic flow, operations, and safety, and to make changes over time as needed at low cost. Quick-build projects may be refined and upgraded with permanent infrastructure.

The Council-approved Active Transportation Network Plan includes a Core Network of 26 active transportation corridors (routes), which have been prioritized into a phased, five-year strategy. Routes were prioritized based on the number of connections to destinations, the number of connections to other routes, the complexity of the project, and more. 

The phased approach means the most important improvements are made sooner, with the overall goal to connect the different routes into an active transportation network across the city. 

Three routes were planned and engaged on in Year 1 of the Active Transportation Network Plan. Year 2 includes planning and engagement for five additional routes. These routes were chosen as they connect to the Year 1 Routes, providing more active transportation connections and improvements in key areas across New Westminster. 

More routes will be completed and connected as we progress through the remaining years of the Active Transportation Network Plan. 

The City of New Westminster Fire Department is being engaged throughout the Active Transportation Network Plan design process to ensure that all routes maintain emergency vehicle access and do not disrupt critical emergency services.

Star diverters are a new type of traffic control device in the city, prioritizing people walking and cycling and emergency vehicles at the intersection of two bikeways. These diverters are used on local street intersections to restrict vehicle movements to right turns only. Pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency vehicles can pass through in any direction, but other vehicles must turn right. This helps reduce cut-through traffic, lower vehicle volumes, and enhance safety for people biking.

star diverter example, from proposed Eighth, Ninth, Tenth Streets Route improvements

Specific parking changes being proposed for each of the Year 2 routes are: 

• Eighth, Ninth and Tenth streets – curbside parking and loading zone removal is proposed along the east side of the corridor (Eighth Street, between Royal Avenue and Columbia Street) to accommodate the two-way bike lane. Parking will be retained on Tenth Street next to Moody Park, to avoid disrupting the heavily used pick-up/drop-off zone serving the park and sports fields.
• London Street – one of the route options proposes retaining parking on alternating sides of certain blocks of London Street where the road is narrow. This option would see approximately half of the parking spots removed on these blocks to improve the shared space for people cycling and vehicles. The other option does not propose removing any parking. 

More details on the proposed changes are available on the project pages: Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Streets, London Street.

Additionally, new signage will be added along the Year 2 Routes to clarify existing no stopping and parking restrictions near intersections and driveways, based on City bylaws. This is to ensure all road users have clear sightlines, and that the intersection can be safely navigated by larger vehicles such as fire trucks and garbage trucks. 

Rectangular rapid flashing beacons are crossings with pedestrian- and cyclist-controlled flashing lights, warning vehicles to stop and yield. These flashing beacons make these crossings safer for pedestrians and cyclists, while minimizing disruptions to the flow of vehicle traffic.

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