Burnaby Council greenlights SFU gondola

After more than a decade of work, the SFU gondola is one step closer to being constructed.

SFU President Joy Johnson says she’s confident it will be approved, adding the project is over a decade in the making.

The campus community is buzzing with excitement about the new form of transportation, which is more environmentally friendly than gas-fueled busses.

“Our students are so proud, and I do want to say our students, faculty, staff, alumni all leaned in hard to advocate for the Burnaby Mountain Gondola, and it’s really quite impressive,” said Johnson.

This is such fantastic news for #SFU and for commuters across the Lower Mainland. As the university president, I want to thank Mayor Hurley and Burnaby City Council for their foresight and vision in moving forward with the #BurnabyGondola. 1/2 https://t.co/syU0qN21UF

— Joy Johnson (@drjoyjohnson) January 28, 2022

It will also give students a reliable way to get to and from class when busses can’t make it up Burnaby Mountain in the snow, or to travel across the Lower Mainland if necessary.

“From what I understand, it’s the first of its kind in Canada,” said Johnson. “It’s a great intro to this kind of technology.”

The Mayor of Burnaby also anticipates the approval of the gondola’s funding, saying it will change transportation for students drastically. It is equally important, he says, that the non-students living on or near the mountain can use it as well.

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This will not only reduce emissions in the area, but give travelers a more convenient way to get around.

“It really is a climate change initiative for us and it’s getting buses and cars off the road, and that’s something we must do if we’re going to meet our climate change targets,” said Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley.

He calls the approval of Option 1 a “big step,” adding severe weather conditions in B.C. prompted residents to take sustainability more seriously this year.

“What has really brought it this far has been the severe weather conditions we have seen all throughout the year, and everybody coming to the realization that we’re really playing catch-up on climate change. We can’t leave any stone unturned to start turning that corner in the best interests of our children and grandchildren,” he said.

1/4 Exciting news, @CityOfBurnaby council votes YES to move forward with @TransLink’s preferred option for the #BurnabyGondola – a straight-line route from Production Way-University Station to #SFU’s bus exchange. pic.twitter.com/mrsAR2Ebnl

— Simon Fraser University (@SFU) January 28, 2022

The gondola will travel over Forest Grove, where residents are concerned about disruptions and construction. Hurley says their concerns were taken into consideration, but that they’re still dedicated to completing the project.

“In general, this was a very difficult decision, and it’s part of many of the difficult decisions that we’ll have to make to address climate change. But at the at the end of the day, we believe the concerns that we heard from those residents, most of them have been addressed by TransLink,” he said.

“While I feel in my heart for those people, at the end of the day, in the big picture and with the work we need to get done, we really don’t have a choice but to move forward with this project.”

Johnson’s not worried about the gondola shutting down in extreme weather, calling it very dependable, and Hurley agrees.

“These types of gondolas run in all types of weather, and we don’t feel that will be an issue at all,” said Hurley.