Richmond council denies bigger budget for Steveston bike lane
Posted May 24, 2023 1:57 pm.
Last Updated May 24, 2023 4:00 pm.
Richmond City Council has hit the brakes on a long-planned multi-use pathway along Steveston Highway.
Council was asked to add $2.49 million to address the project’s budget shortfall but voted 5-4 against the motion. The pathway was included in city planning documents as far back as 2012 when it was included in Richmond’s Official Community Plan.
The city also approved capital funding for the project in both 2019 and 2020. At the time, the project was estimated to cost $9 million.
That’s not the only funding source for the project. TransLink offered $5 million, and the city secured a B.C. Active Transportation Infrastructure Grant for $500,000 — covering nearly half of the project’s estimated total cost of $11.5 million.
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The pathway is part of TransLink’s bike route network under its Transport 2050 plan. TransLink told CityNews that any unused funds from the Municipal Funding Program get reallocated to the next fiscal year. A spokesperson for TransLink said it’s up to the City of Richmond how it wants to move forward.
Coun. Kash Heed told CityNews he views the multi-use pathway as a “house of horrors,” saying it would lead to narrower lanes on Steveston that would jeopardize public safety.
“When you look at the narrowing of the lanes, which is part of the infrastructure change required to accommodate this multi-use pathway, it’s very concerning for me right now. Especially, when you see the large trucks and people with their recreational vehicles going down that highway. There’s not much room there.”
Richmond City Council has hit the brakes on a long-planned multi-use pathway along Steveston Highway. (Courtesy City of Richmond agenda)
Councillors who voted against the project were concerned about road safety, saying the pathway would lead to narrower lanes on Steveston Highway.
“I’m not saying that we will never do this, I’m just saying I don’t think the timing for this is right,” Heed said. “I would prefer Option 3 — that this is cancelled — and we have a complete re-think here [of] if we think this is a priority for us here in Richmond. From my perspective, it’s not a priority.”
Other councillors said the project needed more consultation, and cautioned the project was being rushed.
Mayor Malcolm Brodie had a different view, saying the city needs to look toward building for the future.
“I remember when I was on the TransLink board way back in the day, we had the same decision to make on the Canada Line bridge, we decided that we would put in the bike lane because we’re planning for the future — not for today and tomorrow — we’re planning for way off in the future.”
Brodie told OMNI News he’s disappointed in how the vote went Tuesday night.
“I’m very disappointed because our aim in developing this plan over many, many years is to develop and extend the capacity for active transportation — particularly walking and cycling — in Richmond.”
As far as safety concerns on Steveston, Brodie says studies have shown that the lane changes meet safety standards for arterial roads.
Brodie says the issue was voted on as a committee, and it will come back for a final vote at the council table soon.
Advocate says pathway needed
Jeff Leigh, president of HUB Cycling, says people riding through Richmond go out of their way to avoid Steveston Highway.
“Most people who cycle will not have the experience of cycling on Steveston because they’ll avoid it at just about any cost. They’ll take sidestreets and detours so they don’t have to cycle on Steveston. The problem is that Steveston connects people to destinations.”
Leigh has been involved in consultations on the multi-use pathway for years. He wants councillors to go back and study previous approvals on the project.
“I think what we have is new councillors who aren’t comfortable in their level of knowledge about what’s been previously decided and they need to spend some time coming up to speed. And staff needs to work with them to provide that education,” Leigh said.
Leigh is hopeful Richmond’s city staff can address the council’s concerns and eventually move forward with the pathway.
“My interpretation is it’s not going ahead now, but I don’t think that means it will not go ahead ever,” Leigh said. “I’m confident overall that we’ll make progress.”
With files from Tina Song, OMNI News
