Transportation - Burnabyservices/policies... · 2011. 10. 19. · † Action Plan for...

18.08.08.08.08.0 Transportation

8 . 0Transportation

Transit connection

portation plan to meet the transpor-tation challenges over the next fif-teen to twenty years. The BurnabyTransportation Plan was developedover a two year period with exten-sive public consultation. It wasadopted by Council in 1995 andupdated in 1997.

The Burnaby TransportationPlan provides a comprehensive re-view of transportation needs inBurnaby and includes the followingcomponents:

• Perspective on Regional Growth

• Outlook for Transportation inBurnaby

• Strategy for Transportation

• Action Plan for Transportation

• Long Range TransportationProgram

• Five Year Transportation Program

The Burnaby TransportationPlan, as summarized in this OCP,provides the comprehensive policydirection for transportation planningand development in the City. TheTransportation Plan makes provi-sion for updates on a regular basis.

8.1Context

Transportation is essential tothe life of a community. Both resi-dents and businesses in Burnabydepend on access to an efficienttransportation system for the move-ment of people and goods. Burnabyis also a part of a growing GreaterVancouver Region. As such, it isaffected by people from the more rap-idly developing suburban areas tothe east and south travellingthrough the community to employ-ment, shopping, and other attrac-tions in Burnaby and Vancouver. Asautomobile ownership continues toincrease faster than populationgrowth in the Region, the demandfor travel will place increased stressnot only on the transportation net-work, but also the livability of thecommunity.

Against this background, theCity of Burnaby faces significantchallenges in maintaining a viabletransportation system for the move-ment of people and goods. Thetransportation system in the Citymust not only serve the needs ofits own residents, but also the grow-ing demands of residents of sur-rounding communities who travelto work, shopping and recreation inBurnaby, and through Burnaby toother areas of the Region. Setting afuture direction for transportationin the City requires a responsive-ness to the expressed desires of Bur-naby residents and an awareness ofthe future demands for transporta-tion generated by growth in the Re-gion.

The above considerations,coupled with the initiatives fromthe GVRD's Livable Region Strate-gic Plan, suggested the need formajor renewal of the City’s trans-


8.2TransportationGoals

Goal: Transportation

To strive to facilitate the efficientmovement of people and goods in acost effective manner whichenhances the environment andlivability of the entire community.

• Move People Efficiently byRoad

• Move Goods Efficiently

• Reduce the Need for Travel

• Promote Alternative Modes

• Protect the Livability andEnvironment of theCommunity

Hastings Street with HOV lane


8.3Directions

The directions underlying theTransportation Framework includethe following:

• regional transportation solutionsconsistent with the LivableRegion Strategic Plan will bepursued and successfullyimplemented;

• demand for transportation willneed to be managed in order toreduce travel by single occupantvehicles during peak periods;

• the City will encourage carpoolingas a mode of travel during peakperiods;

• Light Rail Transit along theLougheed Corridor will be com-pleted by 2005 and the City willhave a direct involvement in itsdesign and integration withstation and transit plan areas andadjacent land uses;

• the City will support the contin-ued development of its TownCentre areas with transit link-ages to one another and to TownCentres in other parts of the Re-gion;

• the City will work with otheragencies to reserve rights-of-wayfor public transit, high occu-pancy vehicle lanes, cyclists,pedestrians and other transpor-tation facilities;

• the City will encourage appropri-ate higher density residential andjob related development along theexisting and proposed rapidtransit corridors;

• the arterial road system will beimproved to emphasize the move-ment of more people in fewervehicles during peak periods;

transportation system will berequired to move people andgoods efficiently, greater effortswill be required to reduce the un-desirable impacts oftransportation on those mostclosely affected by transportationimprovements. Initiatives caninclude traffic calming measuresin neighbourhoods, noiseattenuation fencing, the promo-tion of low-emission vehicles andexpansion of the transit systemin the City.

• Manage the TransportationSystem

Implementing the transportationstrategy will require new ap-proaches to actively manage anddirect the development of thetransportation system. The City,along with other communities inthe Region, will need to clearlydefine transportation programs to1) modify travel behaviour, ratherthan react to it; 2) reduce theimpact of transportation on theair and water rather than acceptit; and 3) develop transportationmodes which enhance ratherthan degrade neighbourhoods.

• Inform and Educate theCommunity

Transportation in a city is a prod-uct of scores of individual choicesabout personal movement.Changes to the transportationsystem to orient it towards theneeds of people rather than vehi-cles will require public accept-ance and changes in individualtravel behaviour. For this reason,the Burnaby Transportation PlanStrategy includes measures toeducate the community aboutthe need to use alternative modesand to inform the public aboutthe transportation decisions atthe local, regional, and provinciallevel which will affect their lives.

• the City’s road network will con-tinue to be developed reflecting ahierarchial classification of roadsand appropriate design standards;

• the City will ensure that existingand future road facilities operatesafely and at maximum efficiencythrough the application of trafficmanagement and traffic safetymeasures;

• the City will continue to workclosely with BC Transit, or anyregionally sanctioned transporta-tion authority, to ensure theprovision of efficient and conven-ient public transit service;

• safe and convenient cycling andpedestrian facilities will continueto be provided;

• the City will continue to developcommunity transportation plans,in consultation with localresidents, to reduce the effects ofthrough traffic while maintainingaccess for the localneighbourhood;

• the City increasingly will need toseek the cooperation of otheragencies in developing networkplans for major roads, LRT, tran-sit, truck and cycle routes; and

• the City will continue to ensurethat its citizens are informedabout transportation plans andprograms on an ongoing basis.


Major Roads

FreewayPrimary ArterialSecondary ArterialMajor Collector - PrimaryMajor Collector - SecondaryMajor Collector - Greenway

Minor Roads

Local CollectorLocal Residential

8.4TransportationFramework

The adopted Burnaby Trans-portation Plan incorporates threekey elements that are interrelatedand provide the basic framework fortransportation planning anddevelopment in the City. These el-ements include the road network,the public transportation systemand non-vehicular modes.

8.4.1Road Network

An efficiently functioning roadsystem is essential to providemobility for people in private vehi-cles, transit buses, trucks, bicyclesand on foot. It is also essential toprovide access to Town Centres,shopping, parks, and neighbour-hoods throughout Burnaby. Tomeet these basic needs, the roadnetwork provides a range of differ-ent facilities emphasizing either mo-bility, or access to land uses. Theroad network hierarchy ranges fromfreeways and arterials (whichemphasize mobility over providingaccess to adjacent land uses) to lo-cal residential and collector streets(which provide access to and withinneighbourhoods in Burnaby). Re-flecting the emphasis on roadswhich move people rather than ve-hicles, the road network will makeprovision for a multiplicity of modesincluding private vehicles, trucks,buses, bicycles, pedestrians andrapid transit when required.

The road network in Burnabyis based on a hierarchy of streets dif-fering in function, traffic service,land access, traffic volumes and pro-vision for on-street parking. Theroad network includes both majorand minor roads, including the fol-lowing classes:


8.4.1.1High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes

The provision of separate lanes onarterial roads in the City to accommo-date High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV),including buses and carpools, is essen-tial to promote transit use and encour-age commuters to carry more people inprivate vehicles during peak periods. Byreducing travel time for buses andcarpools relative to the single occupantprivate vehicle, HOV lanes offer an ad-ditional incentive for commuters to usealternative modes during peak periods.High occupancy vehicle lanes also in-crease the speed and, therefore, the at-tractiveness of transit.

The Livable Region Strategic Plandesignates Hastings/Barnet and High-way 1 for HOV improvements. TheBurnaby Transportation Plan and theOCP designate additional roads forHOV. Establishment of HOV roadwayswill require resolution and coordina-tion with the appropriate agencies.

8.4.1.2Truck Routes

The efficient movement of goodsby truck is a key component of the ef-fort to maintain a sound economy inboth the Region and the City. Withits central location and access to ma-jor provincial highways, Burnaby ac-commodates a large proportion of trucktrips in the Region. In addition, theindustrial areas of the City, includingthe Central Valley, southeast Burnaby,and the Big Bend, are major generatorsand attractors of both heavy and lighttruck trips.

The long range truck route net-work incorporates existing and futurearterial and major collector roads toprovide better connectivity across mu-nicipal boundaries and a more evenspacing of routes within the City. Thelong range truck network would be im-plemented as new arterial roads are con-structed in the future.


8.4.2Transit

The transit system is based onthe concept of a family of fixed routetransit services which perform dif-ferent functions in carrying peoplewithin Burnaby and to other partsof the Region. Local bus serviceslink neighbourhoods and activitycentres within the City and providetransfer connections to Express,Rapid Bus, and Rapid Transit serv-ice. Transit facilities should bemade more bicycle friendly andaccessible, including bicycle parkingat transit stations and interchangesto increase the catchment area oftransit services and encouragecycling in the City.

In its preliminary planningfor the Broadway LRT alignment,the City foresees up to ten stationsbetween Boundary Road on the westto North Road on the east. Five ofthese stations are within theBrentwood and Lougheed TownCentres, while the remaining fivewould be the subject of detailed sta-tion area planning processes. TheCity intends to use this conceptualframework in its dialogue with theProvince and other agencies duringthe planning and design phases ofthe LRT project.


8.4.3Non-Motorized

8.4.3.1Cycling

Cycling is accommodatedthrough a range of cycling facilitiesto meet the various needs of thecyclist for mobility, access to landuses and recreation. Two types ofcycling facilities are identified: Cy-cle Roads and Urban Trails. CycleRoads accommodate the mobilityneeds of the regular cyclist, forwhom cycling is a primary transpor-tation mode. Urban Trails are aseparate system of paths for prima-rily recreational cycling and walking.Both types of facilities providelinkages for non-motorized trans-portation among activity centres inBurnaby including Town Centresand parks.

The City will review the needfor improvements to the cycle net-works and actions that can be takento better meet the needs of cyclists.Concurrently, the City should con-tinue to coordinate the developmentof cycle routes with adjacentmunicipalities.

8.4.3.2Pedestrians

As the majority of transit us-ers access the transit system as pe-destrians, the attractiveness oftransit as an alternative mode islargely dependent on the safety andconvenience provided to pedestriansin the urban environment. In TownCentre areas, walking can also com-pete as a primary mode of travel forshort distance trips between homeand the workplace, shopping or rec-reation. In these areas, the densityand diversity of activities supportsshort distance trips. A safe pedes-trian environment is also requiredfor the protection of those with re-duced access to an automobile, in-

cluding schoolchildren, seniors, andthe mobility impaired.

Based on these considerations,the provision of pedestrian facilitiesmust be an integral part of theplanning and design of street andhighway improvements. TheUrban Trail system provides a sepa-rate network of pedestrian walkwayswhich are shared with cyclists.Separated sidewalks are also to beprovided, where feasible, inconjunction with road improve-ments in the City while pedestriancrossings (signalized or grade sepa-rated) are to be provided as needed.


tion demand measures. Thesemeasures are intended to reduce therole of the single occupant vehiclein the day to day transportationneeds of the Region and provide ameans to better integrate the landuses in the Region with the heavycapital investments associated withlight rail transit and other transitinvestments.

There needs to be an unwa-vering commitment by all involvedthat the delivery of the Transport2021 objectives embedded withinthe Livable Region Strategic Plan areachievable, as well as a willingnessto change our travel behaviour forthe benefit of each and all. If theseare not forthcoming, then a morepragmatic, less ambitious courseneeds to be set, with adjustmentsbeing made to the regional planaccordingly. Unfortunately, thiswould result in the deterioration ofthe quality of life we have come toexpect as future growth occurs.

The land use and transporta-tion policies as established withinthis Official Community Plan areconsistent with those establishedfor the Livable Region StrategicPlan. Clearly, the development ofLight Rail Transit along theLougheed Corridor by 2005 is anassumption that has directly af-fected land use policy changes alongthe Corridor. One of the principalreasons underlying the proposedconsideration of the need to reviewthis document in about three yearsis to gauge the state of the trans-portation initiatives at that time. Atthat point, a judgment can be madeas to whether the land use policiesthat are directly related to thosetransportation initiatives can be sus-tained.

8.5The Future

As Burnaby and its neighbour-ing municipalities head towards thenext century, they clearly must dotheir share as regional partners toreduce dependency on the automo-bile. Transit, high occupancy vehi-cles, cycling and pedestrian waysmust play a more significant role.If this does not occur, then in-creased congestion and its negativeeffects will become even more pro-nounced and contribute to the de-terioration of the Region as adesirable place to live and work.

The directions and policies asset out in the Burnaby Transporta-tion Plan are clear. They promote amore accessible and convenienttransit system, including the addi-tion of Light Rail Transit along theLougheed Corridor by 2005. Theyseek a close integration of land usewith the delivery of improved tran-sit; an improved road system tomove more people in fewer cars andmake the most of existing roadways;promotion of alternate modes oftravel to increase the choice oftransportation available to people;a sensitivity to the environmentalimpacts of transportation and closeinvolvement of the public intransportation decisions whichaffect their lives.

To a large degree, the LivableRegion Strategic Plan is based uponthe delivery of a vastly improvedtransit system and a commitmentby the Region’s member municipali-ties to the adoption of transporta-

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