Port Moody residents along Ioco Road concerned about traffic access during emergencies

Residents living along Ioco Road in Port Moody have significant concerns about traffic access during emergency events.

The Residents Of Pleasantside Ioco Communities Association (TROPICA) brought a delegation to city council on Tuesday, highlighting their concerns about the ingress and egress into the neighbourbood should road closures occur.

“It’s not a matter of if, it’s when the next time Ioco Road closes – it’s coming,” said Lorri Farquharson Petrie, chair of TROPICA’s traffic committee. “Will someone die because of it? We only know the population will increase. It’s happening all around us: north, south, east and west.”

TROPICA formed their traffic committee following a gas leak which shut both lanes of Ioco Road traffic down for over six hours on Aug. 27, 2024. Congestion and delays built up quickly and vehicles had to be detoured down the narrow single-laned Alderside Road.

But Petrie said there have been many road closures along the street, and neighbour concerns over the potential dangers have been heightened since the Los Angeles fires of early 2025.

Ioco Road is the only access route for Port Moody’s northwest corner, aside from Sunnyside Road through Anmore. 

After reaching out to the city officials, including the police and fire departments, TROPICA said the only other routes planned during an emergency are detours along San Remo Street, Alderside Road, Barber Lane, and the April Road gravel access lane to David Avenue (which is normally locked up).

Petrie said these roads are usually clogged with parked cars and not equipped to handle heavy traffic volume or large vehicles, and questioned how emergency responders could even reach the April Road access lane if congestion had already built up.

She also referenced population growth affecting the city, recent provincial housing around small scale multi-unit housing, and the Anmore South development being planned along Port Moody’s border which would also utilize Ioco Road.

Opponents of the 2,200-unit Anmore South project have recently criticized its submitted traffic analysis, claiming it lacks a proper fire-evacuation plan.

“Is relying on the planned alternative routes realistic?” Petrie said. “The current options appear to be few and unreliable, as shown by the havoc caused by the minor closures on Ioco road today.”

TROPICA’s presentation also pointed out road closures in the area could occur from a variety of factors, including windstorms, downed trees and powerlines, earthquakes, train derailments, traffic accidents and construction.

“It’s not just fire that can prohibit access. Other extreme weather events can and have occurred over the years,” Petrie said. “TROPICA is concerned that our first responders and our city and our citizens do not have a clear understanding of what life-safety effects are caused by a closure of Ioco Road.”

She also questioned whether Port Moody had an emergency preparedness plan and staff to administer it as required by its bylaws. Staff responded that the city does have an emergency program coordinator, and an existing disaster response plan in place – the latter of which is currently being updated.

Mayor Meghan Lahti introduced a motion, which was approved unanimously, directing staff to report back on some of the issues raised by the TROPICA delegation.

“We will get a report back, and it will come to a public meeting, and you will hear about it,” Lahti said.