Port Moody’s $2-million plan to connect bicycle network to Coquitlam’s Guildford Way Greenway stalled over traffic concerns

Plans to install long-desired protected bike lanes onto one of Port Moody’s busiest and most crash-prone intersections have been delayed over traffic concerns.

City council voted unanimously Nov. 19 to re-evaluate the estimated $2-million strategy for a cyclist-safe route along Guildford Way, connecting Murray Street’s multi-use path to the protected bike lanes at the Coquitlam border.

“It’s a real conundrum, because obviously we want to support biking infrastructure in this community,” said Coun. Haven Lurbiecki. “But the traffic impacts are what give me pause.”

Guildford Way is a classified as a major connector road in the city, and currently has no physical separation between cyclist and vehicles lanes, which staff called a “critical gap” in Port Moody’s bicycle network.

In March 2023, staff were directed to develop a concept plan to create a continuous cyclist route to Coquitlam’s Guildford Greenway project, where separated bike lanes have recently been built.

Currently, Port Moody’s section of Guildford Way only has painted bike lanes on both sides of the road, which are considered unsafe due to the speed and volume of traffic.

Local cyclist groups like HUB Cycling’s Tri-Cities committee have been advocating for transportation and safety improvements along the road for years.

ICBC crash statistics show the Guildford Way and Ioco Road intersection is the second most dangerous in the city; between 2016 and 2022, there were more than 200 vehicle collisions, 81 of which resulted in injuries.

Staff’s recommended concept was a bi-directional lane on the north side of the Guildford Way, from Ioco Road to Ungless Way, before separating into east and westbound lanes in place in Coquitlam.

They noted the road is very narrow, and building one-way lanes on either side of the road would be challenged by existing right-of-way constraints.

Further changes include removing westbound and northbound right-turn slip lanes on Guildford Way and Ioco Road, respectively, and replacing them with traffic-controlled lights.

Left-turn lanes along Guildford Way would also be protected (only allowing turns when a green arrow is displayed).  

While improving safety, staff said these adjustments come with the trade-off of increased delays for vehicles, particularly drivers making right turns on Ioco Road.

To ease these obstructions, a second left-turn lane from Murray Street onto Ioco Road would be added, and the westbound left-turn lane from Guildford Way onto Ioco Road would be extended.

The projected traffic delays, however, were too much for council to support. 

A traffic analysis showed vehicles would be waiting at the intersection as much as 82 seconds in the morning, and 79 seconds in the evening.

While all councillors wanted to improve safety, they said moving forward with a year-long pilot project was premature at this stage.

Coun. Callan Morrison called the traffic impact “crazy,” considering how central and unavoidable the intersection is for Port Moody drivers.

He also questioned why a more detailed simulation of the impacts to the intersection was not conducted.

“We can’t get this wrong,” Morrison said. “It’s not like Surrey, where you just go three blocks farther and take a different turn.”

Coun. Kyla Knowles agreed, also expressing concern the proposed queues would end up extending huge distances.

She said she wanted the traffic micro-modelling completed, even if it costs the city more money, as the density from the Coronation Park project, and other incoming developments in Coquitlam and even Anmore will all have a traffic impact in the area.

“Those are all going to put incredible pressure on this intersection,” Knowles said. “We’ve got our engineering hats on, but maybe not our future planning hats.”

Lurbiecki said the city needs a much broader approach to its traffic challenges, noting that more and more complaints are being made to the city, all while its population is projected to double by 2050.

“People are upset and they want a plan,” she said. “The reality is most people still rely on their vehicle to get around and out of town.”

Staff have been directed to report back to council with more detailed modelling and more concept options.

The project’s budget will be subsidized by an over $1 million TransLink grant.