Province won’t pay for Coquitlam River Bridge, PoCo council mulls slow streets

When you give a gift, sometimes you give up an obligation.

During a discussion about the city’s transportation plan, Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West took aim at the province on the subject of the Coquitlam River Bridge.

While it was once the responsibility of the province, the bridge was given to the municipality in the late-1990s.

“They need to step up with funding to have that bridge replaced,” he said, calling the lack of provincial funding “irresponsible.”

A previous design envisioned a new bridge with four travel lanes, two High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes and a multi-use path on each side.

The bridge is the city’s responsibility, according to a message from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

The ministry, “is not in a position to provide direct funding for its replacement,” a ministry representative wrote in an email to the Dispatch.

“Our government continues to lobby the federal government to increase its infrastructure funding for these types of projects,” the representative added.

The Coquitlam River Bridge does not meet modern earthquake standards. A previous report recommended the eastbound bridge be replaced by 2020 with the westbound crossing replaced by 2024.

Getting around

Port Coquitlam council recently discussed a draft of the city’s master transportation plan, as well as some of the municipality’s major pinch point. The plan is largely about making things easier for cyclists and transit riders without making it harder for drivers.

“The vast, and I mean vast majority of the community get around using their vehicle,” West said.

West listed the Fremont Connector, the Mary Hill Bypass, Shaughnessy Street underpass and the Coquitlam River Bridge as top priorities.

“Fremont, Lougheed, Coquitlam River Bridge, Mary Hill Bypass these to me are not nice-to-haves, these are must-haves,” West said.

The Fremont Connector is also needed “urgently,” West said, adding that the city seems to be seeing increased traffic from Burke Mountain.

City staff did a feasibility study on the Shaughnessy Street underpass project 10 years ago but put the project on the back burner due to cost.

Addressing staff at the meeting, West said he’d like to see something on the underpass in front of council, “sooner rather than later.”

The Mary Hill Bypass continues to be a top collision site as well as one of the worst areas for active transportation, West said. The ball is “firmly in the province’s court,” he added.

When the subject of transportation is raised, West said he’s frequently asked about expanding road capacity. However, there’s no practical way to get more lanes through downtown, he said.

There’s also no way to expand Coast Meridian without buying adjacent properties, noted the city’s manager of infrastructure planning Melony Burton.

Slow streets

Council and staff also discussed the idea of dropping the city’s default speed limit to 30 or 40 kilometres per hour.

If there’s a sign, drivers will likely ignore it, Burton said, explaining the importance of infrastructure such as speed humps and raised sidewalks.

“The signage alone isn’t going to get you 30 kilometres/per hour and then we’re beholden to provide the enforcement,” Burton said.

However, the city could lower the speed limit to 40 kilometres per hour, West said, suggesting: “the majority of people will adhere to the law.”

It’s an idea that warrants further discussion, agreed Coun. Darrell Penner. While there will always be speeders and scofflaws, slower streets could become the culture of the community, Penner suggested.

Bikes and buses

Coun. Nancy McCurrach affirmed her support for more multi-use paths during the discussion.

As the cost of living increases, the city will likely see more people riding bikes, “Because they can’t afford cars, they can’t afford gas,” she predicted.

While Coquitlam is set to extend its e-scooter pilot program into 2028, Port Coquitlam’s plan doesn’t support a similar micro-mobility share service.

Coun. Dean Washington said he was skeptical about commuters who said they would take the bus if the stops were sheltered from the weather or if service was more consistent.

“I say, they’re just telling you that,” Washington told city staff. “They’ll take it when they don’t have enough money to pay for their car.”

The map

While individual projects might have to come to council for approval, the Master Transportation Plan is intended to serve as a roadmap for the city, explained city staffer David Walker.

“Considerable effort was taken” to avoid impacting drivers and parking spots, Walker said, emphasizing the plan is: “not intended to force people out of their cars.”

City staff are set to prepare a final transportation plan for adoption.

$60-million strategy

With the city’s population projected to grow 31 percent in 20 years, “there is a need to ensure that both traffic and goods can flow efficiently through the city,” stated a previous city staff report.

The approximately 20-year, $60-million strategy, includes revamping major avenues like Lincoln, Dominion and Kingsway, slowing down some streets to allow bicycles and cars to safely coexist, advocating for a SkyTrain station downtown, as well as numerous improvements on the Mary Hill Bypass.