Division surfaces on Maple Ridge council over pace of downtown transportation overhaul

Maple Ridge council was divided over how quickly the city should transform transportation in its downtown core, with one councillor arguing staff’s long-term road network plan lacks the ambition needed to keep pace with rapid growth.

Council voted 5-1 on July 14 to receive a staff report updating progress on the Town Centre Road Network Plan, a technical planning document that will guide how streets are redesigned over the next 15 years as the city’s urban core densifies.

Coun. Sunny Schiller opposed receiving the report, arguing it falls short of the vision required to prioritize walking, cycling and transit in the town centre.

“The reality is that cars are by far the most expensive kind of transportation to accommodate; less cars also means less crashes,” Schiller said. “I wish I had found ways to be more effective when it comes to creating safe active transportation routes in our community.”

The Town Centre Road Network Plan builds on the city’s 2025 Town Centre Area Plan and 2023 Strategic Transportation Plan. Once complete, it will establish how road space is allocated for sidewalks, cycling facilities, street trees, landscaped boulevards, rain gardens, transit, vehicle lanes and curbside uses while guiding future development requirements and capital investments.

Staff say the plan will provide developers with clearer expectations for frontage improvements and property dedication, improve coordination across city departments and help shape road infrastructure investments over the next 15 years. It is expected to take about one year to complete following stakeholder consultation.

The report notes preliminary analysis suggests separated one-way cycling facilities are most feasible on Selkirk Avenue and 222 Street, while space constraints make similar infrastructure less likely on Brown Avenue and 224, 226 and 227 streets.

Staff say each corridor will require balancing competing demands for cycling infrastructure, urban tree canopy, pedestrian space, parking and vehicle travel lanes.

‘People, not cars’

Schiller, who said she had pushed for the work to move forward, praised staff for producing updated maps and a technical design guide but said the city needs to move much faster.

She argued the transportation landscape has changed dramatically because of provincial housing legislation that is allowing apartment buildings with little or no parking, while electric bikes and scooters have become increasingly common.

“These are new forms of transportation that are causing serious safety concerns on our roads,” Schiller said, adding that while many devices remain illegal today, she expects they will eventually become registered and insured. “I don’t think they’re going anywhere because they provide a viable alternative to transportation for people to get around.”

Schiller said Maple Ridge needs a transportation network that better separates different modes of travel, and focuses on accommodating transit to increase capacity on its roads.

While encouraged by discussion around lowering speed limits and expanding space for pedestrians and cyclists, Schiller questioned the pace of implementation and whether the city was relying too heavily on redevelopment projects to gradually build the network.

“I have witnessed firsthand the challenges approaching this at a property-by-property pace,” she said. “This isn’t how we build roads for cars, and it shouldn’t be how we build transportation routes for people rolling or walking.”

Schiller pointed to Victoria as an example of a municipality that invested heavily in active transportation, saying it had reduced community emissions by 30 percent since 2007 while building a cycling network that remains under capacity.

She also floated the idea of a transportation task force, similar to Mayor Dan Ruimy’s climate action task force, and suggested council adopt an objective tying active transportation spending to a percentage of road spending.

Concerns over long timelines

Coun. Jenny Tan said there is broad agreement about creating a more vibrant downtown, but questioned how long residents may have to wait to see meaningful improvements.

She referenced discussion at the previous week’s committee meeting where staff indicated the full vision could take 20 to 30 years to materialize.

“I think residents have rightly an expectation that things will come to fruition faster, and certainly not in a 20- to 30-year timeline,” Tan said, noting municipalities are increasingly being asked to support businesses while accommodating multiple transportation options within limited road space.

Coun. Korleen Carreras emphasized the report was simply an update rather than a decision approving new projects, stating that staff was simply responded to council’s direction by closely examining the town centre.

“We’ve done a significant amount of work on transportation and active transportation over the last four years,” she said. “Is there more work to be done? Absolutely.”

Mayor Dan Ruimy agreed more work remains but defended both staff and council’s progress over the past term.

“We build off of the work that was done before us,” he said. “When we look at anything we do, we look at it as a long-term vision and the long-term goal, and it takes time to get there.”

Mayor Dan Ruimy agreed more work remains but defended both staff and council’s progress over the past term.
“We build off of the work that was done before us,” he said. “When we look at anything we do, we look at it as a long-term vision and the long-term goal, and it takes time to get there.”
Ruimy credited city staff with embracing a “One City” approach that has broken down departmental silos and accelerated planning work, calling the amount of work done over council’s term “phenomenal.”

The mayor acknowledged Schiller’s suggestion of a transportation task force, saying it could be something a future council considers as the town centre continues to grow.

The Town Centre Road Network Plan will next undergo targeted consultation with active transportation groups, the development industry, businesses and partner agencies before staff return to council with a completed plan for consideration.