A new separated cycling route that will eventually connect the city centres of Coquitlam and Port Moody has been recognized with an infrastructure improvement award by the HUB Cycling advocacy group.
The award was presented Tuesday, March 12, at the The Cinematheque in Vancouver.
The first phase of multi-million Gulldford greenway was completed last summer. It’s comprised of a protected lanes for cyclists and other micro mobility users that run for 2.1 km along the north and south sides of Guildford Way from Johnson Street in Coquitlam’s City Centre area to the Port Moody border.
Work on the project’s second phase to extend the lanes to Pinetree Way is expected to occur this spring and summer.
Doug McLeod, Coquitlam’s transportation director, said the $3-million project will improve the safety and comfort of all the route’s users.
The greenway’s construction is being funded by a grant from the B.C. Active Transportation infrastructure grants program along with $2.5 million from TransLink.
Port Moody has also targeted its portion of Guildford Way to Ioco Road for improvements to better accommodate cyclists. But a report presented city council a year ago said the plan is complicated by the road’s narrow confines.
In addition to the infrastructure award, Belcarra’s Colleen MacDonald was honoured for her volunteer advocacy efforts.
MacDonald, who’s authored three books to guide cyclists along safe routes in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Okanagan, has championed for infrastructure improvements and better connections to allow cyclists to travel around the Tri-Cities. Some of those include completion of the new King Albert greenway in 2022 and a more direct passage for cyclists through the Riverview lands.
The HUB cycling awards have been shining a light on the people and projects that make cycling around Metro Vancouver safer and more enjoyable for 11 years.
- with a file from Kyle Balzer, Tri-City News
