A pedestrian and cycling path recently built along a main thoroughfare in Port Coquitlam has won accolades from a B.C. cycling advocate.
Hub Cycling recently presented the city with an Infrastructure Improvement Award for the bike and pedestrian path constructed in 2021 on the northern side of Prairie Avenue.
The three-metre wide path stretches from Coast Meridian Road to Burns Road for two-kilometres and has pavement markings and lighting, which HUB noted improved safety at night.
According to the city, the multi-use path (MUP) provides a safe link for northside residents to get to schools, parks, places of worship and other amenities.
Congrats to the @CityofPoCo for winning an Infrastructure Improvement at #HUBBikeAwards for the new 3.0-metre wide Prairie Avenue Multi-use Pathway between Coast Meridian Road and Freemont. Lighting along the path makes it a safer option for nighttime use as well. #UnGapTheMap pic.twitter.com/Sw1czLFXBb
— HUB Cycling (@WeAreHub) February 24, 2023
Port Coquitlam began constructing MUPs in 2018 as a safe, cost-effective solution to promote active transportation.
The award was presented during Hub's 10th Annual Bike Awards held virtually on Feb. 23.
'We appreciate HUB Cycling’s recognition for the work we’re doing to enhance cycling and other active transportation in our community — including constructing new multi-use pathways,” Mayor Brad West said.
Including the Prairie MUP, the city has constructed six MUPs, with three more slated to begin construction in 2023 and another two in 2025 and 2026.
The city recently accepted a $450,000 provincial grant for a multi-use path along Kingsway Avenue from Kelly Avenue to Coast Meridian Overpass as part of a corridor road and improvement project.
Over the next few years, Port Coquitlam hopes to construct a multi-use path along Kingsway Avenue all the way to the Mary Hill bypass and beyond, to connect with the Traboulay-PoCo Trail.
Bike-friendly infrastructure in PoCo
The Prairie MUP is part of an array of cycling facilities and services in Port Coquitlam that include:
• More than 101 km of bike-friendly routes, including 19 km of MUPs, the 25-km Traboulay PoCo Trail, 28 km of other trails, eight kilometres of on-street bike lanes and 21 kilometres of shared road bike routes.
- A permanent bike fix-it station at Gates Park
- 25 city-owned bike racks
- Bike lockers at the West Coast Express station
- Green paint to alert drivers of bike conflict zones
- Bike push buttons and crosswalk improvements for cyclists
For a Geographic Information System (GIS) map of bike-friendly routes in the city and more information on Port Coquitlam’s cycling amenities, visit portcoquitlam.ca/cycling.
