Concerns over the loss of on-street parking was top of mind for residents who attended a public open house June 9 about the 44 Avenue bike lane project in Ladner.
According to the City of Delta, 25 residents came out to share concerns and get information on the project which at this point includes marked buffered on-street cycle lanes, a defined parking lane along the north side of 44 Avenue as well as the removal of on-street parking along the south side of 44 Avenue to accommodate the cycling lanes.
Director of engineering Steven Lan said besides concerns over the parking issues, residents also expressed support for improving cycling connections within the city.
“We are here to listen to everyone. I want to reassure everyone that we are only at a very early design stage and we want to make sure we hear from residents and address their concerns as much as we can,” said Lan. “We will be coming back to the community and also to council with a revised design and also noting their concerns so they can see how those have been addressed.”
Lan said long-term, the city, through their draft Cycling Master Plan, is looking at improving active transportation across the community.
“Certainly this is one of the corridors that is really important. There is a connection from Dugald Morrison all the way out to Ladner Elementary,” he said. “There is a separate phase of this project along 44th between Arthur Drive and Ladner Elementary that has a multi-use pathway. That is about to start construction. This side, which we are talking about here, is just in its early consultation stage. What we have put forward is cycling lanes on the roadway to provide a better facility. We will look at how we can address those parking concerns. We want to ensure we listen and have the right solution.”
Lan said staff will be updating council and circulating the revised design for another round of consultations later this summer.
