TransLink requests public feedback for Burnaby Mountain gondola

TransLink has launched the third round of public engagement for the Burnaby Mountain gondola project by asking residents to provide feedback on the project. The project was first proposed in 2020 and since then there have been two rounds of public engagement including events and a survey. 

According to TransLink’s official statement, “this engagement will support the development of the project’s business case, which includes technical analysis and gondola design.” TransLink is seeking feedback on “understanding trips to/from Burnaby Mountain, identifying and minimizing potential environmental impacts, design components including cabins, towers, and terminals.” 

Burnaby City Council endorsed the project on Jan. 19, 2022, saying that the gondola “has the potential to provide increased capacity, shorter travel times, more frequent departures, mode shift from car to transit, greater winter reliability, and reduced noise and emissions.” The endorsement also said that gondolas are among the safest modes of transportation and the proposed gondola would eliminate 9,000 daily car trips on Burnaby Mountain by 2035. 

According to the TransLink project page, 25,000 trips are made to and from Burnaby Mountain daily. TransLink also mentions that the gondola will serve the 7,000 residents of the UniverCity. 

“Currently, passengers travelling to Burnaby Mountain often experience unpredictable travel times, with customers frequently being passed by full buses, and with the population on the mountain continuing to grow, so will the challenges,” TransLink says. Adding new buses, the webpage says, will not meet the growing demand, with the gondola providing the best option, transporting people faster than buses. The proposed route for the gondola is between the Production Way-University SkyTrain line and the transit exchange near SFU on Burnaby Mountain. 

Residents of the Forest Grove community have expressed their opposition to the gondola saying that it will increase noise levels and have a negative effect on property values in their neighbourhood. 

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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