TransLink releases round two engagement results

TransLink has completed the second phase of public engagement on the proposed Burnaby Mountain Gondola project. Feedback from the over 7,000 responses reveals support for a preferred route.

More than 85 per cent supported the straight route from Production Way–University SkyTrain Station to SFU Burnaby campus, with the gondola terminal located near the bus exchange. The route is 2.7 km long with an estimated travel time of six minutes, a nine-minute time savings compared to the current average bus travel time of 15 minutes.

TransLink conducted two rounds of public engagement — in September 2020 and November/December 2020. Overall support for the Burnaby Mountain Gondola project was high during both engagements, 84 per cent and 83 per cent respectively. Public feedback from the first round of engagement helped to inform how we would evaluate the potential gondola routes. The second round of engagement, which ran from November 23 to December 14, 2020, shared the results of the route analysis and asked survey participants to indicate their level of support for the three routes. With a total of 7,492 public and stakeholder interactions, including surveys, submissions via email and phone, and five community engagement sessions, results indicate 85 per cent support for Route 1 across municipality and age demographics.

“I thank the public for taking the time to participate in this engagement process to help us shape this proposed project,” said TransLink’s Acting Vice President of Engineering, Jeffrey Busby. “Feedback helps us to plan accordingly based on the needs of this growing region and the needs of the local area. Consultation is a vital step toward achieving this goal.”

The Burnaby Mountain Gondola would provide service between SkyTrain and Burnaby Mountain for the 25,000 daily trips made by SFU students, staff, faculty, and residents. Gondola cabins would depart every minute, carrying more people up the mountain per hour than current bus services and in about half the time. The proposed project is not yet approved or funded.

The Burnaby Mountain Gondola would provide fast, frequent, and reliable service between the SkyTrain and Burnaby Mountain while improving customer experience by replacing overcrowded buses, improving unpredictable wait times and increasing daily and seasonal reliability of travel.

More information:

• Route Selection Report