Written by: Paige Riding, News Writer
The Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) released a report detailing the feedback they received from the Burnaby community on Translink’s Burnaby Mountain Gondola Transit (BMGT) project.
In late January, the SFSS held an open house on the project, which saw over 700 participants containing students and SFU community members. The session that ran on Burnaby Campus from January 21 and 22 gave the SFU community an opportunity to learn about the project and provide their input.
Previous VP University Relations Shina Kaur elaborated on the open house in an email interview with The Peak.
“We had the 3 route options on large easels and had student volunteers from the University and Academic Affairs committee converse with the folks at the open house,” wrote Kaur.
Kaur noted that a majority of people — an impressive 84% — preferred the first route out of the three. The first route would take six minutes, quicker than both Route 2 (ten minutes) and Route 3 (15 minutes). It would not make any stops between the SkyTrain and SFU, unlike the other options.
“Most people didn’t know the current status of the gondola so they were appreciative that this open house was put on to tackle misinformation and provide an update. We also had a feedback board where people left sticky notes with their preferences and reasoning which were shared in the report,” wrote Kaur.
According to Kaur, TransLink reacted positively to the Gondola Open House Feedback Report.
“TransLink is hoping to use the open house as an anchor for the public consultations they will host sometime in the summer. The more folks that come out to support Route 1 in those TransLink consultations, the better! We need to come together and show TransLink the collective SFU community support for Route 1 so we can get this route built.”
On their website, TransLink notes that the gondola would be the best transportation method to connect Burnaby Mountain to the SkyTrain station, stating that the gondola “would provide fast, frequent, and reliable service, improving connectivity for the campus and broader community.”
TransLink asks for public feedback as the project progresses. As the website states: “Public engagement is a key component of rapid transit planning. We value your feedback and want to know what you think.”
Those wanting to provide feedback or are interested in the project are encouraged to go to TransLink’s website for updates or to email them at gondola@translink.ca
