CBC News
long-planned bike lane next to one of Richmond’s busiest corridors is in jeopardy after city council voted against the additional funding necessary to move it forward.
By a 5-4 vote, councillors rejected giving $2.49 million to address the budget shortfall for the Steveston Multi-Use Pathway, which would create a shared cycling and pedestrian path on the busy corridor of Steveston Highway between Shell Road and No. 2 Road.
The path had been conceptually approved in 2012 as part of the city’s Official Community Plan, and money was committed to the project during capital budget discussions in 2019 and 2020.
But its cost increased from approximately $9 million to $11.5 million due to bids by contractors being above anticipated amounts, requiring the further approval of council. …
Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who voted in favour, noted that council had been asked to endorse the project “well over a dozen times” over the past decade.
“We’re planning for the future, not today and tomorrow,” he said, arguing that the pathway would expand the city’s active transportation capacity for decades to come. …