Will Burnaby back a gondola to SFU? Council to vote on concept Monday

Burnaby city council is slated to vote Monday on whether to back the concept of a gondola to Simon Fraser University (SFU).

A report headed to council Monday night says the issue has been the subject of three studies in the last decade, and now TransLink wants the city to say whether planning work on the concept should continue.

The idea has already earned the support of Burnaby’s business community along with SFU president Andrew Petter.

WATCH: Burnaby business leaders back SFU gondola plan

1:39 Burnaby business leaders back SFU gondola plan

According to the report, penned by Burnaby’s director of planning and building E.W. Kokaz, SFU remains the city’s top transit destination not located on a SkyTrain line, with six of the city’s 10 busiest bus stops feeding the university.

It says about 25,000 passengers are ferried to or from Burnaby Mountain every weekday, with demand forecast to grow. It also cites the annual winter woes the university faces, as buses struggle with the mountain’s steep grades.

It says the construction of a gondola could create shorter travel times, more frequent departures and reduced noise and emissions.

A 2011 business case study for a gondola outlined four possible routes, vetoing one (Lake City Way Station – SFU entrance) because it passed over Kinder Morgan tank farms in contravention of safety regulations.

The other three, two from Production Way Station and one from Burquitlam Station all passed over homes and would have some residential impacts.

WATCH: (Aired March 14, 2017) North Shore commuter gondola?

1:56 North Shore commuter gondola?

Production Way – SFU Bus Loop was recommended as the preferred option because of lower residential impact and a shorter route, along with better integration with existing facilities.

A follow-up 2018 feasibility study found demand and bus crowding continue to grow on Burnaby Mountain, and noted the gondola could be used as an evacuation route in an emergency.

READ MORE: Could a commuter gondola help solve North Shore traffic woes?

The study also backed the Production Way – SFU Bus Loop route, which it said would result in a six-minute gondola commute and come at a capital cost of about $197 million.

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It also suggested an alternative, longer route for the gondola that would avoid passing over homes at a cost of $255 million. The study pointed to a 33-person car as “illustrative” of the gondola’s capacity.

The report being considered Monday also details a possible third option that would leave from Lake City Way Station and make a dogleg to avoid the Kinder Morgan tank farms, though notes it would be 59 per cent longer and come with additional costs.

The report says should the city back the project in principle, TransLink could begin locking down federal funding, putting together a project team, conducting community and environmental assessments and finalizing a business case.

However, it says should council vote the idea down, TransLink would likely scrap the project entirely.