The City of Burnaby is now looking into a new type of children’s playground — one with mini streets, sidewalks and intersections.
Coun. Alison Gu has directed staff to study if it’s possible for the city to build a “bike playground” to help kids gain confidence cycling in an urban environment.
Bike playgrounds mimic city streets on a smaller scale, including “child-sized” roads, sidewalks, bus stops, roundabouts, intersections, benches and traffic signs, according to Gu’s motion, which was unanimously passed Jan. 28.
The playgrounds are supposed to provide a safe and protected space for kids to learn how to ride a bike.
“This is really looking at how do we bridge the gap between learning how to ride in a park, maybe on a grass field, and getting into the real world to get from Point A to Point B,” Gu said.
She said the city needs to make “significant efforts” to help build residents’ skill and comfort to use active transportation as a way to travel.
“By addressing this skill development at a young age and supporting children to have opportunities to access play through bikes, both children and their parents can feel more comfortable in making the transition towards bikes as transportation.”
She noted staff could consider locations such as underused parking lots near accessible cycling infrastructure or tennis courts that are in poor condition.
Gu secured $20,000 in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
The city can also apply for additional funding through TransLink, the Ministry of Transportation, Vision Zero and ICBC.
Mary Morrison-Clark, the city’s general manager of parks and recreation, noted the department’s resources are “quite limited” and said council will need to request the project be prioritized during the capital plan budgeting process.
She said the city currently has limited bike playground infrastructure at Sumas Park and Poplar Park, but they aren’t at the level of Gu’s suggestion.
Staff are expected to report back to council by September, in order to potentially meet funding deadlines.
