Today marks the start of an online survey about a new rapid transit line that will serve 60,000 people per day. Burnaby Heights residents and businesses may miss out. Movement’s mobilizing as many people as possible to fill out the survey.
For Immediate Release
August 25, 2025
| “I used to take this route a lot as part of my former commute from Burnaby (Metrotown area) to CapU. It took way too long! But while I was staring out the window on the bus, I discovered several favourite local businesses along Hastings, and would occasionally stop for a sandwich, snacks or dinner on my way to and from campus. I would not have discovered or patronized these businesses if the bus was routed through an industrial area.” – Natalie |
BURNABY – Today, TransLink launched public consultation (press release, survey) on a proposed new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line that will significantly improve transit between the North Shore, North Burnaby, and Metrotown.
In response to opposition from the Heights Merchants Association, TransLink is asking the public which routing they prefer:
- Option 1: Through Burnaby Heights, relieving the slow and overcrowded 130 and 222 bus routes
- Option 2: Through the business park and hydro infrastructure along Boundary and Lougheed
Movement strongly supports Option 1, which will bring faster service, higher capacity, and reduced congestion to the apartments, houses, and small businesses of Burnaby Heights.
Why does Movement support Option 1?
- Option 1 serves the dense, walkable community of Burnaby Heights with community centres, schools, and cafes with patios. It is perfectly suited for rapid transit.
- Burnaby Heights residents want faster, more reliable access to the North Shore and to transfer to the Expo Line at Metrotown. Why wouldn’t they?
- There are 330 small businesses in Burnaby Heights, and we should support them by sending some of the 60,000 future users of this BRT route to their doorstep. Option 2 would instead send those customers to Gilmore Place and Brentwood Town Centre.
- Movement has heard from numerous Burnaby Heights residents who get left behind by full 130 or 222 buses. Why wouldn’t we want to boost capacity there?
- Burnaby is sorely lacking in a north-south connection for transit users. This BRT alignment would significantly improve connections within Burnaby.
- BRT on Hastings will also improve service on the R5 RapidBus, which is the crucial link between Downtown and SFU Burnaby. The R5 is the 9th busiest bus route in the region, and the 15th least reliable (Source: TransLink). Option 1 would add 1.5km of top-notch bus lanes to the R5 route.
- Option 2 doesn’t add anyone to the rapid transit network. It serves only one stop: Gilmore and Lougheed. This location is already served by SkyTrain.
- It is not even an effective transfer point between BRT and SkyTrain, forcing riders to walk or roll 200 metres.
- Much of the area around this single stop is taken up by BC Hydro and Fortis facilities, unlikely to serve any transit users in the foreseeable future.
- Boundary Road is not slated for a stop, and is a poor fit for the kind of urban density that we already see on Hastings. Why shunt transit over there when Hastings already has everything a transit rider could want?
Above: Option 2 (Source: Google Street View)
Left: Option 1 (Photo by Mike W.)
Businesses added to the Rapid Transit Network:
| Business Type | Option 1 | Option 2 |
| Beauty | 74 | 0 |
| Daycare | 9 | 0 |
| Groceries | 21 | 0 |
| Health | 120 | 0 |
| Restaurant | 61 | 0 |
| Other Stores | 55 | 0 |
The table on the left shows the number of current Burnaby Business Licenses that have been issued within 800 metres of proposed BRT stations on option 1. The only station on Option 2 is already served by the Millennium Line, so those businesses are already on the Rapid Transit Network.
What is BRT?
BRT describes bus routes that are designed to offer the benefits of subways and SkyTrains but at a fraction of the cost and time. This means that TransLink can deliver more transit at the same cost. As part of TransLink’s Transport 2050 plan process, members of the public were asked about the tradeoff between higher-cost SkyTrain versus lower-cost BRT, and the BRT-heavy option was the slight favourite.
BRT is used across the world, including on Madison Street in Seattle. It features bus lanes in the middle of the street with dedicated stations, signals that detect buses and give green lights, and other upgraded features. Six months after opening, the Madison St BRT more than doubled transit ridership and similar results have been observed around the world. When transit gets faster and more reliable, people want to use it.
The crucial downside of BRT is that the definition is not hard and fast. The quality of BRT lines have a tendency to get whittled down as the design progresses. York Region’s Viva BRT in Ontario has nicely designed stations but buses operate at remarkably low frequency, forcing passengers to wait 30 minutes or more for a bus. Boston’s Silver Line BRT is missing bus lanes for long stretches, keeping buses stuck in traffic and leading riders to wonder if BRT is any better than a normal bus.
This is why transit advocacy groups like Movement are crucial: we will be closely following the project to ensure the BRT doesn’t get watered down. Option 2 is a classic example of this phenomenon, known as “BRT creep”. To learn about how BRT creep played out in Cleveland, watch this excellent youtube video on the topic.
What’s next for Movement?
Movement will be mobilizing people to respond to TransLink’s survey and attend TransLink’s events. Expect more press releases in the weeks leading up to the end of the survey period on September 21.
Quotes
“With its wonderful businesses and restaurants, abundant dentist offices, exceptional coffee shops, and Confederation park and all its amenities, the Heights is a really special neighbourhood. It would be a disservice to all of Burnaby to send transit around it instead of to it. The residents there would also miss out on direct, fast connections to the North Shore and Metrotown.”
Michelle Scarr, Director of Operations and Strategy at Movement and Burnaby residentLast year we made a petition in support of routing the BRT along Hastings. It amassed 1,000 signatures and we presented it to Burnaby City Council. Here are some quotes from the petition responses:
“I used to take this route a lot as part of my former commute from Burnaby (Metrotown area) to CapU. It took way too long! But while I was staring out the window on the bus, I discovered several favourite local businesses along Hastings, and would occasionally stop for a sandwich, snacks or dinner on my way to and from campus. I would not have discovered or patronized these businesses if the bus was routed through an industrial area.”
Natalie, petition supporter“I will literally never visit Burnaby Heights to shop or eat unless there’s good transit to the neighbourhood… Port Moody and Coquitlam Centre get more of my business despite being further away, as transit to them is much more reliable.”
Chengyan, petition supporter“Absolutely need a better bus connection between Metrotown and the Heights area. Connecting the Heights to other key areas (Moscrop Secondary, BCIT, Brentwood Mall, Alpha Secondary) will only bring more people to the businesses in the area. Word of mouth from other young people visiting the restaurants is how most of us found our favourite dining spots!”
Preet, petition supporter“We need better transit services on Hastings to serve everyone, not just those in cars. People with children, mobility issues, students, etc will all benefit from this. Not to mention, better access = more people coming = better for businesses.”
Mei, petition supporter“It is extremely important to me to be able to access these businesses on Hastings. Taking the 130 can be slow and unreliable, and the 222 doesn’t run all the time. If getting to Hastings was easier, I would be more likely to take the bus over there for lunch or choose to do errands there.”
Victor, petition supporter“I love Burnaby Heights, but I don’t have a car so getting there from Metrotown means taking the 130 which takes nearly an hour for me. If there was a rapid bus it would make it that much easier to go for a walk and check out the small stores there”
Samantha, petition supporter“The 130 bus from Metrotown is constantly congested both on my way there and particularly on my way back after the class. Having an additional mode of transportation through that area would greatly alleviate the congestion on buses rather than have the bus route be through Boundary where there’s not really anything there that people would visit.”
Mandy, petition supporter“Frequent and reliable transit is NECESSARY for someone who lives near Hastings street and needs to get to work on time. I frequently have to wait for a late bus only to get on an extremely crowded bus”
Catherine, petition supporter“Keep rapid transit on Hastings. [The alternate route] is taking away foot traffic and customers from small businesses on Hastings.”
Paul, petition supporter“Build the BRT to Hastings, a place where people work/live/play and not through underutilized light industrial land”
Aaron, petition supporter“Rapid Transit improves access to businesses. I know that I don’t go as much to places I’d like to (like North Burnaby) because they are not easily served by transit—and I have a car!”
Brandi, petition supporter“I live on the border of Vancouver and Burnaby and do not own a car. This route would significantly improve my access to north Burnaby and North Van! There are so many wonderful business[es] in North Burnaby that I currently struggle to access because of poor transit.”
Paula, petition supporter“I used to live in Burnaby Heights and moved out of the neighbourhood mostly due to transportation issues… If there had been more transit options, I may have stayed in the area”
Heather, petition supporter“I just moved from Burnaby Heights, and a lack of good transit going north/south was always my main complaint”
Harris, petition supporter“There is no shortage of free street parking on any street north or south of Hastings in Burnaby Heights.”
Aidan, petition supporter“I am a frequent rider of the R5 RapidBus as it is, and would benefit from the proposed north south BRT route as well, as it would speed up travel times through Burnaby Heights.”
Jeff, petition supporter“I love the Heights! Though I don’t live there, the BRT connecting the Heights to the Millennium Line will make it much easier to get there from the east where I live. This project is going to be a game changer for regional travel and the Heights, being a true gem of a neighbourhood in this region needs to be linked into the network.”
James, petition supporter“I’d love to spend more time in the heights and a BRT would be a great way to get there from my apartment in Metrotown! The modified route skips all the great restaurants I want to visit and revisit. I don’t want an extra 15-20 minute walk to get to The Gray Olive, Anton’s, or Don Oso’s.”
Mark, petition supporter“I have been living in North Burnaby for the past 3 years and I don’t drive. Better and faster transit options will 100% increase how often I’m able to access shops and amenities in Burnaby heights and Metrotown area, as well as going out to restaurants and accessing city of burnaby recreation options. It will also allow my partner to commute to work in North Van by transit instead of car. This would greatly increase my quality of life here in North Burnaby.”
Julia, petition supporter“Burnaby sorely lacks a proper north-south connection. Diverting away from Burnaby heights makes it just that much harder for residents of North Burnaby to travel south.”
Cameron, petition supporter