WIN! HUB Cycling Local Committee Successfully Advocates for Removal of Maze Gates in the Tri-Cities

HUB Cycling has 10 volunteer committees across the Lower Mainland that power our advocacy work. HUB Committees are the ones who highlight the gaps in our cycling and active transportation network. They advocate to city staff and council for better and safer biking infrastructure in their communities. 

Today, we want to highlight the work of our Tri-Cities Committee Local Committee. Members of the committee have successfully advocated for removing maze gates and baffles across the Tri-Cities area and within Metro Vancouver parks. 

What is a ‘maze gate’?

Maze Gates (see photos below) are those pesky gates that block bike paths and are a significant obstacle to people who ride cargo bikes, longtail bikes, and recumbent bikes, as these bikes are too large to fit through the narrow gates. Maze gates are also barriers for other road users, like people in wheelchairs or pushing strollers.

Belcarra Park Maze Gates:

Because of the local committees’s efforts, maze gates are being removed by City of Coquitlam staff and will no longer be included in the City of Coquitlam's design guidelines going forward. 

Port Coquitlam has also begun removing these barriers based on the recommendations from the Tri-Cities Local Committee. 

The committee also met with Metro Vancouver Parks and explained the accessibility issue.  They have begun removing maze gates from their park trails. 

Curious about what steps they took to achieve this result?

1. Volunteers mapped all of the maze gates in the tri-cities area
2. They met with transportation planning staff and made the case for removal
3. They wrote letters to municipal staff and the city council detailing the case for removal

If you are interested in making a difference in your community, check out the Local Committee in your neighborhood! Find out when the next meeting is at bikehub.ca/lc. No experience or cycling expertise is required to join!