Coquitlam plans to extend the popular Coquitlam Crunch trail to southeast Coquitlam, and is inviting the public to provide feedback to inform the design.
COQUITLAM, B.C., Feb. 22, 2021 – Coquitlam plans to extend the popular Coquitlam Crunch trail to southeast Coquitlam, and is inviting the public to provide feedback to inform the design.
Known as the Coquitlam Crunch South Extension, the proposed trail will run along a hydro corridor on City lands south of the Barnet Highway from Dewdney Trunk up the slope to Mariner Way connecting to Mundy Park. The planned extension could include amenities such as washrooms, parking, and stairs in steeper sections. The north and south sections of the trail will eventually connect via a future Falcon Drive overpass.
The proposed extension is part of a long-term plan to expand the Crunch Trail network, providing more outdoor fitness options to residents in central and southeast Coquitlam, and to create connectivity to other existing City parks and trails.
How to Share Your Input
A public survey is available at www.letstalkcoquitlam.ca/crunch until March 11. Residents are asked for input on how they use the current Crunch trail, and how they envision using the proposed extension trail.
The feedback will help staff prioritize and plan amenities in the coming planning stages before reporting back to Council in spring 2021.
Staff are also engaging with neighbours surrounding the proposed extension corridor through neighbourhood-focused survey questions to ensure that their feedback helps to inform the future design.
A Long Term Plan to Expand the Crunch
In 2017, the City engaged the community and heard from over 1,700 people, including residents and Crunch users, regarding proposed improvements to the Crunch. The following year, informed by that input, the City developed the Coquitlam Crunch Trail and Expansion Plan (2018-2023).
The Plan envisions that the Coquitlam Crunch Trail would eventually connect to Eagle Mountain in the north and to Mundy Park in the south, with future connections ultimately reaching the Fraser River.
Addressing Increased Visitor Numbers
A long-time destination for fitness enthusiasts, the existing Crunch trail typically sees as many as 52,000 people each month during peak season. However, increased use during the pandemic has created parking and road safety issues.
The City has been working with neighbours of the existing Crunch trail and have implemented several measures in response. Plans for viewing decks and exercise equipment areas have been deferred until after the extension trail is operational.
In the fall of 2020, the City completed a pedestrian crossing on Guildford Way to encourage use of the Runnel Drive parking lot at the foot of the existing trail. New signage promoting road safety and directing visitors to the lower parking lot is also being installed, and will include an electronic sign at the Lansdowne parking lot indicating real-time parking space capacity.
The proposed Coquitlam Crunch South Extension will expand the trail to the southeast Coquitlam area, providing additional capacity for residents to enjoy the outdoor recreation amenity throughout the city.
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Media contact:
Andre Isakov
Park Planning & Design Manager
City of Coquitlam
604-927-3541
aisakov@coquitlam.ca