Written by Jeff Nagel and published in the BC Local News on Tuesday March 18, 2008.

An ambitious plan is taking shape to expand the Trans Canada Trail to run on both sides of the Fraser River through the Lower Mainland and allow users to hike or bike a series of interconnecting loops. The idea is still at a preliminary stage, but advocates say it would boost recreation choices for trail lovers from Coquitlam to Hope.

Right now the Trans Canada Trail runs from Burnaby Mountain through the Tri-Cities, across the Pitt River Bridge, through Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge and across the Albion Ferry into Langley. From there it follows the Fraser’s south shore east into Abbotsford before cutting inland up the Chilliwack River to Chilliwack Lake and then north through the Silverhope Valley to Hope.

The current trail bypasses Surrey, most of Maple Ridge, Mission and points further east on the north side of the Fraser.

The proposed Fraser Trails Legacy initiative would add new trails in those and other areas, which would combine with the Trans Canada Trail and existing greenways to create several “discovery loops.”

New bridge construction along the Fraser is creating the opportunity.

Trails B.C. vice-president Leon Lebrun said the Trans Canada Trail needs to be rerouted anyway once the Albion Ferry is replaced with the new Golden Ears Bridge in 2009.

That change will leave a stub of the trail “dangling” in Maple Ridge.

“The thought was we could extend that east to the Mission Bridge and create a loop between the Mission Bridge and the Golden Ears Bridge,” he said. “By creating loops people don’t have to double back.”

Trail advocates then saw the potential to extend more trails further east to the Agassiz Bridge and west to the twinned Port Mann Bridge.

“These trails will connect a whole series of regional parks and greenways on both sides,” Lebrun said.

He wants to see the first loop trail open in July 2009 between the Mission and Golden Ears bridges, using the existing Trans Canada Trail and Derby Reach Regional Park in northern Langley and the Kanaka Creek Regional Greenway in Maple Ridge.

Lebrun said the trail alignment through northern Surrey is uncertain, but once it crosses the Port Mann existing regional trails through Port Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows make it a “no brainer” to complete the loop back to the Golden Ears Bridge.

Hopes are high overnight walking or biking tours of the sort that are popular in the English countryside could take hold along the trail network.

Lebrun envisions a guide book describes sights, attractions and lodging along the trails.

“We think that could catch on,” he said.

The parks committees of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Regional District agreed this month to jointly pursue the idea and lobby the province for contributions.

“There’s no dollars put to this project yet,” said Langley City Coun. Gayle Martin, Metro’s parks chair. “We can’t do this without partners.”

Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Randy Hawes, who has long favoured an expanded river trail network, suggests a Lower Mainland park tax be used to levy $5 a year from each property in the two regional districts.

“The premier is very, very interested in this,” he said. “If the two regional districts get this together I am convinced we would participate with them on some basis.”

The steady pace of development means it’s important to work quickly.

“If we’re going to preserve some kind of recreation area along the river, we’ve got to do it now,” Hawes said.

He noted trails can also potentially run on top of dikes in some areas where flood defences are to be improved.

Access would have to be negotiated through some native reserves, but Hawes also noted the trail network could bring business opportunities to aboriginal bands.

Trail users are excited about the plan.

“It would be very good,” said Surrey cycling advocate Mary Eickhoff. “When you’re right up against a lot of traffic, it’s toxic,” she said. “This would be better for the cyclist environmentally.”

NEW ROUTES

The Fraser Trails Legacy initiative would add to the Trans Canada Trail to create three “discovery loops” along the Fraser River:

- The westernmost loop would run through Surrey, Port Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows, using the new Golden Ears Bridge, twinned Port Mann and Pitt bridges as well as existing trails along the Pitt River.

- A central loop would run between the Golden Ears and Mission bridges via the Kanaka Creek greenway and Stave Falls on the north side and Derby Reach Regional Park on the south shore.

- An eastern loop would connect the Mission and Agassiz bridges.

- A trail running east from the Agassiz Bridge to Hope would offer an easier bike-friendly alternate route to avoid the current Trans Canada Trail route through Chilliwack. Right now the trail ascends 4,200 feet through Paleface Pass, which is snow-free only four months of the year.

- Advocates also see a potential southern arm of the Trans Canada Trail branching southwest to Tsawwassen.