SFU students planning to hike up Burnaby Mountain during transit shutdown
Some Simon Fraser University students are planning a mini-hike trek up Burnaby Mountain on the second day of next week’s planned three-day shutdown of all regional bus and SeaBus services.
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Students, faculty, and staff will still be able to use SkyTrain to reach Production Way-University Station, but the shutdown of routes like the No. 145 bus — the link for the remaining leg from the station to the mountaintop campus — leaves many in the SFU community with limited alternative options.
An event posted onto Facebook aims to amass students for a scheduled hike up the mountain, starting at noon on Thursday, November 28. At the time of writing, several hundred people have already indicated they are “going” or “interested.”
The uphill walk will begin at Production Way-University Station and cross through the Forest Grove neighbourhood, before following the Trans Mountain and Water Main trails on the forested mountainside.
“For some people, that (busing) is the most reliable way of getting to SFU Burnaby, and there might not be an economical option of coming to their lectures if the buses aren’t running,” reads the description, adding that it will allow students to cross off an item from their “bucket list.”
The four-km-long hike — an elevation climb of about 300 metres from the station — is expected to take about 1.5 hours.
Approximately 25,000 people use the bus daily to reach SFU Burnaby.
Aerial view of the peak of Burnaby Mountain, where Simon Fraser University’s main campus is located. (Shutterstock)
Like all other post-secondary institutions in the region, SFU currently plans to continue all campus activities and operations as scheduled, including classes, labs, tutorials, and exams.
Additional free roadside parking will be made available on University Drive East at the Burnaby Mountain campus, which will be supported by an additional campus community shuttle vehicle to move people from the additional parking locations to the main academic campus.
But the university has no plans to operate a shuttle bus service between SkyTrain’s Production Way-University Station and the Burnaby Mountain campus.
“The university does not have the financial, labour or vehicle resources to shuttle people to and from SkyTrain stations near Burnaby mountain,” reads a bulletin by the university.
For your own safety, please ensure you are fully prepared before hiking. With sunset now at approximately 4 pm, daylight hours are shorter.
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