Lions Gate Bridge climb is up in the air
But SkyHugger promoter Thomson believes NDP’s rejection is more of ‘maybe’ than a ‘no’
A lofty proposal to allow climbers to scale the Lions Gate Bridge in what would be North American’s first bridge climb has been grounded.
Kevin Thomson, co-founder of the Vancouver to Whistler GranFondo, has been working for three years to make the city’s iconic bridge a tourist attraction for adventure-seekers.
Last week, he received a letter from the Ministry of Transportation nixing the project, citing “the mandate of our new government” in its decision not to commercialize public infrastructure with any vendor.
“In the end, instead of saying we’ve done something wrong or saying there’s an error somewhere, it’s just ‘we’ve changed our mind,’ ” said Thomson on Monday. “It was very difficult. I didn’t see it coming.”
Thomson first approached the provincial government in 2015 for the enterprise, which would have climbers pay $250 to $300 to ascend ladders inside the towers to get to a platform perched about 115 metres above sea level for sweeping 360-degree views of downtown Vancouver, Howe Sound, and the North Shore mountains.
The SkyHugger — Thomson got the name from the way hikers would throw their hands up in the air at a summit, a movement that, seen from the back, looks like they’re hugging the sky — would generate tourism dollars and create up to 60 jobs using existing infrastructure.
“The bridge was made for humans to climb up to the top,” said Thomson. Other bridge users won’t be affected, and climbers won’t be visible to drivers on the roadway.
Similar bridge climbs in Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland have shown they can be done safely and are big tourist draws, he added.
“There’s no reason why we can’t do it,” said Thomson. “It’s just a decision we’d have to make (collectively) to decide if we are the kind of place to have a bridge climb, and I think Vancouver is.”
The government had appeared open to the idea. In May 2015, the transportation ministry offered conditional approval to proceed with a trial period if certain conditions were met, said Thomson. He did his due diligence, jumping through bureaucratic hoops and commissioning engineering reports, archeological and environmental impact reports and an emergency response plan.
In February, the government published a notice outlining its intent to award a two-year licence to provide guided Lions Gate Bridge climbs. The project was delayed after another interested party stepped forward. Then, the election happened and a new NDP government was installed.
During question period at the B.C. legislature Monday, Jordan Sturdy, Liberal MLA for West VancouverSea to Sky asked why the government revoked the notice of intent for the trial.
Transportation Minister Claire Trevena said that after the election, “we have, as a policy, decided not to commercialize our public infrastructure, our roads and bridges, and will not be proceeding with this.”
Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite, who represents North Vancouver-Seymour, pointed out that such a policy could restrict the B.C. film industry’s ability to secure locations for their productions and jeopardize the $2.6-billion industry.
In an emailed statement, Trevena said the ministry had reviewed the proposal and determined it was not in the best interest of British Columbians.
“This is a private company requesting the ongoing use of a major piece of public infrastructure for commercial gain,” she said. “Our government has decided not to support this type of venture.”
Trevena said the decision does not affect the film industry and their use of public infrastructure. “We are not contemplating any changes to the current permitting practice for film.”
Thomson, who ran his first marathon on the Lions Gate Bridge and has watched thousands of cyclists zip through it during GranFondo races, isn’t ready to give up his dream.
“The way they worded (the letter) sounds like a ‘no’ but the way I received it was a ‘maybe.’ ” he said.
He’s hoping to get the public on board to convince the government to allow a two-year trial period for the bridge climb. After the trial period, he said, the ministry can open the bridge climb up to other bidders to see if anyone else can do it better or differently.
“Until someone tells me this is physically impossible or there’s some legal reason why we can’t do this, this thing is still alive and worth pursuing,” said Thomson.