Alouette Valley Association

Last winter we setup a survey to gauge neighborhood support for our plan, We received many positive responses from the area as well some from as far away as West Vancouver. Of the 65 respondents all but 2 were in favor of the plan. We also received many comments which are shown below.

Maple Ridge needs to address the growing communities needs. Council is responsible to the future generations to protect the natural resources in the area and preserve the lifestyle.

The new horse trail from 136th Avenue to the Equestrian centre is getting lots of use. However, I am hearing from my equestrian friends that it is still very dangerous to ride on 224th Street to get to 136th Avenue to get to the trail. We definitely need traffic to slow on 224th street before a horse or rider is killed.
OUTSTANDING ideas.

Excellent proposal. Greatly needed to preserve and utilize our spectacular neighborhood safely! Excited to pursue it further. With this corridor, I hope that the eastern portion of 132nd Avenue will not encourage speeders who are coming from 232nd Ave to now have a tendency to excellerate after coming through the ‘S’ curve by the North Alouette River. This is usually the area where vehicles accelerate and many times pass other vehicles by our address. If you didn’t know, our property has numerous wildlife that use our property as a corridor to the river. We have had 2 fawns (one recently) hit by a vehicle. It died the following morning in our meadow. Over and over we have vehicles stop and view deer on either side of 132nd Ave. I also feel more, visible signs should be posted for vehicle traffic in particular.

I as well as many others would benefit greatly if this proposal were implemented.

A very well thought out article

Sooner the better

Even if we don’t achieve a full recreational roadway, we really must aim for traffic calming measures in this area. This will save the lives of many animals, and cut down on the noise and the road racing.

It’s an excellent idea. We will come to the area more often if the plan comes true.

Anything that will cause people to go the speed limit will be a big  help.

I recently visited St. Jacobs, Ontario where all the shoulders on the roadways have been widened to accommodate horse and carriage traffic (Mennonite area) – I thought it would be a wonderful idea for here as well!

The safety issue around horses on the road is paramount. But in general, opportunities for equestrian sports are an increasingly important feature of Maple Ridge. Enhanced equestrian facilities (like MREC) also attract people from outside Maple Ridge and generate economic spin-offs.

Improve road surface where needed on dykes, (TCT N. Allouette) allowing a least a strip to be more suitable to unshod horses. Connect to Pitt Lake and all of the way around to Fraser River Greenway to include north end of Pitt Meadows. Northlands, Blue Moon, Maple Meadow, Crescendo, and many private equestrian facilities would be able to join your network and lobby group. A multi use path would be sufficient to connect the dyke network already in place.

Excellent work and ideas

We think this is a great idea.

I believe this idea is very innovative and is an example of how various needs can be balanced with a little creative thinking. I sincerely hope this proposal is successful.

I think that this proposal is a huge step in the right direction and way of the future-I think this would help Maple Ridge stand out as a forward thinking community dedicated to improving the quality of life for it’s citizens, while in balance with great care for our environment and precious wildlife.

I live in the new development of Silver Ridge and am appalled at the speed of traffic in our neighbourhood (Foreman Drive) as well as 136th, 132nd and 224th. I would love to see speed reduction and perhaps speed bumps put in to deter these high speed drivers. Although I live in this newly developed area, my family was attracted to it because of the diverse natural beauty surrounding us. I have not be happy with the extensive tree removal and continual changes to the building plan since we moved here from Burnaby 2 years ago. Thank you and I support your endeavours fully and completely!

use to live in maple ridge and got the hell out when I had the chance

I drive along 132nd avenue everyday and I am fed up with the large number agressive drivers that tailgate and drive way too fast ie. 80-100 km/hr is the norm. The majority of drivers still do not slow down for horses and in one case I even had a driver pass me as I was slowing down for a horse on the opposite side of the road and this driver almost hit the horse as he passed.I have never seen a speed trap on this road in the last 4 years which surprises me because during rush hour hours they could ticket almost every driver that uses 132nd, that in itself is frusterating- no one enforces the speed limit. I have also been on my bicycle and drivers are too inpatient to wait to pass so its like taking your life into your hands. On a final note I have had a deer cross in front of me at least 3 times in the last year (and one time a bear) and if I were going 80km I would have hit them too because they just run in front of you , luckily I was not going too fast and was able to stop. I like driving down 132nd everyday . I still see beauty in all the properties and the wildlife that you do see as well as the horses and the new foals that are born every year. If you are going too fast you miss all these things.

We do not live near the area, but certainly the idea is a good one. However, we suggest caution in developing a zipline, as parking, effect on the environment and location should be carefully considered.

I board my horse next to the EquiSport Centre. Even though it is so close, I lead my horse to get to the dyke as the traffic has become too dangerous. I have had cars “aiming” at me purposely to scare me when motioning to them to slow down and boat trailers brushing my legs. For many years I used to ride from 232 st to the Centre with no problems. The days of riding up to Golden Ears Park has now ended for us as 132 has become a racetrack for cars. I fulle support a recreational road. Keep in mind that (shaving) trucks can still come in. Speed bumps will not be good for horse trailers, etc. Hopefully, it would also save some of our wounderful wildlife we have in the area.
I Find it very increasingly unsafe to ride from my Horse board facility down 216th, or 224th to 132nd avenue, down to any horse trails in any direction. I am overwhelmed by thousands and thousands of cars racing past me unsafely, near misses, horse spooking, getting clipped with mirrors, motorcycles racing noisily past me, men squeeling tires in their trucks, noisy dirt bike motorcycles racing on the road, speeding gravel trucks, drunk drivers high and racing back from the Lake and so on. It has become increasingly unsafe to ride along the road and it makes me feel scared actually when I do attempt it. A friends horse was hit by a new driver in her car on 216th and 132nd all because the new driver did not slow down and pass wide. Instead she hit the horse. NOW since the new bridge is open everyone is using this area to Race home trying to avoid going through town. Sorry, but WE THE FARMS AND HORSE BOARDS FACILITY WERE HERE FIRST!! what were they thinking when they let all that excess traffic race by all the horse board facilities on old dewdney trunk road, 128th ave. 132nd, 216th and 224th??? I can’t even ride in our riding ring on the farm anymore because of the traffic noise of people racing off from the stop sign (3 feet from our ring now) constantly spooks my horse and I have gotten injured from a spooked horse from noisy vehicles tearing off from the stop sign past me. Drive thru traffic should not be allowed in that area (local residents only) and if they want to bypass town they should have to take 124th through town to abernathy then, instead of racing noisily past all the farms and horse board facilities. It is just getting to be too much! Another problem is that the shoulder has bad rocks put on them that injure horses feet even with shoes on. Most of the trails have had these bad rocks dumped on them and now you cant even ride your horse on them. what happened there? Who did that and did they even ask horse riders before they dumped it? It should be bark mulch or just dirt. People and dogs as well as horses prefer not to have to walk on those rocks becuase they hurt and injure feet and horse hooves. The Dike trail dedicated to horse riding has had these nasty rocks dumped on it, and just in case you didnt notice, hardly anyone horse rides there on it becuase of it. so where are you supposed to ride if you live there? I just dont understand who did that or why they did that. I have just recently moved back to Maple Ridge and am very disapointed with all of this.

There’s a a multitude of new developments that are being implemented at the end of 236th Avenue that has a large pond and I believe blaney creek. It would be nice if this green area was somehow integrated with these plans to create a trail network between the Alouette Valley and Silver Valley