Abstract Manager

The City of Burnaby hosts several high-profile events throughout the year including parades and fireworks, many of which require the temporary use of busy, urban arterial roadways which include transit and truck routes. Large events included Hats Off Day (Community Parade), Canada Day Celebrations, Central Spark (Halloween Festival), and Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony. These events help create a vibrant community that is sustainable, inclusive and livable, in line with the City’s Strategic Plan goals. The Burnaby Transportation Plan further provides policy direction for the conversion of road space for creative uses.

These special events involved some of Burnaby’s most congested routes, necessitating meticulous planning, coordination, and adaptability. Major roadways required significant traffic management to accommodate the large crowds, with Hats Off Day attracting approximately 90,000 attendees and the Canada Day Street Festival drawing around 50,000. Ensuring public safety and smooth traffic flow during these events presented a significant challenge.

To address these challenges, the City engaged ISL Engineering and Land Services to provide traffic management engineering design services, and coordinated closely with event organizers, first responders, transit, and City departments. Day-of support was provided alongside the traffic management company to be able to respond dynamically to any issues that arose and maintain safe and efficient traffic flow for all road users. The team also collaborated with neighbouring municipalities and local community associations, fostering cohesive communication and teamwork.

After each event, the team conducted debriefs to outline key challenges, document implemented strategies, summarize lessons learned, and offer recommendations and templates for future planning to enhance preparation and strengthen public safety protocols and plans for upcoming events.
The collaborative efforts of all stakeholders significantly contributed to the successful execution of Burnaby’s landmark events. The team’s dedication to public safety, along with their comprehensive approach, logistical expertise, creative problem-solving, and tactical experience, proved instrumental in ensuring a seamless execution.

This presentation will highlight examples of the exemplary traffic management work at some of Burnaby’s most celebrated community gatherings. It will showcase photographs that capture the team’s commitment and professionalism while demonstrating the capability to handle complex, multimodal transportation demands and foster collaboration between engineers, planners, and other key personnel essential to the success of these special events, all in support of a more vibrant and creative community.