The Rotary Centennial Bridge will remain closed to motorized traffic after council voted 5-1 Monday evening to keep the Yukon River crossing restricted to pedestrians, bicycles, wheelchairs and so on.

The vote came after close to 20 people turned up at last Tuesday’s council meeting asking that the bridge not be re-designated as a shared trail, which the city had been considering.

Only one delegate publicly asked council at that meeting to open the structure for motorized use.

While city staff brought forward a recommendation that it remain non-motorized, residents still filled council chambers last week in an effort to emphasize they did not want off-road vehicles permitted on it.

They cited concerns largely around safety, but also noise, fumes and the potential for an increase in impaired driving of off-road vehicles.

It was also argued that the bridge had originally been built – with funding from the federal government, community groups and individual donations – with the intention of a crossing for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized users.

Last night, Coun. Mike Gladish was the only member of council to vote against the recommendation that it remain closed to motorized users.

He argued that shared use could work with a code of conduct in place outlining the rules of sharing the space and with mutual respect among all users.

Throughout a lengthy discussion among council members, Gladish drew on his experience representing council on the city’s greenways and trails committee as well as his own time spent on the bridge.

He noted council chambers had a large majority of residents speaking in favour of keeping the status quo for the bridge.

However, he has also heard from many off-road vehicle users making reasonable arguments for the bridge to be open to motorized traffic to allow them to get out of the Riverdale area.

The option is having to drive a trailer on the roadway over to the other side of the Yukon River, where they then get their snow machine or ATV out for recreational use.

“It’s the only safe crossing,” Gladish said of off-road drivers attempting to get across the river.

Gladish said he’s also spent time on the bridge asking a few pedestrians for their thoughts on shared use.

No one, he said, had an issue with sharing, including a couple pushing a double stroller and walking their dog.

Gladish took issue with the image that the Millennium Trail and bridge are a quiet oasis that would be disturbed by more off-road vehicles.

As he stood on the bridge last weekend, he acknowledged, there wasn’t a whole lot of noise, except for the Yukon Energy plant next door.

Gladish then went on to point out that the riverfront trail – with its quiet pockets – is an urban trail that has noise coming from traffic along Robert Service Way in parts and is next to a skateboard park and a pump station in another area.

Gladish went on to state the city sits in the traditional territory of the Ta’an Kwachan Council and the Kwanlin Dun First Nation, and their traditions focus on sharing the land.

“I don’t see why we can’t share a piece of bridge,” the councillor said. The Rotary Club sign at the bridge talks about peace and goodwill, he pointed out, and doesn’t mention non-motorized use of the trail.

Responding to the safety issues that arose, Gladish commented: “I know it’s a risk, but I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker.”

There is already a long list of safety concerns one could drum up on the Millennium Trail and bridge, he said. Those include dogs roaming loose, children running to the river and “reckless cyclists” (some of whom have already collided with pedestrians).

For Gladish, the safety fears brought up at last Tuesday’s meeting seemed to be a bit of “fear-mongering.”

If the bridge and trail were to be without risk, strollers (with a risk of rolling into the river), bicycles and dogs could be banned and a fence erected to keep people safely away from the river, he said.

Gladish argued shared use of the bridge could be permitted for a trial period to see how it goes and the code of conduct put in place to help ensure safety.

It’s an opportunity, he said, to show concessions could be made and different users share a space.

Sharing a bridge would be good for everybody, except for those unwilling to give it a try, he said. What better way to mark the 10th anniversary of the bridge, he asked, than to make a difficult situation between user groups work?

Throughout the discussion, other council members countered Gladish’s views in stating their reasons to keep the status quo.

Both Mayor Dan Curtis and Coun. John Streicker conceded there are a number of off-road drivers looking to use the bridge.

However, the two said, the overwhelming majority of people who contacted the city in writing or by making presentation about the issue opposed shared use.

“Let’s listen to the public,” Streicker said, also arguing the bridge just isn’t wide enough for both motorized and non-motorized traffic.

Coun. Betty Irwin, meanwhile, said she has “no sympathy” for the argument presented earlier to council that having to use a trailer to drive off-road vehicles around to the other side of the river is a “financial hardship” for those who can afford ATVs, snow machines and the like.

She argued there is indeed a threat to safety, especially for the elderly, those in wheelchairs and others who may not be able to quickly get out of the way of a fast-moving off-road vehicle.

There are many “huge tracts of land” throughout the Yukon where off-road vehicles can “terrify wildlife” and tear up the landscape, Irwin pointed out.

She said she didn’t want to see a place of tranquility in the city destroyed.

Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu drew on her role as a mother as well as a dog owner in responding to Gladish’s notes about safety.

She said she didn’t want to experiment with the lives of youngsters and dogs in permitting motorized off-road vehicles to cross the bridge.

“It just takes one rule-breaker to cause a casualty,” Curteanu said.

She had earlier noted her own research found the bridge just isn’t broad enough to accommodate off-road vehicles.

There are already some who break the rules and cross the bridge on their snow machines, ATVs or motorbikes, she noted.

That point was not lost on Gladish, who said retaining the status quo would not solve the issue of motorized users illegally accessing the bridge.

Coun. Dave Stockdale argued education and implementing fines could help reduce the number of off-road vehicle drivers using the crossing.

“Of course, people are going to break the rules,” he said, citing a drop in the number of vehicles being parked in spots for motorists with disabilities after the city increased fines and enforcement efforts.

Under the resolution passed, the city will step up education efforts about trail use.

And though council voted to have the bridge remain non-motorized, members also voiced support for looking at alternatives that would permit snow machines, ATVs and motorbikes to safely cross the river.

As Curtis noted, until a solution is found, the issue will keep going forward to future councils.