Couldn’t say this better ….
Translink Report: Commuters will abandon transit and take cars
19 July 2006
VANCOUVER – Today the Translink board voted to support the provincial government’s Highway1/ Port Mann Bridge expansion plans, despite its own study that found transit ridership would decrease if the roadway was twinned, said the Livable Region Coalition, a group of concerned citizens, city planners, environmental organizations and transportation experts.
“This is a huge U-turn for the GVRD,” said Ian Bruce, climate change campaigner with the David Suzuki Foundation. “We’re heading down the same congested road as cities like Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, and Toronto.”
If the highway1/Port Mann project goes ahead as planned, Translink staff stated, ridership on the SkyTrain Expo line would decline by as much as 500 trips during the morning rush hour, while the proposed Evergreen Line would lose as much as 5% of its potential commuters. Construction of the Evergreen Line is already in jeopardy due to a lack of funding commitments from the B.C. government. A forecast of lower ridership numbers as a result of Hwy1/Port Mann expansion means operating costs for this line would be more expensive than budgeted for….
“Putting a priority on more roads makes future rapid transit projects like the Evergreen Line less feasible, if not impossible,” said David Fields, Transportation Campaigner with Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC).
The project has yet to go through an environmental assessment and will go before the GVRD board this fall.
I wondered if anyone had any thoughts on Translink’s announcement Wednesday that they are in a financial “crisis.” This is hardly a surprising development, but I am amused by Kevin Falcon’s threat/suggestion that Translink should demonstrate the same “rigour” that he used in the creation of the public-private RAV line, the very boondoggle that has caused the crisis. Am I the only one that feels this is an upside down world where logic and facts become whatever we will them to be, a public policy Alice in Wonderland? Does the province have the power to completely cripple Translink? What can we do to fight this?