News broke over the weekend about a staff report presented to Metro Vancouver which suggested Surrey be put next in line for regional rapid transit, moving the suburban city ahead of Vancouver’s long requested UBC Line. Although the regional federation has previously put both Surrey and Vancouver on the same footing, emphasizing that both extensions were short term priorities, the lack of available funding has changed the position of Johnny Carline, Metro’s Chief Administrative Officer:
“We don’t think we’ll be able to afford full-scale investments in the Evergreen Line, south of the Fraser and UBC all in the life of this plan [Metro's new Regional Growth Strategy 2040] . . . We can’t afford to have investments going out to UBC that take away from investment in the major growth areas . . . That’s where the region is changing the most and that’s where we need transit. It shouldn’t be put off. If we put rapid transit in there, it would put a big impact on the development community on where it wants to go.”
The change in direction reflects Metro’s growing understanding of the issues facing the south Fraser, as well as the tools available to shape development within the region. Despite planning for compact town centres since the 1960′s, urban communities within the region have emerged primarily as a result of SkyTrain investments – the effects most recently seen in the transformations of Brentwood Town Centre and Richmond City Centre. The conclusion being that planning for growth does not dictate its form or timing – only directed public investments through community amenities and rapid transit connections have proven successful. This is a marked admission from regional planners.
Despite the report, Metro Vancouver as an organization has no control over funding decisions made at TransLink. However, the statement is strong and growing uncertainty over the next regional priority will undermine efforts to obtain funding from senior levels of government.
Although Surrey certainly deserves its fair share of transit services, and will require some form of rapid transit before development patterns shift, the case for the UBC Line is strong. Major planning for that route has been underway since the late 1990′s, leaving few decisions left to be made, whereas in Surrey there is no clear decision about where a transit line would go. The Broadway corridor is the second largest centre of employment in the province, behind only Downtown Vancouver, making service there a real priority. Furthermore, increased access to UBC will be a boon to students and faculty from across the region and not just Vancouver. Finally, as the western leg of the Millennium Line, the route is an essential connection to realizing the full capacity of the SkyTrain system. That said, growing discontent from Vancouver’s West Side, as well as Broadway merchants fearing the disruptions that affected Cambie Village, have gone a long way in recent months to disrupt the planned SkyTrain extension.
According to reports, Councillor Judy Villeneuve has stated that Surrey City Council will be visiting Portland in Oregon to examine their transit system which is based around light rail lines.
Metro Vancouver needs to push for several Skytrain projects to be completed by 2025, not 2040. Evergreen/Broadway/Surrey and more
As I said somewhere else on Sunday, the province, one way or another has to step up with funding to Translink, either direct funding or giving Translink the means to raise the money.
As you’ve indicated on your blog Paul, bridge tolls can produce the biggest amount. Add in gas tax, vehicle registration fees, redirect carbon tax money….you can get to $1 Billion per year for rapid transit projects.
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I wonder if this means that the Skytrain could be extended past the King George terminus station. I know their plan is to add more bus service, but I’d prefer a Skytrain that goes further east, towards langley or white rock.