ELECTION QUESTIONS: What would happen if 性视界传媒 LRT was scrapped?

EDITOR鈥橲 NOTE: This is the first part in a series leading up to 性视界传媒鈥檚 Oct. 20 election. Are there questions about the 性视界传媒 election you want answered? Let us know by commenting below or emailing us at edit@surreynowleader.com.

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As political debate rages on about whether light rail transit or SkyTrain should be built in this city, an urban studies expert warns of what could happen if the 性视界传媒 light rail project is halted.

鈥淭he risks of changing midstream is a huge political risk, there鈥檚 a huge risk of delay,鈥� said Peter Hall, director of SFU鈥檚 Urban Studies Program, who specializes in transportation, geography and economic development. 鈥淟ast-minute political interference is typically very dangerous.鈥�

Hall said if it鈥檚 a bad project and people have good reason to oppose it, then 鈥渢his is the way we stop things in a democracy. I don鈥檛 want to say people should or shouldn鈥檛.鈥�

But, he said at the very least, a delay should be expected.

鈥淲ill the Mayors鈥� Council get behind such a big change in a plan that鈥檚 been re-endorsed and all the rest of it? There鈥檚 huge political risk of a delay. And when鈥檚 the window going to open again?鈥� Hall said.

鈥淭he Liberals have got an election next year, the provincial government has one the year after. So you鈥檙e probably pushed off any serious alignment for another three years, then they鈥檝e got a year left in their term at the civic level. You鈥檙e wasting a lot of planning time. Perhaps the province has some SkyTrain plans, but within the City of 性视界传媒 you鈥檙e basically wasting a couple of years, perhaps longer, of local planning time, they may have even started on land assembly.

鈥淚f you are going to overturn the LRT, then this is part of the cost of expressing our will,鈥� he added.

Hall said it鈥檚 possible that a strong message from 性视界传媒 could push higher levels of government to get on board, not wanting to jeopardize its chances with voters there, 鈥渂ut there would at least be a delay before you get the federal government to be sure. Set that all aside 鈥� there鈥檚 the planning process that鈥檚 already well underway. I鈥檓 sure there鈥檚 been a lot of planning going on in 性视界传媒 to do the LRT.鈥�

Indeed, the City of 性视界传媒 has started early works projects, funded through the federal Public Transit Infrastructure Fund program, secured in 2016 for Phase 1 of the 10-Year Investment Plan, which includes early works for the $1.65-billion, 10.5-kilometre 性视界传媒-Newton-Guildford LRT project. Approximately $20 million worth of projects will be led by the city and early works already underway include relocating a 104th Avenue feeder water main and storm sewer, as well as replacement of the Bear Creek Bridge.

Hall pointed to a Canadian example of a stalled transit project: The Scarborough extension of the subway in Toronto.

鈥淭here was a proposal to add more stations and extend that Scarborough line, which has never been a very successful line anyway. Then they went back and had a metro planning process, and they were saying actually the way to do this is rather to have a light rail system. That was the city sort of saying to the province, 鈥楴o, we鈥檇 actually prefer light rail instead of more of this subway that doesn鈥檛 work very well.鈥� Then the light rail itself got very political.鈥�

Hall said things were moving toward an agreement on light rail there, then Doug Ford was elected as Ontario鈥檚 Premier earlier this year and the plan flipped once more.

鈥淗e said, 鈥楴o light rail, I鈥檓 going to have a subway. There鈥檚 a lot of backwards and forward going on there,鈥� Hall explained.

In making that announcement, Ford noted the original subway plan was 鈥渇ully funded by the feds, the province and the city.鈥�

Hall stressed it takes a really long time to plan these massive projects.

鈥淚f you think about all the infrastructure that gets built in our cities, some theorists talk about a window of opportunity, or planets are aligned, both need that long-term planning and need a period in which politicians are in alignment, funding is in place and there isn鈥檛 something that disrupts it.鈥�

Hall pointed to the Evergreen SkyTrain line in Metro Vancouver. 鈥淭he Evergreen was what everybody wanted, the region agreed it was going to be the priority. The planets aligned, and political will was there to do the airport instead.鈥�

While he said overall the line has been successful, there were 鈥渟ome mistakes made,鈥� such as platforms that were too short.

鈥淭hese things are hard to do. You need to have a lot of things in place before these projects can be built and that鈥檚 the danger with what鈥檚 happening in 性视界传媒. The planets are pretty much aligned 鈥� we鈥檝e had several rounds of the Mayors鈥� Council saying we support this thing, federal and provincial money is starting to get in place, quite far advanced in planning.鈥�

性视界传媒鈥檚 mayoral candidates continue to debate the technologies and whether the funds could actually be transferred.

While 性视界传媒 First mayoral candidate Tom Gill agrees with Hall, former mayor Doug McCallum rejected the notion that scrapping LRT would cause a delay.

鈥淟RT is not what the people want,鈥� said McCallum, who, along with his Safe 性视界传媒 Coalition, is calling for an immediate halt on the project in favour of SkyTrain extension to Langley.

McCallum (pictured above) said he didn鈥檛 oppose the technology in the 2014 election because people in the community weren鈥檛 voicing vehement opposition at the time.

鈥淏ack then I wasn鈥檛 aware,鈥� said McCallum. 鈥淭ransLink said they鈥檇 done consulting and the public wanted light rail.鈥�

According to McCallum, the transit authority pitched light rail twice during his years as TransLink chair, assuring the region鈥檚 mayors they had consulted the public and that it was supported. He said both times, in the case of the Canada and Evergreen SkyTrain lines, the mayors halted the light rail plan in favour of SkyTrain due to public opposition.

鈥淚t needs to be what the residents want, not what TransLink wants. It鈥檚 not something that should be imposed upon the public,鈥� McCallum added.

鈥淲hen CEOs say we鈥檝e gone too far with the project, well there was another huge project that got started and cancelled. That鈥檚 the Massey Tunnel. So for anyone to say things can鈥檛 get cancelled and a different system put in? I actually think it will be sped up,鈥� said McCallum, in response to TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond saying the 鈥渢rain has left the station鈥� on switching technologies at this point.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to do a design process again,鈥� McCallum said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just extending a line. Design work is done, it鈥檚 sitting in an office somewhere. The only next step that has to be done is to take that design and fit it onto the route.

鈥淚f we build SkyTrain on Fraser Highway, if it鈥檚 practical and we can get the workers and so forth, we can build it around the clock and it can be done quickly, and we鈥檝e seen that can be done with the Canada Line, which came in on budget and on time.鈥�

Gill (pictured left) disagrees. He said he worries the funding will vanish if the LRT project comes to a screeching halt. 鈥淭he city has not been able to realize any significant infrastructure project from the provincial or federal governments, plus the region, since the Expo Line,鈥� said Gill.

鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a high risk these dollars may not come back to our city, and we鈥檝e been working on this for 10 years. The community needs to understand that the business case as it relates to SkyTrain would likely be unfunded from the provincial and federal government.鈥�

Together, the provincial and federal government are investing $3 billion to 性视界传媒鈥檚 LRT and Vancouver鈥檚 Broadway project, which were officially launched on Sept. 4.

The feds will contribute $1.37 billion to the two projects, the province will kick in $1.82 billion and TransLink, the City of Vancouver and the City of 性视界传媒 will contribute $1.23 billion. The 性视界传媒 LRT share includes $483.8 million, $1.12 billion as the region and TransLink鈥檚 share, in addition to the $43 million previously approved in phase one.

While Gill says SkyTrain would cost $1 billion more, and that 鈥渢he additional money is simply not available,鈥� McCallum argues his plan could be done within the existing budget, due to 30 to 40 per cent of the SkyTrain line being done at ground level. But for Gill, the choice is simple.

鈥淭he choice is to build LRT or build nothing at all.鈥�

He said the project has been in the works since 2008 and the city has 鈥渞eally firm plans on LRT,鈥� including a 150-kilometre network in all.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really unfortunate that other candidates are using this as a political football.鈥�

Asked if he thinks the general public supports light rail in 性视界传媒, Gill said, 鈥淚 think people are unaware of the advantages of LRT,鈥� suggesting people 鈥渟low down a little bit, and look at what the experts have to suggest.鈥�

鈥淚 do believe the community will embrace this technology,鈥� Gill added. 鈥淭he young, and the youth, are embracing this technology and I think they see the value in it. Those who are car-bound are having a little bit more difficulty.鈥�

When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in 性视界传媒 to 鈥渙fficially launch鈥� the project in early September, he spoke to RED FM about what he would do, if a newly elected 性视界传媒 council changed gears.

Asked if the funding would go back to Ottawa, Trudeau said 鈥渘o鈥� and that his visit locked in the plan endorsed by the region鈥檚 mayors.

鈥淭oday, we are moving forward with the 性视界传媒 LRT regardless of the outcome of the next election 鈥� municipal election 鈥� that money is flowing.鈥�

What if a new council decided to go for SkyTrain instead?

鈥淭hey won鈥檛 be able to because the money is already committed and this project is moving ahead now,鈥� stated Trudeau earlier this month, although he said there would be 鈥渇urther discussions.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what the local community decided and that鈥檚 what we are supporting.鈥�

A variety of other parties running in the election have taken stances on transit in 性视界传媒. The 鈥渓eft-leaning鈥� Proudly 性视界传媒 slate led by mayoral candidate Pauline Greaves says if elected, the team will honour the existing LRT contracts with the federal and provincial governments in addition to calling for a 鈥淪outh Fraser鈥� transit authority.

The 鈥渘on-traditional鈥� People First 性视界传媒 party鈥檚 website states the slate is against LRT and calls for a SkyTrain and bus network instead.

Former 性视界传媒 First councillor turned mayoral candidate Bruce Hayne, with his Integrity Now slate, said the Guildford-to-Newton line is 鈥渓ikely too far down the road to change鈥� but that for phase two, more consultation and analysis is needed to determine the best technology.

Progressive Sustainable 性视界传媒 mayoral candidate Imtiaz Popat calls for interurban over light rail or Skytrain, while another independent mayoral hopeful, John Wolanski, calls for SkyTrain for Fraser Highway.

UP NEXT: Learn more about the opposing transit platforms from mayoral candidates, and how they compare to the recently released LRT business case.

amy.reid@surreynowleader.com
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