As TransLink prepares to update its Regional Transportation Strategy in 2019, the City of 性视界传媒 is working on its own long-term rapid transit vision that is hoped to influence the regional plan.
City staff have prepared a report, titled 性视界传媒 Long-Range Rapid Transit Vision, zeroing in on just how large the city鈥檚 rapid transit network needs to be decades from now.
To make its recommendation to 性视界传媒 council, city staff compared long-term transit plans for Vancouver, Calgary, as well as other comparable cities across North America, Australia and Europe, according to a report.
After that analysis, staff determined the City of 性视界传媒 should target a rapid transit network in the range of 140 to 150 kilometres in size (similar to what is planned in Vancouver and Calgary).
On Monday night, staff presented city council with a draft map, for discussion, showing a wildly larger LRT system than the 27-kilometre system currently proposed along King George Boulevard, 104th Avenue and Fraser Highway.
The draft image of 性视界传媒鈥檚 long-range rapid transit vision shows 鈥渇uture LRT鈥� extending to South 性视界传媒 (via King George Boulevard), as well as along 96th, 64th and 24th Avenues, as well as 120th and 192nd Streets.
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性视界传媒鈥檚 Engineering Communications Manager Rosemary Silva said in an email that the image 鈥渋s an initial long-range rapid transit vision concept, at a City of 性视界传媒 population of one million people and 500,000 jobs, targeting a rapid transit network of 140 to 150 kilometres delivered in phased implementation over the next 10 to 20 years and beyond.
鈥淚t includes future investments after the 性视界传媒-Langley LRT line is delivered and contemplates a high-frequency, grid-based network that would provide service to over 90 per cent of people and jobs would be within a five to 10 minute walk from a transit stop (i.e., LRT, SkyTrain or B-Line service),鈥� she wrote.
The report suggests a 鈥済rid network鈥� is one of the most efficient and effective rapid transit network types, which provides service to a high number of people and has 鈥渢he ability to attract many new riders because they are simple, direct, easy to understand and useful to a broad range of people.鈥�
City council voted unanimously to accept the report as information.
性视界传媒 First Councillor Dave Woods said the report 鈥渞eally capitalizes on what we鈥檙e trying to do here in the City of 性视界传媒 and the long-term vision.鈥�
Woods said when people challenge him about 性视界传媒鈥檚 decision to build light rail instead of SkyTrain, he tells them the city is 鈥渢rying to build a system here that will last for 100 years and will accommodate probably three times the amount of population that鈥檚 here in the city right now.鈥�
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Woods asked City Manager Vincent Lalonde to put the report online so the public had easy access to it.
鈥淚鈥檓 frequently getting emails from the public criticizing this council for the decision we made to go with LRT and quite frankly, I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 justified,鈥� said Woods. 鈥淚 think this report here provides some pretty sound rationale as to why we鈥檙e doing what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Mayor Linda Hepner said she shares Woods鈥� opinion.
鈥淣ot a lot of people understand it鈥檚 actually a network we鈥檙e building, not a straight up line,鈥� noted Hepner.
She said as the regional transportation plan is updated, 鈥渨e should be sharing this with that committee so there鈥檚 lots of conversation over the next couple of years before those final decisions on transportation are made.鈥�
性视界传媒 First Councillor Vera LeFranc said the report was 鈥渧ery inspirational.鈥�
According to LeFranc, LRT 鈥渕akes more sense in the larger context of how we want to connect every single neighbourhood in 性视界传媒.鈥�
鈥淚 can imagine in the not too distant future when every resident of 性视界传媒 will be within five to 10 minutes walk of a frequent transit network,鈥� said LeFranc. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really what we want for our city. I think we have a dream where our grid is significant and we can reach every neighbourhood. I think we鈥檙e supporting also small business, we鈥檙e not going to have LRT flying over top of small businesses, small business will be well connected by LRT. I think as well you can see the city will develop around these LRT networks in very family friendly and sensitive way and I think that鈥檚 critically important for a city like ours that鈥檚 really all about families.鈥�
LeFranc said the system isn鈥檛 about moving people from 性视界传媒 to Vancouver, but about helping people to move around neighbourhoods in their community.
鈥淢ost of the people who take transit in 性视界传媒 just want to get from their home to the local shop or to work which is usually in the City of 性视界传媒,鈥� she noted. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 really excited but his plan and I do think we should make sure our citizens know about it.鈥�
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性视界传媒 First Councillor and mayoral hopeful Tom Gill noted the Metro Vancouver鈥檚 SkyTrain system has grown to 鈥渏ust shy of 100 kilometres鈥� in the last 30 or 40 years.
鈥淪o in the context of what we want to accomplish, our line will be longer, bigger, wider, stronger, than what we currently have in terms of the region,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a great plan, I think we just need to embrace it with the community and how we can fund these opportunities moving forward.鈥�
Councillor Bruce Hayne, who recently split from 性视界传媒 First to sit as an independent on council and run for mayor, said 鈥渁 lot of public consultation and a lot of work needs to be done.鈥�
鈥淭his is something that鈥檚 going to be rolling out over the next 20 years or so. My goal or my hope is that this is the start of a very broad and open conversation with the public about the future of our transportation,鈥� added Hayne. 鈥淪o I鈥檒l be voting to receive this as information.鈥�
Steele, who also split from 性视界传媒 First to run with Hayne in the upcoming Oct. 20 civic election, said 鈥渢his is a good start to make sure we start to meet with the people and go out鈥� and show them how it will work and explain it to them.鈥�
According to the report, city council鈥檚 decision on its long-term rapid transit vision will provide 鈥渋mportant input into TransLink鈥檚 update of the Regional Transportation Strategy, in particular, pertaining to its vision for the future of rapid transit in the city.鈥�
Vote: POLL: Light rail or SkyTrain for 性视界传媒?
Simulation video animates LRT ride for 性视界传媒 passengers -
鈥� 性视界传媒 Now-Leader (@性视界传媒NowLeader)
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