TransLink says some of 性视界传媒鈥檚 intersections will work 鈥渕uch better鈥� after the 鈥渢ransformational鈥� light rail line is running.

鈥淭he most important part that we鈥檙e working on is road safety,鈥� said Stephan Mehr, who was introduced to the media at 性视界传媒 City Hall Thursday as TransLink鈥檚 project lead for the 10.5-kilometre 性视界传媒-Newton-Guildford phase of the city鈥檚 LRT project.

鈥淪afety is our number one priority,鈥� he told reporters.

How major intersections will function is key, said Mehr, who has more than 28 years of experience working on light rail lines, including projects Bangkok, Istanbul and Moscow. Here in Canada, Mehr has worked on LRT projects in Hamilton, Calgary and most recently, Toronto. He also helped deliver the Canada Line here in Metro Vancouver.

Mehr said all of the intersections where 性视界传媒鈥檚 LRT line will run are being redesigned to incorporate a process called 鈥渃hannelizing,鈥� which is said to make turning 鈥渟afer.鈥�

Essentially, this involves upgrades so left turns are only permitted with a left-turn arrow.

鈥淭hat will be the big differentiator for this,鈥� said Mehr, ensuring there鈥檚 鈥渘o interference between two different moves between LRT and other traffic.鈥�

See also: 性视界传媒 light rail price tag hits $1.65 billion

See also: VIDEOS: LRT car showcased for first time in 性视界传媒

鈥檚 project lead for LRT Stephan Mehr provides an update on the $1.65B 性视界传媒-Newton-Guildford line, ahead of public open houses.

鈥� 性视界传媒 Now-Leader (@性视界传媒NowLeader)

While light rail vehicles will go through intersections on a 鈥減riority basis,鈥� they must abide by red lights, like all other modes of transport, he noted.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been looking very carefully at how we will make these intersections work,鈥� said Mehr. 鈥淭hey will work, in some cases, we believe, much better given that we will be able to control all the traffic going through these intersections in a much more positive way.鈥�

Equally important to intersection design will be educating the public 鈥渉ow to interact鈥� with the driver-operated, electric light rail vehicles, said Mehr.

TransLink and the city have looked at programs in other cities, and plan to roll out an education program with ICBC.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about passenger or pedestrian education, it鈥檚 also about driver education. In this jurisdiction, in this province, it鈥檚 a new technology. If you look at Ontario or Waterloo, they have already set up programs we can definitely take from in terms of passenger safety and road safety. That鈥檚 going to be key.鈥�

Mehr said he heard from colleagues in Phoenix that when intersections become 鈥渃hannelized and signalized,鈥� coupled with a thorough education campaign 鈥渁ccidents generally tend to decrease.鈥�

鈥淭hen people pay attention and don鈥檛 make the same kind of mistakes they would normally make when they鈥檙e asked to make a choice,鈥� he added.

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)

But what about congestion?

After hearing concerns about LRT increasing road traffic from the public, TransLink made changes to its plans along 104th Avenue, where the line will run from 性视界传媒 Central to Guildford.

TransLink says updated plans mean 70 per cent of the 104th Avenue route will maintain two lanes in each direction.

鈥淚n some cases we鈥檝e widened the lane to be safer, to have more room, to get around an incident. In others we鈥檝e looked very carefully鈥� for a solution where we are able to bring back two lanes in each direction for most of the corridor,鈥� said Mehr.

In another effort to ease construction in that area, the city is currently building the 105 Avenue Connector Road, which runs from City Centre, through Hawthorne Park and ends at roughly 144th Avenue. It鈥檚 expected to be complete in September.

King George Boulevard, meantime, will be 鈥渕uch the same as it is today,鈥� said Mehr, with two lanes along the entire route, which when built connect 性视界传媒 Central to Newton Town Centre, just past 72nd Avenue.

In order to achieve four lanes along the corridor, HOV lanes are to go.

鈥淲e鈥檙e using the benefit of a very wide right of way to enable the same traffic flow as we have today, and introduce the LRT, and at the same time, have cycling paths, and develop a boulevard that鈥檚 much more urban in nature rather than a highway,鈥� said Mehr of King George. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been working very closely on the traffic elements, making sure traffic continues to flow, continues to do what it does, and at the same time, more people gravitate to the LRT as a main mode of transport.鈥�

Dedicated crosswalks along King George for cyclists are also planned.

The city is also upgrading other arterial routes, to help reduce congestion, as part of a 10-year plan.

The transit authority revealed Thursday details about its environmental and socio-economic reviews for the project, including spill prevention, emergency response, air quality and greenhouse gas management, construction environmental management and incident management.

Protocols will be set up to 鈥渆nsure fast and efficient clearing of traffic incidents, keeping LRT moving.鈥�

While SkyTrain has a history of problems whenever snow materializes, TransLink says the light rail line will be able to run fine in snow and ice.

Mehr said other cities in Canada, such as Toronto, are able to run the services in snow and ice

鈥淪ometimes in Toronto, when it was snowing, nothing else was running but LRT,鈥� he noted.

TransLink and the City of 性视界传媒 also say they will launch a liaison programs for residents and businesses to help manage construction impacts, including a storefront and mobile office, as well as a 24/7 information line.

In another effort to reduce business impact, TransLink said it will be 鈥渟taging鈥� construction in three phases to keep a minimum number of lanes open and minimize impact.

Some 鈥渃ustomer convenience鈥� items were also revealed Thursday, including extended overhangs to 鈥渂etter protect鈥� passengers from the elements while waiting for a train, and the installation of ATMs in stations.

See also: SkyTrain for 性视界传媒 wants LRT pulled from Mayors鈥� Council plan

Despite ongoing opposition from some in the community, TransLink says there has been 鈥渃onstant鈥� for the 性视界传媒-Newton-Guildford LRT line, which will have 11 stops and take 27 minutes, from start to finish.

TransLink reports that in a survey last May, 67 per cent of respondents from 性视界传媒 who used transit in the previous 30 days considered the project 鈥渆xtremely鈥� or 鈥渧ery鈥� important.

A 2016 TransLink survey suggested 58 per cent of 性视界传媒 residents were likely to use the system, but Mehr said it鈥檚 now expected that ridership will be much higher.

鈥淏-Line bus ridership has grown considerably over the years,鈥� he noted. 鈥淚n the last couple of years, there鈥檚 been more than a 16 per cent increase. Ridership of B-Line is going to transfer over to the LRT line and increase in number of vehicles per hour or trains per hour, to a five-minute headway. That will make this service much more attractive. While that may sound like a figure that has a line to it, we believe it鈥檚 going to be much more than that.鈥�

In fact, TransLink anticipates that current ridership will triple once LRT it is operational and estimates that by 2045, it will see more than 70,000 daily boardings.

Mehr said right now, 75 per cent of transit trips in 性视界传媒 both begin and end in the city. The SNG line, he noted, will be a faster, more frequent, more reliable mode of transportation for those riders.

See also: TransLink defends huge spike in cost of SkyTrain, light-rail projects

It鈥檚 anticipated that shovels will be in the ground for the first phase of 性视界传媒 LRT in 2019, and that it will be operational by 2024, at a cost of $1.65 billion.

Although, Mehr said testing is expected to commence on the roads in early to mid 2023.

Three open houses are planned in 性视界传媒, which are an opportunity to learn more about the project and ask questions. They are set for May 31 3 to 6 p.m. at 性视界传媒 City Hall (13450 104th Ave.), at Peoples Church on Saturday, June 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (14455 104th Ave.) and June 5 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 性视界传媒 Arts Centre (13750 88th Ave).

There is also an online survey, open from May 25 to June 14, through the 性视界传媒 LRT website, .

-With files from Black Press

(TransLink renderings of 性视界传媒鈥檚 LRT line)

(Early renderings of what 性视界传媒 LRT stops might look like. Photo submitted)