With the BC election just two and a half weeks away, the BC NDP is ramping up promises on transit services to connect two major shopping centres and address congestion frustrations on the North Shore if re-elected.
The announcement was made Tuesday morning, with North Vancouver-Lonsdale BC NDP candidate Bowinn Ma among those saying this will connect West Vancouver and Burnaby in new ways through a BRT line — a Bus Rapid Transit route that will be entirely separated from traffic, unlike a RapidBus line.
“A new rapid transit line between Park Royal and Metrotown means that people will have more choices about how they get on, off, and around the North Shore,” Ma said. “This new high-efficiency service will help get people where they’re going, faster, and sooner as we also drive forward with work on longer-term expansion, like fixed light rail or Skytrain.”
The BRT promises to provides high-frequency, high-capacity service, making for a fast and efficient journey and the party is promising work to begin as early as next year.
The financial cost was not detailed in a release on Tuesday, but the party assured that the route would come alongside other stakeholders, including TransLink, local governments and First Nations, and in the short term they would also ensure that the R2 is extended to provide all-day service from Phibbs Exchange to Metrotown. Plus, they also move forward on “future expansion of rapid transit to either light rail or Skytrain, in consultation with the Mayors’ Council and communities.”
“People in West Vancouver are frustrated by congestion,” continued Sara Eftekhar, BC NDP candidate in West Vancouver-Capilano. “So we’re taking action to relieve that congestion. This new service will help people spend less time on the road and more time with their families.”
Connecting these areas has already been outlined as a key priority for Bus Rapid Transit projects slated to be introduced to Metro Vancouver in the coming years if approvals and funding is acquired. According to TransLink’s website, the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation already identified the Meotrtown-North Shore as among its three priority routes, the others are King George Boulevard and Langley–Haney Place.
TransLink.ca
In a 2023 funding request submission to the federal government, early estimates suggest the first three BRT routes could cost between $250 million and $300 million for a combined total approaching $1 billion.
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With files from Kenneth Chan