Observations On A Broken Regional Transit System

Congestion is endemic in Vancouver

Congestion is endemic in Vancouver

The past few month, Zwei has been on the road, throughout the lower mainland attending rugby games (my son plays first div.) and has made a very depressing observation.

Despite over $30 billion invested or will be invested in the regional light metro system, traffic is getting worse and congestion, spiced with gridlock is endemic. It took me a the same amount of time to drive from Squamish to Cypress Bowl Road, in West Vancouver, to drive from Cypress Bowl Road to the 2nd Narrows Bridge!

In the Fraser Valley, Highway 1 is a shambles almost every day from Abbotsford to 200th Street in Langley.

Local roads are clogged with traffic and the buses, except for Vancouver proper, seem not well patronized.

Side streets are clogged with cars and parking has become the new cash cow for cities.

The following three question must be asked, by regional politicians:

  1. Are we getting good value for money with our SkyTrain light metro system?
  2. Has the SkyTrain light metro system created a modal shift from car to transit?
  3. Is our regional transportation system user friendly?

The answers are not very politically palatable and TransLink is using every smokescreen, every ruse to hide the fact that the answers to the three questions is no.

This leaves an even more important question.

Will further investment in our regional light metro system improve regional transit?

The answer again is no as doing the same thing over and over again, ever hoping for different boarders on madness.

Rail for the Valley’s Leewood study gives some answers, with a Chilliwack to Vancouver, regional rail service, using the the former and still used BC electric interurban route, but it seems it is too simple and not expensive enough, $1.5 billion, to warrant politcal action. A modern regional rail service would not be a panacea but, it would give a credible and affordable option for people traveling between Vancouver and Chilliwack.

The evidence is in plain sight, yet many of our politicians remain blind, deaf and speechless and insist doing the same thing over and over again, because if anything, elevated SkyTrain or subways make damn good background for photo-ops at election time.

40 years of SkyTrain has not created a modal shift from car to transit.

40 years of SkyTrain has not created a modal shift from car to transit.

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