How is everyone enjoying the Highway 1 upgrades? Hang in there because the work will continue until 2031. That’s 5 more years…if it completes on time.
When done, for our trouble, we’ll get HOV lanes… and the buses will get to go on the shoulder when it’s busy. Not you. I guess the hope is that you’ll give up your car and get in a bus or some other absolutely ridiculous expectation.
The unvarnished truth is our infrastructure and public transit are at least 20 years behind what our communities need. The reason? SkyTrain.
SkyTrain is one of the most expensive ways to move people short of shooting them at the moon. What started out as a monorail-like addition to Expo86 has turned into an ego project for politicians and TransLink.
While Highway 1 is getting worked on, we are also completing a section of SkyTrain from Surrey to Langley. 16 km for more than $6 billion.
When your road system and transit are so far behind demand, you’d think we’d be looking for the “best bang for the taxpayer’s buck”. Instead, we’ve picked the most expensive, and in many cases, the most disruptive method of building out our infrastructure:
A glance at the chart above and one could say that building more roads is the way to go, but the fact is, we need more of everything.
We need another major road route in and out of Vancouver from the Valley. We need surface rail that truly connects the Valley to the GVRD. We need a comprehensive underground system in the downtown core.
One overlooked addition to the overall transit plan is the Inter Urban Passenger Rail line. It was a fixture of travel for many years. It still exists and we can convert it for passenger use. In total, there is nearly 100 km of rail line connecting Chilliwack to Scott Road at the Pattulo Bridge. However, proponents have been trying to forward work on revitalizing this asset for many, many years but it continues to fall on deaf ears. Let’s make the case again…and louder.
Firstly, we are all broke and one of the things that is bleeding taxpayers dry is the price of gasoline. We don’t want to be in our cars, but we have no choice. I firmly believe that the government doesn’t consider transit alternatives because we would leave are cars behind…AND the gas taxes they rely on. Therefore, we must make this an election issue.
The Inter Urban Passenger Rail Line is 99 km of rail from Surrey to Chilliwack. Upgradeable to passenger standards that will connect the entire Fraser Valley for $1.65 billion compared to the 16 km of Surrey to Langley SkyTrain for more than $6 billion. Here are the facts:
- 99km of track from Chilliwack to Surrey serving more than 1.3 million
- Serving 16 communities, 14 post-secondary institutions, First Nations, industrial parks, the Abbotsford international Airport, and the University of the Fraser Valley
- 90-minute ride time to Surrey SkyTrain from Chilliwack. 30-minute ride time from Langley to Surrey SkyTrain. Effectively, the same commute time as driving a car resulting in an option that will actually get people to switch. Buses do not.
During a provincial election, where parties make promises of all kinds, transportation in and out of the Fraser Valley is almost always completely ignored.
The CD Howe Institute estimates that extra commute time costs Metro Vancouver between $1.2 billion and $2.25 billion in economic activity annually. This was supported by a Business Council of BC (BCBC) study that focused on cargo delays, labour impacts and individual wasted costs such as time and fuel.
SkyTrain does not fix this.
People must still drive to the SkyTrain. Further, because SkyTrain is being built in largely dense areas, the costs of building parking lots nearby relies on converting valuable land, not building the homes that should come with transit and planned density.
The Inter Urban Passenger Rail line is largely not in dense areas, and it would also help planners to identify new areas of growth, offer room to create inexpensive park and rides, parking structures and organize access and egress routes that minimize disruption to existing traffic and businesses. Plus, with new electric cars, it would be an environmental win.
The way we build infrastructure and transit is not sustainable. It must change and you must demand it. Make it an election issue! For more information visit the South Fraser Community Rail Society web site: https://southfrasercommunityrail.ca