TransLink gets record public engagement on future of Metro transit
Credit to Author: Nick Eagland| Date: Sat, 09 Nov 2019 22:18:40 +0000
TransLink says a record number of people took part in public engagement it is using to help guide the next 30 years of Metro Vancouver transit.
The transportation authority is leading the development of a new regional transportation strategy called Transport 2050 and through its largest public engagement heard from 159,000 people about their values, priorities, and ideas for the future of transportation, it said in a news release.
In the first phase of the public engagement, TransLink received 31,682 responses to a survey and respondents submitted more than 4,000 ideas about what they’d like to see Metro’s transportation look like in the future.
“What the region has told us reinforces the need to invest in transit expansion and improvement,” TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said in a news release.
“We’ve seen how important transportation investment is to our region and we need to keep the momentum going for the next 30 years to help ensure that Metro Vancouver remains one of the most livable regions in the world.”
The survey found that drivers, walkers and transit users all ranked the expansion and improvement of the transit network as their top priority, while cyclists said the encouragement of active transportation such as cycling and walking was most important.
People were also able to comment and vote on more than 2,400 ideas from the public shared online during the engagement. Popular suggestions include washrooms at major transit stations, a gondola up Burnaby Mountain to Simon Fraser University, the elimination of street parking on the busiest roads, and the extension of the Canada Line from Horseshoe Bay to Tsawwassen.
Other creative ideas include a designated SkyTrain car for pets, a SeaBus from Kitsilano to Park Royal, and USB charging ports and Wi-Fi on buses and SkyTrain.
TransLink says a full report on the first phase of consultation with findings, ideas and survey results will be released later this month.
Phase 2, in spring 2020, will look at ideas and trade-offs while Phase 3, in fall 2020, will involve drafting the new regional transport strategy.