As public consultations for the Gateway Project proceed over the coming months, one of the better-organised opposition groups is the Liveable Region Coalition.
They've just published their thoughts on an alternative strategy to the Gateway Project, called the Alternatives Report (link to pdf), which primarily focuses on the expansion of Highway 1.
The report essentially advocates further investment in transit, emphasizing new bus routes and added capacity for Skytrain. Among some of its key suggestions:
- Increase Translink's bus fleet between regional town centres such as Surrey-Coquitlam, with 10 minute or better frequency of service.
- Accelerate the purchase of 44 new Skytrain cars to alleviate crowding on the Expo Line.
- Expand transit lanes on key highways, including priority access lanes to let buses on the highways faster.
It's interesting to note that 30% of Port Mann Bridge traffic enters at 152nd street in Surrey and 32% exits at the Cape Horn Interchange, heading into the Tri-Cities area. Perhaps this would make a light rail connection from Surrey to Coquitlam's new Evergreen Line a viable alternative in the future.
The Liveable Region Coalition recommends improved bus service between Surrey and the Tri-Cities area instead, as there currently isn't any service across the Port Mann Bridge.
One major criticism of this proposal, however, is the fact that many people simply won't ride the bus. Even with improved frequency of service and direct links (reduced transfers), many of us simply prefer to stay in our cars.
So...what's the best alternative - improve bus service, widen the highway, or extend Skytrain? We'll likely wind up with a combination of all three, with the former occurring in the short term, and the latter being built over the long term.
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