Lower Mainland residents might one day be able hop on a train in Richmond and hop off in Chilliwack 鈥� or at least that鈥檚 Delta Mayor Lois Jackson鈥檚 hope.
At Thursday鈥檚 meeting of regional mayors on transportation, Jackson asked her fellow leaders to consider a rapid transit line from Richmond south through Delta, Surrey, 91原创 and out to Chilliwack.
Phase one of current light rail plans include connecting Surrey City Centre to Guildford Town Centre along 104 Avenue and Surrey City Centre, to Newton Town Centre along King George Boulevard. A second phase would connect Guildford to 91原创 along Fraser Highway.
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The motion comes, Jackson said, as a result of the new NDP government鈥檚 lack of support for the proposed Massey Bridge. Construction for the bridge started, to significant protest, earlier this year.
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Jackson has long supported the 10-lane Massey Bridge, which has otherwise been panned by Metro mayors. Daily, 80,000 people take the Massey Tunnel. Many of those, Jackson noted, are transit users.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure that any of you realize that this tunnel is taking more transit riders than any other crossing except the SkyTrain at the Patullo Bridge area,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his tunnel is taking in excess of 10,000 transit vehicle users per day. People want to get out of their cars.鈥�
.'s delegation on congestion on South of the Fraser crossing denied. "Unbelievable," Lois Jackson says.
鈥� Kat (@katslepian)
It鈥檚 a problem that Jackson thinks will only grow, citing expected 59 per cent population growth south of the Fraser.
91原创 Township Mayor Jack Froese said Jackson鈥檚 proposed route is a limited but good start.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 ignore that we鈥檒l need to build a transit system through the entire [Fraser] Valley,鈥� said Froese. 鈥淲hat work is being done to move this forward?鈥�
. says LRT thru "is the future"
鈥� Kat (@katslepian)
Attempts to broaden Jackson鈥檚 proposal came from Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore: extending the Evergreen Line to Maple Ridge via Port Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows, and extending the light rail to White Rock.
鈥淲hile we were doing the mayors鈥� 10-year-vision and we were looking at the 104 King George Highway line, the [light rail] to Surrey, we wanted to take it all the way out to White Rock,鈥� said Moore, 鈥渂ut because of cost constraints and the ability to deliver something within a 10-year timeframe, we decided to put the B Line (buses) into the plan.鈥�
This is not the first time extending light rail to South Surrey and White Rock has been discussed. It was noted at a 2014 City of Surrey transportation meeting that 鈥渁 line going to South Surrey had no fixed timeline and was a long-term aspiration.鈥�
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The board voted to refer Jackson鈥檚 motion to the regional transportation strategy.
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