91原创鈥檚 two mayors are on board with a 10-year transportation plan that aims to get Metro Vancouver 鈥榤oving.鈥�
On Jan. 25, Township mayor Jack Froese and City mayor Ted Schaffer were among the Mayors鈥� Council members who voted unanimously in favour of a motion, brought forward by Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, resolving that the council 鈥渃alls on the Province of B.C. to confirm 鈥� its partnership in delivering the Phase Two Plan as scheduled, including provincial contribution of a 40 per cent share of capital costs of all projects in the vision.鈥�
During a meeting of the Mayors鈥� Council on Regional Transportation, the committee voted to reaffirm its intention to forge ahead with its full vision for the region, which includes 27 kilometres of light rail transit in Surrey and a replacement of the Pattullo Bridge.
Froese said 91原创 residents have already seen the 鈥渄irect results鈥� of the Phase One Plan. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen more frequency (of buses) at the Carvolth exchange, we鈥檝e seen new routes come into 91原创 鈥� the 208 bus route鈥� those are immediate direct results of the first phase (of the transportation plan).鈥�
As part of the 10-year plan, the following improvements are expected to be rolled out between now and 2026:
鈥� A 10 per cent increase in bus service, as well as more frequent service on 50 different routes, five new B-Line routes on Fraser Highway, Lougheed Highway, Marine Drive, 41st Avenue, and Hastings Street, and 171 new buses beginning this year;
鈥� 15 per cent increase in HandyDART service, to the tune of 85,000 new available trips annually;
鈥� New funding for improvements to the Major Road Network, and;
鈥� Expansion and improvements to the cycling and walking networks in the region.
The council was broken into four committees, said Schaffer, who sat on the planning committee.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing is looking at the areas, and the 91原创s and Surrey are very much at the forefront because of the growth that鈥檚 happening,鈥� Schaffer said.
鈥淚 think everybody around the table recognizes the need for transportation around here but at the end of the day, who鈥檚 going to pay for it and how is it going to get paid for?鈥�
The federal government has already committed to fund 40 per cent of the project, and if the province affirms it will pay for 40 per cent, that will leave the mayors with a 20 per cent gap to fill.
In a summer 2015 referendum, Metro Vancouver voters rejected a 0.5 per cent Congestion Improvement Tax. If the tax went through, the money would have gone towards a plan to improve public transit services and transportation infrastructure in the Lower Mainland over a 10-year period.
鈥淭he plan still exists and we have to now look for other ways to fund it,鈥� Froese explained.
Schaffer said the mayors don鈥檛 want to increase property taxes to complete the funding for Phase Two of the plan, 鈥渁nd so there are only so many options left.鈥�
鈥淩oad pricing is just another way of tolling, so then you have to look at all your options,鈥� Schaffer. 鈥淔rom my perspective, the longer we wait, the more expensive it鈥檚 going to get.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 up to the province on what they are going to trigger,鈥� in helping fund Phase Two, said Froese.
So where is the funding going to come from?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the billion dollar question,鈥� Schaffer said.
Schaffer believes light rail is a sensible, affordable solution.
鈥淟ight rail is a billion dollars cheaper than the SkyTrain to build,鈥� he said.
鈥淵ou鈥檇 need a train of buses to move the same volume of people,鈥� Schaffer said. 鈥淎s a main transportation corridor, you have to have a rail system in place. I believe it will happen. My hope is that light rail will come to 91原创 City within the mayors鈥� 10-year vision.鈥�
鈥淚t all hinges on funding,鈥� Froese said. 鈥淚f everything goes according to the plan, we鈥檇 see (light) rail (transit in 91原创) in 10 years, but it really boils down to the appetite of the provincial government to legislate the changes that are needed to pay for this.鈥�
Froese said rail is 鈥渃ertainly an option that people will use.鈥�
