An alternative vision to Gateway

Traffic congestion can be solved without twinning Port Mann
Bridge, study shows: Improved transit and more SkyTrain cars part
of solution, group suggests

Vancouver Sun
Thursday, February 2, 2006
William Boei

Traffic congestion in the Trans-Canada Highway corridor can be
solved without twinning the Port Mann Bridge and at less than a
third of the cost, according to a report prepared for a group of
urban planners and transit advocates.

The report, released Wednesday, says improved transit service,
especially south of the Fraser River, more SkyTrain cars and
transportation demand-management are the keys to giving
commuters alternatives to driving.

"Widening freeways usually causes, not relieves, traffic congestion,"
says the report, by Eric Doherty, a graduate student in the
University of B.C.'s School of Community and Regional Planning.

It was prepared for the Livable Region Coalition, which includes
pro-transit and environmental groups, planners, academics and
private individuals.

"Contrary to what [Premier] Gordon Campbell would have you
believe, there are other options," the coalition said in a news
release.

Campbell unveiled Tuesday a $3-billion proposal that includes
twinning the bridge and expanding the highway at a cost of $1.5
billion and building new truck routes along both shores of the
Fraser River. Supporters of the plan say it will help unsnarl traffic in
the Lower Mainland, particularly transport trucks moving goods out
of area ports to the rest of the country.

"His Gateway Plan will double the traffic-related air pollution and it
will have health impacts -- and financial impacts -- for years to
come," the coalition said. "Using transportation alternatives, we can
move people in a way that is safer, and implement them faster and
cheaper."

Doherty's report looks only at the $1.5-billion plan to twin the Port
Mann Bridge and add two lanes to the Trans-Canada Highway from
Langley to Vancouver.

David Fields, transportation campaigner with SPEC -- Society
Promoting Environmental Conservation -- said the coalition is
studying the two truck routes proposed by Campbell and will likely
focus on rail alternatives.

Doherty suggested:

- A 20-per-cent increase in TransLink's bus fleet to allow 10-
minute or better bus service for all growth areas in Greater
Vancouver.

- Buying 44 new SkyTrain cars as quickly as possible instead of the
34 now planned. The report says TransLink's crowded Expo Line
carries only a third of its potential passengers at peak times
because of a lack of cars.

- Using more "transit priority measures" such as bus lanes and
transit priority at traffic signals. They would include a new Surrey-
Coquitlam bus route with a "queue jumper" lane at the Port Mann
Bridge and a busway on the King George Highway connecting to
SkyTrain and other transit routes.

"These or similar investments could significantly reduce traffic
congestion on Highway 1, if combined with other effective
transportation demand-management measures," Doherty wrote.

Those measures can include lower transit fares, ride-sharing plans,
flexible work schedules, traffic calming, congestion charges during
peak hours and tolls.

The alternative plan would cost $300 million to $500 million,
Doherty said.

bboei@png.canwest.com