The Metro Vancouver Mayors Council recently announced the first phase of a 10-Year Vision for public transit and transportation. Involving a potential $2 billion investment, if approved the plan will lead to improvements in bus service to UBC, which currently involves some of the most crowded, busy and unreliable buses in Vancouver.
“Moving forward with Phase One of the Mayor Council’s 10-Year Vision will kick start immediate and urgently needed improvements to Metro Vancouver transit and transportation,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson in a Translink media release.
The first phase of the 10-Year Vision will be the biggest public transport investment since 2009. This $2 billion plan will go to public consultation in October. If approved, the plan will be in effect by January 2017.
“The Phase One plan will bring the first expansion of the region’s transit service since 2009 - a period during which 250,000 new residents have moved to Metro Vancouver,” said the Translink media release.
Five out of the 10 bus routes with the most ridership in 2015 — the 99, the 49, the 25, the 9 and the 41 — are UBC bus routes, as are four out of the 10 most crowded ones — the 99, the 49, the 25 and the 41 — followed by the most unreliable bus route, the 480 UBC/Bridgeport station.
Investments in the 10-Year Vision include the addition of five new B-Line routes, one of which will run on 41st Avenue from UBC to Joyce-Collingwood SkyTrain Station. Buses will run every 10 to 15 minutes and five minutes during peak hours.
The 10-Year Vision includes $630 million to purchase new buses and fund an increase in bus service in the UBC area by 6 per cent and 10 per cent throughout Metro Vancouver.
Part of the $2 billion will also go toward pre-construction and design work on the Broadway SkyTrain line, which will extend the current Millennium line west from VCC Clark Station to UBC along the Broadway Corridor. Construction is currently projected to break ground by early 2019.
Funding sources for the 10-Year Vision include property tax and transit fares beginning in 2017. This would mean an approximate $3 increase in property tax per year for every household and a $2 increase for monthly passes over the next three years.
“Metro Vancouver mayors are taking a fair and balanced approach to funding approaching the region’s share,” said the Translink media release.
Public consultation for the 10-Year Vision will begin on October 11 and will be open to all residents of Metro Vancouver.