John Calimente, writing in re:place, unearths a fascinating document from 1975 that tells us a lot about how Vancouver got to the situation described in the press release below.
Our transit present was foreshadowed to a surprising degree in a memorandum of the B.C. Government’s Bureau of Transit Services. John describes both what was intended (and what we got), as well as what they missed (not a mention of cycling).
Given the interest in streetcar lines today, this map of past intentions is extraordinary:
… four at-grade streetcar routes (were) planned. … The first line would run along Hastings St, reaching as far as North Burnaby.
The second route would follow Hornby St through downtown, run across the CPR Kitsilano Trestle that used to connect downtown to Kitsilano, along the Arbutus Line, then on to Richmond and South Delta.
The third route would run along Nelson St from Hornby St to Stanley Park, linking Downtown Vancouver with the West End.
The fourth route would be a line connecting the waterfront areas. It would run from Stanley Park to Carrall St, right along the water through what is now Coal Harbour and then along a portion of what is now Cordova St. From Carrall it would run through the old Expo Lands, cross the Kitsilano trestle, and on to the Planetarium.
Lots more here.
It helps to remember that this transit planning was occurring under the first NDP government, elected in 1972, that would be out of office by the end of 1975. The memo was sent to a Vancouver City Council still with a TEAM majority but rapidly fracturing.
Subsequent governments were half-hearted (at best) in their approach to transit planning, and it would not be until the development of the Expo SkyTrain line that any major commitment would be made.
Downtown from the old Cambie Bridge in 1977.
Interesting that the downtown portion of the LRT marked on the map and discussed in the article passes by Hasting Street and Victory Square under Cambie Street (a route which was rejected for the RAV/Canada Line because it wasn’t near current ridership areas) This would have reflected the ridership demands before the shift in retail trade from the Woodward’s – Spencer’s/Eaton’s axis along Hastings Street to the Georgia at Granville node at Pacific Centre and Robson Street after that (I wonder if there would have been more office development on the east side of downtown if the line had gone ahead? (although Gastown itself was historically designated)). Near the viaducts and current Science World, the LRT allignment is similar to the SkyTrain allignment. The article says that it then links to the Central Park Line – so it would appear that the SkyTrain follows the same allignment heading east.
Also interesting that the plan uses 4 terms: commuter train, LRT, streetcar and tram.
I wonder what the proposed difference would have been between LRT, streetcar and tram?
I may appear that “streetcar” was LRT in a street (since the “Hornby Streetcar” becomes “LRT” on the trestle)while “LRT” had its own right of way.
There’s a shelf in the Central Library that holds these and other plans for transit lines that were never realized. One of them describes a central loop with lines that radiate from it, sort of in the style of the Chicago El without the elevation. The freeway plans are there as well. Makes for a great afternoon.
Interesting stuff, from an era in BC history that was cut short.
I wonder if someone might like to interview the Minister responsible for transit services at that time, James Lorimer, whom I believe is still living in Burnaby.
http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca/fth/general/int_lorimer.html
http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca/residents/about/hstryh/freeman/lorimer.html
The history of uncoordinated city planning in most cities reflects our current limitations in governance; too many politicians get into the act when planning long term solutions for the entire metropolitan area. The problems of Victoria transit systems are revealed by Ross Crockford in the current issue of FOCUS (Jan 2012) (go to: http://www.focusonline.ca/sites/default/files/Focus_2012-01_January.pdf )
Each metropolitan area (Vancouver Island or even Lower Mainland) should have a BC Government mandated Transportation Authority where regional planning is done with municipal consultation but able to present plans to the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and gain approval from that Ministry. This concept has been presented to the Premier by the President of IslandTransformations.Org on 28 December 2011. You will find that document linked within the Home Page posting of 29 Dec 2011 (go to: http://www.islandtransformations.org ).