Yet another opportunity to find out what’s what, and to put your views on the table.
Amid the vast array of projects underway in Vancouver, here’s one that will move lots of people, take motor vehicles off the road and so mitigate growth-related problems, and provide an opportunity to increase business density along a major corridor and residential density around it.
Planning for the Millennium Line Broadway Extension is underway.
Saturday, January 28. 1-5 pm
Douglas Park Community Centre (801 W 22nd Ave – near Heather St.)
Tuesday, January 31 4-8 pm
Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Dr.)
Wednesday, February 1, 4-8 pm
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral (154 E 10th)
A summary of key info is HERE, in a long, long PDF.
A summary is HERE of the alternative technologies and plan variations that were considered.
I wonder whether it is a mistake to restrict the open houses to the City of Vancouver. Many of those likely to use the subway live elsewhere. It is certainly relevant to anyone along the existing Millennium line: this will probably have a bigger impact on people living in my neighbourhood, Brentwood, than for those living near 22nd and Heather (one of the open house sites), for instance.
There is already a widespread perception that the Broadway extension benefits Vancouver only. I think that’s ridiculous, but this choice of open houses only confirms that reaction. This approach might have made sense for the Evergreen open houses, which were held in the tri-cities, as Evergreen is unlikely to attract many riders from the rest of the region. That is certainly not the case for Broadway, which attracts students and workers from all over.
I presume the budget is constrained and open house locations can’t be changed. I think it would be smart to have unmanned exhibits or posters at other key Skytrain stations, including a) an overview of the project (particularly a map of proposed stations, information about connections with the rest of the system, and timeline), and b) information about the open houses.
Anything less and this will be seen as a pet project for a privileged Vancouver – and I think that view would be somewhat justified, because Vancouver and Translink would appear to perceive it that way.
From the Broadway Subway workshop held yesterday, we heard that over half of the trips along this corridor start outside Vancouver. The first open houses (joint with the. City and Translink) appear to be hearing about neighbourhood impacts, so local residents and businesses are likely the prime targets. It would be good to see more information outside of just the corridor as we go forward.
Excellent comments, Geof and Jeff. The least TransLink could do is have a travelling “rail show” with info panels and one or two knowledgeable staff do the rounds at Brentwood, Lougheed and Coquitlam malls.
I would expect that Information Boards and comments can be submitted on-line through TransLink’s website.
It’s excellent news that the planning for this important project has finally started in earnest. Broadway is the most important economic and residential corridor outside of downtown. Why it has been missing from the rapid transit network for over 30 years, as aggravating as that is, is no mystery: Politics.
This fast, frequent line will eventually move close to twice as many people as the Port Mann and Massey mega-freeway projects combined, and cost 1/5th as much to build. Those are the fundamentally superior metrics of moving people over moving cars, and they positively reinforce the quality of life decisions people make to live in higher density communities served by decent transit.
My biggest beef is that a transfer penalty will be imposed at Arbutus on UBC staff, students, faculty and residents, and future West Broadway and Kits / Point Grey residents (e.g. Jericho Lands) and businesses.
No matter. It’s finally underway.
I agree that they should just build it all the way to UBC. People headed to UBC are going to want to take the Millennium Line and there will be a bottleneck at Arbutus waiting for the 99-BLine. it’s like a 10-inch pipe suddenly shrinking to a 2-inch pipe. A rapid transit line going from Coquitlam Centre to UBC would attract a lot of new users to transit from the whole Lower Mainland, not just from people living on Broadway.
If they’re not going to build it all the way to UBC, I think another alternative would be to set up a BRT from Downtown Vancouver to UBC using double-articulated buses that hold 270 passengers. It would start at Burrard Station, go over the Burrard Bridge to Broadway, then stop at Arbutus and all of the stops that the 99-BLine services between Arbutus and UBC. With 3 minute headways it would have a capacity of 5400 passengers per hour.
In case you have an opinion on the 8 station Skytrain extension also referred to as Broadway subway, click the link below.
This badly needed line stupidly stupidly ends at Arbutus and doesn’t go all the way to UBC despite massive developments there, at UEL ( block F ) and soon, the massive Jericho lands, the biggest development site in MetroVan, with over 100 acres.
http://www.translink.ca/en/Plans-and-Projects/Rapid-Transit-Projects/Broadway-SkyTrain-Extension.aspx
I agree but in the near future it won’t. What they need to do though is make sure that the end is designed to easily be able to extend it to UBC in the future. That not any expensive reworking has to happen.
They did this at the stub end at King George and VCC-Clark but not a Richmond-Brighouse. To extend it there would be a big job, part of that is just the dismantling of the existing end. Short sighted.
In my opinion a sub-way needs to be a pre-req to start building at Jericho lands and UEL’s Block F. UBC of course builds undeterred. When I asked a UBC planner a few years ago where the subway station is planned in the very dense Wesbrook area south of 16th on UBC Campus she looked at me as if I were from Mars. One stop at the current bus loop is insufficient.
More on UBC development projects here https://pricetags.wordpress.com/2016/03/10/whats-happening-at-ubc-lots/ and on UEL’s Block F here http://www.universityendowmentlands.gov.bc.ca/library/2015BlockFRezoningApplicationPackage.pdf
Since Jericho is on federal, provincial and native land it is easy to shift the buck around. We need more holistic planning in MetroVan. Jericho land is THE largest development site in MetroVan with over 100 acres. Huge and accordingly it will be a huge traffic mess for years with closed roads, trucks and thousands of new residents. Not much has been released on this at all besides “consultation will happen”
Or for less cost, LRT can be built from Main Street/Science World along existing ROWs to Broadway and Arbutus and onward to Jericho and UBC. LRT could even possibly swing south to Westbrook whereas a subway isn’t justified to go to Mars.
LRT can easily handle the volumes of all the developments and proposals west of Arbutus. The capacity is mostly required for central Broadway. This would be a more resilient system.
The new line could easily come above ground west of Alma indeed.
Speed matters. LRT crossing are a major nuisance as you will see in Langley / Surrey soon, as we have seen in Calgary or Edmonton.
LRT makes no sense in areas with high land costs, Ron, such as Vancouver (or downtown Edmonton or downtown Surrey or downtown Calgary).
Unclear why the LRT system you propose from Science center was not considered. I guess because it doesn’t come along city hall and V hospital. But perhaps with the new hospital being built in False Creek flats that may yet happen.
It absolutely was considered and is still on the table as far as I’m concerned.
http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/03/translink-ubc-broadway-subway-350000-ridership-2041/
Nothing about the current proposal negates this superior option. Cities all over the world with high land values have LRT/streetcars. A lot more than have subways.
LRT, if well designed, competes with subways for speed. Subways may have an advantage for very long trips but most people do not ride end to end. The extra time to get to fewer stations and navigate stairs and escalators negates the speed advantage.