Tag Archives: Transportation

At Monday’s well-attended Connecting People and Places event, five Council candidates spoke on the topic of Vancouver’s transportation future. Moderator and SFU City Program Director Gordon Price welcomed attendees and provided a very brief history lesson about transportation on Granville Street since this was the location for the event. We then launched into the two-hour program.

From my perspective, here are some summaries and highlights from the event:

The Candidates (listed in the order they were seated; thanks for excusing my point-form notes)

• Elizabeth Murphy (Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver): Focused primarily on her concerns about civic governance and campaign finance suggesting there is a conflict of interest in Vancouver politics because of the significant support the major parties (NPA and Vision) receive from developers. Spoke about the relationship between development and transportation, and stated that she wants neighbourhoods to have more input over development in their communities. Believes public transit should be affordable (“practically free”) and accessible. Transportation enhancements should be funded primarily by polluters and not property taxes because the latter in her view would only serve to raise the cost of housing.

• Adriane Carr (Green Party of Vancouver): Repeatedly emphasized the need for infrastructure to support multi-modal transportation. Advocated for bus-only lanes to make public transit more efficient. Supports several options for funding the transportation network, including increasing gas prices, imposing a congestion tax, implementing a vehicle levy, and/or applying a carbon tax. Admitted she was wrong when she suggested having some bike-free streets in Vancouver and stated that she no longer holds this view thanks to the “good” information she received from Vancouverites on this issue; she only opposes bike lanes in the bus-only lanes that she would like to implement.

• Councillor Geoff Meggs (Vision Vancouver): Believes transportation is as fundamental to a sustainable city as housing and noted the role transportation plays in the “democratic movement of people.” Highlighted the Vision/COPE record on transportation, particularly the implementation of the U-pass program for all post-secondary students and the success of the separated bike lanes. Demonstrated his extensive knowledge on transportation issues and spoke to options actually on the table (while accusing some of the other candidates of offering “pie in the sky” ideas) for funding enhancements to the Metro Vancouver transportation network, such as a carbon tax and tolls. Responded to concerns about development in neighbourhoods by stating that all Vancouver communities need to take a share of transportation, supportive housing and other initiatives if the city is to be truly sustainable.

• Ellen Woodsworth (COPE): Emphasized the importance of being able to live, work and play in Vancouver communities. Repeatedly mentioned the importance of affordable and accessible transportation and was the only candidate to specifically address transportation access for people with disabilities (she identified a need for wider sidewalks in Vancouver to accommodate people in wheelchairs). Emphasized the importance of working closely with other municipalities on transportation planning in order to effectively obtain provincial funding for improvements to the Metro Vancouver transportation network as a whole. Desire to implement a C-pass program like the U-pass program to allow communities to increase public transit use. Most vocal candidate about the forthcoming transit station turnstiles (initiated by the Province) being a waste of money.

• George Affleck (NPA): Described himself as “new to politics” and shared examples of how he has adopted sustainable transportation in his personal life: He was car free for many years (he became a car owner when his second child was born), commuted by bicycle for five years between the Drive and downtown, and chaired the Cooperative Auto Network (now Modo). Indicated that a regional plan for congestion tolling combined with Private-Public-Partnerships (P3) could help fund enhancements to the transportation network. Reiterated NPA concerns over how Vancouver’s separated bike lanes were implemented. Didn’t directly answer a question about whether he supports a moratorium on the separated bike lanes, but this is a key priority in the NPA platform.

A Good Debate

In response to a set question posed to the candidates on the City of Vancouver’s targets for increasing trips on foot, bicycle and public transit and reducing the overall distance driven per resident, all candidates believe the targets can be met by 2020. Meggs described the targets as “necessary and reasonable” and touted the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan, noting that NPA mayoral candidate Suzanne Anton voted against it. He also spoke about the importance of the role corridor density plays in moving people out of cars and onto public transit. Affleck and Carr criticized Vision and COPE for moving slowly toward meeting these targets, with Carr calling them “tepid” at best and arguing that the City should have stretched for more ambitious goals. Murphy and Carr debated with Meggs on the relationship between development and transportation, with Murphy noting her preference for a “polluter pays” system to finance meeting these targets instead of transit corridor density. Carr also spoke to this issue, noting that it’s important to consider how the character of neighbourhoods connects to walkability. Woodsworth noted that Vision and COPE are currently working on a pedestrian plan and she also addressed the need for car-free transportation options to be safe, convenient and affordable. This question also led Murphy and Woodsworth to advocate for an elected TransLink Board to ensure greater accountability as Vancouver moves forward to meet these transportation targets.

A Final Reflection

Since I started writing this blog I have focused most of my attention on Vancouver as far as car-free transportation is concerned, but I realized after Monday’s event that it’s important for anyone interested moving people out of cars and onto public transit and into active transportation (cycling, walking, etc.) that we need to look at all of Metro Vancouver, and particularly municipalities like Surrey that are very underserved as far as sustainable transportation is concerned. I will try to venture out of Vancouver a little more often to ensure that I maintain a broad perspective on our region’s transportation future.

Share Your Thoughts

Did you attend this event? What are your thoughts on the speakers’ positions on the questions they tackled? Do you agree or disagree with any of my summaries above? I welcome your opinions and views.