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[3] Principals,
Policies |
Summary
and Introduction
On this page: Transportation: A means to an end | Structure of the Plan | Key Elements of the Plan Transportation: A means to an end Since the decision in the late 1960s not to build freeways in the city, Council's policy has been evolving towards a concern for the impacts of the car. Increasingly, Council policies have focused on transportation as a means to a better city, rather than as a goal in itself. Council and residents are becoming as concerned with the need to protect neighbourhoods from the impacts of traffic, as they are to achieve a high level of mobility in the city. Balancing these sometimes competing objectives has been a prime concern of this Plan. It is for this reason the Plan looks at transportation within the broader context of the overall quality of the downtown and the neighbourhoods. As the population of both the region and the city grow, transportation in Vancouver will be increasingly problematic. Alternatives to the car are essential, both for a more environmentally sustainable future, and for a solution to congestion on city streets. This Plan follows from a city-wide public program which began in January 1996 with the Transportation Symposium, and during April and May 1996 included a broad public discussion of the Transportation Choices workbook. In September 1996 the Draft Plan was released and meetings were held to get public reactions. Early in 1997 Council held a series of special meetings to hear delegations on the draft Plan. The Plan has been shaped by public reactions to and discussion of the transportation choices facing the city and region. [top] The first part of this Plan outlines an overall transportation strategy for the city. It sets out a direction consistent both with the regional transportation policy and the principles of CityPlan. The strategy lays out the general characteristics of the transportation system that will serve the city well into the next century. Changes to the system will be gradual over this period, and will be needed only as growth in transportation demand requires. The policies and proposals for actions needed to achieve this strategy are set out in Chapter 3. These polices and suggested actions cover the road network, transit, neighbourhoods and pedestrians, Downtown, cycling, goods movement, paying for transportation, and monitoring and implementation. [top] Motorists, transit riders, truck drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists all compete for a place on the road network. Improving the alternatives to the car without expanding the road network means finding better ways to share the existing network. This would be achieved by: Allocating more road space to transit. Allocating space for cyclists. Improving pedestrian comfort and safety. Pedestrian priority areas will be created in commercial centres, where pedestrians will be able to cross roads more easily and safely than they can today. Corner bulges, medians and other measures will make crossing safer and more convenient. Pedestrian-activated signals will respond more quickly. [top] 2. Calmer Traffic in Neighbourhoods CityPlan calls for a greater emphasis on neighbourhoods by increasing housing choice, services, and accessibility. The Plan emphasises the need for safe, quiet neighbourhood streets and convenient alternatives to the car for getting around the neighbourhood for school, shopping and recreation. Speeding traffic is a big concern in many neighbourhoods. As an initial step, speed limits are proposed to be reduced to 40 km per hour on local residential streets. The Plan also outlines an improved public process for traffic calming to determine how traffic calming measures should be allocated in neighbourhoods. [top] 3. A Better Transportation Balance Downtown The close proximity of activities on the Downtown peninsula offers the potential for much enhanced walking and cycling environments. Bike lanes on some Downtown streets are proposed. Pedestrian improvements should include pedestrian shortcuts, awning protection, better lighting, seating and wider sidewalks. [top] The Plan sets the overall transportation directions for a shift to alternatives to the car but more specific targets are a guide to the actions needed to implement the Plan and monitor progress. These targets aim to keep the number of the cars in the city close to present levels by significantly increasing the use of transit, walking and biking. The targets are ambitious. They point to desirable outcomes to work toward and will be monitored. [top] 5. Priorities for Implementation Many of the measures and actions identified in the Plan will happen gradually over the next 25 years or so. However, many measures are appropriate in the short term. Chapter 3 lists the priorities. At the top of the list are transit improvements. The success of the Plan hinges on substantial improvements to transit infrastructure. The City of Vancouver has the land use and population density in place to support a much enhanced transit system. Unfortunately, transit improvements have not kept pace with the growth of the city. At present, the Province controls transit funding and decisions on transit. The Plan seeks an early commitment from the Province for an increase in transit resources, guarantees on funding, and much more participation in decisions about allocation of transit. [top] Residents have told Council that further property tax increases should be avoided. As a result, funding for changes to the transportation system must in general come from other sources. The Plan calls for the reallocation of funds to programs that facilitate walking, cycling, transit and the movement of goods. Transit improvements are expensive. The Plan recommends the Province direct transit investment where it is most cost-effective — in the higher density areas of the region. BC Transit needs to investigate ways to increase the efficiency of the current system. The use of innovative partnerships with private business and universities could also help to bring down costs of improving the transit service. [top] Next section - [1] Transportation Issues
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The
basic directions for transportation in the city were set with Council's
adoption of CityPlan and the Livable Region Strategic Plan
in 1995, and the Regional Transportation Plan (Transport 2021),
in 1994. The next stage is to agree on the details of how these transportation
directions are to be achieved in Vancouver. This is the purpose of this
Plan. 
Transit
service needs to improve significantly to keep the city and region livable.
Nearly 200 additional buses are needed to provide 5-minute frequencies
on existing routes. Light rail transit is needed in higher-density corridors
such as Broadway, and a north-south route to the Downtown. The Plan recommends
streets in the network be fine-tuned so certain streets and sections of
streets assume a more clearly defined transit role. Broadway, Granville,
Main and Hastings are streets where transit would be given a higher priority.
The conversion to bus-only lanes from general purpose lanes would be implemented
if it becomes warranted by congestion. 
The
single most concentrated source of trucks is the Port. Trucks heading
to the Port predominantly come from the Trans-Canada freeway and streets
near to the Port. Significant improvements for goods movement will be
achieved by the completion of the Port Road. Road improvements along Knight
Street are proposed to ease safety problems while mitigating the impacts
of truck traffic for residents. Efforts should be made to reduce the adverse
impacts of trucks on neighbourhoods through stricter enforcement of traffic
regulations and restricting the hours of heavy truck movements through
the night in some residential areas. 
There
is scope for expansion of cycling in the city for recreation, getting
around the neighbourhood, as well as getting to work. The existing bikeway
network and the Greenways Program would be expanded to ensure all areas
of the city have safe bikeways. Bike lanes would be marked on some city
streets which provide access to the Downtown and other major destinations.
The
Downtown will continue to be the job, shopping and entertainment hub of
the city and region. The Downtown peninsula could be home to an additional
40,000 people. By 2021 jobs could reach as high as 180,000, up to 60,000
more than today. To keep the Downtown attractive and efficient, greater
emphasis will be placed on transit, while road capacity will remain at
current levels. Road capacity into the Downtown will not be increased.
Inviting more cars and more space for parking would hamper the efficient
functioning of the Downtown and result in congestion in surrounding Downtown
neighbourhoods. In the future travel to and within the Downtown will rely
more on transit, walking and biking. The required major expansion of transit
includes light rail transit (LRT) along Broadway, and from Richmond to
the Downtown. More frequent buses, new routes to serve the Downtown and
surrounding neighbourhoods, a free-fare zone Downtown, expansion of the
False Creek Trolley to serve Downtown and improved waiting and boarding
facilities are all needed.