Bus network improvements

Transit helps people get to essential services, jobs, shops, and activities.

As the economy restarts during the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining and improving on bus speed and reliability is crucial to both customer service and growth in ridership as we achieve our goals set out in the Transportation 2040 Plan and Climate Emergency Action Plan.

As the region grows, so does the demand on our already limited road space. To move more people in the same amount of road space, higher capacity travel options, such as transit, are being prioritized.

With funding from TransLink, we are implementing bus-priority enhancements to improve the travel times and reliability of bus routes across the city.

Our goals

Make bus trips faster and more reliable
Manage road congestion
Support safe physical distancing at bus stops

Current bus priority projects

Burrard Street
Work schedule

Expanded hours are coming to the bus priority lanes on Burrard Street between Burnaby Street and West Pender St.

Work is expected to begin in summer or fall 2022.

About Burrard Street

TransLink has identified Burrard Street as the 19th most delayed corridor in the region, contributing to an estimated 162 person-hours of delay each weekday.

Burrard Street is a heavily used transit corridor, serving Routes 2 and 44, as well as the 5 and R5 on some portions.

In 2019, over 65,000 bus passengers passed through this corridor each day. During the morning and afternoon peak periods, approximately 40 to 60% of all trips on Burrard Street are on buses (based on 2019 data).

Changes to Burrard Street

In coordination with TransLink, we've implemented several changes to the street, including new or enhanced bus priority lanes to ensure fast and reliable transit service. The changes will speed up buses that travel along W Georgia St, while having a minimal impact on regular traffic.
1. The existing southbound bus lane in effect from 3pm to 7pm on weekdays will expand to both 7am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm on weekdays, with parking suspensions during these times.
2. The existing northbound bus lane in effect from 7am to 9:30am on weekdays will expand to both 7am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm on weekdays, with parking suspensions during these times.
Minor adjustments to loading zones and left-turns will be made at select locations to support the bus priority lanes.
Commercial Drive

Commercial Drive is one of Vancouver’s oldest roadways and today serves as a high street for the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood and a commercial destination for the entire region.

Bus route 20 on Commercial Drive ranks in the top 10 busiest bus routes in the region, with over 11,000 daily boardings in 2021. The route provides service to the Commercial-Broadway Station, a key exchange between the 99 B-Line and Millennium and Expo lines, including the future Broadway Subway Millennium Line extension.

In 2021, Council passed a motion prioritizing Commercial Drive as a pedestrian-first high street (40 KB). The goal is to promote business viability in the area while designing pedestrian-friendly streets that are vibrant and accessible.

While bus route 20 remains one of the busiest routes, there is a lot of bus delay and unreliability throughout the Commercial Drive retail area. This project work aims to prioritize bus transport through the retail area and inform future updates related to the Commercial Drive Pedestrian-First motion. Future phases may include similar bus priority measures north of East 1st Avenue.

Changes to Commercial Drive

We are working with TransLink to implement targeted bus priority measures for more reliable and faster bus service. This includes moving the southbound East 2nd Avenue and East 4th Avenue bus stops to create a consolidated stop at southbound East 3rd Avenue, to match service in the northbound direction.

The bus stops at East 3rd Avenue will also be the location of new interim bus bulbs, which bump out the sidewalk into the curb lane (see Figure 2). Using interim materials for the bus bulbs will lower costs and allow faster delivery, similar to the bus bulbs on West 4th Avenue. Bus bulbs will provide expanded space and comfort for pedestrians on the sidewalk while improving bus speed and reliability. Buses will be able to stop in the travel lane, reducing delays from pulling in and out of the curb lane.

Additional improvements include an expanded right-turn pocket at the approach to East 1st Avenue in the southbound direction. This measure will remove a few part-time parking spots so that vehicles can pull over to the curb lane to make a right turn safely without blocking traffic. The curb lane for the northbound bus stop at this intersection will also be painted red to improve the visibility of the no-stopping zone.

Figure 1. Bus stop and curb lane changes

Impacts to businesses and residents

We’ll be working with the Commercial Drive Business Society to ensure the bus bulbs are integrated with the street and are well-maintained. Construction is expected to begin in late spring 2023 and take approximately 3 to 4 weeks. We anticipate minor traffic impacts while signage and bus bulbs are being installed, however, will aim to minimize disruption to residents and businesses.

Figure 2. Interim bus bulb
Main Street

In 2020, a bus bulb at the northbound bus stop at Main St and 14th Ave was installed adjacent to the plaza during the COVID-19 pandemic as an immediate temporary response to address to the need for more passenger space.

The materials used for this location were temporary, allowing us to install the bus bulb quickly and at a lower cost. A permanent replacement is being planned for implementation in fall 2024, which has created the opportunity for more improvements to be made to the street plaza.
Robson Street
The Robson St transit improvements were part of the Robson Street Sidewalk and Plaza pilot project, which aimed to create more room for people to move, wait for transit, and access local businesses. This project was undertaken in partnership with both the Robson Street Business Association (RBSA) and TransLink.

Transit-specific updates to Robson Street
1. Installation of bus bulbs to widen the sidewalk and waiting area. Permanent bulbs were installed at Bute St in both the east and westbound directions as part of plaza work. The temporary bulb at Burrard St (westbound) will be upgraded in spring 2023 to further improve functionality and make repairs.
2. Following a successful pilot, bus stops will be permanently closed at Thurlow St (eastbound and westbound) and at Jervis St (eastbound).

Recent bus priority projects

West 4th Avenue
West 4th Avenue is a busy commercial district on the west side of Vancouver, and is host to a vibrant community of residents, small businesses, and annual street festivals. Frequent bus routes like the 4, 7, 14, 44, and 84 connect West 4th Avenue residents, employees, and visitors to key destinations across the city.

In 2019, over 53,200 weekly bus trips began or ended within this area. During the peak commuting periods, up to three out of every five people on the roadway travel on bus. These high ridership figures are delivered by up to 60 buses each hour that use this corridor during the peak period.

With a bustling neighbourhood and high transit frequency, noticeable transit delays have caused longer and unreliable travel times for bus passengers.
- TransLink’s Bus Speed and Reliability report identified the West 4th corridor as the 14th most delayed transit corridor in the region, with the Burrard to Balsam section experiencing significant congestion.
- In January 2022, TransLink trialed bus stop balancing on Routes 4 and 7 to deliver faster, more reliable service, while providing more consistent stop-spacing. The bus stop locations were made permanent in March 2022.
Project status

Now complete. Steel plates will replace the plywood perimeter of the bus bulbs at a later date. In partnership with the BIA, community murals will also be painted on the concrete barriers.

Bus stop changes
- Parking that has returned to West 4th Ave near Vine, Arbutus, and Cypresss streets at closed bus stops.
Sidewalk and curblane changes
- Bus bulbs to widen the sidewalk and waiting area along West 4th Ave near Balsam, Yew, Maple, and Burrard streets.
- Right turn pockets for vehicles to wait in the curb lane before safely making a right turn without blocking traffic along West 4th Ave near Balsam, Yew, Maple, Vine, Arbutus, and Burrard streets.
Minor adjustments to loading zones and parking were made to support the bus bulbs and right-turn pockets.
West Georgia Street
TransLink identified West Georgia St as a corridor that experiences significant delay for transit passengers. In particular, westbound travel delays are common on weekdays and on weekends.

Changes to West Georgia Street
1. The existing westbound bus/HOV lane in effect from 3pm to 7pm (7 days a week) from Richards St to Gilford St has changed to a Bus Only Lane in effect from 7am to 7pm (7 days a week).
2. The eastbound curb lane from Denman St to Hornby St has changed from a variety of weekday regulations to a Bus Only Lane from 7am to 7pm (7 days a week).
Minor adjustments to loading zones and left-turns were made to support the Bus Only Lanes.
Main Street and Kingsway
In April 2019, we heard support from residents and businesses for transit improvements in Mount Pleasant as part of the Mount Pleasant Industrial Zone Transportation Strategy. Bus-priority would reduce the travel time and improve reliability for many people on Routes 3, 8, and 19. Over 23,000 passengers use the bus stops in this area on an average day.

Changes on Main Street
1. Southbound curbside bus lane between Terminal Ave and Kingsway, from 7am to 7pm, every day, with parking suspensions during these times.
2. Northbound curbside bus lane between Terminal Ave and 4th Ave, from 7am to 7pm, every day, with parking suspensions during these times.
3. Northbound curbside bus lane between 4th Ave and Kingsway, from 7am to 9:30am, on weekdays. No changes to on-street parking.
4. Northbound right-turn pocket extension at Broadway
5. Bus bulb to widen the sidewalk and waiting area at 14th Avenue, northbound on Main St.
Changes on Kingsway
1. Westbound curbside bus lanes between Broadway and Fraser St from 7am to 9:30am, on weekdays. No changes to on-street parking.
2. Eastbound curbside bus lane between Main St and Fraser St, from 3pm to 6pm, on weekdays. No changes to on-street parking.
3. Eastbound right-turn pocket extension on Kingsway at Fraser St.
Granville Street
Granville Street is the tenth most delayed transit corridor in the region, with some of the slowest average travel speeds and the most bus bunching (when two or more buses arrive at the same time), in the region.

Bus-priority measures would reduce travel times and improve reliability for passengers, and for buses accessing the depot in Marpole.

Changes on Granville Street
1. Southbound curbside bus lanes between 16th Ave and SW Marine Dr from 3pm to 6pm, on weekdays. No changes to on-street parking.
2. Northbound curbside bus lanes between 16th Ave and King Edward Ave from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm, on weekdays. No changes to on-street parking.
3. Northbound curbside bus lanes bus lanes between King Edward Ave and SW Marine Dr from 7am to 9:30am, on weekdays. No changes to on-street parking.
49^th Avenue
In 2019, route 49 had 10 million annual boardings making it the second busiest bus route in Vancouver, after the 99 B-Line.

Changes from Main to Fraser streets
1. Westbound curbside bus lane between Prince Edward St and Main St from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm, on weekdays with parking suspension during these times.
2. Bus zone extension at Prince Edward St eastbound from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm.
3. Westbound bus zone extension at St George St from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm.
Changes on Fraser to Knight streets
1. Eastbound curbside bus lane between Inverness St and Knight St, from 7am to 7pm, every day with parking suspensions during these times.
2. Eastbound curbside bus lane between Windsor St to Inverness St from 3pm to 6pm on weekdays with parking suspensions during these times.
3. Parking will be removed eastbound approaching Knight St to manage congestion at the intersection.
Changes on Knight Street to Victoria Drive
1. Westbound curbside bus lanes between Bruce St and Knight St from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm, on weekdays with parking suspensions during these times.
2. Eastbound curbside bus lane between Bruce St and Victoria Dr from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm, on weekdays with parking suspensions during these times.
3. Formalizing existing parking restrictions at the t-intersections of Bruce St (eastbound) and Beatrice St (eastbound) to improve sightlines and safety.
Changes on Victoria Drive to Elliot Street
1. Westbound bus lane between Gladstone St to Victoria Dr from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm, on weekdays with parking suspensions during these times.
Changes on Elliot to Kerr streets
1. Bus stop suspension at westbound Wales St (ID# 52014).
2. Westbound curbside bus lane from Vivian St to Elliot St from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm, on weekdays (except right turns into shopping area), with parking suspensions during these times.
3. Eastbound bus zone extension at Vivian St from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm.
Changes on Kerr to Tyne streets
1. Westbound curbside bus lane between Tyne St to Kerr St from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm, on weekdays with parking suspensions during these times.
2. Eastbound bus zone extension at Doman St from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm.
3. Parking will be removed westbound approaching Kerr St to manage congestion at the intersection.
Changes on Tyne Street to Boundary Road
1. Westbound curbside bus lane between Arlington St and Tyne St from 7am to 9:30am and 3pm to 6pm on weekdays with parking suspensions during these times.
2. Eastbound curbside bus lane between Arlington to Boundary, from 7am to 7pm, every day.
3. Parking will be removed westbound approaching Tyne St to manage congestion at the intersection.
Throughout the corridor
- Vehicles will be permitted to enter bus priority lanes during peak hours to make right turns at laneways, local streets, and arterial streets.
- Temporary paint lines and bus diamond markings will be applied during the pilot for compliance.
- "No stopping" zones will be extended at Tyne St, Kerr St, and Knight St to match current standards.