Buses on the Port Mann

Apologists for the Gateway Program appear to be re-writing history and claiming that Translink had no plans to run transit over the Port Mann bridge.

In actual fact a transit route with queue jumpers was originally planned to be implemented in 2004-2005 (see page 93 of Tanslink's South of Fraser - Area Transit Plan, Final Report - June 2000: http://www.translink.bc.ca/files/pdf/plan_proj/area_plans/south_fr_final.pdf)

Later it appears this was changed to 2007 (see page A8 of Three Year (2005 - 2007) Implementation & Financial Strategy - December 2004 :http://www.translink.bc.ca/files/pdf/plan_proj/ThreeYr05-07Strategic.pdf )

The two maps below produced by a third party illustrate the plans outlined in the documents referenced above.


The Port Mann bus route is shown in red. The 2000 Transit plan had the route stopping at central Surrey - this map extends that route.



The queue jumper lanes.

Update: This project is also mentioned in the "KEEPING GREATER VANCOUVER MOVING" Executive Summary - Translink 3-year Plan & 10-year Outlook p6 ( http://www.translink.bc.ca/files/pdf/plan_proj/executive_summary_June17.pdf
) :"Complete queue jumper lanes at the Port Mann and Second Narrows Bridges by 2007;"

Powered by ScribeFire .

Comments

Budd Campbell said…
I have to admit I am shocked. Shocked by your complete dishonesty. The two excerpts you show, both the map and the Google air photo, do not come from any Translink document, as you well know.

The Translink plans you give links to do not say anything about running a bus over the Port Mann bridge as you also well know.

This is really right off the Richter scale in terms of total, absolute dishonesty. The degree of dishonesty involved is really shocking, even given the context of BC provincial politics.
Rob said…
I made no claim the maps came from TransLink. They do show the plan outlined in the TransLink documents.
Rob said…
Budd,

If you find anything in the maps that does not match the routes presented in the TransLink document please let me know and I will point out those differences in the original document.

rob_
Rob said…
Budd,

And if you could explain why it is dishonest to produce a drawing to help people understand the routes that Translink proposed.

Again if there is anything inaccurate in the drawings let me know.

rob_
Budd Campbell said…
There's nothing in the plans about running a bus over the Port Mann and you know it. Give it up for Christ's sake. I realize your ideologically committed but this kind of dishonesty is really silly, as well as shocking.
Rob said…
Budd,

Please read the two links I have posted above.

If you don't have adobe acrobat reader you can download it from: http://www.adobe.com/

In the first document the bus route across the Port Mann bridge is referred to as option "N-04 Surrey City Centre – Coquitlam City Centre." It was planned to be implemented in 2004-2005 at an estimated cost of $ 1,598,100.

(see pages 89 and 93)
Rob said…
Also read page 75. Here is a direct quote:

"N-04 Surrey City Centre – Coquitlam City Centre

This option would connect Surrey City Centre through the Guildford transit
exchange with the Coquitlam Town Centre via the HOV lanes on the Port Mann
Bridge. The service would initially operate during weekday peak periods with a frequency of 30 minutes and could be expanded to all-day service. This option
would require bus queue jumpers in both directions across the Port Mann Bridge."
Budd Campbell said…
Appendix D of the 2004 plan lists all the bus routes, regular and community, that are actually in tbe plan, as opposed to some kind of study item. There is no bus over Port Mann and no bus from Coquitlam to Surrey.

I don't know who you think you're kidding here. Your own excerpt says that queue jumpers would be needed, and where is the money to build them? How would you build one on the south side alongside 152nd Street, over the freeway and down the hill without spending tens of millions? And how could you committ to that kind of investment without a full scale design for reconstruction of Port Mann, unless you're saying that this project should NEVER be built.
Rob said…
Budd,

Please read my post and comments carefully.

The 2000 plan clearly lists the Port Mann bus route as a planned and budgeted project.

As I said early this was delayed by the time the 2004 plan came out.

Appendix D only lists bus route improvements to be fully implemented by 2007. Appendix A covers the Port Mann bus route project which would only see the queue jumpers built by 2007.

I am glad you raised the issue of funding. It appears that this plan was dropped because the province refused to fund it and instead fund the much more expensive Highway One expansion (which will probably still include the queue jumpers).
Walter Schultz said…
Rob,

I agree with budd campbell. Budd has always expressed very clear political thoughts on the subject of twinning the Port Mann.

Unfortunately the idealogues never let the truth get in the way of their anti car message.
Chris said…
This argument is ridiculous. Either Translink had or hadn't planned on running bus service over the bridge. It should be pretty easy to find a Translink employee who can confirm it one way or the other.

I think Rob's research shows it was at least considered. Maybe not budgeted and fully-speced out, but considered to be a good enough idea to mention in a planning doc. If that's the case, what changed? Is it still feasible? Was it dropped for political, budgetary, or technical issues?
Rob said…
Walter,

On which point do you agree with Budd? His main point here seems to be that Translink did not consider buses on the Port Mann when in fact their own documents clearly show that they did.

Are you also trying to make this claim?
Rob said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rob said…
Hi Walter and Budd,

Thanks to the research of Eric Doherty I came across yet another Translink study that mentions the plan to add queue jumpers and buses across the Port Mann.

It is the "KEEPING GREATER VANCOUVER MOVING" Executive Summary - Translink 3-year Plan & 10-year Outlook p6 ( http://www.translink.bc.ca/files/pdf/plan_proj/executive_summary_June17.pdf
)

From page 6:
"Complete queue jumper lanes at the Port Mann and Second Narrows Bridges by 2007;"

Hopefully all this information will help us make informed decisions about transportation in Metro Vancouver. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

rob_

Popular posts from this blog

What are so many Canadians duped by this graphic?

Is BC Hydro about to Kill Solar Energy in BC?