January 21, 2008

BRADLEY FEHR

Rapid transit construction, much like the current Canada Line work being done at the intersection of Broadway and Cambie Street in Vancouver, could return if the announced UBC Line is built and the new Sky Train route travels up Broadway.

Transportation Infrastructure

British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell announces massive transit plan

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

The biggest capital spending announcement in B.C. history should sustain the construction industry through the next decade, says the head of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA).

The B.C. government announced a $14 billion public sector investment last week, which aims to improve the transportation infrastructure across the province, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Premier Gordon Campbell and Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon outlined the public transit plan for the province, which is a key part of the government’s greenhouse gas reduction strategy and calls for $11.1 billion in new funding.

Philip Hochstein, president of the ICBA, said that the plan meets the long-term transportation needs of the province, while benefiting the construction sector.

“The timing of this announcement could not be better for construction, with the completion of other major infrastructure projects. A significant amount of capacity will come on market in 2009 and 2010, with the completion of the Canada Line, the Sea to Sky Highway, and the Trade and Convention Centre,” he said.

“The construction industry ramped up production to meet this demand and it looked like it would dissipate. But, it won’t dissipate. It will just manifest itself in other infrastructure projects.”

The government is addressing the infrastructure deficit in the province and has outlined a vision for the next eight to 10 years.

Hochstein said that he believes the government will find the money to cover the multi-billion price tag for the project.

“The provincial government did it with the Gateway project and they will get all levels of government to pay their fair share,” he said.

The government is committing $4.75 billion and the remainder of the funding is expected to come from several partners, including the federal government, TransLink and local governments.

The project is scheduled for completion by 2020.

The premier touted the plan as a big step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Our new plan will double transit ridership by increasing choice for people around the province, with new fleets, green technology, new lines and new innovative services like RapidBus BC,” Campbell said, adding that the plan will provide people with greater choices, by encouraging the integration of work, home and recreational activities.

“This plan will provide fast, reliable, green transit that acts as a catalyst to change the nature and form of all our communities – urban, suburban and rural. As more and more British Columbians live and work near transit, urban form will shift, which will lead to lower energy use, increasing energy efficiency and a lighter environmental footprint,” he said.

The ambitious nature of the plan is put into perspective when previous transit projects are taken into consideration.

“One new transit line was committed to in each of the previous three decades. This plan delivers three lines in the next decade,” Falcon said. “The transit plan sets out innovative, integrated, customized solutions for individual communities to keep people and goods moving efficiently in B.C. as part of our broader transportation strategy.”

One of the main components of the plan is to allocate $10.3 billion in funding to expand the Metro Vancouver rapid transit system.

This investment will go toward a new Evergreen Line to the Tri-Cities area, a new UBC Line and upgrades to the Expo Line and the Canada Line.

Another significant part of the plan includes $1.2 billion for Rapidbus services along seven major routes in Metro Vancouver, as well as one in both Kelowna and Victoria.

Rapidbus service would dedicate special lanes to high-frequency, high-capacity buses on busy commuter routes.

The plan also contains $1.6-billion for 1,500 new, clean energy buses that would be used in communities throughout the province. Metro Vancouver would see its total bus fleet double as part of the plan.

The government estimates that a cumulative total of 4.7 million tonnes in transportation greenhouse gases will be reduced by 2020. The savings will be about the equivalent of parking all the cars and light trucks in Metro Vancouver for a full year by getting British Columbians out of their cars and onto transit.

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