If cities won't accommodate B-Line buses, they shouldn't get them: Mayors' Council chair

Mayors' Council chair Derek Corrigan wants the TransLink board to play hardball with municipalities that he believes are shirking their responsibilitiesto make B-Line buses run as efficiently as possible.

Corrigan says some cities have refused to make concessions that would make their transit networksrun better.

He says certain mayors and councils have been reluctant to provide off-street parking to free up lanes for transit use and coordinate lights at intersections to make traffic flow better.

"I won't mention any names but there are cities where I know they've failed to do what's required," he told the board at Thursday's meeting.

"If municipalities are not prepared to make the necessary concessions to allow the B-Line to move throughout the city, then I don't think the city should get the B-Line."

Corrigan is urging the board to take a hard stance with cities as TransLink prepares to add the following four new B-Lines to the regional bus network:

• Fraser Highway (Surrey Central to Langley Centre)
• Main-Marine (Dundarave to Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver)
• 41st Avenue (Joyce-Collingwood Station in Vancouver to UBC)
• Lougheed Highway (Coquitlam Central Station to Haney Place in Maple Ridge)

TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond says he's asking municipalities for their help as the transportation authority prepares to roll out the routes.

"They've got to manage off street parking, they've got to manage general purpose traffic, they've got to manage how their signals work to keep their grids operational. We're very mindful of that,"he said.