B.C. government to study fixed-link rapid transit to North Shore

The B.C. government has announced a feasibility study on creating a rapid transit link between the North Shore and Vancouver.

The study, which will begin this summer, is being funded jointly by the provinceand the City of Vancouver along with the three municipalities on the North ShoreWest Vancouver, the District of North Vancouverand the City of North Vancouver.

The current options available to cross to the North Shorethe Lions Gate Bridge, the Ironworkers Memorial Bridgeand SeaBushave not changed in over 40 years. Meanwhile,the number of commuters has increased to the point where transportation has become the dominant issue in regional elections.

"Over the years, the high cost of housing has forced people to move further from the places they work, resulting in longer commutes and serious traffic issues," said Bowinn Ma, the MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale and Parliamentary Secretary for TransLink.

"This feasibility study is an extremely exciting addition to the many initiatives we have implemented so far and continue to work on to get the North Shore moving again."

The announcement from the government contains no frame of reference for the study, but says it will "consider the compatibility of a transit crossing with existing and future land use" and "could also consider increased use of the Burrard Inlet through an extended passenger ferry network."

Link to Waterfront station?

Ma said the people on the study will be primarily planning and engineering experts, with the first stagelikely completed in September or October.

One of the biggest questions part of study will look at, according to Ma, is whether the optimal route is between Waterfront Station and Lonsdale Quayor another location.

"That was [identified] asthe most optimistic alignment for a rapid transit connection, if you take into account population growth andeconomic activity," she said.

"However that connection ...also happens to be extremely technically challenging. It is the widest, deepest part of BurrardInlet."

Once a few options are identified by the panel, they will explore land-use plans, future growth plansand regional transportation strategies.

The full study will be completed in early 2020.Questions around government support and financing options will come after, but for now, Ma is excited.

"This is an extremely exciting and important announcement for people in North Shore," she said.

"The issue of transportation impacts us every single day."