Falcon On Light Rail
Clearly, Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon has seen the press attention being given to light rail south of the Fraser. In a letter to the local papers (see the Times version here, or the Advance version here), the Minister reiterates his commitment to studying light rail:
I could quibble with the Minister about the use of "commuter rail" (i.e., West Coast Express, peak-time service downtown), as I would prefer "community rail," or service throughout the day.
I could also give him a hard time over the suggestion that the Interurban only runs through farmland, but the truth is that there are gaps caused by the ALR. However, why should the residents of this region be punished for having more ALR land and more parks than the north? Indeed, the City of Surrey has studies showing Surrey is just as dense (when one subtracts ALR land--which the province mandates must be protected--and park land) as Burnaby.
As for land use plans that support improved transit services--I am absolutely on board for that. But one cannot expect Langley residents to live in high rises for 10-20 years with no rapid transit options. That is the epitome of poor planning. We need light rail options now, so it can shape the development that is still to come along the 200th Street corridor.
But I digress. The bottom line here is that there will be a study done. I would have liked a timeline commitment in the letter, but that's something I'll ask the Minister the next time I run into him.
The study will look at the potential for commuter rail in the Fraser Valley, but will not be limited to that option. Our goal is to provide high-quality transit service at reasonable cost to users. The study will provide the information we need to make informed decisions.
For example, some people have raised the possibility of using the southern rail corridor for rail transit, yet much of that corridor goes through farming areas far from the population. The study will help evaluate this corridor and other travel options, relative to the demand.
Land use plans that support improved transit services will be necessary to provide the ridership to make transit cost effective.
Our provincial transit plan is supporting a significant increase in the number of buses south of the Fraser River, the establishment of a RapidBus service connecting Langley to the Expo Line in Surrey, and the extension of rail rapid transit, ultimately to Metrotown. Other service improvements will be considered after the study is complete.
I could quibble with the Minister about the use of "commuter rail" (i.e., West Coast Express, peak-time service downtown), as I would prefer "community rail," or service throughout the day.
I could also give him a hard time over the suggestion that the Interurban only runs through farmland, but the truth is that there are gaps caused by the ALR. However, why should the residents of this region be punished for having more ALR land and more parks than the north? Indeed, the City of Surrey has studies showing Surrey is just as dense (when one subtracts ALR land--which the province mandates must be protected--and park land) as Burnaby.
As for land use plans that support improved transit services--I am absolutely on board for that. But one cannot expect Langley residents to live in high rises for 10-20 years with no rapid transit options. That is the epitome of poor planning. We need light rail options now, so it can shape the development that is still to come along the 200th Street corridor.
But I digress. The bottom line here is that there will be a study done. I would have liked a timeline commitment in the letter, but that's something I'll ask the Minister the next time I run into him.
posted by Jordan Bateman @ 8:33 AM
