The wheels are turning on a plan for the North Shore to get its first B-line bus service, starting in 2019.
District of North Vancouver council members got an update from TransLink Monday afternoon on the plan for a rapid bus line linking Dundarave with Phibbs Exchange.
The B-line was part of Phase 1 of the TransLink Mayors’ Council vision, which was approved by TransLink board last year.
It’s the first major boost of funding and service the system has had since before the 2010 Olympics, noted Sarah Ross, TransLink’s director of system planning. Since that time, the region has grown by about 250,000 people, she added.
There are, however, still a lot of major decisions regarding the B-line to be made including the frequency, hours of service, the location, design and amenities at bus stops and what changes the road network may need to give the rapid bus transit “a competitive advantage” during periods of heavy traffic congestion, Ross said. TransLink is working with the three local governments and Squamish Nation on those matters now.
“We have committed to the B-line for 2019. We want to work with the municipalities. We anticipate and we have every confidence we’ll put out this B-line and it will be successful and well used,” she said, noting that some more long-term planning beyond 2019 will be required, to deal with things like traffic jams.
Some on council were mainly concerned with whether the B-line could be extended to the new Maplewood town centre. Council is in the process of developing a plan for the area east of Highway 1 that could make it another population centre.
“If the B-line isn’t going to extend to Maplewood, that’s a factor that we have to take into account when we consider how much density to put in Maplewood,” said Coun. Jim Hanson.
Coun. Doug MacKay-Dunn too showed concern that the new easternmost village centre would exacerbate traffic without serious transit access.
“The Second Narrows Bridge, often, is the longest parking lot in the world,” he said.
The B-Line plan will be up for discussion in more detail at the next council meeting. TransLink is scheduled to return with a more fleshed out plan this fall. The Maplewood plan is also expected to go to a public hearing and could possibly be approved this fall.
Also coming to the North Shore in Phase 1 of the plan is a 14 per cent increase in bus service, including more 240, 229 and 130 service at peak times, major renovations of Phibbs Exchange and the Lonsdale Quay bus loop and a new SeaBus, which will allow for 10-minute service during rush hour and 15-minute service at night as well as funding for pedestrian, cycling and road infrastructure improvements.
The federal government and the province put up $370 million and $246 million for Phase 1 of the mayors’ plan respectively.
After the municipality’s proposal for a 0.5 per cent sales tax in Metro Vancouver to cover their share of the costs when down to defeat in 2015’s TransLink plebiscite, the province agreed to a new formula that will see the remaining share covered by the sale of surplus TransLink properties, an increase in property taxes that amounts to about $3 more per year for the average Lower Mainland home (although likely more on the North Shore), a hike in transit fares and eventually a surcharge on new buildings and some form of mobility pricing.
