WHEN it comes to getting around on the North Shore, City of North Vancouver Coun. Bob Fearnley desires a revisiting of the streetcars of the community's past.
Fearnley said during some of his consulting work for the City of Vancouver, he realized the potential value of streetcars in North Vancouver.
"There's a long history in the Lower Mainland and on the North Shore. Basically we were communities that started up along streetcar lines," he said.
Fearnley said automobile companies conspired to kill off that mode of transport.
"If we hadn't made that decision we'd probably be further ahead," he said.
Buses, he said, aren't any fun. People ride them out of a sense of duty or economics.
Electric streetcars are also more environmentally friendly, quieter, and would be "community-defining," Fearnley argued, advocating a service that would run from Phibbs Exchange to Dundarave.
"It is practical." he insisted. "A lot of people think Translink
would say no, but I talked to TransLink's CEO last week about this idea and he said 'Yeah, we'd be willing to talk to you about that and work with you.
"I really think this would be a great thing to have. Think about it. A lot of people come over here for tourism and they go back to Vancouver. If we had a streetcar on the North Shore, they would be using the hotels more and it would really set us out on the map."
Coun. Rod Clark said his recent ride on San Francisco's streetcars was a "very pleasant experience," but the city had dismissed a similar idea in 2002.
"I appreciate Coun. Fearnley's motives . . . but I wonder how many times we have to do this," he said.
"I think it's an interesting suggestion and one worth looking into," said Coun. Pam Bookham.
"There are going to many, many more people along the Marine Drive corridor and they need transportation choices," she said.
Coun. Mary Trentadue said she was loathe to put such a large, potentially expensive idea on staff time while other major issues are under study.
"If they're not on rails," said Coun. Craig Keating, "then a streetcar is just a bus with fancy designs on it."
Keating called for staff to come up with a finance projection for the idea.
Mayor Darrell Mussatto said "no one is opposed to this" but also recalled previous councils had turned streetcars aside.
Council voted to request a staff report on the idea.
