Dear Editor:
TransLink would like to clarify key details regarding the current consultation process for the North Shore Area Transit Plan.
First, the long-term vision for the North Shore is to have 15 per cent of the trips taken by area residents to be by transit - not 50, as was reported. (The current share is 10 per cent, and 15 per cent would represent a 50 per cent increase: that may have been the source of misunderstanding.)
The area plan is being developed with input from key stakeholders and North Shore residents, identifying transportation priorities to achieve the region's overall vision over the next 30 years. That vision was developed in spring 2011 through consultations with a public advisory committee, community stakeholders, elected officials and municipal staff.
Now, we are asking members of the public to provide feedback on our preliminary evaluation of 10 of the 40 or so ideas that came out of earlier stakeholder consultations. The projects we chose were based on the level of interest among the stakeholders; the evaluation criteria include financial viability, community and social impact, supportive land use and whether the project fits in with TransLink's mandate to promote the efficient movement of goods and people around Metro Vancouver and the six goals of Transport 2040.
Using these criteria, we will review and evaluate the remaining projects and bring them back to the public in the spring for feedback on those results. Any proposed project, of course, will be subject to funding and where they fit in the whole region's transportation priorities.
Online participation - www.translink.ca/nsatp - will continue through March 9, and we invite and encourage anyone with an interest in future transportation on the North Shore to take part.
Drew Snider, public information officer, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority
