There are no less than six routes for a hypothetical rapid transit link connecting the North Shore to Vancouver or Burnaby, via bridges or tunnels, that are at least technically feasible, the province has found in the first phase of the Burrard Inlet Rapid Transit study.
This news, no doubt, will generate much excitement for North Shore residents and commuters feeling beaten down by unrelenting congestion at our bridgeheads and full buses passing them by.
Suddenly, everyone is an expert on where such a line should run, where the stops should be, etc., based mostly on what would be most convenient for them.
The next phase of the study, thankfully, will drill down into the specifics and hopefully tell us which route will give us the most bang for buck when it comes to getting cars off the roads and greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
But even with that study in hand and a solid business case, we must still be able to persuade the TransLink mayors’ council that this is a worthwhile project in the next round of transit expansion. And even if we are successful there, getting the billions of dollars needed to make it a reality will require the support of the province and the feds – and there is no telling whether future governments will make transit a priority.
But, even with those daunting challenges ahead, we are pleased to see this moving along. When the time comes, we want to show up having done our homework – unlike, say, Surrey trying to build a SkyTrain to nowhere.
For too long the North Shore has been stuck in the wilderness when it comes to transit improvements, which is why we’re grateful for this study.
After all, a BIRT in the hand is worth two in the bush.
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