Dear editor:
The reactions in the North Shore News about the proposed North Shore B-Line are fascinating, but not helpful. Ranging from denial that any true West Vancouverite would ever stoop to riding a bus, to fears about parking, lane and business loss, they say more about the authors than about the B-Line proposal.
In order to speed North Shore transit journeys, the TransLink proposal consists of several components that need to be analyzed.
Firstly, the service will use three-door articulated buses which should allow for faster loading and unloading for quicker stops.
Secondly, to promote faster traffic times, some parking would be removed to allow for the creation of left turn lanes. Anyone driving through Ambleside or Dundarave knows that the left lane is blocked by left turners and the right lane is blocked by parkers.
The third component is reserving the right lane exclusively for buses. I question this component. While the service frequency is eight minutes during rush hour, the buses will usually be 10 to 15 minutes apart.
How happy will car drivers be to see an empty right lane for the seven to 14 minutes between buses? The right lane should initially be open to all until the B-Line has been running long enough to know if exclusive bus access to this lane is necessary for the buses to meet their speed objectives.
Yes to left turn lanes; maybe to exclusive bus lanes.
Jim Stephenson
Central Lonsdale
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