CITY OF VANCOUVER

M E M O R A N D U M July 8, 2002
TO:	Mayor and Council
FROM: COPY TO:	General Manager of Engineering Services and Director of Current Planning J. Rogers, City Manager S. Baxter, City Clerk
SUBJECT:	Downtown Transportation Plan

Following the submission of the Draft Downtown Transportation Plan to City Council, the DTP team and Steering Committee have reviewed comments and suggestions from the public and the various downtown stakeholders through open houses, letters, e-mails, and delegations. In response to this feedback, the following additional recommendations are forwarded for consideration.

In response to delegations speaking to Council requesting that the Downtown Transportation Plan address water transportation issues, staff have developed an additional section entitled "Water Transportation" (Attachment 1). It is recommended:

E. THAT "Water Transportation"be added as Section 4.9 to the draft Downtown Transportation Plan.

In addition, staff are also submitting a revised Section 5 entitled "Implementation Ideas" (Attachment 2), which provides illustrations for many of the "Spot Improvements" already identified in the draft Downtown Transportation Plan and will replace the original Section 5. It is recommended:

F. THAT Section 5 entitled "Implementation Ideas" in the draft Downtown Transportation Plan be replaced with the revised version containing illustrations.

With respect to the submission to Council (see Attachment 3) by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA), dated June 26, 2002, it is recommended:

G. THAT the specific action items in the Downtown Transportation Plan contingent to Council's resolutions for a design study for Granville Street/Mall, be deferred.

In response to comments from the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (see Attachment 4), it is recommended:

H. THAT Council receive the letter from TransLink dated June 27, 2002, and instructs staff to work with TransLink to address the comments and suggestions included in their written submission and consider the following statement in developing the Downtown Transportation Plan implementation program;

"Give effect to the City's stated priority to increase transit use and improve service by allocating road space and managing traffic systems and regulations to improve the reliability, speed, comfort and status of transit vehicles. Such priority will reflect transit's current and expected importance in moving people to and within the downtown and will include a range of measures including bus lanes, signal priority, bus bulges, queue jumpers, auto turning restrictions and improved pedestrian amenity."

In response to comments from the Vancouver Port Authority (see Attachment 5), it is recommended:

I. THAT Council receive the letter dated July 3, 2002, from the Vancouver Port Authority and instruct staff to consider its contents in developing the Downtown Transportation Plan implementation program.

Dave Rudberg,
General Manager of Engineering Services

Larry Beasley,
Director of Current Planning

JP/jpm

ATTACHMENT 1

4.9 Water Borne Transportation

During discussions of the final draft of the Downtown Transportation Plan, the issue of surface water transportation of both passengers and freight arose. Although not in the initial terms of reference, the issue of water transportation to the downtown peninsula is perceived to be a natural opportunity. Downtown is bordered on the south by False Creek and on the north by the Burrard Inlet. This section reviews the potential for greater use of the surrounding waters for transportation to and from the peninsula.

Surface transport on water is common in many cities. The instances of the canals of Venice or of the crossing of the Bosporus in Istanbul are legend. The most cited examples in North America include Seattle and San Francisco. Washington State Ferries provides both car and passenger ferry service to numerous points across Puget Sound from downtown Seattle. The number of ferry passengers entering San Francisco on a daily basis, mostly from the north, increased from 6,000 to 20,000 following a 1989 earthquake and has stayed at that level since.

One major difference between the situation of many of these cities and Vancouver is the existence of fixed link (bridge or tunnel) alternatives and the distance traversed by water borne craft. Most of these instances lack or have limited fixed links or possibilities. Most of the ferry services traverse relatively long distances with none or few alternative fixed links. Investment in infrastructure, as well as the space required, to provide for the transition between land and water is often considerable.

These conditions do not generally obtain in the case of Vancouver. The opportunities for water borne service to supplement fixed link connections is nevertheless present in Vancouver, and water borne public services exist on both Burrard Inlet and False Creek.
Burrard InletBurrard Inlet separates the North Shore communities from the rest of theLower Mainland. Approximately 180,000 people currently live on the NorthShore, and population is projected to reach about 220,000 in 2021. Twobridges, the Lions Gate and Second Narrows (Iron Workers' Memorial) Bridges, connect the North Shore to the City of Vancouver. TransLink has provided passenger ferry service from Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver to Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver since 1977. The current SeaBus provides service with up to 15 minute intervals in peak periods.

In 1995 BC Transit commissioned Sandwell Inc. to examine potential marine connections between the North Shore and Vancouver, as well as upgrading of the existing SeaBus service. Having met the threshold criteria, three alternatives were studied in more detail by the consultants. Two of these proposed service locations were eventually rejected because they were not time competitive with bus services, and one was in too remote a location on the North Shore. The report concluded that none of the short-listed alternatives were financially feasible. Cost recovery factors for each optionwere less than 35 percent, while existing bus services for the North Shore then averaged 43 percent. Only one option (Seymour) resulted in increased transit ridership above existing bus services. The Seymour option might be more cost effective as further housing and industrial development occurs east of the Seymour River. Further studies need to be undertaken to confirm the market for alternative services, initially vessels of 100 person capacity or less.

Upgrading of SeaBus service was investigated as well. Service expansion in three stages over a ten year period in 2010 was foreseen: 1) increase in seating capacity/vessel by 33 seats; 2) decreasing service headway to 12 minutes; and 3) purchasing a third vessel.

In addition to the existing and potential marine transit services examined, past studies of Vancouver's Burrard inlet (Blueways) have stressed the need to retain public docks for short-term use by boaters, water taxis and smaller passenger ferries. Harbour Green Park (Coal Harbour) and Burrard Landing are the most often mentioned locations.

False Creek

Transportation planning for the crossing of False Creek has focused for the most part on the three existing bridges or fixed links. Physical expansion of these links to accommodate larger numbers of pedestrians and bicyclists has been the primary focus. Surface crossings are not generally viewed as competitive with those using the fixed links and certainly not if the fixed links remain free from direct costs to users. There nevertheless remains a niche market for marine transportation along and across False Creek, primarily focused on service to Granville Island, the location of Vancouver's largest public market, as well as Vancouver's premier tourist destination. As the bridge ramps often meet the surface some distance from the edge of the Creek, surface travel is also often advantageous to other commercial and residential areas immediately adjacent to the Creek.

Passenger ferry service across False Creek is provided by two private services. Boardings on the Creek are on docks owned by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the Coast Guard, private companies and the City of Vancouver, including direct administration by the Vancouver Park Board. Only one route currently accommodates bicycles. Additional docks that might be used by the passenger ferry services will likely be added in connection with further development along the Creek, primarily in the north and southeast False creek areas. Many users foresee a need for more consistent service to various points. Through its control of moorage and licence fees, the City of Vancouver can play an instrumental role in defining the services offered.

Link to Attachment 2

Link to Attachment 3

Link to Attachment 4

Link to Attachment 5

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver