Vancouver City Council

APPENDIX A
Page 1 of 7

Principles for New Rapid Transit Projects
From the Perspective of the City of Vancouver
April 2003

The following ten principles, and related objectives, are based on previously Council approved rapid transit principles and criteria (1991 & 1998), and principles/objectives adopted through CityPlan, Vancouver Regional Context Statement, Vancouver City Sustainability Strategy, Vancouver Transportation Plan, and Downtown Transportation Plan.

New transit projects should strive to achieve the following objectives.

1. Meet the Transportation Objectives outlined in CityPlan and Vancouver Transportation Plan to Supply a High Level of Transit Service

The Project should:

· Meet CityPlan Transportation Directions by enhancing transit, walking, and biking within and between neighbourhood centres and the downtown.

· Meet Vancouver Transportation Plan directions by:

· limiting road expansion and allocating more road space to transit;
· accommodating growth in demand for trips to the downtown with transit;
· increasing transit usage in the corridor by changing travel patterns from cars to transit;
· contributing to achieving the following targets for the percentage of people travelling by transit during the morning rush hour in 2021:

· To Downtown 44%
· To Central Broadway 38%
· To UBC 36%
· Rest of the of City 15%

· contributing to achieving the following daily targets for travel by transit by 2021:

· To Downtown 34%
· To Central Broadway 25%
· To UBC 33%
· Rest of the City 19%

· Meet the Livable Region Strategic Plan objective to provide a variety of local transit services and networks with the flexibility to serve various demands in support of Complete Communities and a Compact Metropolitan Region.

2. Serve the City's Land Use Policies and, where consistent with community aspirations, shape City Land Uses

Rapid Transit should support the City's planned development patterns. New land use patterns can be considered based on community support.

The Project should:

· Contribute to the CityPlan Direction to create neighbourhood centres which provide residents with a variety of shops, services, public places, and jobs close to home.

· Contribute to CityPlan Directions to link neighbourhood centres to other centres and to the downtown.

· Contribute to implementing the land use objectives of CityPlan and the Vancouver Regional Context Statement by supporting:

· reshaping of the Downtown peninsula into a compact high amenity Central Business District centred on transit;
· redevelopment opportunities in the inner city to provide housing close to jobs;
· take up of existing residential and employment capacity;
· the concentration of jobs where they can be served by transit (downtown, neighbourhood centres, rapid transit station areas); and
· an increase in the number and choice of jobs in the city in locations served by rapid transit.

· Contribute to the land use objectives of the Livable Region Strategic Plan by:

· locating a greater share of growth in the Growth Concentration Area;
· providing transportation services and facilities required to support the population and employment growth targets with priority given to areas identified for above-trend population and employment growth; and
· achieving adequate population and employment densities in centres and transportation corridors to support planned transit services.

3. Contribute to Environmental Improvements

The project should:

· Contribute to reducing pollution and congestion through substitution of trips made by higher polluting modes for trips made by transit;
· Contribute to meeting the Transportation 2021 goals to help reduce negative impacts on the Region's livability by:

· limiting urban sprawl;
· preserving green space;
· limiting congestion;
· reducing traffic intrusion through local neighbourhoods; and
· cutting air and noise pollution.

· Reduce/improve regional Greenhouse Gas emissions.
· Reduce noise and vibration levels.
· Contribute to long term energy sustainability.
· Reduce the Region's "Ecological footprint".

4. Promote a Diverse and Healthy Economy

The Project should:

· Contribute to the CityPlan Direction to encourage a diverse economy with jobs close to home by:

· concentrating headquarters, financial, and related offices downtown with medical, civic, and related offices along Broadway where they can be served by rapid transit; and,
· supporting the growth and linking of Regional Town Centres to slow the growth in commuting from the region into Vancouver.

· Improve accessibility to regional and city gateways for people, goods, and services.

· Contribute to jobs and economic spinoffs which bolster a diverse and healthy economy.

5. Provide an Affordable Solution to meet Accessibility and Mobility Needs

TransLink, as the system owner, should:

· In part, fund regional road and transit improvements through increased charges for auto use.

· Pay for its share of the Project in a way that does not result in cutbacks to basic transit services as a result of capital or operating requirements of a new system.

· Ensure that costs and benefits associated with a new transit service are equitably distributed.

· Ensure that the level of expenditure is affordable in the context of other TransLink priorities.

· Enhance the ability to attract external funding to meet city/regional transportation priorities.

· Provide opportunities for citizens to participate in setting priorities for selecting major Capital Projects.

6. Enhance Local Transit, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Service

The Project should:

· Complement local transit service by providing for longer trips on a regional system while maintaining local transit for people seeking "between station" service.

· Allow for effective connections between local service and longer distance travel to key destinations such as Downtown, Central Broadway, Neighbourhood Centres, and UBC.

7. Meet the Needs of Diverse "Stakeholder" Groups

The Project should:

· Meet the Needs of Users by:

· improving the quality of transit services;
· providing affordable service for "captive" users ( e.g. those too young, too old, too poor to drive or afford shared ride service, or taxis);
· attracting "choice" riders who would choose to drive in the absence of an attractive transit alternative;
· improving travel reliability (e.g. avoiding delays due to traffic congestion, mechanical breakdown);
· improving personal safety while travelling to, riding on, and getting to destinations; and
· improving accessibility and connectivity to the broader regional transit system.

· Meet the needs of Neighbours and Adjacent Communities by:

· enhancing connectivity of residential neighbourhood to jobs, shops, recreation facilities, and services;
· enhancing neighbourhood amenities (e.g. landscaping, open space, walking, and bicycle paths);
· reducing through vehicle traffic;
· minimizing system noise impacts;
· minimizing visual intrusion and reduction in privacy from the line;
· minimizing loss of attractive views and vistas and valued community spaces and heritage assets;
· minimizing transportation disruptions caused by the system (e.g. number of streets, sidewalks, lanes, path closures, increased traffic resulting from stations);
· minimizing the number of persons and properties displaced;
· enhancing safety adjacent to the system and stations; and
· minimizing public safety concerns and reducing negative social impacts.

· Meet the needs of the Business Community and Owners of Commercially Zoned Property by:

· increasing business opportunities through an increase in the number of potential commercially developable sites;
· providing accessibility to customers and labour force to commercial locations;
· minimizing the disruption caused by the new system (e.g. number of streets, sidewalks, lane closures, increased traffic resulting from stations, number of persons and properties displaced);
· enhancing the public realm in commercially zoned areas; and
· increasing road space for commercial purposes (e.g. curbside parking/loading, commercial truck movement).

8. Provide a High Standard of Urban Amenity by Improving the Public Realm

The Project should contribute to CityPlan Directions to:

· support distinctive neighbourhood character;
· focus development in and around the downtown and in neighbourhood centres;
· encourage compatible new development;
· achieve improved landscaping;
· create new and more diverse public places;
· provide links to city and neighbourhood Greenways to integrate walking, biking, and transit; and
· provide new opportunities for public art.

9. Minimize and Mitigate Impacts of the Transit System

The Project should:

· Identify possible adverse visual, sound, and safety impacts to the community, pedestrians, and traffic, and include the cost of integrating the system into the community in the overall project cost.

· Identify potential impacts during construction of the system and include a plan to minimize disruption to adjacent land uses (residences, businesses) and traffic during construction.

10. Provide Opportunities for Meaningful Involvement of all affected Parties

The Project should:

· Include a public consultation process which addresses the different ways that communities and stakeholders may be affected by the Project.

· Provide information about the Project in plain language including the full costs of construction, mitigation, and operating the system, proposed sources of revenue, and the costs for the average taxpayer.

· Include a working relationship between the Project and the City which provides for timely and thorough City involvement in planning and review of station designs, system access, local enhancement, and mitigation measures.

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