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CITY OF VANCOUVER
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MEMORANDUM January 5th, 2004
Author: Lon LaClaire
Phone: 604-871-6690
RTS No.: 3889
CC File No.: 5561
Meeting: T&T January 13, 2004
TO: |
Mayor and Council |
COPY: |
Syd Baxter, City Clerk
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FROM: |
Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services |
SUBJECT: |
Vancouver Harbour Passenger Marine Study |
As part of Council's Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting on January 13th, 2004, TransLink staff will be making a presentation on the status of the work on the Vancouver Harbour Passenger Marine Study.
BACKGROUND
The TransLink Three-Year Plan and 10-Year Outlook (December 3, 2003) identified as many as seven additional passenger-only ferry routes connecting Vancouver with communities such as Bowen Island, Ambleside and Deep Cove that offer the potential to reduce commuter traffic on the bridges while enhancing existing urban communities.
Specifically, the Three-Year Plan recommended completing the Vancouver Harbour Passenger Marine Study and introducing up to two new Burrard Inlet ferry services, depending on their financial and technical feasibility, between 2005 and 2007. This is in addition to the improvements planned for the SeaBus, including refurbishment/ replacement of the existing SeaBus vessels and the addition of a third SeaBus.
The purpose of the Vancouver Harbour Passenger Marine Study is to examine the feasibility and cost implications of potential passenger marine connections across the Burrard Inlet and English Bay basins. The study examines a range of issues including:
· Routings and terminal locations;
· Passenger demand;
· Travel time, potential frequency and reliability as compared to other transportation options;
· Vessel technology;
· Terminal and infrastructure requirements;
· Regulatory and environmental implications;
· Order-of-magnitude capital and operating costs;
· Potential changes to bus service and cost implications;
· Integration with existing transportation and transit services;
· Fare options;
· Revenue cost recovery;
· Funding and services delivery options.
Expecting that large-scale options such as SeaBus are not likely to be feasible, this study is intended to review options for smaller scale services. The study is organized into two phases.
PHASE 1: IDENFIY AND SCREEN A BROAD RANGE OF SERVICE OPTIONS
This phase of the study is complete. At the first Marine Study meeting in August, the study Technical Committee produced a broad list of potential routes and terminals, and developed criteria for their evaluation. To reduce the possible route options, the consultants used these criteria to evaluate the viability of terminals first, a process which found 16 of the originally proposed 24 terminals to have merit. Using these terminals, ten routes were developed, and these ten were then further refined to a short-list of four routes recommended for greater analysis in Phase II of the study. The four routes were advanced for further analysis are (see attached map):
1. Snug Cove (Bowen Island) - Ambleside (West Vancouver) - Waterfront Station (Downtown Vancouver)
2. Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver) - Ambleside - West End (Downtown Vancouver) - Jericho/Kitsilano (Vancouver; with bus connections to UBC)
3. Deep Cove (North Vancouver) - possibly Belcarra - Waterfront
4. Long Term: Port Moody/Ioco - Maplewood (North Vancouver) - Lonsdale Quay
PHASE 2: EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A SHORT LISTED GROUP OF ROUTE OPTIONS
This phase of the study is underway. TransLink staff will be available to discuss the preliminary results of this phase of the study at Council's Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting on January 13th, 2004.
The final Marine Study report and recommendations will be brought to the GVTA Board in early 2004.
Please feel free to contact Lon LaClaire of our Strategic Transportation Planning Branch at 604-871-6690 if you have any questions.
D.H. Rudberg, P. Eng.
General Manager of Engineering Services
PHASE I - Short-Listed Routes (recommended for further analysis)
Western Routes
· Snug Cove (Bowen Island) - Ambleside (West Vancouver) - Waterfront Station (Downtown Vancouver)
· Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver) - Ambleside - West End (Downtown Vancouver) - Jericho/Kitsilano (Vancouver; with bus connections to UBC)
Eastern Routes
· Deep Cove (North Vancouver) - possibly Belcarra - Waterfront
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Long Term: Port Moody/Ioco - Maplewood (North Vancouver) - Lonsdale Quay