Vancouver City Council

MOTION ON NOTICE

Submitted by Councillor Ladner for consideration at the Regular Council meeting on Tuesday, March 1, 2005

2. GATEWAY QUESTIONS

MOVER: Councillor Peter Ladner
SECONDER: Councillor ____________

WHEREAS:

- The B.C. Ministry of Transportation Gateway initiative has identified urgent transportation needs in the Lower Mainland, including:

· economic costs in the range of $1.5 billion/yr. from road congestion
· growing and intolerable congestion on the Port Mann Bridge
· constraints to goods movement by road in the Lower Mainland

- Various initiatives are being proposed as a solution, including twinning the Port Mann Bridge and adding two lanes to the #1 Trans-Canada Highway between McGill St. in Vancouver and Langley.

- The cost estimate of all the initiatives is between $3-5 billion, or approximately $2,000 per person in the Lower Mainland.

- Evidence in other cities shows that adding road capacity does not solve congestion except in the short term.

- The highway widening will have a direct impact on traffic volumes along the east-west arterials in the City of Vancouver.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

- The City of Vancouver requests answers to the following questions from the Ministry of Transportation Gateway team, before committing to accommodating the proposed increase in road supply:

· Based on what evidence will twinning the Port Mann Bridge and widening the #1 freeway solve the congestion problem?
· How does this project fit with the priorities in TransLink’s Strategic Transportation Plan, the GVRD Livable Region Strategic Plan, the GVRD Sustainable Region Initiative, the Vancouver City Transportation Plan and the Vancouver Climate Change Action Plan?
· Will the additional traffic on an expanded freeway add to air quality problems and greenhouse gas emissions? If air quality is reduced, have the resulting health costs been factored into the cost of the project?

· What will be the impact of added freeway capacity on financial returns from bridge and transit infrastructure improvements already committed or under construction?
· What transportation demand and other alternative options, costs and benefits have been assessed and compared with the proposals to increase road supply?
· Is there an expectation of widened arterial streets in adjacent municipalities to access the expanded freeway? If so, are the costs of these widenings included in the proposed budget?
· How does this project meet the commitment to sustainability in the Vancouver 2010 transportation plan? (“We will reduce energy use, minimize local air pollution and congestion, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and showcase new technologies while ensuring safe, reliable and efficient movement of people and goods during the Games.”)

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