SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 4
T&T COMMITTEE AGENDA
MARCH 11, 1997
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: February 12, 1997
Dept. File No. 4252-6
CC File No. 5551-1
TO: Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
FROM: General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT: 1997/98 Annual Transit Service Plan
RECOMMENDATION
THAT the 1997/98 Annual Transit Service Plan be received for
information and that staff report back where necessary to
implement specific proposals.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council's priorities for transportation modes are walking, cycling,
transit, goods movement, and the automobile.
Council supports measures to increase transit use as a means of
reducing the impacts of general vehicular traffic growth and
improving regional air quality, as per the Transport 2021
initiatives.
Council has approved a number of requests for transit service
improvements including a package of service design guidelines and
additional routes (discussed more fully in Engineering Service s
October 1, 1996 Report on BC Transit s 1997/98 Conceptual Service
Plan).
PURPOSE
This report discusses BC Transit s Annual Service Plan for next
year.
BACKGROUND
Each year the Vancouver Regional Transit Commission (VRTC) approves
changes to transit service in the Region for the coming fiscal
year. On October 10, 1996 Council reviewed a Conceptual Transit
Service Plan for 1997/98 and approved the following recommendations
regarding process and service improvements:
A. THAT Council receive for information the 1997/98
Conceptual Service Plan, and request the Vancouver
Regional Transit Commission to provide an
opportunity for the municipalities to comment on
specific proposed service changes in the Annual
Service Plan in advance of its approval.
B. THAT the Vancouver Regional Transit Commission
concentrate the allocation of new resources for the
1997/98 Annual Service Plan in the City of Vancouver
in order to deal with historical under funding and
service cutbacks, with the following focuses:
- Service to the high density Riverside/Fraser
Lands/Champlain Heights South, and North
Shore False Creek areas
- Overcrowding/pass-ups and schedule reliability
- Granville RapidBus - including consideration of
letting Vancouver riders board the existing
suburban buses at the major transfer points on
Granville Street, in advance of introducing the
full RapidBus concept
- A general route restructuring and innovative
fare policy for Vancouver s Central Area,
including introduction of the following routes:
West End Loop
Central Broadway To Downtown Loop
the local Downtown Vancouver portion
of the North Burnaby transit changes
Subsequently, on January 29, 1997, the VRTC approved the 1997/98
Annual Service Plan (available in the City Clerk s Office).
1997/98 ANNUAL SERVICE PLAN
The Annual Service Plan is a refinement of the Conceptual Service
plan and sets forth the actions in the first year of the VRTC s 5
Year Plan. Appendices A and B provide a summary. Key improvements
for Vancouver in the plan include:
1. The North Burnaby Plan
This comprehensive plan for restructuring North Burnaby
transit routes has been in existence for some time and is
supported by Burnaby Council. On February 16, 1993, Council
considered a previous version of this change which was not
implemented. BC Transit plans to introduce the current plan
on April 14, 1997.
The plan provides three important elements. First, there will
be a direct express service between North Burnaby and
Vancouver, along Hastings Street as illustrated in Appendix C.
This is an important improvement as North Burnaby is the only
suburban area in the Lower Mainland without a direct transit
service to Downtown Vancouver. Currently, all transit
customers travelling between these areas must transfer to
trolley buses at Kootenay Loop. In addition, East Vancouver
transit customers travelling to and from Burnaby will be able
to transfer onto the new express service at major transfer
points on Hastings Street, including Commercial Drive, Nanaimo
Street and Renfrew Street, which they cannot do at present.
This will provide major travel time savings.
Second, an improved east-west local transit service, as an
extension of these Burnaby services, will be provided across
the northern portion of the Downtown peninsula. This local
service will operate between Stanley Park and Main Street
along Georgia, Pender and Hastings Streets, as illustrated in
Appendix C. This will replace the existing #19 Shuttle
between Stanley Park and the Downtown core. New connections
will be provided between the West End, Bayshore/Coal Harbour,
and the eastern Downtown. Service to Stanley Park will be
enhanced.
Third, wheelchair accessibility will be introduced with low
floor buses on the Hastings/Pender/Georgia Street corridor.
The current trolley buses are not accessible.
As part of the change, the #2 express service on Hastings
Street, between the PNE park-and-ride lot and Downtown
Vancouver in the peak periods, will be discontinued and
replaced by the new suburban express service, as has been
previously discussed by Council. Other local Vancouver routes
that use Hastings Street will remain approximately the same;
however, some route linkages will be changed.
On balance, the North Burnaby service changes will provide a
better level of transit service for Vancouver.
2. Downtown Transit Improvements
Council requested a number of new routes for Vancouver s
Central Area. In response, BC Transit plans to initiate a new
False Creek North bus service in June and a West
End/Entertainment (Library) District looping service in
September. The False Creek North service will serve the
emerging Concorde lands while the East End looping service
will achieve the long requested connection to the library.
Appendix D describes two of the route concepts being
considered.
The timing is ambitious given the amount of work to do,
including customer research, public consultation, evaluation
of route options, decisions on bus stop locations and
amenities, and the installation of traffic management changes.
BC Transit is proceeding quickly. A telephone survey of
residents in the Vancouver Core area has been conducted and
the results will be available shortly. A public workshop at
the Vancouver Public Library is scheduled for February 24th.
Council approval of the North Shore False Creek route will
likely be required at the March meeting of the Standing
Committee on Transportation and Traffic.
3. Other improvements
Other changes for next year affecting Vancouver include:
- #99 B-Line Broadway Express improvements. These are
discussed in a companion report to the Standing Committee
on Transportation and Traffic.
- Service level improvements. BC Transit has not specified
where frequency changes will occur but has mentioned
several City routes in the Peak and off peak periods
including the #3 Main/Robson, #10 UBC/Downtown, #15
Cambie/Downtown, #20 Victoria/Granville, #41 Joyce
Station/UBC, and #22 Macdonald/Downtown. Staff will
endeavour to work with BC Transit on these adjustments.
- Improved service for Regional connector routes and
commuter services to and from Vancouver; and a
contingency for overloads, special events and traffic
delays.
DISCUSSION
The Annual Service Plan appears to conform to Council s request
that the first years of the Five Year Plan focus resources into
Vancouver. However, details are lacking and it is still important
the City be able to comment on the detailed plans, as they come
forward.
Notwithstanding, it appears that the inner portion of the Growth
Concentration Area - Burnaby, Vancouver and UBC - could receive
the majority of new service, with Vancouver potentially receiving
about 40%.
One of the disappointments in the plan is the omission of funding
for a new service in the Fraser Lands area of South East Vancouver.
However, this matter was raised at the January VRTC meeting and the
VRTC requested a report back. A separate memo discusses this
matter in more detail.
The Granville RapidBus project is not included in this Plan; BC
Transit indicates that, depending on Provincial funding, this
project may be considered later this year.
Ridership, crowding and pass-up information is not available to
help decide where additional resources should be allocated. There
are many overcrowding and pass-up problems in the City. The
planned service allocation may be insufficient to address these
needs, especially in Vancouver in the peak periods. BC Transit has
delayed its planned monitoring programs because of the current bus
fleet shortage problems. It plans to resume data collection and
report back, after this is resolved.
FARES AND FUNDING
Council s requests for an innovative fare policy for Vancouver s
Central Area and a more equitable fare policy for the Region have
not yet been addressed. BC Transit will be examining its fare
policy this year. A 5% fare increase is proposed for September in
order to meet future funding obligations and maintain the transit
users share of system costs.
The VRTC approved contributing $1.5 million for the 1997/98 Annual
Service Plan from the Local Transit Fund, in order to finance the
shortfall in Provincial funding. This will be discussed more fully
in an upcoming report to Council on the VRTC s 5-Year Plan.
CONCLUSION
The Annual Service Plan is an improvement over past plans as it
focuses improvements into the metropolitan Growth Concentration
Area including Vancouver and, therefore, supports the GVRD s
Livable Region Strategy. On the other hand, the plan still lacks
detail. Staff will report back as more information becomes
available.
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