CITY OF VANCOUVER

M E M O R A N D U M

FROM: City Clerk's Office DATE: February 23, 1998

FILE: 5559

TO: Vancouver City Council

SUBJECT: Richmond Rapid Bus

As requested at the Vancouver City Council meeting of February 17, 1998, Engineering Services staff will present a brief report reference on Richmond Rapid Bus. BC Transit staff will also be present to answer questions from Council.

The attached memorandum dated February 17, 1998, from the General Manager of Engineering Services, refers.

CITY CLERK

City of Vancouver

Inter-Office Correspondence

ENGINEERING SERVICES File No. 4252-2

CC File No. 5559

DATE: February 17, 1998

MEMO TO: Mayor and Members of Council

FROM: Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services

COPY TO: Ken Dobell, City Manager

Ann McAfee, Director CityPlans

SUBJECT:RICHMOND RAPIDBUS - Report Reference - March 3, 1998

A brief report reference will be provided Council on March 3, 1998. The purpose of this memo is to outline the history of this project and update Council on the public process to date in advance of this report reference.

History

The Rapidbus concept was first proposed by BC Transit in 1994.

In May, 1995 Council approved a southbound HOV lane in Marpole in the afternoon rush period with the understanding that express bus service would be made accessible to Vancouver residents.

On May 3, 1997 the Rapidbus Project was re-introduced to Council. The highlights of the new service would be to provide premium service at regular fares. This express service would be made accessible to Vancouver patrons for the first time. The enhanced reliability and speed of this service would be secured by transit priority measures applied to Richmond and Vancouver streets. Council Minutes described this project as a breakthrough for BC Transit.

On December 9, 1997 BC Transit verbally reported back to the Standing Committee on Traffic and Transportation. By this time sufficient analysis had been done to recommend a route on Granville and within the downtown. Initial contacts for public involvement had been established. In the discussion, Council requested that a thorough public participation process be established.

Process

The public participation program has included a series of meetings to consult with the various stakeholders along the Granville corridor and within the downtown of the proposed transit priority measures and station locations. Follow-up meetings have been held to discuss more thoroughly the impacts of the proposed measures and to explore alternative measures that might be more acceptable. The various meetings are listed in Appendix A. This process is now complete.

BC Transit and City staff are now meeting to discuss changes to the transit priority measures based on the public process. As well, a report is being prepared (tentatively scheduled for March 24)

This report will provide supporting information to make recommendations on a series of transit priority measures. These recommendations will represent staff’s best efforts to balance BC Transit’s requirements to provide a rapid transit type of bus service and the needs of all stakeholders along the corridor. The public will be given an opportunity to appear before committee when the staff report is presented.

D. H. Rudberg, P. Eng.

General Manager of Engineering Services

(c) 1997 City of Vancouver