ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: April 14, 1998

Author/Local: Brian Riera

CC File No. 5558

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering and Director of City Plans
SUBJECT:	Terms of Reference for Consultant Study for Possible LRT Extension from Arbutus Street to UBC

RECOMMENDATION

A.THAT the University of British Columbia and BC Transit be invited to collaborate and cost share in a pre-feasibility study to identify options and implications of extending the proposed Broadway LRT from the planned terminus at Arbutus Street to UBC .

B.THAT Council approve funding to $15,000, source of funds to be Contingency Reserve, contingent on participation by UBC and/or BC Transit.

C.THAT the draft terms of reference (as included in Appendix A), be approved, subject to further adjustments to accommodate input from other participants.

GENERAL MANAGERS’ COMMENTS

The General Managers of Engineering Services and Community Services RECOMMEND approval of the foregoing.

COUNCIL POLICY

Council approved the Transportation Plan in May 1997, including Policy 3.4(4): The City supports a minimum of three new LRT lines: the Broadway-Lougheed line to SkyTrain and on to Granville, and eventually to UBC; Richmond to Downtown; and New Westminster to North East Sector. LRT within the city should be designed to serve the needs of city riders as well as others. Overall transit services within these corridors should be enhanced as a result of the LRT and convenient local access to transit maintained.

PURPOSE

A Provincially managed project is now underway to identify and recommend an appropriate route for the proposed Broadway-Lougheed LRT, from Lougheed Mall and Coquitlam Town centre in the east to Arbutus Street in the west. The purpose of this report is to recommend the terms of reference for a pre-feasibility study to establish the practicality and implications of extending the line from the proposed Arbutus Street terminus, west to the UBC campus. If approved, it is intended that the study would be conducted in collaboration with, and jointly funded by, the University of British Columbia. BC Transit would also be invited to participate. The intention of the pre-feasibility study is to identify options and impediments, likely ridership and capital and operating costs. The study would not identify a preferred route.

BACKGROUND

1.The Broadway-Lougheed LRT Project

The Provincial Government has established a Project Team to undertake a feasibility study of the proposed Broadway-Lougheed-Coquitlam Light Rapid Transit line. The Project Team begun work in March 1998 and is scheduled to complete its study in 15 months. The study will result in a project plan, a financial strategy, and implementation options. A decision on whether to proceed with the line will be made by the Provincial Government and the newly established Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority.

The Project Team will be examining a wide range of route options along the corridor but all routes considered are proposed to terminate in the vicinity of Arbutus Street. No consideration will be given to any route alignments west of Arbutus Street.

2. Vancouver Transportation Plan

In May 1997 Vancouver City Council adopted the Vancouver Transportation Plan. Fitting within the framework of the regional transportation plan, Transport 2021, the Vancouver Transportation Plan stressed the importance of better transit in the city, and supported the construction of the 3 LRT lines proposed in the regional plan. In addition the Transportation Plan proposed that the proposed Broadway-Lougheed LRT should be extended westward to the UBC campus, the second largest employment destination in the region.

The public consultation program that formed a part of the preparation of the Vancouver Transportation Plan, suggested that there is broad community support within Vancouver for the extension of the LRT to UBC. Residents of Dunbar and West Point Grey have been concerned at the likely increase in traffic which is expected to result from the increase in the number of homes planned for the University area, for up to 10,000 people.

DISCUSSION

1. Expected Demand for Transit Ridership to UBC

Morning peak period buses to UBC are some of the most crowded in the region. Overcrowding and pass-ups are a regular feature of the present service. Morning peak trips to UBC were about 27,000 in 1992, making UBC one of the largest trip destinations in the region. BC Transit recently instituted the express 99-B Line to improve services. This has been a significant success and service is to be expanded in the fall of 1998. However, significant service expansion of other routes are needed on what is already one of the busiest routes in the region.

By 2021, total morning peak period trips to UBC are expected to increase to over 34,000. While transit passengers in 1992 were estimated at about 5,400, the City’s transit targets for UBC are to increase this to over 12,000 transit passengers by 2021 (36% of peak period trips).

Extension of the Broadway-Lougheed LRT to UBC is seen as one possible way to promote the use of transit and to decrease the amount of vehicle traffic to UBC. The present proposal for LRT would require passengers to switch to express buses at a western terminus located between Granville and Arbutus Street, introducing a travel time penalty and inconvenience. This makes the current proposal less attractive for UBC-bound travellers than an LRT extension to UBC.

2. What Could Be Achieved With a Study

The proposed pre-feasibility study is intended to determine the potential options, and in general terms, the impediments, costs, system implications and ridership benefits of an LRT extension to UBC. The study would not identify a preferred route, nor examine in detail the engineering requirements for an extension. It should, however, provide valuable guidance on the viability of extending the route to UBC, and optimum timing.

The draft terms of reference for the study are included in Appendix A to this report.

3. The GVRD Position on the LRT Extension

The GVRD has strongly supported the development of the 3 LRT lines Broadway-Lougheed-Coquitlam; Lougheed-New Westminster; and Richmond-Vancouver. However, a guiding rationale for the Broadway-Lougheed line is that it should be used to help to shape the urban development of the region. It is intended to reinforce the regional land use strategy for more compact urban development especially in the ‘Growth Concentration Area’ (Vancouver, Burnaby, NE Sector, North Surrey, and North Delta).

The GVRD believes that transit investment priorities should be directed to the construction of the 3 lines identified in the regional plan. During initial discussions, GVRD staff have said that they do not support the extension of the Broadway line to UBC as a priority at this time.

4. Consultation With the Public

This pre-feasibility study is not intended to result in the recommendations for a preferred route. It would deal with the issues of options, impediments, etc in only the most general manner. For this reason, the public consultation process for the study is recommended to be limited. Information would be provided on the issues to be explored, and general information on the intention and findings of the study would be made available as requested by the affected neighbourhoods.

5. Timing and Cost

The pre-feasibility study is proposed to start in early summer with completion due by September 1998. This timing would allow the study to benefit from preliminary findings of the main LRT study, and be completed early enough to help inform the Provincial Project Team.

The cost of the study is estimated to be in the order of $30,000. The University of British Columbia and BC Transit would be invited to join the study as equal partners. On this basis the cost of the study to the City could be between $10,000 and $15,000.

CONCLUSION

This small, pre-feasibility study would give valuable information on the practicality and implications of an extension of the Broadway-Lougheed LRT to UBC. This information could be used in addressing the role and eventual destination of the announced route proposed to terminate at Arbutus Street.

* * * * *

Draft Terms of Reference for

The Pre-Feasibility Study of

The Extension of the Broadway-Lougheed LRT to UBC

These draft terms of reference will be refined in collaboration with the University of British Columbia and BC Transit.

1. PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES

This pre-feasibility study is to provide an overview of the opportunities, benefits and costs of extending the Broadway LRT line from its planned terminus at Arbutus Street, west to UBC. This study will also provide an understanding of how an extension to UBC would affect the Broadway LRT. The study should:

-assess the likely feasibility of the extension to UBC;

-identify benefits and issues for the Broadway-Lougheed LRT overall;

-identify issues and implications for further consideration along the route for neighbourhoods and transportation system;

-identify possible corridor route options;

-outline likely costs of the extension.

2. MAIN ELEMENTS OF THE STUDY

(1) Ridership projections

Outline ridership levels for 2008 and 2021, based on:

-employment and population resident within 500 metres, and 1 km of likely stations (or whatever catchment area is being used by the Project Team);

-transit feeder ridership;

-major destination points, including UBC, along the route;

-expected service;

-implementation of TDM measures at UBC, Vancouver and the region.

(2) Overview of corridor route options

Outline basic corridor options, based on such factors as:

-grades, physical features and amenities, and similar impediments;

-land use, including population and employment (City and UBC).

Areas where future preservation of possible rights-of-way may be appropriate would be identified.

(3) Outline expected costs

Provide a general, ball-park estimate of the likely capital and operating costs of the proposed extension, including the principal items of:

-route extension and additional facilities required, including stations, terminus and other system facilities;

-vehicle requirements;

-net operating costs for 2008 and 2021;

-impact of revenue and operating costs of the proposed extension on the line from Coquitlam to UBC and Lougheed mall to UBC, for 2008 and 2021.

4. PUBLIC CONSULTATION

As the study is limited to a general indication of the feasibility of the UBC extension, an extensive public consultation program is not proposed at this time. Information on the intent and conclusions of the study will be made available by City and UBC staff to ensure neighbourhoods, UBC students, staff and faculty, and UEL residents, are informed of the study. The consultants would be expected to be available to participate in community briefing meetings.

5. TIMING AND LINKAGES FOR THE STUDY

The study is to be undertaken in parallel with the main study for the Broadway-Lougheed corridor now underway, and should be linked to it. The study is due to begin in June 1998, and should be completed by November 1998.

6. COSTS AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE STUDY

The study is commissioned jointly and cost shared by the City of Vancouver, the University of British Columbia, and BC Transit. The cost of the study will be $30,000, including all expenses and GST.

7. INFORMATION AVAILABLE

The City and UBC will provide the consultant with information on population and employment in the vicinity of the corridor. UBC will also provide information on travel mode to UBC by students, staff and faculty.

With the agreement of the Project Team, information from the feasibility study on the Broadway-Lougheed LRT feasibility study will be made available to the consultants, when available and practical.

* * * * *

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver