Fact Sheet

Get Moving BC Believes BC’s Transportation Infrastructure and Systems are Outdated.

• Without an ambitious transportation infrastructure plan, our current transportation system will grind to a halt. It keeps getting worse and worse.
   

• Our bridges and highways in the Lower Mainland are used well beyond their designed capacities. Our road network has had no significant improvements in more than 25 years.
   

• A recent TransLink/Ipsos Reid survey confirmed 82% of GVRD residents cite traffic as a major problem. 
   

• Average commuter time has increased 36% in the past decade.
   

• There are 2.1 million people in the Lower Mainland today and our population is expected to increase to 3 million by 2031.
   

• Continued population and employment growth will mean more traffic and demands on our transportation system.
   

• The greatest projected population growth is in Richmond, the northeast sector, Surrey, northwest Langley, and Abbotsford. 
   

• Growth in inter-municipal travel is causing complex travel patterns that are difficult to serve with our existing road network and transit system.
   

• Vancouver residents working in other municipalities have exceeded the growth of other Greater Vancouver residents working in Vancouver by a ratio of 9 to 1.
   

• Transport Canada estimates the economic impact of congestion on all traffic in the region at $1.5 billion per year and these rising costs are passed onto consumers.
   

• In the last 10 years, only 7% of new offices have been based in regional town centers efficiently served by transit, while almost 50% have gone into suburban office parks, located primarily in Burnaby, New Westminster, and Richmond.
   

• The four-lane Port Mann Bridge was built in 1964 when the population of Greater Vancouver was just 800,000. Today it is 2.1 million. In fact, more people live south of the Fraser now than lived in all of Greater Vancouver when the Port Mann was opened. The Port Mann Bridge is the worst bottleneck in the province’s most important trade corridor and is gridlocked for up to 13 hours a day. It is Canada's largest parking lot. Public transit cannot use the Port Mann as there is too much congestion to keep a reliable schedule.
   

• Both land use and transportation strategies are necessary to manage congestion effectively. We need a balance of transit, road and bridge improvements, congestion reduction tactics (e.g. HOV lanes), and public transit options to keep our economy strong and our region livable.

Get Moving BC Supports Initiatives that Promote Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

• 68 pedestrians died on BC roadways in 2005, 25 of those in the Vancouver Metro Area.
   

• Expansion of BC’s transportation infrastructure must integrate pedestrian and cyclist concerns and promote their safety.
   

• Effective safety measures include: traffic signal enhancements, left-turn bays, traffic calming methods, street lighting, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, signage, traffic law enforcement, and education.

Get Moving BC Believes a Successful Transportation System Requires Collective Input and Planning

• Effectively expanding our transportation infrastructure requires open dialogue between government, planners, developers, the business community and community groups followed up by decisive action. 
   

• All of BC’s official transportation bodies – BC Ministry of Transport, TransLink, the GVRD, and local municipalities -  need to work together to complete a comprehensive network plan which reduces congestion and improves transportation choices. Too many bottlenecks occur at the borders between municipalities more interested in squabbling than moving poeople and goods efficiently.
   

• Ensuring the sustainability of our transportation system requires continuing action and expanded public input channels to ensure government accountability for the implementation of the most sensible and sustainable solution.

Get Moving BC Supports BC Transportation Initiatives Currently Underway

• The Provincial Government and TransLink are planning major improvements to the greater Vancover transportation network including: the Canada Line, the Evergreen Line, the Border Infrastructure Program, and the Golden Ears Bridge.
   

• Lower Mainland road and transit improvements planned for the next 10 years include $3.9 billion in transit and road improvements under TransLink’s three-year plan. The Provincial Government is a significant funding partner in this plan. Plans consist of 400 new buses and a 40% expansion of the rapid transit network with the construction of the Canada Line and Evergreen Line.
   

• In addition, the BC Ministry of Transportation’s Gateway Project (Gateway) will invest $3 billion in road and bridge expansion to key economic gateways. Plans consist of improved links between ports, industrial areas, railways, and the airport and border crossings. Gateway Project components include Port Mann/Highway 1, the South Fraser Perimeter Road, the North Fraser Perimeter Road, and $50 million for pedestrian and cycling improvements. 

Get Moving BC Believes Transportation is the Backbone of BC’s Economy  

• As population and employment continue to grow in BC, there will be greater demands on our transportation system – more cars, more buses, more high occupancy vehicles, and more trucks to transport the goods we use. We need to invest in transit and roads to keep our economy vibrant and our region livable.
   

• BC is the closest North American gateway for Asia Pacific trade, and must use that fact to our full economic advantage.
   

• Without additional investment in transit and road transportation infrastructure, expect:

  • Increased congestion

  • Even longer travel times

  • Continued erosion in safety, reliability and quality of life

  • Delayed goods movement

  • Unreliable transit connections through the region