Their plan calls for queue-jumper lanes that would magically whisk
busloads of happy commuters past the gridlocked traffic waiting to cross
an inadequate number of lanes on the Port Mann.
Opponents of the Port Mann Bridge twinning project have floated this
same plan before and it’s been shown to be unworkable.
According to Get Moving BC spokesperson Ian MacPherson, the
unfortunate truth for the proponents of this bus plan is that what works
in theory on the back of an envelope just isn’t going to work in the
real world traffic that the Port Mann Bridge is subjected to seven days
a week.
The biggest question the proponents of the bus plan can't answer, says
MacPherson, is how they’re going to get buses to the queue-jumper lanes
through all the blocked traffic leading up to them.
“To get buses past all the congestion,” MacPherson says, “you'd have to
widen Highway 1 and the approaches all the way to 200th Street, which is
what the Gateway project is already going to do in addition to the lanes
they’re adding to the bridge – the thin end of the funnel.”
MacPherson also points out that the collector streets and feeder routes
that lead to the freeway and the bridge are just as backed up as the
freeway itself because of inadequate capacity on the bridge and growing
traffic volumes.
“People don’t get it,” says MacPherson. “We experience total gridlock in
this area every morning and afternoon.”
MacPherson says options for adding buses to the existing bridge have
already been explored by consultants and it all boils down to the fact
that there isn’t enough bridge to go around; and that’s something that
isn't going to be solved overnight without having buses and
infrastructure that can actually provide dependability of service to the
public.
– 30 –
Get
Moving BC is
dedicated to holding governments accountable for a balanced
transportation system and was formed to provide a voice for the majority
of Greater Vancouver residents who support improving our roads, bridges
and transit systems.
For
more information please contact Get Moving BC’s media desk at
604-678-5567 or by email at
info@getmovingbc.com
Online References and Attachments:
·
www.GetMovingBC.com
