Transportation

 

 

Our Promise to You

 

TEAM will work to reduce travel times for all modes of transportation while also prioritizing resident safety and sustainability.

 

How We Will Get There

 

TEAM believes that the safe and efficient movement of all modes of transportation is a critical component of a livable city. A TEAM majority would oppose road pricing in Vancouver.

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TEAM will address current transportation challenges by:

• Working with TransLink to convert the bus system to an electric fleet and to expand frequent service on arterials with enough bus stops to ensure all areas of the city have walkable access to transit

• Working with the community to develop four new light rail lines across the city, in place of the costly proposed Broadway subway extension to UBC

• Making walking safer for pedestrians by repairing and widening sidewalks across neighbourhoods

• Improving traffic flow by synchronizing traffic lights, building bus pull-ins, and adding new turn lanes, as well as meeting and anticipating commercial transportation needs more effectively 

• Supporting the transition to electric vehicles by making it easier to convert existing onsite parking for vehicle charging, requiring new construction parking stalls to be wired for electric charging, and providing options for on-street and public charging stations

• Retaining onsite unit parking minimums in the bylaw for construction to allow for future onsite electric vehicle charging

 

The Issues

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An efficient, sustainable, safe, affordable transportation system is an essential component of a livable city, linking home, work, education, entertainment, recreation, friends and family.  But we are facing an environmental crisis, so no matter how we move about Vancouver now, we must be thinking ahead to what Vancouver will be like for the next generation, and for the ones after that. 

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TEAM Perspective and Action Plan

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TEAM supports improving public transit as well as in encouraging cycling, walking and rolling by making these options safer and more attractive. TEAM understands that while the propulsion of personal and commercial vehicles will evolve and are encouraged to do so, these vehicles are not going away, so it is critical to plan for the safe, efficient movement of vehicular traffic in order to prevent conflicts between different types of transportation. Transportation is a key pillar of the livable city principles of accessibility & sustainable mobility that is necessary for complete communities. 

 

Action Items:

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Transit

1. Hold a city-wide consultation to develop four new light rail lines across the city instead of the costly proposed SkyTrain 7-kilometer subway extension to UBC: 58 kilometers of light rail serving many neighbourhoods;

2. Work with TransLink to implement service improvement measures such as restoring neighbourhood and express bus services to lines cut by TransLink over recent years and ensuring affordable fares;

3. Aim for a level of bus service that puts residents within a 5-minute walk of a stop;

4. Add small community bus routes to neglected portions of the city;

5. Work with TransLink to electrify the bus system to reduce noise, GHGs, particulates and diesel air pollution;

6. Focus on Neighbourhood-based planning for complete walkable communities within the local context, that is served by affordable electric transit throughout the arterial network rather than only a few expensive transit corridors;

7. Restore neighbourhood-friendly streetcars on a few selected arterial streets where ridership justifies it; (Review the 2019 City of Vancouver Streetcar Feasibility Study)

8. Cooperate with fast-growing neighbouring cities and TransLink to strengthen regional transit routes and reduce pressure on the existing road network; 

 

Cycling

1. Prioritize safe, low-traffic, cost-effective connecting crosstown cycling routes with better signage, lighting, and pavement painting;

2. Promote cycling routes on City website

3. Review contentious projects such as the Granville Bridge Connector, the Stanley Park and Beach Avenue bike lanes, traffic lane closures, etc., consulting with relevant neighbourhoods and businesses;

4. Advocate for safe, secure sheltered bicycle storage at major transit stops, bus loops and schools;

5. Tackle the issue of pedestrian/bicycle conflicts on sidewalks; require stores selling or renting bicycles to remind customers that riding bicycles on sidewalks is prohibited; 

6. Work with the Park Board to ensure pavement markings regulating bicycles in parks are clearly visible and maintained;

7. Work with the School Board to ensure elementary-age students receive training on rules for cyclists under the Motor Vehicle Act;

 

Walking/Rolling

1. Focus on repairing broken or lifted sections of sidewalks that make travel treacherous for people using walkers or other mobility aids, adding sidewalks in underserved areas;  

2. Work with neighbourhood groups to encourage residents to keep the sidewalks in front of their homes clear of low branches and obtrusive bushes and hedges that prevent use of the entire width of the sidewalk; 

3. Upgrade street and pedestrian lighting where needed;  

 

Personal & Commercial Vehicles

1. Improve traffic flow on major arteries to reduce shortcutting through residential neighbourhoods; prohibit non-vehicular traffic on major arteries and bus routes when there is a defined cycling / rolling route nearby; 

2. Consult with neighbourhoods on ways of making residential streets safer (speed limits, roundabouts)  and on strategies for better movement of commercial goods;

3. Ensure off-street parking is required in all new construction, with adequate provision for electric vehicle charging;

4. TEAM will not implement road pricing which unfairly affects affordability, tracks individuals' movement against civil rights, and discourages access to local businesses in the affected area (See TEAM Climate Emergency Policies);

5. TEAM will not adopt city-wide parking permits as previously proposed by this council (See TEAM Climate Emergency Policies);

6. Review access, parking, and stopping areas for tour buses, taxis, and chartered services at popular locations, with input from tourism and hospitality sectors.