(Originally posted to my Livejournal, creamsodaangel)

Story from: News1130.com

GVRD opposes Port Mann twinning and Highway 1 expansion

September 22, 2006 – 2:18 pm
By: Jim Goddard
BURNABY (NEWS1130) – The GVRD has voted to send a message to Victoria on how strongly it opposes the twinning the Port Mann Bridge and the expansion of Highway One. Once again the debate pitted those who live on one side of the Fraser River and those who live on the other.

Those opposed to highway and bridge expansion say it will just encourage more urban sprawl and dependence on cars, which goes against the Liveable Region Plan. Vancouver City Councillor Tim Stevenson says the money earmarked for twinning the Port Mann bridge should be spent on improving public transit instead.

“A lot more rapid rail transport out to the valley, of course, a lot more buses. We’re way behind on our buses,” says Stevenson.

He does feel it’s still not too late to convince Victoria that more blacktop is not the solution to the Lower Mainland’s transportation problems.

+++++++++++++++

Okay, so I’m not against transit or anything, but have the people who oppose the Gateway Project and the Port Mann twinning ever ridden transit from our side of the bridge? While yes, it’s true that our transit system could use an upgrade. The state it is now, of course people don’t want to ride it. Not only is it unreliable, triple the time it takes in the car, and expensive, they have little to no security to make a person feel safe. And that, is my major deterrant from public transit.

If you’re not familiar with the area I live in, part of our transit system consists of SkyTrain, which is basically a subway, but on tracks in the sky. Their way of checking tickets is having transit police come through the cars checking tickets, and writing fines when they catch someone without. There are no turnstiles, nobody checking tickets prior to boarding, nothing to make sure that people are taking a free ride. Though there are lots of security cameras, and yes, they did just hire 20 new transit officers last year, I’ve seen more times than I can count on my hands when situations have broken out, that probably could have been averted by just having someone around.

Moving away from the problems of our transit system (since I could go on forever, but I need sleep). Buses are NOT a solution. Not when the bus you need to take to the SkyTrain has to go on said highway that they don’t want to expand.

Fixing this overdue problem that is the Port Mann Bridge is not going to urge more urban sprawl. Urban Sprawl is part of our society these days, and its’ already taking place. Just because suddenly they don’t want to do this expansion is not going to stop or slow down the process. Housing in the Downtown costs and arm and a leg, and you can get a nice two story house in the Valley for the price of a studio apartement in the City. This is NOT a solution to urban sprawl, nor does it encourage it. We live in Post Modern society, where people want to live away from the Downtown areas and become commuters. If you can’t deal with this, then move away from where we live.

Yes, as more people move out into the valley, the more cars there will be. However, if you prevent this project from going through, then that means those cars are going to be idling all the more, adding to even more polution. Cars pollute more when they idle than they do when they’re driving.

Now some may say, oh Andrea, you’re biased, you live on the other side of the bridge. Yes, I do. But I have also taken a Resource & Environmental Management course, so I know the effects that twinning this bridge will have. I also know the effects it will have if we don’t twin it.

At one point they were talking about a toll to go on the bridge. Why not put the toll on, but make it the price of a 3 Zone fare downtown? Then put THAT money towards improving transit. That way, we’ll have a highway that doesn’t back up because some people may take transit then because it will cost less then (because they won’t have to pay for fuel), cars will spend less time idling on the highway, and will recieve funds to put towards transit to make it more reliable, cost effective, and secure?

Oh, and I’d like to see a Pro-Gateway Project opinion in that article. But that’s just the journalist in me, and I know that it won’t be in there 😉

Current Music: No Surprise – Theory of a Deadman
Current Mood: contemplative