Burnaby wants TransLink’s new BRT from North Shore to Metrotown prioritized

Of TransLink’s nine bus rapid transit (BRT) routes, four run directly within the jurisdiction of the City of Burnaby.

And Burnaby city staff proposed to Burnaby City Council that the city government put all its eggs in one basket: a proposed BRT route connecting the North Shore to Metrotown Station via the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. That’s what I suggested.

City staff told the City Council that the city would prioritize the North Shore-Metrotown BRT route as one of its initial BRT routes in its 10-year service expansion priorities from 2025 to 2035. We urge you to support our formal request to TransLink.

TransLink envisions a BRT route connecting West Vancouver’s Park Royal, North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver’s Phibs Exchange, Brentwood Town Centre, BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Metrotown.

Within Burnaby, BRT will run on a short stretch of Hastings Street, then along Boundary Road, Halifax Street and Willingdon Avenue.

The new BRT typology envisioned by TransLink would include complete physical traffic separation along the entire length of the BRT route and advanced bus priority measures, including bus-only lanes (not to be confused with HOV lanes). Masu.

However, a city staff report says implementing such bus lanes would be particularly difficult on the section of Hastings Street between Boundary Road and Willingdon Street.

As a result, city officials said BRT would be routed along Boundary Road between Hastings Street and Halifax Street, rather than along the Hastings Street section between Boundary Road and Willingdon Avenue as previously envisioned. It recommends driving along Halifax Street between Boundary Road and Willingdon Avenue. Willingdon Avenue between Hastings Street and Halifax Street.

This alternative route would effectively bypass the Hastings Street retail district in the Burnaby Heights and Capitol Hill neighborhoods, but would maintain SkyTrain Millennium Line connectivity at Brentwood Town Center Station. Ru.

Previously assumed route:

Alternative routes recommended by the City of Burnaby:

The City of Burnaby’s proposed Metrotown-Park Royal BRT route. Instead of Hastings Street and Willingdon Avenue, it includes an alternative route along Boundary Road and Halifax Street to the Brentwood Town Center SkyTrain station. (City of Burnaby)

Additionally, TransLink’s “Quick and Easy Deployment” evaluation of BRT routes shows that BRT routes can be built without losing vehicle lanes or on-street parking along the Park Royal-Metrotown corridor, according to city staff. Evidence suggests only 20% can be accommodated.

“This restriction is particularly acute on the section of Hastings Street between Boundary Road and Willingdon Street,” city officials said.

Currently, TransLink envisions a Hastings Street BRT corridor where two separate routes within Burnaby overlap, effectively sharing street infrastructure investments. This includes a proposal to upgrade the existing R5 Hastings Street Rapid Bus between downtown Vancouver and Simon Fraser University (SFU) to BRT service standards.

Earlier this month, Vancouver City Council expressed formal support for TransLink for “urgent implementation” of bus speed and reliability improvements along Hastings Street, but stopped short of directly addressing and endorsing BRT. That said, the City of Vancouver still supports bus priority measures such as relocating vehicle lanes and curbside parking spaces, modifying site access, rebalancing bus stops, restricting right turns, and signal priority.

In addition to the North Shore-Metrotown and Downtown-Vancouver-SFU Burnaby (R5) routes, Burnaby is connected to two other TransLink proposed BRT routes: Metrotown to Richmond Brighouse Station via Knight Street Bridge and , New Westminster’s 22nd Street Station to Marine). South Vancouver Drive Station via Marine Way/Marine Drive. City staff said the North Shore-Metrotown route has the strongest potential, based on TransLink’s preliminary analysis.

“A technical review of the BRT corridor conducted by TransLink found that the Metrotown-Parkroyal corridor delivers the best results in the region in terms of daily ridership and ranks second in the region in terms of access to employment. ,” the city staff report states.

“Based on the preliminary evaluation and the strength of ridership and economic benefits, Metrotown Park Royal has announced that the Burnaby It is considered to be a leading BRT candidate.”

TransLink estimates daily ridership on the Metrotown-Park Royal BRT route will reach 55,000 by 2035, according to city officials. This compares to 99 passengers on the B Line in 2019, before the pandemic.

City staff also told the City Council that “dedicated bus lanes, priority traffic signals, enhanced station customer amenities, and customized construction to provide fast, reliable, high-quality rapid transit between Burnaby and the North Shore” We are specifically calling for support for the Metrotown Park Royal BRT, which will feature “cars.” ”

Similarly, the City urges TransLink to immediately move forward with developing a business case to eventually upgrade the Metrotown-Park Royal BRT route to rail rapid transit.

Skytrain Metrotown Station (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Both elements of BRT and a detailed rail rapid transit study were previously broadly approved by the City of Burnaby, District of North Vancouver, City of North Vancouver, and District of West Vancouver councils as part of the Transportation 2050 planning process and the North Shore Connect initiative. Ta.

Regarding the level of support expressed by other municipalities for a proposed BRT route that would partially fall within Burnaby’s jurisdiction, the City of Vancouver has announced that it will continue to support the proposed BRT route between Marine Drive and New Westminster’s 22nd Street stations. Supported Rapid Bus instead of BRT for routes that would run through the city. / Marine Way. The City of New Westminster has expressed support for BRT.

The City of Richmond has announced that the proposed route between Richmond-Brighouse Station and Metrotown Station via Knight Street Bridge, Marine Drive, Victoria Drive, 49th Street, Imperial Avenue and Willingdon Avenue will not use BRT. It shows a strong preference for rapid bass. The City of Richmond is concerned about the impact of designating bus-only lanes on traffic congestion within its jurisdiction, and he recommends HOV lanes instead.

Next week, Burnaby City Council is expected to approve recommendations outlined by Burnaby city staff. Local governments in the region have pledged formal support for a range of projects ahead of a mayoral meeting in late October, when the first wave of Translink’s public transport expansion projects will be completed under a 10-year priority starting in 2025. are asked to express themselves.

This is the complete list of 11 new RapidBus routes TransLink is proposing under its 10-year priorities.

• RapidBus new routes for the first 5 years:
  1. Langley to Haney Place (via 200th Street)
  2. From Downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale via Lions Gate Bridge
  3. From Marine Drive Station to 22nd Street Station via Marine Drive/Marine Way
  4. Extending the R1 King George Boulevard route from Newton to White Rock.
  5. Richmond Center to Metrotown via Knight Street Bridge, Victoria Drive, and 49th Street
• RapidBus new routes for the next five years:
  1. From Downtown Vancouver to Ambleside via Lions Gate Bridge
  2. Carvors Exchange, 96 Avenue to Scott Road Station
  3. Commercial Drive/Victoria Drive
  4. From Langley to White Rock via 24th Street
  5. From New Westminster Station to Brentwood Town Center Station via Canada Way
  6. Newton to Guilford via 152nd Street

This is a complete list of the nine BRT routes that TransLink is proposing under its 10-year priorities.

1. Upgrading from RapidBus to BRT: R3 Lougheed Highway (Coquitlam Central Station to Haney Place in Maple Ridge)
2. Upgrading from RapidBus to BRT: R5 Hastings Street (Ballard Station to SFU Burnaby)
3. Upgrading from RapidBus to BRT: R6 Scott Road (Scott Road station to Newton Exchange). The R6 is expected to launch in early 2024 before eventually being upgraded to BRT.
4. New BRT: From Surrey to White Rock via King George Boulevard
5. New BRT: Langley to Haney Place in Maple Ridge via 200th Street, Golden Ears Bridge, and Lougheed Highway.
6. New BRT: From Marine Drive Station to 22nd Street Station via Marine Drive/Marine Way
7. New BRT: Richmond Center to Metrotown via Knight Street Bridge, Victoria Drive, and 49th Street
8. New BRT: From Downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale via Lions Gate Bridge
9. New BRT: From Metrotown to Park Royal via Ironworkers Memorial Bridge