Excerpt Contributed By: Michael Hall, the full article is featured on the North Shore News.
In regards to the July 31 petition requesting a ”Re-evaluation of North Shore Transportation Infrastructure” and the argument for a third car crossing to the North Shore: be careful what you wish for. The ambiguous title of the petition might lead some to assume that sustainable transportation options lie within. But no, the author immediately argues for a third bridge (or tunnel) be built to the North Shore to relieve vehicle congestion that plagues the area.
In the world of transportation, the phenomenon of “induced traffic” is a fancy way of saying “if you build it, they will come.” When a highway is expanded or newly built, people drive on it. There are things we can do right now to make transit far more attractive on the North Shore. These measures that are already in place today point the way…
Read the full article at North Shore News.
In the end, whether a new car crossing or SkyTrain route is built to the North Shore, it’s safe to say that it would take many years, likely more than a decade, to come to fruition. In the meantime, there will still be growing traffic concerns, and the only way to address that is to provide people with realistic and compelling options to cross Burrard Inlet that are competitive with driving.
The fastest way to do this is to improve existing public transit routes and corridors.
Michael Hall is a transit advocate and volunteer with Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders, a non-profit organization that represents the region’s one million transit riders.