R2 Extension, MNS BRT, what does it all mean?

The following text is overlaid on a map of the R2 extension from Park Royal to Metrotown. Did we win the BRT route decision??? & what does the R2 extension mean for riders? Movement

TransLink announced that the Second Narrows Bridge is getting a RapidBus! Is that what we wanted?

The R2 extension in September 2026 will make it a one seat ride from Metrotown to the North Shore. This follows the same route as the BRT we want, but a BRT will be much cooler. It will have way more dedicated lanes, cool stations, etc. But that will take time and money.

In the meantime, we get this R2 extension. TransLink will try to run it every 6-7 minutes. We are worried that congestion will make that difficult.

There are no new transit priority measures planned in the short term. Every few seconds of delay translates into unreliability and cancellations, meaning your bus may not show up on time or at all.

What makes it complicated is that this route uses roads that belong to SO MANY DIFFERENT GOVERNMENTS:

  • Burnaby
  • Vancouver
  • District of North Vancouver (in two places!)
  • City of North Vancouver
  • West Vancouver
  • BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT)

For the R2 to be a success, the City of Burnaby needs to commit to full transit priority on Hastings and Willingdon, including all-day bus lanes, queue jumps, and smart signals that keep buses from getting stuck.

Vancouver recently postponed the planned bus lanes between Hastings Park and Boundary Rd! This is a disappointing decision from Vancouver that will slow down R2 riders – and the R5 too! 1,000 buses pass through that section of road daily. They’re going to engage on this later, more info to come.

All the governments* responsible for the R2 The following labels are on a map of the R2 route: West Vancouver District of North Vancouver City of North Vancouver Government of BC - Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) City of Vancouver City of Burnaby *this is simplified, it's actually more complicated than this
Notes are on each of the labels on the map: West Vancouver District of North Vancouver needs more bus lanes and signal priority City of North Van has made a lot of progress but still more work to do! BC Gov't could do a LOT to get buses through bridge congestion Vancouver tried to fix this but postponed because of opposition from businesses Burnaby has some bus lanes on Willingdon, but needs more. Lanes on Hastings are coming under heavy opposition from businesses, and need your support

As for the BRT that comes after this, the route has not yet been decided. The R2 extension is an upgrade for the 222, in the same way that the MNS BRT will be an upgrade of the R2. There’s a real risk that residents in Burnaby Heights may lose transit service if the BRT is routed away from their neighbourhood.

If you’re sick of being stuck in traffic, reach out to your mayor, councillors and MLA to ask for better transit priority for the R2! They work for you!