Vancouver bus lane motion passes; transit riders thrilled

Cropped shot of a young woman celebrating her computer screen

For Immediate Release

VANCOUVER – On Wednesday, July 24, Vancouver City Council adopted a motion to urgently speed up buses on 9 corridors across the city. This builds on last fall’s bus lane motion to move faster, do more, and do what’s in the city’s power to bring forward automated bus lane enforcement. This gives a clear mandate to the city engineering department to be bold in their implementation of transit priority. This is an excellent platform for Movement to further organise transit riders to engage with city staff as the new improvements get designed and rolled out.

We are deeply grateful to all the councillors that supported this motion, and met with us beforehand. This is the beginning of a fruitful relationship between council and transit riders that we hope will transform Vancouver into the best transit city in North America.

A special thank you is extended to Councillor Kirby-Yung for her ongoing leadership on transit, and Councillor Boyle for supporting us with one of her last motions on council. We also thank the 1200 Movement members for giving us life, and Vision Zero Vancouver for demonstrating that transit is a surprisingly effective pedestrian safety measure. 

This decision validates Movement’s theory of change, which is to build positive relationships with elected officials and staff, and demonstrate high levels of support among the general public. Over 2000 flyers were distributed at bus stops on Monday, over 200 personally written emails were sent to councillors, and over 40 people spoke at the council meeting. Councillors on both sides of the aisle called out Movement and their partner Vision Zero Vancouver by name as integral to the success of this motion. 

Movement’s next steps will be to:

  • Build capacity among the public to engage with Vancouver to ensure these bus lanes will be as beneficial as possible.
  • Leverage this momentum to encourage other cities in Metro Vancouver to adapt similar motions, as well as the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
  • Demonstrate broad support for all three levels of governments to help TransLink address their $600 million/year fiscal cliff.
  • Establish an advisory board of prominent local leaders to shape our approach and strengthen our links with the community.

To deliver on these aims, Movement is seeking financial support from major organisations across the region. Comparable groups like Transportation Alternatives are sustained by foundations and local businesses that see how a strong voice for transit riders can manifest a fairer, more prosperous region. 

“Groups like Movement have been a part of cities’ regional conversation in cities across North America for decades. Now is the time for Vancouver to join the party, and elevate the voices of transit riders. There are nearly one million of us across the region, and we ride transit at a higher rate than any city in Canada or the US, aside from only New York. Groups in cities like Richmond, Virginia, and New Orleans have a 6-figure operating budget and multiple full-time staff, and Movement needs help to make that happen here.”

-Denis Agar, Executive Director, Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders

Media Contact:

Denis Agar

Executive Director

Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders

778-776-8806

denis@movementyvr.ca 

http://movementyvr.ca