Ride-hailing could make Metro Vancouver’s traffic congestion worse

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – There’s a right way and a wrong way to bring ride-hailing to Metro Vancouver, and traffic headaches are one of the consequences of doing it wrong.

So says Anthony Perl, Director of Urban Studies at Simon Fraser University, who has studied the impacts of app-based services like Uber and Lyft in large American cities. “If people wind up switching from public transportation to these ride-share options, then vehicles are added to the traffic flow… without necessarily moving more people,” he says.

This trend is being seen to some extent in New York City. A recent study says the rapid growth of ride-hailing services could work against the city’s goals to unclog streets and lower emissions, and undermine public transit.

Perl adds there are two ways to prevent this from happening: regulate vehicle occupancy though things like high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, or as the New York study suggests, adopt a road pricing scheme. “But if you just keep it status quo, which is, anyone can drive any time anywhere pretty much, don’t be surprised if you wind up with gridlock.”

In an emailed statement to NEWS 1130, Uber Canada takes issue with the report referenced above, arguing that “a wide array of analyses” have shown that frequent users of ride-hailing services drive less and use public transit more often.

“(The report) uses a flawed methodology to single out shared modes as the cause of congestion,” the statement reads.

Perl suggests the provincial government could take a lesson from Philadelphia, where Uber offers special rates to connect commuters with public transit points like train stations.

He notes such a partnership between public transit and ride-hailing companies is not yet detailed in the BC Liberals’ plan which will go through should the party win the next provincial election which is slated for May 9th.

Ride-hailing announcement could be a play for suburban voters

Both Anthony Perl and University of the Fraser Valley political science professor Hamish Telford agree the recent ride-sharing announcement is light on detail.

Telford notes it does not seem to fit into any broader transportation strategy, suggesting a motive rooted more in electioneering than in policy.

“It’s difficult to know what the government is thinking here,” he says. “Generally speaking, Uber is something that appeals to urbanites, but that’s not where the Liberals are particularly strong.”

Telford says the party could be trying strengthen their profile with Vancouver voters, or playing to suburban voters where “the Liberals are stronger and transportation is weaker.”

Either way, he says its unlikely ride-hailing will become a major election issue before the May 9th vote.