Canada Line changed direction of transit in Metro Vancouver: former councillor
Posted August 16, 2019 11:56 am.
Last Updated August 16, 2019 11:58 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A former Vancouver city councillor says the Canada Line has settled some big issues in the city, as the line celebrates 10 years of service.
There was heated debate in the years leading up to opening day over whether building the line was the right move and whether Vancouver is a city for transit.
Gord Price, who was also on TransLink’s first board, points out ridership targets were met on opening day, adding the line has shown there is greater demand for multi-billion dollar transit investments in a growing Metro Vancouver.
“Now the attitude is why aren’t we doing it faster and bigger?” Price said. “There’s just no doubt when you look at Richmond or you look now along Cambie Street or the possibility of what’s going to happen with other lines that hey, we do it, we do it well, we just have to do more of it and do it faster.”
The 2010 Olympics was the major driver behind getting the Canada Line built quickly, but Price believes that also led to the line being under-built.
“When you look at the size of the station, lack of escalators, stations we didn’t even put in, it was probably a reasonable decision at the time. Be cautious, make sure you come in under budget. Big mistake,” Price said. “You can see that the line is already being stretched to its limit and it’s going to be an expensive proposition to handle the expected load over time.”
With the Broadway Subway marked as the next major transit project in Vancouver, he adds the Canada Line showed these kinds of projects can work, and that it makes sense to make larger investments in more communities across the Lower Mainland.
