NDP promise rapid transit for North Shore in latest campaign announcement

The BC NDP says if reelected, it will bring rapid transit to the North Shore.

It’s just the latest announcement from the incumbent party as it looks to pick up votes in the upcoming provincial election.

NDP candidates Bowinn Ma, Susie Chant, and Sara Eftekhar shared the details Tuesday morning, saying it will “alleviate congestion on the North Shore and provide critical connectivity for commuters.”

The NDP says the project will begin with a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line from West Vancouver to Burnaby.

“A new rapid transit line between Park Royal and Metrotown means that people will have more choices about how they get on, off, and around the North Shore,” said Ma, NDP candidate for North Vancouver-Lonsdale. “This new high-efficiency service will help get people where they’re going, faster, and sooner as we also drive forward with work on longer-term expansion, like fixed light rail or Skytrain.”

A BRT differs from existing bus routes in the region in that it’s entirely separated from traffic.

North Shore mayors call to make transit major election issue

The mayors of West Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and the District of North Vancouver gathered in the shipyard district with local business leaders, pushing provincial candidates to help fix TransLink’s funding problems.

City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan says officials have worked hard to keep rapid transit for the North Shore a priority, but the system is now facing potential cuts, and without provincial government funding, the transit system as a whole is under threat.

“We are sounding the alarm. North Shore residents, employers, and workers have had enough of traffic congestion and overcrowding on buses,” said Buchanan in an early morning statement.

Officials say a recent Mayors’ Council survey found 77 per cent of North Shore residents “believe transit is an important election issue, and a majority are concerned about possible cuts.”

Council employers and workers say they’ve had enough of traffic congestion and overcrowding on buses. Buchanan tells 1130 NewsRadio the council wants to see expansion of service, but is so far facing the opposite.

“We will be looking at cuts versus expansion, and certainly, the Mayor’s Council, we want to be talking about expansion of service,” she said.

Without new funding, the mayors say plans for the new Bus Rapid Transit line will be shelved, service on the North Shore reallocated to higher population areas, and residents could possibly see service end at 8 p.m.

“I encourage everyone across the region to go on to accessforeveryone.ca. Fill out those letters. Go to all candidates meetings. Ask their candidates, ‘what are they going to be doing in order to save public transportation across the Metro Vancouver region?’,” said Buchanan.

—With files from Charles Brockman