Township of Langley - Replace the New West Rail Bridge

On May 12, 2008, Township of Langley council moved to write a letter to the federal government to "strongly [encourage] them to commence design and planning for a new crossing of the Fraser that would facilitate future rail traffic needs, including potential rapid transit options, and any future vehicle crossing requirement." This is a very good thing.

You can read the letter in our document archive.

City of Langley Densification

Today's Langley Advance has an article about a recently approved residential development coming to the City of Langley, and the new 50% increase in density rules. South Fraser OnTrax was interviewed for the article and a short quote from us was included. We previously sent a letter to mayor and council that was read at the public meeting.

We said that we are always pleased with more densification, as it will lead to better transit and perhaps more transit options for our community. But we were disappointed that this development was not mixed use. A model that has been very successful around the world. We also feel this decision contradicts the City's own Master Plan that calls for this specific area to serve as the "Western Gateway" to the city and include mixed-use along Fraser Hwy.

Mixed use development here would have included some commercial units street-level that could have been small businesses and perhaps even a small cafe for complex residents to mix and mingle. An opportunity for neighbours to meet and talk. It also provides for more eyes on the streets and if these businesses are opening evenings, they increase crime prevention efforts by bring more "legitimate users" into the street scene.

Some or all of the suites could have been live/work, similar to The Muse building just down the street. We heard that some of these new units will be only 400-500 sq. ft. While some owners will occupy such a suite, most likely investors will buy these small units and rent them out. While South Fraser fully supports affordable housing options for all, we have a history in the City of Langley with apartment buildings that needs correction.

Landlords don't always want to pay for proactive management of their rental suites. They remain off-site and allow the tenants to police themselves. Things deteriorate and the Strata or the police become the defacto property managers for the owner. With mixed use we get the affordable housing options and because some suites are owned by proactive business owners, the Strata remains aware of issues and problems and deals with them and the offending suites' owners. A healthy mix of owners and tenants is always a good thing.

If the City of Langley continues to approve developments because of the cash influx to the city only, and continues to ignore the larger master plan and mixed-use, history of buildings with police problems will continue to set us backward, destroying good plans.

CIBC World Markets - Will Soaring Transport Costs Reverse Globalization?

CIBC World Markets recently published an article in their May 27th, 2008 StrategEcon Newsletter about the cost of transportation and its effect on the shipping industry.

Globalization is reversible. Higher energy prices are impacting transport costs at an unprecedented rate. So much so, that the cost of moving goods, not the cost of tariffs, is the largest barrier to global trade today. In fact, in tariff-equivalent terms, the explosion in global transport cots has effectively offset all the trade liberalization efforts of the last three decades. Not only does this suggest a major slowdown in the growth of word trade, but also a fundamental realignment in trade patterns.

It is a very interesting read and if the trend of increasingly higher oil price continue, it will surely have an effect on port jobs and may even translate into a stagnation or reduction in container traffic which may have an effect on our economy and call into question things like the South Fraser Perimeter Road, or maybe port expansion all together.

At today’s oil prices, every 10% increase in trip distance translaters into a 4.5% increase in transportation costs.

Though we may be in luck with our new Prince Rupert container facility that is a full day’s sailing closer to Asian markets. Though it might not even matter...

The duration of a typical sea voyage from China to North America is four weeks.

To what extent will astronomical increases in transport costs alter the huge (but shrinking) wage differential between Chinese labor and North American labor remains to be seen. But we are already starting to see some change in capital-intensive manufacturing whose products carry a high ratio of freight costs to final selling prices.

Who knows, maybe we’ll turn back into regional markets…

I was alerted to this article from the LRC listserv.

It is Unofficially Unofficial

On last night's "News Hour", Global TV's Legislative Reporter Keith Baldrey announced that there will be a Provincial cabinet reshuffle in early June. So, its going to happen folks.

South Fraser OnTrax (SFOT) was going to seek a meeting with current Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon, but we heard from several credible sources that Minister Falcon has achieved some major results that will soon be rewarded.

As our Co-Founder Nathan Pachal pointed out to me last weekend in a telephone conversation on this topic, Minister Falcon was present for the opening of the new William R. Bennett Bridge in the Okanagan, but it was only Premier Gordon Campbell and former Premier Bill Bennett that walked up front over the new bridge. Yes, it did put the spotlight on the former premier, but was a tad unusual.

SFOT has heard some interesting names being tossed around and one in particular would surely excite us, but is only speculation! Looks like the haters of Kevin Falcon will have to find a new cause or perhaps just a new ministry?

Even if you are someone who dislikes the minister, you can't help but recognize that he did get some major projects going that will replace some aging infratsructure. I would have to give him an "A" for Assertive, Aggressive, and even Amusing if he would have had to jump off the new William R. Bennett Bridge! You may recall that the minister had promised to jump off the new bridge if it wasn't completed on time. Looks like he lucked out!

Morning Walk

Every day on the walk from my apartment (or in Vancouver parlance, condo) to my bus stop, I pass by many other condos and the huge parking lot of Langley Mall.




This parking lot sticks out like a sore thumb as mixed-use buildings, condos, city hall, and “Main Street” commercial surround it. It really highlights the waste of space that surface parking is. Also, the lot always seems empty.

This is another example of space in the City of Langley that could be transformed into something mixed-use and truly sustainable.

From the Downtown Master Plan:

Underutilized Land Areas – The accompanying Building Coverage diagram below illustrates the underutilized nature of some of the lands outside the Downtown area. Much of this land is consumed by parking or by large industrial users. In some cases, these land parcels are grossly underutilized considering their proximity to Downtown and could serve more appropriate and highly desirable uses as residential and/or commercial. In some cases, more structured parking could retain convenient access and the number of parking spaces while introducing more compact mixed uses in the downtown core area.

City Hall, Timms Community Center, condos, and my bus stop around Langley Mall.


Looking at what the Downtown Langley Master Plan calls the "Core Area."


Remember, all big buses go to Surrey Central!

Cell Phone

So, I lost my Blackberry on the SkyTrain this weekend. :-( The good news is that it gave me the chance to unplug a little. Now instead of getting email/SMS/calls all the time, I only get SMS and calls all the time...

I got a Nokia 5310 which has a camera on it. I decided to take a few picture on my walk back from Pricesmart yesterday afternoon.



As you can see, Downtown Langley is a community in change. If the City of Langley sticks to its downtown plan, the city could turn into a sustainable community that is the envy of the Valley.

Township of Langley Planning Staff Are Swtiched ON

I make it a habit of attending the Township of Langley special and regular council meetings. Yes, I do have a life! But I find a wealth of information about our community in these meetings. If we are going to advocate for something, then we should understand the big picture and we also have lots to learn from mayor, council and staff if we are open to listen.

At yesterday's Special Council Meeting at the Township, there was a fairly quiet, but dynamic thing that took place. While most people might overlook its real impact and significance, it did not go unnoticed by me. A member of our community is looking to develop an adult community in the Jericho/Latimer neighbourhood area, not far from the new Langley Events Centre. This development will be very unique in that it would include a "Health Care Co-Op". The man who's family owns the land assures me that this would be "real health care" and will not compete with the present government system. He's also very interested in Light Rail Transit. Stay tuned as I've asked him for more information on this health care co-op concept and will Blog about it just as soon as I get the information.

Now back to the council meeting.... In the discussions related to this project, Paul Crawford, Manager of Long Range Planning for the Township prepared a report that you can read in its entirety here. In this report to council, Mr. Crawford presented options for the planning and development of this area. The significant thing is, Township staff are recommending that these plans be carefully laid in order to preserve the future 200th Street Transit Corridor, and to include dedicated cycling and walking areas, as well as pedestrian crossings. The report speaks of Rapid Bus, and we at SFOT would love for it to be streetcars, but we are pleased to see staff taking some great initiative here. Besides, plans for buses can always change to streetcars quickly :)


Staff and Mr. Crawford are speaking here about that concept we have mentioned often here - complete roads. Roads that support inter-modal transportation options and planning for a sustainable community in this area. The concern is to preserve plans for proper density and design of buildings that are complimentary and sustainable.

... as it is important therefore, that the 200th Street corridor be planned as a complete unit with a consistent vision that ensures that the uses, densities and design of buildings are complementary and sustainable, that 200th Street is designed to function as a transit corridor, that future development is appropriately designed to relate to 200 Street and that pedestrian and cyclist movements are integrated into the plan.

Thank you Paul Crawford and Township Planning Staff. Well done! Nice to see the Township switched on and moving in a terrific direction that will create sustainable communities with practical and diverse transit options. Thanks to Jason Chu, Strategic Planner at the Township of Langley for helping me to find the report and that goldmine in the Township website!

Traffic Calming
In other council news, the Township has experimented with a couple of area radar unit signs that display current speed to area drivers. The units have served the community well as traffic calming devices. Paul Cordeiro, Manager, Transportation Engineering with the Township reported that they have located some neat mobile units that can be moved around to different areas and will cost just $15K each. The Township will be purchasing four (4) these mobile units, which incidentally are solar powered. Great stuff! Money well-spent!

Put Rail First

So on my many weekend transit adventures, I ran into a friend of mine who is a longshoreman at Fraser Docks and Deltaport. She does everything from unloading ships to scheduling trains and trucks. She had some great insights into goods movement in the Lower Mainland.

She told me that the vast majority of goods loaded onto trucks are for the local market. She went on to explain that the vast majority of goods loaded onto rail are for “out east” and the US.

I asked her where she thought money for goods movement should be spent. She said that it would make more sense to expand the rail infrastructure as a first priority. She believes that the increase in port traffic will overwhelmingly be going outside of the Lower Mainland, as that is where most of the containers are heading today. She also explained that the 100+ year-old New Westminster Rail Bridge needs to be replaced right away.

So there you have it, from someone who deals with freight traffic all day: Put rail first!

Sustainability Summit 2008

Metro Vancouver has been doing a great job of promoting dialogue on various issues related to our region, and most especially on the creation of a sustainable region. I've attended some of these events and I can tell you that the speakers and the content are exceptional!

In June, 2008 Metro Vancouver will host a series of discussion forums. Then in October of this year, they will hold an inaugural region-wide Future of the Region Sustainability Summit. This June forum allow participants to contribute in one of three "streams" that include:

Stream 1
Transportation & Growth
Economy
Governance & Finance

Stream 2
Drugs & Crime
Culture & Learning
Housing

Stream 3
Waste
Energy & Climate Change
Ecological Health

A total of five (5) forums will be hosted. South of Fraser (Delta, Surrey, White Rock, Langley City, Township of Langley and Abbotsford) will be held on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 from 8am to 12 Noon at the Guildford Vancouver Sheraton at 15269 104th Avenue in Surrey. You must register ahead and more information can be obtained here. At the bottom of this Metro Vancouver page you will find links to major background and policy documents.

Unfortunately I will be out of the country managing a large consulting project on this date, and will not be able to attend. But the great thing about Metro Vancouver is that they generally video tape all sessions and post them on the website. Still, being there and interacting with the panel of experts and other participates is really neat. I'm bummed!

Going to Richmond

So, I'm heading to my friend's birthday tonight in beautiful Richmond. I'm going to a place called the Cucumber Cafe, address: 10251 St. Edwards Drive. To get there will require a true adventure on Translink and four tickets to get there and back (tickets are valid for 1:30, total travel to Richmond 2:06). My travels will take me on the 502 to Surrey Central Station (where all good Translink buses go.), 22nd Street SkyTrain station, then the 410 via the Queensbrough and Highway 91. If I had a car, it would take about an hour. Not that I'm complaining about the bus travel time; I've been stuck in traffic for over 2 hours sometimes (sadly "Bus"* can get stuck in the same traffic.) If only there was light rail (or even a more direct bus.) :-p To give Translink credit, at least all the routes I'm taking run past midnight on a weekend.

Wish me luck...

*Arrested Development is a great show... Remember Lupe's "car".

Minister Falcon Talks About Tansportation Study Moving Forward

Really the headline for today's post should be "Unsung Heroes". Every day we read the headlines of the local papers and never see the inside view of what was going on behind the scenes. Here's a little insight into a recent headline...

I posted links to two newspaper articles last weekend from Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon. In them the Minister promised that the light rail study has been budgeted for and will move forward. On February 16, 2008, I sat in a Lion's Club Hall in Chilliwack listening to two dynamite speakers on Light Rail Transit.

Malcolm Johnston and Nathan Pachal spoke to a packed house. The excitement in that room was palpable and CTV had interviewed Nathan just prior to him speaking at that event. You can see the video clip of the CTV interview here. I believe Malcolm was interviewed by some newspapers as well that day, but I was unable to locate the links that have since been removed.

I recall seeing the CTV interview with Nathan about the old Interurban line that evening, and then CTV had located Minister Kevin Falcon earlier that day for comment. I recall the minister saying on CTV that the old Interurban rail line is something that we must study, so that "we don't blow our brains out financially".

Malcolm Johnston has been a member of the Light Rail Transit Association since 1984 and has served in numerous rail advocacy groups and meetings over the years. He is a fine, well-read man that has been a tireless advocate and expert for Light Rail Transit (LRT) for many, many years. Malcolm's technical knowledge of light rail is exceptional!

Nathan Pachal is a young accomplished Television Broadcast Engineer that serves his community of Langley City on the Parks and Recreation Committee and as Co-Founder of South Fraser OnTrax. He is also a strong supporter of SmartGrowth BC. He was also selected by the City of Abbotsford to serve on their new Inter-Regional Transportation Select Committee.

So, only four months later we see the minister talking about the study going forward. I know Nathan and Malcolm would never jump to take credit for anything, but I think all of us supporters of light rail owe great thanks to Nathan Pachal, Malcolm Johnston, and many others for their excellent presentations and advocacy over the years that have lead the transportation minister to make a commitment to study the Interurban line in February of this year. This is the news behind the news.

Sustainability Workshop

South Fraser OnTrax with the help of Smart Growth BC will be hosting an interactive sustainable community and transportation workshop on June 18th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at the Langley campus of Kwantlen University. More details will be coming, but mark this date and time off in your calendar. We promise it will be time well spent.

Langley Advance: Living car free possible

The Langley Advance ran a great piece about living car-free in Langley. Check it out on their website.

Pachal is one of the founders of South Fraser OnTrax, a transit advocacy group based in Langley.

Despite calling for more rail and more buses for the South of the Fraser region, Pachal drove a car, a leased Hyundai Accent, until recently.

The end of his lease gave him a chance to practise what he preaches, he said.

Rail in Washington

Did you know that since 1994 Washington State has invested $280 million for the Amtrack Cascades passenger rail service between Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland? Washington State has also allocated $344.3 million to both passenger and freight rail infrastructure since 2003. From 2005 to 2009, they will be spending $201 million on passenger rail alone. Of course this is only about 3% of all money budgeted for infrastructure in the state ($10.7 billion has or will be spent on road since 2003), but it is way better than what we are currently doing in Canada. As a note, in late July/early August there will be four trains a day between Vancouver, BC and Seattle.


Also interesting is that Washington State has been buying up rail lines (they own 3 currently.) They see rail as a key part of the economy.

Another interesting fact from BNSF: 40% of all goods travel through rail in the US, but rail is only responsible for 13% of overall transportation costs. It would seem that rail is the most effective and efficient way of moving goods.

For passenger rail, $5 – 6 billion will need to be spent in the next 15 year to bring the Amtrak service up to par. This seems to be a reasonable amount of money (about the same cost of 2 UBC SkyTrain lines.) I had a converstation with a fellow at WSDOT Rail, and learned that they are currently updating the long range vision for passenger rail in the state. He told me that (just like Canada), the federal government will need to providing funding for many of these projects to go forward.

Anyway, the point of today’s story is that rail transportation delivers the most bang-for-your-buck compared to other, more rubber-based, solutions.

As the US Congress The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission said in their recent report:

Our Nation will need to put more emphasis on transit and intercity passenger rail and make them a priority for our country. A cultural shift will need to take place across America to encourage our citizens to take transit or passenger rail when the option is given. It is also important to increase the market share for freight rail…

Streetcar Photos from Melbourne Australia

Here are some pictures from trams (light rail) in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne has the third largest tramway network in the world and the largest outside Europe, with approximately 480 vehicles in service on 29 routes covering 245 kilometres of double track. Thanks to Mr. Brent Graham, Project Director for the Rail Group in Melbourne for some of these pictures!

Enjoy.

ConfusingBus

I have been car free for about a week now. It has been good, but as I have been riding the bus more, there are some things that are very frustrating about the system out here in Langley that I am noticing. The first is bus routing.

You need a masters degree in transit timetable reading to figure out where the 501 [Langley Centre]/590 [Langley South] (this is the same bus route, BTW) goes.


From the timetable:

+ Operates as a 590 Surrey Central Station.
x When school open, routes from 200th St. via 72nd Ave., 202A St., 80th Ave.,
200th St.; then regular route.

– 501 (both directions)
Operates locally at all stops for pick-up and drop-off between Langley
Centre and Surrey Central Station.
– 590 to Surrey Central Station
Stops for pick-up and drop-off are made at all local stops up to and
including Guildford Exchange. Beyond this point stops are made for
drop-off only at Surrey Central Station.
– 590 to Langley South
Stops for pick-up only at Surrey Central Station and 104th Ave. at 150th.
Starting at Guildford Exchange stops are made for both pick-up and
drop-off at all stops to their termini.

Sometimes the 590 [Langley South] only goes to Walnut Grove (which is really North Langley), so figure that out…

Case in point: This weekend the bus driver on the 501 wasn’t sure which routing he was suppose to take on a trip. He spent 5min looking at HIS routing information.

I’m sure Translink could fix this (and other) route's timetable/signage/numbering and make it less confusing for all parties.

To give Translink some credit, the 502 has three different termini, but the timetable and bus signage make it pretty easy to figure out where you’re going.

The second easy fix for Translink is to put the bus route and destination on ALL their bus stop. More often then not, you’ll just get a sign that says “Bus Stop.” This is a throwback to the BC Transit days. The transit systems in Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco (to name a few), all put the bus routing number and destination on their signs. From personal experience, it really sucks to be on the wrong side of the street when a bus comes every 30min – 60min.

Bad Sign


Better Sign


Calgary Sign



Translink’s new SMS texting service is great, but it too doesn’t tell you the route’s destination.

Anyway, that my rant and I believe both of my concerns could be addressed for a minimum amount of money ($200k-$300k). In 2007, Translink spent $200k to spruce up Main Street bus service. Surely they could spent the same and spruce up the whole system.

A confusing transit system will not help attract new riders to the system.


Translink Photos from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paradigm4/
Calgary Transit Photos from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/missvincci/

Township Mayor and Council to Meet with Two Rail Groups

Today's Langley Times reports on a meeting regarding light rail transit (LRT) that will take place.

Kevin Falcon

On Friday both the Langley Times and the Langley Advance carried letters from Kevin Falcon, Minister of Transportation. The letters promise a study of light rail and other options. While South Fraser OnTrax certainly welcomes such a study, we would like to see some time lines for this study, along with a scope of work and methodology.

We hope that this will be an independent study and not any self-fulfilling prophecy that is driven by past decisions. But with public awareness and press coverage for light rail at an all-time high, we can appreciate that the Ministry will need to be open and transparent heading into a provincial election in another year. Not that we are suggesting that he has not been transparent in the past. But well-meaning staff can sometimes sideline forward-thinking solutions.

Some 14+ communities across North America have scrapped plans for rapid bus service (which TransLink is currently embracing going forward). The rapid bus or Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has failed to attract "choice riders" (people that can drive cars if they wish). So these communities are switching to light rail, which their studies have proved will be attractive to those with cars. Therefore, SFOT is hoping that this promised study will include a look at those communities that have decided to dump rapid bus service.

The Minister mentions farmlands or the ALR. We have a simple solution. Give us service on the old Interurban like just from Langley to Surrey as a test case. Add Abbotsford and other communities when we are approaching proper ridership demands for that. It would be fairly inexpensive as compared with other options, and would begin to solve some problems south of the Fraser.

Paul Hillsdon

In a bit of older news, blogger Paul Hillsdon has announced his intention to run for Surrey City council. Check out his campaign site for more information. The Province also ran a piece on his campaign.

Complete Roads

One of the objectives of South Fraser OnTrax is to see the building, and retrofitting, of complete roads that provide equal access to all form of transportation (from walking to driving.) This currently isn’t happening on the majority of our roadways in the South Fraser. As an example, the bus stop near my work is a pole surrounded by mud with no sidewalks.

While doing a search, I came across a website called Complete Streets. It’s full of great information, so I suggest that you check it out.

Implementation Help

An effective complete streets policy should prompt transportation agencies to:

* Restructure their procedures to accommodate all users on every project.
* Re-write their design manuals to encompass the safety of all users.
* Re-train planners and engineers in balancing the needs of diverse users.
* Create new data collection procedures to track how well the streets are serving all users.

Happy long weekend!

Car Culture in Cartoon

So, I found this video at Vintage ToonCast. It is interesting to see that in this cartoon there are still streetcars and other forms of public transportation, but at the same time you can see how the love affair with the auto was at it's beginning. (If you look at the roads, you can see the streetcar tracks. :-) ) Too bad they ripped them up for Susie...

PS: The streetcar really was the antagonist in this feature.

Green Buildings and Renovations Made Easy

Over at my live/work office suite I have some great neighbours, and a young couple, Jesse and Melissa Roberts two awesome examples. Melissa is an interior designer, and we got talking about sustainability the other night in anticipation of tonight's Township of Langley Sustainability Cafe that we plan to attend.

Melissa followed up with me by sending me a very cool website link that we have added to our SFOT website's resource section. The Light House Sustainability Centre is a non-profit group that will do everything from educating us on sustainable building materials, to managing a sustainable home project!

The website is full of some exceptional information, including a sourcing guide for products. Want to green your home? Buy this kit. Need some new tile for your kitchen back splash or shower? How about some recycled glass tiles? Or perhaps some rubber flooring for your garage?

Light House holds Green Building 101 workshops for home owners and Strata Corporations. I hope to visit the centre soon, and also attend one of these workshops in the near future. I sure wish I had seen this website before I had major renovations done to my Walnut Grove home. Thanks Mel and we'll see you guys tonight at the cafe!

Please Do Not Take Transit

Before you attack us, we here at South Fraser OnTrax are not saying this, TransLink is! Yes, the very people that should be advocating for people to take transit have a new advertising campaign that was written up in today's Vancouver Sun. Maybe the ad campaign that encourages people to carpool and cycle to help them deal with high gasoline prices is related to our overcrowded and inadequate transit services? Some quotes from the article...

"Our problem -- and it's a nice one to have -- is that people want more than what we have to give and we're trying to expand the system."

Ridership: With the region's limited supply of roads and expanding population, one of TransLink's prime goals is to provide alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle. Between 2003 and 2007, the number of revenue passengers per capita, a standard measure in the transit field, grew 13.4 per cent. Last year, for every resident of the region, 76.5 paying trips were recorded.

Satisfaction: Overcrowding and insufficient service were the reasons, according to TransLink, that last year less than half of riders surveyed rated the system as "good to excellent." In 2004, the average rating out of 10 was 7.5 and that declined to 7.1 in 2007.

So of the people using the system, many we know don't have cars, rate the system 7.5 out of 10. Just imagine what the people with vehicles that TransLink's primary goal is to coax them out of their cars think of the system!

TransLink should be providing the product that the public wants. In the South Fraser region we want true light rail to connect us to our other SF neighbours, with a connection to SkyTrain. The drivers of single occupancy vehicles (SOV's) want this as well. Smart marketing would be to give the people the product they desire. Build it and the SOV operators will come. Use these advertising dollars to complete the studies to make that happen.

Today's Stephen Rees's Blog may provide you with some additional insight and thoughts. Stephen mentions the Golden Ears Bridge and how it leaped ahead on the project list thanks to tolling. But this project also jumped over the replacement of the 100 year old railroad bridge in New Westminster to an inter-modal bridge that would ease heavy rail freight traffic in the South Fraser and possibly allow for high-speed Amtrak passenger rail service to Seattle. The replacement of the Pattullo Bridge was also bypassed.

The New West rail bridge and the Pattulo were listed as #1 and #2 priority infrastructure projects under the Gateway plans. You can access massive amounts of reports and PowerPoint presentations on these bridge replacements on the net from 2000 - 2008. So if Gateway is so critical to our success, why have these two bridges been ignored and why haven't we focused on increasing passenger rail success by replacing this New Westminster rail bridge with a modern inter-modal one?

Paul Hillsdon has some great Interurban information on his Blog. Check it out!

Cyclist Safety

Mr. Thang Vu of Burnaby knows first-hand just how dangerous our cars and roadways can be. As an avid cyclist, Thang has been struck and injured several times by cars. He believes that our federal government should do something about the problem. So, Thang Vu has been taking the time to visit area municipal councils, asking that they approve motions for them to write to Ottawa.

Thang wants the Canadian Federal Government to convene a federal hearing to examine the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Motor Vehicle Transport Act. The Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides the legal framework for automobile manufacturers, and the Motor Vehicle Transport Act deals with trucks and buses. Specifically, Thang is hoping the feds will examine the engineering specification of our autombiles. Things like weight, width, speed, and related design specifications. The weight of vehicles is a major concern for cyclists and pedestrians that are struck by cars and trucks each year. The ultimate success from these hearings in Thang's opinion, would be for the government to require vehicle manufactures to produce lightweight, narrow, and speed-restricted automobiles.

Thang points out that such vehicle designs would provide additional benefits to society through improved road safety, a savings for our economy, and reduce our environmental impact.

I'm sure if a bunch of people sent e-mails to the following people requesting this hearing, it would happen soon:

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Federal Transport Minister - mintc@tc.gc.ca
Mervin Tweed, Chair of House of Commons Transport Committee - tweed.m@parl.gc.ga
Maxime Ricard, Clerk - House of Commons Transport Committee - tran@parl.gc.ca

Complete Roadways

South Fraser OnTrax lists "Complete Roadways" under our issues and solutions and we believe this roadway design may be more effective and do-able than the changes to vehicle design. Besides, even if new designs were required for the automobile manufacturers, they would be given years to implement and then we would have to wait for all the older, non-compliant vehicles to die off. In addition to vehicle design issues, our local communities can also help solve these problems in a very meaningful way. The roadway design concept of "complete roads" allows for distinct travel lanes for pedestrians, cyclists, streetcars/light rail cars and finally automobiles. Complete roadways are awesome and should be designed into the plans of every community!

Unfortunately our current local street scenes in the Langleys include cycle lanes that end abruptly, sidewalks that force you to cross the road for safety, and many roads that would kill you if you tried to walk or cycle on them. Doesn't that picture of a complete roadway from Australia invite you to get out of your car and walk, cycle, or take the streetcar?