Thursday, March 28, 2024

TransLink's Wacky Governance Structure Needs to Change

Spider Man Triple Meme

About a month ago, I was at a Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation meeting where we heard from around a dozen delegations on a specific alignment for a proposed RapidBus route running through Burnaby. Recently, I've received emails from others in Burnaby about this proposed RapidBus project.

I am a member of the Mayors' Council, one of two governing bodies of TransLink, and we've heard many presentations from residents and received many emails about how folks would like to see transit service changed. There is one problem. The Mayors' Council doesn't control the day-to-day operations of TransLink; the TransLink Board does. The TransLink Board is independent and autonomous from the Mayors' Council. The Board is comprised of a majority of unelected folks.

I would bet that 95% of people in Metro Vancouver think that the Mayors' Council controls and oversees TransLink even though we don't in reality. People expect, rightfully so, that democratically elected folks have control over public services such as transit.

Not to get too much into the weeds, but the Mayors' Council is responsible for raising fares and taxes for TransLink and setting the high-level direction for transit and road investments. The TransLink board is responsible for TransLink's annual budget and oversees day-to-day operations. TransLink management is controlled by and accountable to the TransLink board, not the Mayors' Council.

The simplest way I can describe this TransLink governance setup is like the US Congress with its House of Representatives and Senate (if the US Senate was unelected). If things are going well, we slowly progress, but it doesn't take much to jam up the works.

Here is a simple example of the silliness of TransLink governance. The Mayors' Council approved the Bus Rapid Transit route roughly along 200th Street, connecting Maple Ridge to Langley City via the Township of Langley, while the TransLink Board will approve the actual detailed alignment of this Bus Rapid Transit route.

I would have said no if you asked me a year ago if TransLink governance was an issue. Today, I think it is an issue. What brought this to light for me is the process of trying to solve TransLink's pending bankruptcy.

The main problem is that the Mayors' Council is accountable to the public for TransLink, but we are not responsible for its day-to-day operations. Accountability and responsibility have to be linked.

Originally, TransLink only had one governing body comprised of a majority of elected folks. The current governance setup came about when the province and region disagreed on the timing of the Canada Line versus the Evergreen Extension. The province wanted the Canada Line to be built first due to the 2010 Olympics. The province stripped the region of day-to-day decision making over TransLink because of this disagreement.

To set up TransLink for continued success, considering the enormous financial and service delivery challenges we must address, we need to go back to one governing body of elected folks to oversee TransLink to ensure we can move forward in a good way.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Staving Off Transit Cuts for One Year: TransLink's Stop-Gap Investment Plan

TransLink Bus

TransLink provides public transit service in Metro Vancouver, manages certain bridges, and funds major roads, cycling, and walking infrastructure.

While we are now experiencing overcrowding on transit services throughout our region, a significant decrease in gas tax and massive inflation over the last few years combined with post-pandemic-restriction travel patterns means that TransLink will go bankrupt in a few years.

If the mayors were to try to fix TransLink's funding problems on their own, it would mean a 400% one-time TransLink property tax increase, plus 4-5% property tax increases annually in the future after that. Even the provincial government understands that this massive increase is unreasonable. The province government and mayors are working towards fixing this TransLink funding crisis. In the meantime, the mayors and the province are proposing a one-year, stop-gap plan to keep TransLink going, including some modest increases in transit service.

This one-year plan will be funded by a modest 2.3% fare increase this year and a 4% increase in 2025. 50% of households in Metro Vancouver will see a one-time increase in TransLink property tax, ranging from $10 to $91, depending on their home value. 50% of households will pay less than $37 in additional TransLink property tax. TransLink will roll back this property tax increase if the province doesn't come to the table with new funding tools for TransLink within the following year. In addition, the region's mayors would have to start planning for a 50% reduction in transit service in Metro Vancouver. This massive cut is something that no one wants.

This one-year stop-gap plan includes:

  • Addressing overcrowding and increasing off-peak service on about one-quarter of the bus routes in our region.
  • Extending service hours on 11 routes (322, 324, 341, 342, 363, 364, 430, 531, 560, 561, 595)
  • Introducing a new route to serve Surrey's East Fraser Heights
  • Starting the SeaBus 15 minutes earlier on weekday mornings
  • Improving late evening HandyDart service
  • Increasing frequency of the Canada Line during peak travel periods
  • Increasing capacity on West Coast Express
  • Purchasing new buses to support Bus Rapid Transit
  • Continuing zero-emission bus rollout
  • Continuing to fund the Bus Speed and Reliability Program (Bus Lanes, Queue Jumping Lanes, Bus Priority Signals.)
  • Continuing to fund roading, cycling, and walking infrastructure programs

Please read about this one-year 2024 Investment Plan on TransLink's website for more information. You can also provide your feedback there.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Langley City Council is Heading to Ottawa

Some of the most significant challenges facing Langley City and other Canadian municipalities will require support and collaboration with the federal government. Langley City recently applied for funding from the federal government's Housing Accelerator Fund but was denied funding.

We know that one of the best ways to get support from the federal government is to meet with local MPs in person and with other federal ministers, public servants, and members of all political parties.

Given the urgent need for federal investment in housing, infrastructure, and cultural amenities, Langley City Council is heading to Ottawa April 16-19 to advocate for our community.

We have meetings arranged with MPs of all political stripes and staff members of various federal ministries and organizations. However, we've had trouble setting up a meeting with Federal Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Minister Sean Fraser.

We thought we'd send him this personalized, positive video request, which we've posted on our social media channels. I hope we get the opportunity to meet with him.

Monday, March 25, 2024

Listen to My Interview on CBC's What On Earth with Laura Lynch - Get on the Bus!

Nathan pointing at R6 Bus Sign at Scott Road Station

Taking transit is a great way to get around; it helps reduce congestion and keeps our air clean. In fact, even a regular diesel bus with only seven passengers is more efficient than the average single-occupancy vehicle!

Of course, fast and frequent transit service is only available in some places in Canada, and we need to change that.

I was recently interviewed for the CBC show What On Earth with Laura Lynch for their episode "Get on the bus!"

I talked about why transit is vital for urban areas, why transit is good for the environment, how fast and frequent transit works in suburban areas, and what we need to do to keep buses moving through congestion (hint: it's bus lanes). I also touched on some of the transit inequities that exist in Metro Vancouver.

Check out the episode!