Posted May 9, 2008, 4:01 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,019
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After the UBC and Evergreen extensions are built, we'll have a half-decent metro with coverage on most of the routes where that level of service is justified by existing development. I would opt for new lines at both the local and regional level over metro-like skytrain lines and extensions.
On the regional level, I would pick the Southern rail line from Scott Road station to Langley first, with stops at Nordel, Newton, Sullivan, and Cloverdale. Second, I would pick the North Fraser line from Braid to Marine Drive station, with stops at Big Bend, New West, East Fraserlands, and Knight. Both would be operated with half-hour headways all day. Both lines have a lot of development potential. The North Fraser line would be extended in the future to Maple Ridge. The Southern line would be extended to Vancouver with the eventual construction of a new rail/road bridge at Sapperton, which would probably also require purchasing the BNSF line. At some point it would also be branched to White Rock, and the current freight line would be diverted down a new line near 152nd.
For better coverage in Vancouver especially, I would first pick Main and then Kingsway for streetcar lines. Maybe tie it in with a reconstruction/removal of the viaducts and terminate it at Granville and Georgia. A Victoria/Commercial line might be third. All three of these routes follow existing streetcar-suburban strips for most of their length, and I think they would also have good development potential (unlike Arbutus or 41st). This way intensification/densification would be concentrated in a few areas. Hopefully this would bring focus to eco-density-like planning initiatives (area-specific instead of city-wide blanket policies), and not scare too many people at the same time.
There are a few more extensions that could be built to similar a standard as the skytrain that could be added, but I'd hold off for a while. At the most, an Expo line extension to Guildford, Newton, or Fleetwood makes sense. I don't see the Expo line being split again: the frequency on each branch would be too low. A Fleetwood Expo line extension would leave open the possibility of a (lrt) line that connects Guildford to Newton through Whalley. The Guildford/Newton line wouldn't need the capacity of skytrain or require the expense of grade-separation considering how few lights are on that corridor. A Canada/Expo line extension to Central Lonsdale only makes sense if North Van City's willing to accept much more development in Central Lonsdale and either Lower Lonsdale or the Fullerton Fill/Capilano Mall area depending on the route, and that's not going to happen any time soon.
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