The five options for the Massey Tunnel Replacement Project miss a crucial sixth choice, according to local transportation expert Stephen Rees: to build a lighter structure for trains or rapid transit.
Our priority shouldnt be to cater to cars, we need to increase public transport and make it inconvenient for people to use cars, he said.
Rees will be the keynote speaker at a forum Have Options, Will Travel: The Future of Transportation in Richmond next Tuesday at the Ralph Fisher Auditorium in Richmond General Hospital.
The forum, organized by the Richmond Poverty Response Committees Transportation Task Force, includes a panel discussion featuring local experts on topics such as car shares, cycling and public transit.
It comes a week after B.C. Transportation Minister Mary Polak announced she would work with the TransLink mayors council to find new funding sources for increased public transit by the fall, or at least until the election.
Rees, however, finds it unlikely the government will make this a priority, given its focus on increasing highways and the replacement of the Massey Tunnel, rather than public transit in the region.
Richmond, in particular, still reflects the notion that everyone will drive everywhere, causing other forms of transportation to be put on the back burner or implemented as an after thought.
The bike lane along No. 3 Road, for example, its a half-hearted attempt at a bike lane, said the Richmond resident of 13 years. Cars are still the priority here.
Similarly, rapid transit consists of the ends of the Canada Line with little thought to what happens after.
Were forgetting about the ends of the trip, he said. The connecting buses are usually infrequent and inconvenient, so people end up driving anyway.
Rees, a retired regional planner, sees the situation improving both naturally and deliberately. As the times change, he predicts car usage will further decline.
Young people arent using cars, he said. Theres been a decline in car use across North America, so perhaps thats a straw in the wind. The baby boomers arent going to be commuting for much longer.
The dream of living in the suburbs with 2.1 kids is evolving, where people are instead gravitating towards city centres and a proximity to public transit, according to Rees. However, the change is still gradual.
In the meantime, the city can put pressure on making cars inconvenient. On the one hand, park-and-rides should decrease as they encourage people to still drive to public transit stations. On the other, mixed-use neighbourhoods should increase with more variety in each pocket.
Separated land use is a problem, said Rees. You have these neighbourhoods with rows and rows of houses, and theres nothing within walking distance. Most people have lived in the suburbs all their lives and dont want to change this, but it must change.
The forum runs from 7 to 9 p.m. The panel features Michael Gordon on walk and roll, Eric Doherty on transit, Arno Schortinghuis on cycling and Bruno Vernier on car sharing. Refreshments will be served at 6:45 p.m.
