With an expected one million people settling into the Metro Vancouver region over the next 30 years, and 80,000 of those coming to Richmond, the need for increased public transit is reaching a critical point.
In 1997, the City of Vancouver made a conscious decision to develop without adding increased capacity for automobiles. More people entered the downtown core as a result and it reduced the amount of vehicles in the area by 20 per cent.
Richmond is doing something similar with its City Centre Area Plan, which calls for development to take place adjacent or close to the Canada Line, with less provisions for vehicles. Many of its proposals, however, are subject to public acceptance.
This should be the case, to a certain extent. But people are always going to kick up a stink about change.
The cities, it seems, are doing their bit to locate people close to public transit. So where then does the responsibility fall? Without a doubt, more needs to be done on a regional level.
TransLink largely depends on funding from the Ministry of Transportation.
However, it seems the ministry is still intent on prioritizing car-dependant projects - despite figures that show car ownership is decreasing, while an aging population becomes more dependent on public transit.
Instead, the province announced a public funding referendum for next year, asking people how TransLink should be funded.
Boiling down a complicated issue like this into one question has the potential to go very wrong, while conveniently allowing the province to shed responsibility.
The referendum can divide the region if not enough is done to engage the public before they vote and educate them on the benefits of working together towards an effective solution.
TransLink, for its part, is looking to turn SkyTrain stations into commercial hubs as a way to generate revenue. And it's about time. It's reported to make $700,000 a year off its retail spaces compared to a city like Toronto, which draws $4 million.
It's yet another example - after-the-fact fare gate installation being the first - of a solution that seems obvious to other cities, but our governing body seems to have missed.
The region faces high demand now, let alone in 20 years, and is struggling to keep up. Its wheels need to turn faster, before we get left even further behind.
