Getting Around

Momentum is growing for sustainable transportation

Overview

A strong and environmentally sustainable transportation system enables people to get to their destination quickly, efficiently and with minimal impact on the planet.

Citizen Grade

C

Citizen Priorities

  • 29% Expand public transit
  • 25% Make transit more affordable

  • Public transit 32%

    increase in hours of transit service since 2003, for a total of nearly six million hours 2009

  • Olympic record 5,000

    cyclists rode and more than 10,000 people walked to and from downtown every day during the Winter Games 2010

  • Cycling 90%

    of people feel comfortable riding on routes that are separated from cars while only 51% are comfortable on roads with parked cars 2009

  • Vehicles 6.4

    vehicles for every 10 people in our region, and this number is growing faster than our population 2009

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  • Trends Our transit use is growing

    Transit use and service has been rising in our region for many years.

    • Transit service expanded 32% across our region from 2003 to 2009 to nearly six million service hours, more than double the level in Calgary.
      Translink Annual Report 2009 and Calgary Transit
    • The Canada Line reached ridership capacity in 2009, the year it opened, and is equivalent to 10 major road lanes.
      Translink
  • Challenges We still like our cars
    • Our region has 6.4 vehicles for every 10 people as of 2009. This number is growing faster than our population, though down slightly from the previous year.
      Metro Vancouver

    Make walking easy

    How easy it is to walk around a neighborhood affects how we live. When a neighborhood is walkable, adults drive less, take transit more, and are more physically active The Walkability Index rates our cities in terms of how easy it is to travel by foot.

    Most walkable

    1. Vancouver
    2. New Westminster
    3. White Rock

    BC Recreation and Parks Association

  • Progress Rapid transit lines in development

    Translink has three new rapid transit lines in development

    • The UBC Line and the Surrey Line are in the early stages.
    • The $1.4 billion dollar Evergreen Line, which will connect Coquitlam to Port Moody, is expected to be ready in 2015.
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  • Getting Around - In depth information - Preview

    Infrastructure and capacity

    Roads

    Increased 5% in our region over two years
    2009

    Average commute

    64 minutes to get to and from work, 86 minutes for post-secondary students to get to and from school
    2008

    Cycling routes

    Our region has 991 kilometres of cycling routes which make up less than 10% of our roadways
    2009

    Sustainable transportation

    Sustainable commuting

    25% of residents walked, cycled or took transit to work
    2008

    Transit passes

    1.8 million passes sold in 2009,
    up from 1.1 million in 2002
    2009

    Ridership

    Growing steadily at an average rate of nearly 2.5% a year, faster than our population growth
    2009

    Smart growth

    Walkability

    Vancouver, New West and White Rock top walkability list
    2009

    Car clubs

    Co-operative Auto Network membership rose 43% in two years to 7,000 members
    2010

    Canada Line

    Equal to 10 major road lanes and
    will last 50 to 100 years
    2009

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