New Deal Needed for Transit to Prevent 50% Cut in Bus Service Starting in 2026

The provincial government has been a strong supporter of TransLink services. When the pandemic hit, the provincial government was there to provide bridge funding to maintain transit service levels, is building the Broadway Subway and Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, and most recently provided $300 million to get the ball rolling on Bus Rapid Transit.

Since the pandemic, TransLink's revenue has been less than its expenses, even as transit ridership continues to smash records in our region. There are a few reasons for this.

The regional fuel tax has been a significant funding source for TransLink, but it has rapidly decreased as fuel efficiency has increased and people are purchasing more and more EVs.

Local road congestion is a significant cost driver as TransLink needs more buses on the road to maintain the same service frequency (more congestion means slower buses.)

Also, inflation has caused a massive increase in the cost of providing transit services.

TransLink's budget must be balanced. Starting in 2026, TransLink will have drained its reserve and need to start cutting service if we stay on the current course.

For our part, the Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation called for an efficient audit, which resulted in TransLink implementing $91 million in annualized cost savings.

TransLink also has a bus speed and reliability program. TransLink works with municipalities to speed up bus service, which saves money. We have several bus lanes in Langley City that TransLink 100% funded. We will need more in the region, and municipalities must step up.

The mayors are also willing to increase fares modestly and property taxes significantly, but this alone won't solve the funding issue unless we were to triple the TransLink portion of property tax, which most people would find unreasonable.

We will need the province to unlock additional ongoing and sustainable funding for transit service in our region. The federal government must also come to the table for ongoing and sustainable funding. If not, the results will be bleak.

If we continue with our current revenue sources, starting in 2026, bus service will be cut between 45~50%. SeaBus service will be slashed 15%-30%. SkyTrain service will be cut 10%-30%, the West Coast Express may be cancelled, and HandyDART will only service medical trips.

The following maps look at two possible scenarios to achieve these cost reductions.

Scenario 1: Maximize Ridership. Only the blue bus lines remain. Select the map to enlarge.

Scenario 2: Maximize Coverage. Only the blue bus lines remain. Select the map to enlarge.

As someone who relies on transit, I know these cuts would devastate people in our region and our economy. It would also spike up congestion on our roads. I will do everything I can to ensure that these nightmare scenarios do not come to pass. As I stated earlier, I believe the province and the federal government strongly support transit. I also know the mayors' strongly support transit. I am hopeful that together, we will continue to partner to ensure we have a sustainably funded transit system that meets the needs of our growing population.

$18.6 Million Fraser Highway Oneway Renewal Project Construction Starting in About a Month

On Monday night, Langley City Council approved tendering the Fraser Highway Oneway Renewal project to B&B Heavy Civil Construction Ltd. This project is the most significant project undertaken by the City since I have been on Council.

Render of streetscape improvements along Fraser Highway Oneway. Select image to enlarge.

The project includes replacing underground infrastructure along Fraser Highway and a small section of 206th Street, some of which was around when people still rode horses, and our community was called Langley Prairie.

The project will see the replacement of water, sewer, and storm sewer pipes as well as the undergrounding of hydro from 204th Street to 206th Street along Fraser Highway and along 206th Street between Douglas Crescent and Fraser Highway.

It will also include renewing the roadway and sidewalks along the Fraser Highway Oneway. The project will widen the sidewalks to accommodate streetside cafe/restaurant seating and allow businesses to put their goods on the sidewalk while maintaining adequate walking space. It will also include planting nearly ninety street trees and enhanced public street furniture (benches and tables).

Map of project phases. Select to enlarge.

The project will be constructed in three phases. Vehicle access will be maintained for the phases not under construction. Walking access to all businesses will be maintained at all times. Langley City has added additional parking at City Hall to account for the loss of parking during the construction of the Oneway section. The City will ensure enhanced wayfinding to direct people to parking and extra signage to assure people that all businesses are open during construction.

The project is scheduled to take about 270 days to complete.

Communication will be essential during construction. Besides keeping business owners and our community up to date, the City will also form a business liaison committee with representatives from the Fraser Highway Oneway business community and the City to ensure good two-way communication.

The total project cost is $18.6 million, which includes a $1.7 million contingency. The City issued the oversight contract to Aplin & Martin Consultants Ltd.

The project is scheduled to start at the end of August/beginning of September. This project is co-funded with the Province's Growing Communities Fund.

Langley City Council Approves Beefed Up Compensation and Relocation Policy for Tenants in Purpose-Built Rental Buildings Subject to Redevelopment

Since I can remember, Langley City has had a policy to ensure that the number of purpose-built rental housing units in our city never decreases; in fact, the number of purpose-built rental units has increased over the years. If a purpose-built rental building is ever redeveloped, the number of rental units must be replaced one-for-one.

While this policy was in place for decades, the first significant redevelopment project of a purpose-built apartment building occurred with the Centreville Apartment at 20785 Fraser Highway in 2021. At the time, Langley City Council and staff acted quickly to implement an interim tenant relocation policy that required assisting tenants in relocating to another purpose-built rental home in Langley City, Township, or Surrey and provided a small amount of compensation above and beyond the provincial requirements.

At the time, Council acknowledged that we needed to enhance this policy to increase compensation and provide additional support for tenants in finding new homes. We adopted an enhanced policy in 2022, which you can read in a previous blog post. This policy was in place when Council received our next major redevelopment application for a purpose-built rental building, Pyramid Apartments, at 5360 -204th Street.

Based on the experience of the Pyramid Apartment project and the fact that rents have gone sky-high, Council asked Langley City staff to develop a significantly more robust policy that would maximize compensation, relocation support, and the ability to return to the new building at a below-market rental rate while still making redevelopment projects viable. The City hired a land economist to help us develop this policy.

This first change was an increase in compensation as follows:

Up to 5 years tenancy: 2 months of current rent -> 4 months of current rent
6 to 10 years tenancy: 3 months of current rent -> 8 months of current rent
11 to 15 years tenancy: 4 months of current rent -> 12 months of current rent
16-20 years tenancy: 5 months of current rent -> 14 months of current rent
Over 20 years tenancy: 6 months of current rent -> 16 months of current rent

As with our previous policy, we defined a “vulnerable” tenant. “Vulnerable” tenants qualify for additional support. We broadened who qualifies for additional support to people who have one or more of the following attributes:

• Are seniors aged 55 or older
• Have a recognized disability pension or are considered disabled for income tax purposes
• Qualify for deep subsidy or Rent Geared to Income (RGI) Units, according to BC Housing eligibility criteria
• Are currently paying monthly rent that is equivalent to or less than average monthly rents for RGI units in the City

If a “vulnerable” tenant is relocated to non-market priced rental housing, their updated compensation is as follows:

Up to 5 years tenancy: 4 months of current rent -> 12 months of current rent
6 to 10 years tenancy: 4 months of current rent -> 12 months of current rent
11 to 15 years tenancy: 4 months of current rent -> 14 months of current rent
16-20 years tenancy: 5 months of current rent -> 15 months of current rent
Over 20 years tenancy: 6 months of current rent -> 16 months of current rent

If a “vulnerable” tenant is relocated to market-priced rental housing, they automatically get 16 months of rent as compensation, no matter what.

The updated policy also increased moving expense compensation.

When a building is redeveloped and its replacement building opens, tenants have the right to return at 20% below the current market rent.

Finally, the policy has been enhanced to require developers to find a home for tenants who are being relocated with rents at or less than CMHC’s average rent in the City, suitable for the tenant’s needs, and with the same number of bedrooms as the tenant’s current unit. For “vulnerable” tenants, the relocation support goes further, requiring a developer to find non-market, subsidized units.

I encourage you to read the full updated policy. We must take care of people in our community, and this updated policy further supports people who may find themselves in a purpose-built rental building undergoing redevelopment. Updating this policy was a key priority for Council, and I’m happy it was adopted last night.

Provincial Transit Housing Areas: More Apartments North of the Fraser River

The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently created a model that shows the probability of where people could build additional apartments (both low-rise and high-rise) as a result of new provincial housing legislation and regulations that set minimum densities around SkyTrain Stations, Bus Exchanges, and West Coast Express Stations.

This model shows additional apartment buildings; for example, you'll see on the maps that there is no change in Langley City, as our Official Community Plan was already basically consistent with the new provincial rules.

Probability of additional densification: High-rise apartments

Probability of additional densification: Low-rise apartments

The red areas are where more apartments are most likely to be built, the yellow areas are medium, and the green areas are less likely.

Metro Vancouver staff make a few observations. The first is that these changes will not impact population growth, which is good. The second is that it will focus more housing along transit corridors.

My observation is that it may focus more housing growth back north of the Fraser River. My second observation is that we will need a well-funded transit system to support increasing the amount of housing near transit, which isn't the case right now.