Walnut Grove Park and Ride

Way back on March 8th, TransLink hosted an open house for the new Walnut Grove Park and Ride. You can check out the FAQ and Information Board PDF that they posted on their website. I wanted to point out a few interesting things.

One of the big transit features of the Gateway Program is RapidBus. For Langley, that means bus service from at least the new Walnut Grove Park and Ride to Lougheed in 25 minutes running every 15 minutes. The interesting thing is that according to page two of the information board PDF, there will be no RapidBus on opening day. This is probably due to the fact that while the province will be paying for the new buses, they aren't paying for the cost of operating the service which would be millions a year. It like buying your friend a cell phone and sticking them with the contract and monthly bill.

Also interesting to note is that the Township of Langley was hoping for a vanpool/bus only underpass between Walnut Grove and the new park and ride. Apparently, it will now be your standard two or more passenger HOV lane. On the bright side there will be a multi-use trail as part of the underpass and there will also be bike parking.

The Walnut Grove park and ride has actually gotten many people excited about mixed-use and TOD development, and I know that there are a few developments in the pipe for this area since the announcement of the park and ride. What remains to be seen is if the region's mayors will come up with a funding formula before the civic election this fall to pay for this and other transit improvements like the Evergreen Line, and future Surrey and UBC rapid transit lines. Don't hold your breath.