Value-added Transportation System - Dr. George Hazel

Last night, I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel for a lecture by Dr. George Hazel on shifting to a value-added, customer driven transportation system.

Hazel started the lecture by sharing the thought that when push comes to shove, the economy will always trump the environment and that affects how we frame the dialogue around building sustainable cities. Hazel's view is that there are only two types of spaces in a city: exchange space and transportation space. Exchange space can be anything from sidewalk cafes, indoor shopping, parks, offices, etc. Transportation spaces are bike lanes, rail lines, bus lanes, car lanes and the like. From an economy standpoint, exchange space is very important as is moving goods and people around cities. This leads to the logical conclusion that you want to find the most efficient way to move the largest amount of goods and people while maximizing exchange space. As it turns out cars and the infrastructure association with cars (wide lanes and parking lots) are the biggest loss of economy potential in cities.

Typical Per-Person Travel Space Requirement. From TDM Encyclopedia.

This is nothing new to most planners, but so often the best plans for a transportation system (like road pricing) die in the water because while it is actually good for a region, people don’t buy in. It’s like how everyone knows that eating veggies are good, but we still go for the potato chips instead. With that in mind, Hazel suggests that we need to reevaluate how we deliver transportation in regions. We need to stop thinking about cars, transit, and bikes and start thinking about the people that use the cars, transit, and bikes. Basically, we need to shift to a customer-focus transportation system based on the retail model.

One of the key take-aways from last night was that transportation providers like TransLink need to focus on adding value to their services. This could range from a loyalty cards system that rewards things like taking transit during peak periods or a smart card payment system that works on transit, taxis, and car share systems with discounts. TransLink could also become a one-stop shop for all your transportation needs in Metro Vancouver from booking a taxi, renting a car, finding a bicycle, and personal planning of your journey through the region. Hazel is currently researching different ways of adding value to transportation systems that use positive incentives to get people to shift to more sustainable travel options. His view is that the stick approach of getting people to change their behaviour has failed and we need more of the carrot.

While politicians like talking about value-for-money and low taxes, all that transportation customers want is service available when and where they need it.

Discussion about the Pattullo Bridge and Roads

One of the things that I find interesting about our region is the small divide when it comes to discussions around transportation. When it comes to discussions about the provisioning of more transit, cycling lanes, and walking paths, there is universal support across the region, but there are some subtle differences though. In places like Surrey and Langley, you can build separated bike lanes and transit to your heart's content, but you must not take away a single inch of lane from the auto. In places like New Westminster and Vancouver, their citizens will allow the reallocation of road space. What makes New Westminster different from Langley City? Why can people North of the river have a rational conversation about our transportation system while in the South of Fraser, we still operating under the assumption that the more cars = good?

The only conclusion that I can think of is that because South of Fraser residents haven’t been exposed to good public transit and a complete cycling network, they don’t see the benefits of a diverse transportation system that puts a priority on active forms of transportation and transit. I bring this up because there is an event happening in New Westminster to discuss the future of the Pattullo Bridge.

In Surrey, the general consensus is to build the biggest bridge possible, but in New Westminster they are questioning every aspect of the bridge including the size and what effect it will have in their community. This was the same type of discussion that went on about the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. The Province wanted a bigger bridge, but the citizens of Vancouver fought to keep it three lanes total with better sidewalks. Anyway, if you are interesting in a good discussion about the Pattullo Bridge...

A community forum is being organized by New Westminster residents Daniel Fontaine and Keith MacKenzie to discuss the future of the existing Pattullo Bridge.

Guest speakers Gordon Price and Prof. Anthony Perl from SFU will be in attendance. We also will have Jerry Behl, Transportation Engineer with the City of New Westminster on the panel.

Come join your neighbours to discuss what is possible for the existing bridge built in 1937. For more information about the forum, you can email pattullobridge@gmail.com. More information is at City Caucus.

Development along 200th Street

Township of Langley Council passed a motion to look at 200th Street as a high density corridor a few years ago though this initiative hasn't really gotten off the ground. The Township finds itself in a bit of a catch 22. Without density TransLink (on a good day) will not provide service, but without transit it’s harder to make the case for density. Of course a lack of transit should not be used as an excuse to prevent an area from becoming pedestrian and cyclist friend. Recently a proposed office development at 8506 200 Street came to Public Hearing in the Township.

Proposed Development at 8506 200 Street

Site Plan

The development is consistent with the current plans for 200th Street, but one of the alarming "features" of this project is the huge parking lot. Research shows that large parking lots are right up there with blank concrete walls in dissuading people from walking or cycling. In the City of Langley, for example, all residential parking is essential required to be underground. This creates a pedestrian friendly environment. The Township should seriously look at making structured parking a requirement for areas like 200th Street which they eventually want to see transformed into an urban corridor because right now it seems like more land is being wasted on parking than actual buildings which generate jobs for people and income for the municipality. The Township should also consider free-market priced on-street parking to ensure that retail businesses always have some spots available along their block. Interesting enough, on-street parking actually makes pedestrians feel safer because it provides a buffer between them and busy traffic.

Infographic – Government Service Delivery in Metro Vancouver

With the recent controversy over TransLink and Metro Vancouver, it has become apparent that there is broad confusion over which level of government or agency delivers services to people in our region. To help people understand the complexity of service delivery in our region, OnTrax partnered with local graphic artist Sam Bradd to develop an infographic that shows who is responsible for delivering services to people in the region.

Infographic – Government Service Delivery in Metro Vancouver. Click Image to Enlarge.

What becomes apparent when looking at the infographic is that there is a large degree of overlap in service delivery. It shows how our region is really based on cooperation and that all levels of government share the responsibility in providing services to people in Metro Vancouver.

The infographic also shows that the federal government plays a very limited role in the direct delivery of “on the ground” services that people rely on daily. Parks are the one service that all levels of government support directly, which shows the importance of green space for Canadians.

Download a PDF version of the infographic from our document archive. The infographic is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License.