Smart Growth Debate Resolution

As you know, South Fraser OnTrax is hosting a debate on Smart Growth on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012. The resolution to be debated is as follows:

WHEREAS, Metro Vancouver’s population is set to climb by more than one million by 2030; and

WHEREAS, Metro Vancouver will experience a doubling of seniors in the next 30 years; and

WHEREAS, the South of Fraser is the fastest growing area in Metro Vancouver; and

WHEREAS, the South of Fraser is the agricultural heart of the region and must be protected; and

WHERAS, local governments are looking to maximize every tax dollar spent; and

WHERAS, local citizen are looking for saving in their household budget; and

WHEREAS, climate change is real and must be mitigated; and

WHEREAS, the current growth pattern and transportation system in the South of Fraser negatively affects human health;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the South of Fraser must build compact, transit-oriented, walkable, and bicycle-friendly neighbourhoods that include a wide range of housing choices, and that the South of Fraser communities must support high-quality transit such as light rail to reduce auto dependence.

South Fraser OnTrax Presents: A Debate on Smart Growth

South Fraser OnTrax would like to invite you to attend a debate on whether or not Smart Growth principles are needed in the South of the Fraser.

Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, whose research has been used by governments worldwide, will be debating Randal O'Toole who is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and who has also taught environmental economics at Yale, UC Berkeley, and Utah State University on the future of land-use and transportation planning in the South of Fraser. Litman is a strong proponent of smart growth principals and high-quality public transit while O’Toole has been an outspoken critic. O’Toole is best known for being critical of the Portland model of land-use planning and implementation of light rail. Litman is best known for his research including the Online TDM [Transportation Demand Management] Encyclopedia.

OnTrax will be hosting this debate with the support of a City of Langley grant and this debate will be moderated by Langley Time editor Frank Buchlotz.:

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
7pm to 9pm
Fraser River Presentation Theatre
Township of Langley Municipal Hall
20338 65 Avenue
Langley, BC V2Y 3J1

This free event is open to all members of the public, who will have the chance to hear both sides of the debate and have the opportunity to question Litman and O’Toole.

Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Please visit southfraser.net for more information and email southfraserblog@yahoo.com to reserve your seat.

Carvolth Plan Update -Mixed-use coming to 200th Street Corridor?

It’s amazing how one park and ride lot can reshape an entire neighbourhood. In November, I posted about an update to the plan for the Carvolth neighbourhood near Highway 1 along the 200th Street corridor. Currently the neighbourhood is doomed to be a “light-industrial” or warehouse district for the Township of Langley. Due to the new park and ride facility being constructed at 202nd Street, the Township wanted to update the plan. Back in November, I liked an early concept for the neighbourhood called “Transit Nodes”. At Monday afternoon’s council meeting, Township Staff presented the final draft version of the plan that will go out for public open house in the next month or so.

Carvolth Plan Update: Red = Mixed-use, Dark Blue = Office-Mixed-use, Brown = Higher-Density Residential, Purple = Light Industrial

The new plan is a modified version of the “Transit Nodes” concept. Overall I’m fairly impressed with this plan, especially with the plan’s mixed-use future for the lands on the east side of 200th Street. On the west side of 200th Street I’m happy that the Township is looking for mixed-use office/retail, but I have to wonder why “light-industrial” use is back on the plan. I know the Township’s Economic Development Advisory Committee has commented in the past that light-industrial land use is the least economically productive use of land. I’d certainly like to see the light-industrial purple on the plan changed to office blue or mixed-use. With a few tweaks to the plan, I can’t wait to see how 200th Street will now start to develop into a transit corridor and 86th Avenue into a high retail street.

Stats prove Surrey should get rapid-transit before Vancouver

Every quarter the American Public Transportation Association releases ridership statistic on transit agencies in Canada and the US. TransLink reports into APTA.

In 2010, TransLink saw 39% growth in ridership on its SkyTrain and Canada Line network while it saw a modest 2% increase in bus and a 3.7% decrease in trolley bus ridership. Up until the third quarter of 2011, TransLink actually saw a modest 1.26% increase in ridership on the SkyTrain and Canada Line, but a further 0.7% decline in trolley bus usage and a 0.3% decrease in regular bus usage.

While the huge growth in rail-based ridership in 2010 was attributed to the Olympics, it is very interesting that TransLink was able to retain all those transit users. In comparison, the trolley bus system and SeaBus (which saw a 8% decrease through the third quarter of 2011) was not successful in capturing new riders. It looks like people really do prefer trains over buses.

On the topic of trolley buses, it’s interesting to note that since 2008 trolley bus ridership has been on the decline. Since these buses only run in Vancouver, has the city seen a flattening out of transit users or peak transit? By the same metric when the Canada Line came online which services “the suburbs”, there was an explosion of growth in transit usage. There are many in Vancouver that do not see beyond Boundary Road and want transit improvements just for themselves. But if these ridership stats are any indication, TransLink will see a more meaning shift of people to transit if they invest in communities like Surrey. In my mind if there is a debate between Surrey or Vancouver getting rapid-transit first, the clear winner should be Surrey.