Rapid transit and sustainable growth were, as anticipated, key elements of Vancouver's Mayor Gregor Robertson's address to the Urban Land Institute (ULI) on May 6.
No surprise, top of the Mayor's wish list was an underground rapid transit system for the Broadway Corridor. "This is the busiest bus route in North America," he stated, adding the most critical section is between Arbutus Street and the Commercial/Broadway SkyTrain station.
But he also stressed this area is a job hub that's not getting the attention and respect is deserves. "It is currently home to the largest cluster of health care west of Toronto25 million square feet of business/commercial/institutional space. It provides more jobs than the east core of Vancouver, Metrotown, Richmond City Centre, Surrey City Centre, Lonsdale Quay, and Coquitlam combined. Two hundred thousand people live and work in this corridor and another 150,000 will move there in the next 30 years."
Citing a City study based on TransLink trip diary data, Robertson suggested a subway transit system designed with existing SkyTrain technology could expect to see ridership of 250,000 and 50,000 cars taken off the road on opening daymore than the Port Mann Bridge or the proposed Massey Tunnel replacement. "The cost per rider would be lower than any other route, and it would inject upwards of $200 million [into the economy] over the next 10 years."
Construction, Robertson also noted, is booming in Vancouver with building permits for the first quarter of 2014 up a whopping 63% over the same period last year. Much of that growth is fuelled by small business. "Vancouver has the most small businesses per capita of any city in North America. We are a city of entrepreneurs and home to a quarter of the clean tech companies in Canada."
Looking ahead, Robertson stressed that he believes Vancouver is well positioned for continued global success. "This city is being built on foresight and bold decisions that respect our past but look forward to the right future. I've never been more excited about Vancouver."
