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CBC: Campbell unveils $14B transit upgrade for B.C.

Provincial Government plan site (and accompanying PDF)

Yes, it’s ambitious, it’s much needed, but it’s still vague and in need of funding. I would definitely like to see the whole thing come to fruition, as it can provide Greater Vancouver with a vastly expanded rapid transit network supported with a bus fleet (most of which will run on alternative fuels) that is almost twice as large as it is now.

However, I find that the vagueness of the thing can derail this plan almost as soon as it’s started. If you look at the maps, the proposed Expo extension to Fleetwood, Millennium extension to UBC, and the Evergreen Line are still described as “conceptual alignments”. The Evergreen Line’s routing and technology is frustratingly unknown. On the other hand, these alignments can be guided through public input, which, for the Expo Line extension, could bring it to Guildford or Newton instead.

The bus rapid transit announcements for Hastings and West 41st are confusing; will these replace the already-announced B-Lines for these arterials, or are they the same thing? Nevertheless, I think the whole plan is a big positive step in providing much-needed transit improvements to the region.