This material has been abstracted from "Livable Region Strategic Plan, 1997 Annual Report" prepared by the GVRD's Strategic Planning Department. The Annual Report reviews progress towards objectives that were set out in the strategic plan and accepted by member municipalities early in 1996.

How are we Doing?

This review uses data from the 1994 Trip Diary Survey and the preliminary results of the 1996 Screenline Survey. Where data is available, comparisons are made with previous surveys undertaken in 1993, 1992 and 1985.

• Car travel is up region-wide, especially across the Fraser River. Volume across the Fraser River North and South Arm screenlines increased by more than 50 percent between 1992 and 1996. In some corridors, the rate of growth in the peak is higher than 24-hour growth.
• Growth in vehicle trips across the eastern boundary of the GVRD will likely exceed plan targets. South of the Fraser River, westbound traffic during the morning peak hour increased by 21% between 1992 and 1996. At this rate, targets set for 2021 will be exceeded by the year 2007.
• There are more commuting trips. Average trip length is unchanged but travel time has increased. Between 1985 and 1994 auto trips to work increased by 40%, consistent with employment growth. Average commute distance remained unchanged at 14 kilometres, but travel time increased dramatically from 19.5 minutes to 26.5 minutes.
• Auto occupancy has declined. Average vehicle occupancy during morning and afternoon rush-hour periods declined significantly at all screenlines. The greatest reductions were into the CBD, across Burrard Inlet, across the South and Main Arm of the Fraser River, and on North Road. Occupancy fell by 5-6% at these locations.
• Transit mode share is unchanged in peak periods but has increased during the midday and evening periods. Increases in off-peak ridership improved transit's 24- hour share from 8% to 10% between 1985 and 1994. Transit ridership is generally up, with strongest growth in the PM.

Implementation of the Livable Region Strategic Plan requires coordinated planning and action among the GVRD, its member municipalities, the Province and adjacent jurisdictions. Some of the key initiatives at this stage in the process are discussed below.

Regional Context Statements.

Municipalities are preparing regional context statements linking local and regional planning. To date, the GVRD Board has accepted statements for the Village of Belcarra and the City of North Vancouver. The goal is to receive all context statements by February 10, 1998.

Implementation Agreements.

The GVRD and the Province have reached agreement on a framework for joint planning and action and a review of transportation governance. Two agreements are involved:

• A Master Implementation Agreement which identifies shared goals and the responsibilities of the partners. This agreement notes the need for more specific agreements on Green Zone policies, provision of major road, highway and transit infrastructure and services, achieving a compact metropolitan region, and creating complete communities.
• A Protocol Agreement on a Comprehensive Review of Transportation Governance and Funding in Greater Vancouver. This agreement sets the framework for negotiations directed toward greater local control over transportation. The GVRD Board has approved principles and objectives for the negotiations, and discussions are currently underway to develop proposals for consideration by all the affected parties.
• A protocol agreement on light rail transit in the Broadway-Lougheed-Coquitlam- New Westminster corridor is currently under discussion with the Province. This agreement would provide a framework for planning, preliminary design, engineering and public consultation.

Other implementation agreements relate to the Agricultural Land Commission and tourism.

Transit Proposals

Current plans for transit expansion fall short of Strategic Plan needs. To meet the needs of the Strategic Plan, Transport 2021 assumed that three light rail transit lines would be in place by 2006 (i.e. Broadway-Lougheed, New Westminster-Coquitlam and Vancouver- Richmond lines). Two additional lines were assumed by 2021 (Whalley-Guildford and Whalley-Newton). On the bus side, the methodology used to estimate fleet requirements translates into 1,900 buses in service during the rush hour in 2006 compared with about 950 buses today. While the figure of 1,900 is not definitive, it does provide a reasonable estimate of future needs.

Currently, approved transit plans provide for two LRT lines by 2008 and a fleet of 1,200 buses in 2005/6. Expansion from 950 to 1,200 buses is a large increase compared with growth over the last 10 years. However, it is well below the Transport 2021 targets for 2006. Moreover, without the LRT line to Richmond, the number of buses required to meet market share targets for 2006 would be still higher.

Other Initiatives

A number of other initiatives have been undertaken. These include:

• Establishing an Intergovernmental Advisory Committee with representation from the GVRD, its member municipalities, the BC Transportation Financing Authority, BC Transit and other agencies.
• Initiating a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program. In February 1997, the Board approved the Trip Reduction Service Implementation Plan Final Report which sets out a three-phase implementation program. As a first step a service would be established to provide individuals and employers with information and support related to alternatives to the single-occupant automobile.

The Livable Region Strategic Plan is rooted in the public's desire for a different kind of region than implied by the development and transportation trends prevalent when the strategy was prepared.

At this stage, the broadest gap between goals and trends, and the area of greatest uncertainty, is transportation. The Strategic Plan relies on a relatively modest expansion of road facilities, strategically improved transit service, and extensive TDM measures. Current road proposals appear to be compatible with the plan. However, current bus transit proposals fall far short of what is required. Development of the Broadway-Coquitlam-New Westminster LRT line is lagging. If the line is completed by 2008, it will have been more than 20 years since the development of SkyTrain. During this time, the GVRD's population will have increased by a million people. This is far too slow a pace of transit development for a city with the size and growth rate of Greater Vancouver.

The rate of transit expansion also influences TDM efforts. Without attractive alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle, TDM efforts beyond the recently-approved Trip Reduction Service cannot be pursued. There does, however, appear to be a broad recognition by all levels of government that action is needed in transportation, and at this stage it is encouraging that negotiations on transportation governance and funding are underway.