The Mayors' Council and Translink approved Metro Vancouver's 10-year transit plan this morning. Notably, the plan includes the Burnaby Mountain gondola which will link UniverCity to Production Way skytrain station, reducing travel time and increasing reliability for those of us who frequently travel off the mountain. The plan proposes to build the gondola in years 0-5 of the 10-year plan.
Earlier in the meeting, Clea Moray from the UniverCity Community Association addressed the Mayors' Council in support of making the gondola an immediate priority in the 10-year plan, referencing the green house gas reductions that this project will achieve. Joy Johnson, President of SFU, also addressed the council to express SFU's strong support for the gondola and the 10 year plan, and its commitment to support the gondola project however it can.
This vote follows the recent release of the results of a public engagement survey that Translink conducted this spring. Respondents voiced strong support for the 10-year plan, and the Burnaby Mountain gondola proposal was the forth most commented-upon project, with two-thirds of those mentioning the gondola voicing support for this project.
The 10-year plan also includes doubling bus service, adding 450 kilometres of new traffic-separated cycling paths, extending the Millenium Line to UBC, increasing HandyDART service by 60% per cent, and adding nine new traffic-separated Bus Rapid Transit lines. Of note for UniverCity residents, one of the routes put forward for conversion to a BRT line is the R5 bus, which runs from SFU along Hastings to downtown Vancouver. BRT routes will travel in their own dedicated lanes and will have signal priority over general traffic, making them fast and reliable. The BRT vehicles will be electric or zero-emissions.
Rendering of the proposed Burnaby Mountain gondola (TransLink)