Respondents favour a tunnel, and want the City to help protect businesses & residents along the route during construction
The final results are now available of an on-line survey (PDF) of local residents and businesses regarding the completion of the Millennium Rapid Transit Line to central Broadway and UBC.
I want to thank everyone who took time from their busy schedules to complete the survey and give us their ideas. The public consultation process we have initiated in partnership with the City of Vancouver and Translink will give residents, businesses and community organizations the opportunity to help shape the future of their communities for generations to come.
More than 1850 surveys were completed at www.samsullivan.ca between November 3, 2007 and January 30, 2008. In January, the Province of British Columbia announced their plan to construct a $2.8 billion UBC Rapid Transit Line as part of their province-wide transit strategy.
More than 87% of our survey respondents say they – or a member of their family – would use a completed Millennium/UBC Line. Of those, 48% would no longer use the existing bus service and 28% would be able to leave their car at home. Other key results include:
- Most feel a tunnel system (37%) under Broadway (34%) is the best technology and route for Millennium/UBC Line. 22% favour an elevated Skytrain, 10.5% support streetcar or light rail and 27% want a combination.
- When asked to choose between the least expensive route and the least disruptive route, respondents choose the least disruptive (35% to 18.5%).
- More than 2/3 of respondents want to see the Millennium Line completed all the way to UBC. Only 26% support a phased project.
- An overwhelming amount of respondents (91%) want the municipal government to be an active participant in the project’s formal environmental assessment to protect the interest of businesses & residents.
- More than 82% support the establishment of a Business Improvement Association along Broadway in concert with this project.
In addition to protecting the environment and increasing access to UBC, the survey respondents want to see the UBC Line completed to increase access to connecting transit routes, the Broadway business district and health services around VGH. We will consider these results very carefully as we go forward in the coming weeks.
Most of the survey respondents and their families live in Vancouver, Burnaby/New Westminster or UBC (83%). Their principle transit destination is Vancouver (51%) or UBC (33%). More than 77% travel along the Broadway corridor/Millennium Line now. 59% use the current service daily or several times a week.
Respondents used the 99 B-Line more than any other service (45%). Of those 99 B-line users that responded, 48% say they are “passed up” by buses at least 4 times a week.
Click here to download a complete copy of survey results (PDF). In addition to the survey, Councillor Anton and I have met with Broadway businesses, UBC students and other project stakeholders over the past number of months. More announcements about public consultation will take place in the coming weeks.
Sam Sullivan
MAYOR
