Get involved in Transportation 2040 plan; weigh in on viaducts removal

Phew! June doesn’t start for a few days, but it’s already shaping up to be a busy month if you are interested in transportation issues!

Updating Vancouver’s Transportation Plan

Photo: gingergrin

Since last June, the City of Vancouver has been hard at work updating its transportation plan. This June and July, the City will be talking to residents about the plan’s targets and proposing actions to shape how we move around Vancouver in the year 2040.

If you’ve taken a stroll on the Seawall, felt safer riding your bike on a neighbourhood bike greenway, or crossed the street at a bulge from the sidewalk, these are exactly the kinds of improvements for which the City’s previous 1997 transportation plan laid the groundwork.

But what is it that the City needs to think about doing right now in order to continue meeting the transportation challenges on the horizon?

At the Vancouver Public Space Network, we have continually emphasized the close connection between transportation decisions and the quality of our public spaces, and integrating them into all the other concerns and activities that make a city tick, like regional transportation, sustainability or goods movement. That’s why we’re glad to see that the City’s upcoming transportation plan update devotes significant sections to public spaces. We think that public spaces have and will continue to play a very important role in improving the experience of walking, biking and taking public transit in our communities, and quality of life in Vancouver generally.

But there’s still plenty of work to be done and things to consider when it comes to all of us and the City making that future a reality. If you are interested in getting involved in improving Vancouver’s public spaces and the future of our transportation, we’ll be having a project meeting to discuss the City’s Transportation 2040 plan update on Thursday, June 7 at 6 p.m. at The Edge Cafe (2450 Yukon, near Cambie and Broadway — note updated location) Harbour Centre (515 West Hastings St). RSVP Karen Quinn Fung ( quinn AT vancouverpublicspace DOT ca) and she can keep you in the loop in case of venue change, etc. Alternatively, there’s a Facebook event page where you can RSVP as well.

Looking for more details? The Transportation 2040 team made a presentation to City Council on Tuesday, May 29; that presentation is now online. As soon as information about the City’s own events is available, it will be posted to the Talk Transportation website.

A Plan for Vancouver’s Viaducts

Photo: modified enzyme

As you may have heard, the City of Vancouver has been exploring different options around changing or removing the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts around Vancouver’s False Creek. There are many considerations, but, as evidenced by the City’s ideas contest from last year, lots of potential for what we could do with the opportunity presented by re-thinking the viaducts.

The City of Vancouver will be holding a series of events next week on June 5, 7, and 9, where you can learn more about their new proposal for the viaducts. Some highlights: the proposal would allow for a 13 per cent increase in park space and make space for affordable housing in the neighbourhood while adding only a negligible time for those traveling into downtown from the eastern portions of the city and region.

Check out the City’s Viaducts website for more information on both the proposal itself, as well as opportunities to provide input to City on the proposal in person and otherwise.

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