Pattullo Bridge Public Consultations

The NWEP Transportation Group offers below some positions about the Pattullo Bridge that you may consider in your thinking.

You may be attending one of Translink’s first public consultations on the Pattullo Bridge:

Even more important is for you to participate in New Westminster’s ongoing consultations for revising the Transportation Master Plan.
http://www.newwestcity.ca/residents/residents_services/transportation/master_transportation_plan.php

New Westminster Council is not engaging directly in Translink’s public process on the Pattullo Bridge, although Translink has a representative in New Westminster’s process. Consultants hired by New Westminster will be asking residents to consider the Pattullo Bridge as a major aspect of the Transportation Master Plan.

Pattullo Bridge in the context of New Westminster and the region:

1. What are Translink’s plans for increases in traffic volume on the Pattullo Bridge and through New Westminster when the Port Mann Bridge is tolled? Many drivers will divert to the free bridge. Neither the Pattullo Bridge nor New Westminster can handle increases in volume. This will create a gridlock even at night.
2. Creating a transit system for Surrey and Langley is a priority. Build that first, and then observe demand for a new bridge.
   

   “The estimated $3.1 billion cost for a new Port Mann Bridge could have instead built out a modern light rail transit infrastructure south of the Fraser river.” (page 19 of the report Transportation Transformation 19 April 2011,)

   An expanded public transit will serve the aging populationas they give up on highway driving and night driving of private automobiles; transit also eases the percentage of income spent on transportation by low -income people.
   http://www.policyalternatives.ca/transportationtransformation

3. Translink has a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 2040. What are the emissions calculations for staging public transit within Surrey BEFORE spending money on the Pattullo Bridge?
4. The risks of the future are that “peak oil” may happen within the life of a new bridge, or even perhaps an upgraded bridge. “Peak oil” is a recent understanding and it requires major changes in all transportation modeling and previous transportation planning. Drastically higher costs of petroleum fuel reduces use of cars. BC’s electrical capacity cannot accomodate conversion of gasoline autos to electric cars.
5. There is no need to increase the capacity of the Pattullo Bridge to 6 lanes. In the foreseeable future, there is ample capacity for crossing the Fraser River, as the new Port Mann Bridge will have 10 lanes and the possibility continues for running more trains on the SkyBridge.
6. Translink can create an over-all strategy for shifting goods movement from trucks to other modes wherever possible in this region by collaborating with other jurisdictions such as the Port and the rail companies.
   

   “GHG emissions from freight transportation are estimated at anywhere from 35% to 50% of total transportation emissions.” (page 38 in Transportation Transformation)

   “Between 1990 and 2005, there was an estimated 134% increase in tonne kilometres of freight moved by truck in BC; in contrast, rail freight movement increased by only 55%. Increases in the volume of exported raw materials, “just in time” delivery systems using long distance trucking instead of regional warehouses, growth in international trade, and the shift of manufacturing to
   Asia could all be important factors in this increase in emissions. Growth in freight emissions is the outcome of an economic model that stresses continual growth in consumption, and in BC’s case, resources extracted and exported to pay for imports.” (page 38, Transportation Transformation)

7. Considering the long range future of regional transportation for the next 100 years, a bridge from north Surrey/King George/Scott Road would be best aligned to connect directly to Highway #1 near Brunette.

We welcome your thoughts. Please attend NWEP’s general meeting on Monday Feb. 27. 7pm at the Plaskett Room of the Library.