VANCOUVER - The B.C. government is promising more buses and rapid-transit lines, extensions to current routes and faster transit times in an ambitious $14-billion plan that relies heavily on joint funding from federal and municipal governments.
The provincial Liberal government laid out its massive plan for new and expanded transit use Monday, with Premier Gordon Campbell saying it would help meet the province's lofty greenhouse-gas reduction goals by 2020.
"People can't make the choice for transit if we don't provide for transit," Campbell said at a glitzy news conference featuring glossy handouts and overhead projections.
Campbell and Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon announced the plan - which includes a new RapidBus system for Metro Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna - and more spending on Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain network.
Falcon said the plan calls for $11.1 billion in new funding. About $4.75 billion will come from the province and the rest from Ottawa, local governments and TransLink, the provincial authority responsible for transit and urban roads.
The lion's share of the money - about $10.3 billion - will go to four new and expanded transit lines in Metro Vancouver.
Some money is also going to increase transit security, including a smart-card fare system that can be reloaded at vending machines or on the Internet.
The government says the plan will cut transportation greenhouse-gas emissions by 4.7 million tonnes by 2020 - the same as parking all of Metro Vancouver's cars and light trucks for a year.
The plan includes:
-$10.3 billion investment in four new rapid transit lines in Metro Vancouver - the Evergreen Line, the UBC Line, an expanded Expo Line and the Canada Line (for which $2 billion is already committed);
-$1.2 billion for new, energy-efficient RapidBus service along nine major routes, including Kelowna and Victoria;
-$1.6 billion for 1,500 new buses for municipalities around the province.
Campbell emphasized the importance of buses to any transportation system.
"Buses are a critical component of any transportation system and they must meet the needs of each community," he said.
He lauded the potential effect of the new RapidBus system.
"Rapid buses have the feeling and the sense of what we think of as a more traditional rail transit system," said the premier.
"They go on separate lanes for most or part of their routes and they have signal priorities."'
The plan calls for the construction of nine RapidBus lines at a cost of $1.2 billion - one in Kelowna, one in Victoria and seven in Metro Vancouver.
Campbell said the transit improvements would double the number of users by 2020, amounting to 200 million new transit trips and 160 million fewer car trips on provincial roads.
Some participants at the news conference were quick to note the federal component of the funding is not yet in place, but B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon seemed unperturbed about the request for $3.1 billion from Ottawa.
"I think it's fair to point out that the federal government has stepped up to the plate every time we asked them on major projects," he said.
"We'll be asking the same thing here. They do have significant dollars available and we will be needing more as we go forward."
But provincial NDP transportation critic Maurine Karagianis suggested transit users might get stuck with the bill without federal government money.
"We haven't seen any commitment to federal money at this point," said Karagianis.
Moreover, she said Translink's $2.75-billion share of the new funding for the massive plan "will have to come from bus riders or from property taxes because that is the only option they have for raising revenue."
Karagianis said the premier also indicated there might be some degree of private enterprise involved in some of the projects.
"Public transit works can be kept efficient and affordable if it is kept in public hands and operated in public hands," she said.
"As soon as the private sector gets involved, we lose accountability and control and we lose the ability to keep fares low and keep it affordable."
Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan was happy the announcement had been made.
"The key thing is we've announced and we know where we're going," he said.
"Now we've got to push hard to make sure the funding is in place and to get things moving as soon as possible."
Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts said she had been assured by Campbell the federal government would come through.
"There has to be a sustainable funding formula and there has to be buy-in from the provincial and federal government as well as local governments, which we are already doing," she said.
"The premier has assured us of that (federal funding) commitment so I can only go by what his word is."
Ian Bruce, a climate specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation, would like more information on how much money goes where.
"I guess one of the issues is that it certainly has no breakdown of how much of that money is going to each region," said Bruce.
"So that's one of the questions I still have today is what that will mean for areas outside of Greater Victoria and Greater Vancouver."
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation was cool, calling it a sure-fire recipe for higher taxes.
This announcement "is full of boondoggles that increases the likelihood of higher taxes," Maureen Bader, B.C. director of the federation, said in a news release.
Bader said the announcement increases the likelihood of "a more general carbon tax," which the provincial government has hinted at in recent weeks, though there was no mention of it Monday.
But the pro-transit group Get Moving B.C. gave the government a thumbs-up.
"The Evergreen Line (to the northeast sector of Metro Vancouver) has been in limbo for way too long, and we're thrilled the provincial government has stepped up to the plate and fully funded this project," said spokeswoman Sheri Wiens in a news release.
"This new RapidBus network is going to have a huge positive impact on the reach and effectiveness of the region's rapid transit lines."
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