The “Gateway” Mega-Project
The B.C. “Gateway Program” provides the infrastructure for the Canadian government’s “Pacific Gateway Strategy” which is an (estimated) $7 billion federal government plan to increase trade with the Asia-Pacific region. The massive proposal includes new and expanded highways, bridges, rail yards, container terminals and port infrastructure to facilitate importing more goods made abroad and exporting more of B.C.’s non-renewable resources. Key features include:
• widening Highway 1 from Vancouver to Langley
• twinning the Port Mann bridge
• building a South Fraser Perimeter Road along the south side of the Fraser River from Highway 1 to Deltaport
• building a North Fraser Perimeter Road along the north shore of the Fraser, between the Queensborough Bridge and the Golden Ears Bridge
• tripling Delta’s port capacity to accommodate three times more trucks to move container goods through the GVRD and beyond
The B.C. Transit Plan — Taking a back seat to Gateway?
In January 2008, the B.C. government announced a proposed $14-billion public transit plan, to be completed theoretically by 2030.
Unfortunately the 2008 Budget includes $621 million more for highway expansion than for transit. Only $219 million was actually allocated for transit over 4 years, including $21 million in this year’s budget — only a fraction of the overall budget.
While the transit plan (if funded) is positive, it will not significantly reduce congestion south of the Fraser if Gateway goes ahead as planned. Furthermore, if we go ahead with Gateway, this will result in a drastic and irresponsible increase in climate changing greenhouse gases even with more transit available. Ultimately, government can either plan for car-dependent sprawl or it can plan for healthy communities. Transit planning is inextricably linked to land use planning. We need to make a choice: Transit must not take a back seat to Gateway.
