City hall is urging the provincial government to allow longer buses on Broadway.
City staff will work with TransLink to evaluate ways, which could include longer buses, to increase capacity to the University of B.C.
City council unanimously supported the effort in a motion forwarded by NPA Coun. George Affleck and amended by Vision Vancouver Coun. Geoff Meggs at councils April 17 meeting.
Everybodys aware of the challenges of the B-Line, said Affleck, referring to the crammed, two-section articulated express buses that regularly leave passengers waiting for buses on Broadway.
He wants a solution in place before the Evergreen Line, slated to open in 2016, dumps more transit users at Commercial and Broadway.
This is a stop-gap measure, he said. Lets get some longer buses, increased capacity, without affecting traffic on the roads.
Affleck said rapid transit planning to the University of B.C. will take at least until 2020 to plan and implement.
In exploring the possibility of bi-articulated buses, or buses with three sections, Affleck learned provincial legislation limits buses to 20 metres, the approximate length of a B-Line bus.
He says depending on the model, bi-articulated buses could carry 30 to 50 per cent more passengers.
TransLink spokesperson Drew Snider said crush load for an articulated bus is 110 passengers. Crush load on regular-length buses is 75.
Snider said TransLink is considering bi-articulated buses as one of the rapid transit options along Broadway to UBC, but the size of the layover and turnaround bay for buses at UBC could prove a hindrance to longer buses.
An evaluation report, updated last year, on transit alternatives to UBC stated that rapid transit buses dont have sufficient capacity to meet the projected long-term demand along the Broadway corridor.
Residents consulted by TransLink about various rapid transit options were concerned that adding buses reduces available road space, lengthens car travel time and lacks capacity to meet the regions needs, according to a public consultation report published last year.
Snider said the transit authority shares Afflecks concern about 2016, but TransLink announced earlier this week that expansion plans south of the Fraser River are on hold until funding is figured out.
Whether we can meet the councillors deadline, that once again comes down to budget and the overall plan for setting up the new service, whatever that looks like, to UBC, Snider said.
Affleck said hes not focusing on costs for now.
Lets get this regulation changed first and then deal with all the other things next, he said.
Affleck says city staff are studying the option of bi-articulated buses for its long-term transportation plan.
Neither he nor Snider could pinpoint the price difference between regular, articulated and bi-articulated buses.
City hall watcher Brent Granby wrote on his blog that Afflecks motion appeared to be a rookie attention seeking gesture.
Affleck said it was the exact opposite.
Its not the most exciting motion in the world but its an issue that people care about, he said. Its a motion that actually will get the ball rollingand isnt that my job.
Twitter: @Cheryl_Rossi
