VANCOUVER – JULY 05: Downtown Vancouver Bus Transportation System on July 05, 2008 in Vancouver, Canada. Vancouver great accessibility for visitors, it is the third largest city in Canada / Shutterstock
TransLink has announced that they are implementing a new B-Line bus route through the District of West Vancouver.
While it won't be implemented until late 2019, the new route will operate between Dundarave in West Vancouver to Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver along the Marine Drive / Main corridor.
The route connects Park Royal, Lonsdale Quay, as well as from Phibbs Exchange to and from Vancouver and Burnaby. And, as anyone who has taken a B-Line knows, the high capacity buses make fewer stops and offer a faster journey.
With buses running every eight minutes during peak periods, the B-Line should relieve some of the area’s parking problems. According to TransLink, "one B-Line bus can carry the equivalent of 110 single-occupancy cars."
With that in mind, some business owners are worried that the new route will take away parking spaces that customers and residents use in the area. In response, TransLink has stated that, "All of this will be accomplished without significant loss to parking, which we know is a concern for local businesses: approximately 15 parking spots will be removed over the 20-block stretch."
TransLink
The transportation authority states that the new street design will make it easier to drive on Marine Drive. In addition, it states that there will be a net reduction in travel times for both cars and transit.
There are misconceptions about the B-Line plan, according to TransLink media advisor Chris Bryan.
“There’s no lanes being closed,” he said, adding that Ambleside customers will continue to park along Marine Drive.
The plan should help assuage Marine Drive gridlock by separating left turners, right turners, and through traffic, resulting in a “net decrease to overall travel times,” Bryan said.
With files from the North Shore News.
