TransLink lays out Broadway to UBC options

TransLink has laid out some plans for a new East-West rapid transit line in Vancouver but first it wants the public's input on the options.

The six options under consideration include an upgraded bus system, a streetcar line, or a SkyTrain extension running along West Broadway to UBC.

Alternative routes are also under consideration, including a streetcar line along the south side of False Creek and a combination of a trolley line and a SkyTrain extension.

Critics of the regional transit system have long demanded a rapid transit line along the route, but any plans to build another route through Vancouver are sure to be controversial.

Olympic disruptions

Business owners along Broadway have already vowed to fight any plans that would threaten their operations, after construction of the Canada Line shut down many small business along CambieStreetbefore the Olympics.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has been demanding for years that the regional transit authority first build a long-promised rapid transit line to Coquitlam, but Translink has said it does not have the money for the so-called Evergreen Line.

Now the regional transit authority is looking for public input on the Vancouver option and has created a website and scheduled a series of public information nights for its study.

All the sessions run from 6 p.m. PT to 9 p.m at the following locations:

• Thursday, April 22 at the UBC Student Union Building.
• Tuesday, May 4 at St. James Community Square, 3214 W. 10th Avenue.
• Thursday, May 6 at West Point Grey United Church, 4595 W. 8th Avenue.
• Tuesday, May 11 at the Centre for Digital Media, 122 - 577 Great Northern Way.
• Thursday, May 13 at the Vancouver Masonic Centre, 1495 W. 8th Avenue.