Transportation has always been a big topic in Metro Vancouver. With rapid growth and limited space due to geographical barriers such as the ocean and mountain ranges, integrated transportation and land use planning play an important role in the region, especially in the City of Vancouver.
Vancouver’s transportation system is shaped by a number of government bodies at various levels.
The City of Vancouver’s role as a local government is to oversee sidewalks and pedestrian facilities, local cycling infrastructure and curbside parking policy; engage in important land use planning and regulation; maintain public transit bus stops; and work in partnership with stakeholders such as TransLink and Port Metro Vancouver on a number of issues of transportation-related matters.
TransLink acts as a regional public transit service provider (overseeing buses, trains and the SeaBus), as well as maintaining several of the region’s bridges tunnels and major road projects. It also engages in long-term transportation planning for the region.
Metro Vancouver engages in regional land use planning. Its Regional Growth Strategy coordinates the official community plans of Vancouver and its surrounding municipalities, ensuring new development is served by TransLink’s Frequent Transit Network and meets other goals for a compact region.
The Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada are involved most directly in providing capital funds for transit infrastructure, but also are involved in management of the ports and in some regional cycling projects.