The City of Vancouver and TransLink’s Downtown Local Bus Service Review embarked in a series of activities to consult the public on its proposals emerging from its second phase of activites, back in April of this year. They have now made available a report on what they heard in the course of that consultation for Phase 2.

(Haven’t heard about the review? This review is meant to address the impacts on bus transit of changes in travel patterns on the downtown peninsula since service was last reviewed as part of the Local Transit Plan in 2005; and to anticipate the effects of proposed projects like the removal of the Dunsmuir Viaduct. The second, most recent phase of consultation involved 3 potential alterations: the first change had two proposed routes involving the 5, 6, and C23 buses; two possible re-routings of the 17 bus; and buses heading to East Vancouver and regional destinations to the east.)

Owing to our interest and the VPSN’s past work in Robson Square, we have been particular interested in the proposed re-routings that seek to take into account ongoing seasonal (and potentially permanent) pedestrianization of the 800-block of Robson.

L-Shaped Loop concept from Downtown Local Bus Review Phase 2 consultation materials.

Here is what the consultation report has to say about what they heard from people on those two proposals:

1. The L-shaped Loop concept received much more support than the Rectangular Loop concept for its enhanced ability to connect neighbourhoods and regions in the downtown to each other. The Rectangular Loop concept, while easy to understand, was said by almost half of respondents (46%) to be worse or much worse than what exists now.
2. Many remain concerned about being able to continue accessing regional rapid transit or the impact of new routes on bus service reliability.
3. The report also highlights concern that pedestrianization of Robson Street impacts access to destinations near Granville and Robson; and that travel times on transit are impacted.

Rectangular Loop concept from Downtown Local Bus Review Phase 2 consultation materials.

We look forward to continuing to follow the City and TransLink’s work on this topic as they perform final evaluations on the concepts they have identified, and put forth their recommendations for implementation to improve bus service.

Relatedly — this weekend’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival activities also serve as a kickoff to the seasonal pedestrianization for Robson Square. The folks at Viva Vancouver will be putting into place Urban Reef, the winning design from this year’s Robson Redux competition. If you are looking for information about how the 5 bus will be affected, here is the information we have on this, as it’s slightly different from years past:

During events at Robson Square, the 05–Robson/Downtown bus will operate via Burrard and Pender Streets. Also, the necessary trolley overhead work has been completed to allow for the new left turn from eastbound Robson Street to northbound Burrard Street. This service change is scheduled to take effect on June 21^st, 2014 and will resume in early September.

Please note that TransLink’s official quarterly service change signage will not be present at affected bus stops until June 23^rd, however there will be temporary event signage for notification of this detour on June 21^st and 22^nd as the 800-Block of Robson Street will be closed for the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

You can also download a map showing the re-route.

If you are interested in active transportation (walking, cycling and transit) and its impact on health, take a look at the My Health, My Community survey. It’s a research project involving two regional health authorities (Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health) in collaboration with UBC’s Faculty of Medicine to examine the role community planning plays in our physical health

The My Health My Community survey is an exciting opportunity to learn how our lifestyle, our environment, neighbourhood characteristics and daily interactions affect our health over time.

Their survey is open until June 30 and they are seeking as many and as diverse a range of a participants as possible. Check out their video (embedded below) to learn more and we encourage you to share the survey around. The video is also available on YouTube with Punjabi or Chinese subtitles. (And there is a chance to win a prize for taking the survey too!)

And finally… the big news from late last week was that the Mayor’s Council of TransLink released their vision for the future of regional transportation investment. A lot of interesting and insightful commentary on the plan is out there, both locally and from further afield:

• Frances Bula, Globe & Mail — “B.C. cities approve transit revamp, but funding still unclear“
• Business in Vancouver — “TransLink Mayors’ Council pushes for $7.5-billion transportation plan“
• Andrew Coyne, National Post — “Vancouver’s road pricing proposal a revolutionary fix for gridlock“
• Gordon Price ran a poll on his blog to see how others are feeling about the proposal, and finds that most of us seem pretty optimistic.

Check out the Mayors Council’s vision (involving both what to build and how it will be paid for) online at mayorscouncil.ca. A summary of the process of coming up with the vision and the problems it is trying to address is also available in this video below.

This is particularly important for Vancouver’s public realm, as the route changes also contain options that support at least two major public space initiatives:

• The opportunity to expand Robson Square and transform the 800-block of Robson into a pedestrian-only space;

• the possibility of pedestrianizing the 600-block of Cambie Street (between Dunsmuir and Georgia) as part of the proposed relocation of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Translink is looking for feedback on these concepts, and the deadline to provide input is this Monday, April 21. We are strongly encouraging VPSN supporters to take a few moments this weekend to complete the online questionnaire.

If you support the enhancement of Robson Square and pedestrianization of the 800-block and/or the creation of a new plaza at the 600-block of Cambie, this is the time to weigh in.

Good quality public space and transit – both are needed!

The VPSN has been following the Bus Service Review closely – both as fans of public transit, and as advocates for public space. The review is much needed and has been prompted by growth and change in downtown neighbourhoods, the opening of the Canada Line, and the potential to create substantial improvements to the downtown public realm. As noted in Translink’s study materials “over the past twenty years the downtown population has more than doubled.” The Review will help decision-makers plan for transit service that meets the needs of residents and visitors to the downtown peninsula.

We are particularly supportive of proposed changes to the bus routes that would enable the expansion of Robson Square. The Review has identified short-term changes to support the summertime activation of the 800-block, but it also looks at potential changes to support the permanent pedestrianization of Vancouver’s pre-eminent public gathering area. The idea of creating an expanded public square around the 800-block has been discussed since the 1950s. The Bus Service Review options have the potential to enable the City to take a strong step forward on this initiative.

Figuring out what to do with transit – and ensuring good bus service for West End residents – has been the key sticking point in expanding Robson Square. Suffice it to say, we are excited to see the kinds of workable solutions the City and TransLink’s review process has yielded. The Review shows that it’s possible to have better transit connections and create a more vibrant public realm.

What’s in the Review?

As part of the review, Translink has identified various ways that bus service in and around downtown Vancouver can be enhanced. These are explored in options that relate to three areas of potential change:

1. Downtown-only Routes (Buses 5, 6, C21, C23)
2. Cambie Bridge Routes (Bus 17)
3. Eastern Corridor Routes (Buses 3, 4, 7, 8, 19, 209, 210, 211, 214)

It’s worth taking a look at all of these possible areas of change, and you can do this by looking at both general and technical documents that Translink has produced. The online survey also provides much of this background information.

Our particular area of focus is on the first of these three areas of change, as it most directly relates to the possibility of expanding Robson Square.

Two overarching options for Downtown-only Routes… with important variations

The Local Bus Review identifies two potential options in redesigning the bus routes that stay within the downtown Vancouver peninsula. These are referred to as the L-shaped Loop (option A1), or the Rectangular Loop (option A2). In their basic form, both of these options show bus service remaining on the 800-block of Robson, but, both proposals also include alternate routings that would facilitate the expansion of Robson Square, and the creation of a pedestrian-only space on the 800-block.

Here’s option A1 – the “L-shaped Loop”, with the Robson-closure ‘sub-option’ below:

In this case the Robson Square variant routes the #5 north on Burrard (at Robson) and then east on Hastings and over to Cambie. With this route, the bus swings by Waterfront Station (or close to it). Its southbound route (along Cambie) then brings it in close proximity to key cultural services such as the library. The L-shaped Loop option also has a second ‘sub-option’ (not shown here) that accommodates the closure and pedestrianization of the 600-block of Cambie, but not the 800-block of Robson.

Here’s option A2 – the “Rectangular Loop,” again with the Robson-closure sub-option:

On the Robson Square variant of A2, the #5 bus turns north on Burrard to Georgia, and then over to Cambie – a route that would take the bus directly by both Canada Line and SkyTrain stations (at Granville), the VPL Central Library and other other key amenities and services – including the potential new home of the Art Gallery.

Again, it’s important to note that while both the basic A1 and A2 options offer interesting transit-focused improvements, neither support the expansion of public space at Robson or Cambie on their own. It’s the the various sub-options to A1 and A2 where these important enhancements are made.

Help support the creation of improved public space in downtown Vancouver. If you support the enhancement of Robson Square and pedestrianization of the 800-block and/or the creation of a new plaza at the 600-block of Cambie, this is the time to weigh in and share your thoughts on these proposed changes to the bus network.

How to have your say

The deadline for input is Monday, April 21. The online questionnaire can be accessed here, or by pasting the following link into your browser:

https://www.talkvancouver.com/R.aspx?a=240

You can share your thoughts on the downtown-only routes, as well as the Cambie Bridge and Eastern Corridor routes. (The survey allows you to pick which of the three areas you want to talk about).

As noted above, much of the background information on the Downtown Bus Service Review can be found on the survey website; however if you feel like reading more there’s also an interesting backgrounder and technical paper that offers more details on the pros and cons of different route options.

Please do take a few moments to share your thoughts. This is a key opportunity for downtown public space, and your opinion is important.

Downtown Bus Service Review

Last year, Translink initiated a review of Vancouver’s downtown bus network (the routes and connections of buses and community shuttles operating on the downtown peninsula). The intent of this review is to facilitate better linkages between downtown neighbourhoods, improved connection to Canada Line facilities, and greater reliability of service.

Part of the motivation for this work also relates to key public space initiatives:

• The opportunity to expand Robson Square and transform the 800-block of Robson into a pedestrian-only space;
• The potential relocation of the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the possibility of closing the 600-block of Cambie Street;
• Potential changes to the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts and the North East False Creek area.

The Bus Service Review is an important opportunity. As noted in Translink’s study materials “over the past twenty years the downtown population has more than doubled.” The Review will help decision-makers plan for transit service that meets the needs of residents and visitors to the downtown peninsula. Equally importantly, it has the potential to play a significant part in the creation of some excellent new public spaces for the city.

This is particularly true in the case of an expanded Robson Square. Summertime re-routing of the #5 bus (to accommodate the temporary public space on the 800-block) has been a cause for concern among some West End residents. The VPSN has been calling for an exploration of alternatives that would enable these concerns to be addressed. Thanks to the Bus Service Review, we now have some options to look at – including some temporary measures to support the summertime transformation of Robson.

On April 2, Translink released a set of network design concepts for public review. The concepts feature alternative and enhanced routes for much of the downtown peninsula, as well as some eastern corridor routes (those routes coming in and out of downtown along Hastings, Powell and other east-side streets). The various options are assessed in an accompanying Technical Summary document, which reviews the various pros and cons associated with each. Of note: each of the alternatives also features a specific scenario relating to the expansion and pedestrianization of Robson Square.

Translink is asking for your opinion on these ideas. Please lend a hand by attending a public open house or sharing your thoughts online.

Open House Dates

There are three upcoming events (one also took place this past weekend) where you can weigh in with your thoughts. These take place:

• Wednesday, April 9; 3-6pm – Woodward’s Atrium
• Thursday, April 10; 3-6pm – Roundhouse Community Centre
• Saturday, April 12; 11am-2pm – VPL Central Library

Online

You can also review open house materials and share your ideas at via an online questionnaire – both available at translink.ca/downtownbusreview. Deadline for input is Monday, April 21, 2014.

One of 79 ideas for transforming the 800-block – part of the Robson Redux Design Competition

Robson Redux

Earlier this year, the City of Vancouver launched Robson Redux, a design completion to “build and install a temporary public space installation that will transform the iconic 800 block of Robson St. in downtown Vancouver into a pedestrian plaza for the duration of summer 2014.”

This will be the fourth straight year that Vancouverites (and visitors) will get to play in an expanded Robson Square. Previous transformations included “Picnurbia” (2011), “Pop Rocks” (2012) and “Courderoy Road” (2013). However, 2014 marks the first year that the design competition format is being used.

There are two awards being given – the Jury Selection and the People’s Choice award, and last Thursday, the City held a wildly successful event at the Vancouver Art Gallery that launched the public voting component. With a total of 79 different concepts in play, it is fair to say that a tremendous amount of creativity has been brought to bear on the creation of a vibrant summertime space.

You can view all of the concepts – and choose your favourites – online. The deadline for People’s Choice voting is Sunday April 13.