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Cyclists want more input on infrastructure Kelvin Gawley
kgawley@burnabynow.com
COMPASS CARD: A SkyTrain rider taps in at the Production Way station in Burnaby on Tuesday. Riders who currently cover long distances without crossing a zone face higher fare increases under a proposed new model. PHOTO CORNELIA NAYLOR
TransLinkeyesnewfaremodel
Charging by distance considered for SkyTrain, SeaBus and future rail projects Kelvin Gawley
kgawley@burnabynow.com
TransLink announced on Monday a new proposed fare structure that would charge SkyTrain, SeaBus and future rail project riders by distance, with a flat fare staying in place for buses. The system is designed to be more fair, while remaining revenue neutral, said TransLink’s manager of policy and development Andrew Devlin.The maximum fees charged would not increase. SkyTrain riders would be charged for the number of kilometres they ride, making their trip increasingly expensive in small increments, rather than big jumps when they cross zone borders. “What we’re really doing is smoothing out that price curve between the minimum fare and the maximum fare,” Devlin said.
He said this system would solve the unfair and arbitrary nature of the current threezone system. Under the current system, a rider is charged a two-zone fee if their trip happens to cross a zone border – even if that trip is only two or three stops. For example, a one-stop trip from JoyceCollingwood to Patterson currently results in a two-zone fare. Under the new system, a rider would pay the minimum fare for the same trip. The proposal comes as part of the fourth and final phase in TransLink’s Transit Fare Review. A public consultation phase is now open until June 29.TransLink staff plan to bring the proposal to their board and the Mayors’ Council at the end of the summer. Devlin said the new system, if it goes ahead, likely won’t be in place until 2020. The majority of riders – about 64 per cent – won’t see their fares change by more
than 10 per cent, Devlin said. Of the remaining 37 per cent of riders, half would see an increase greater than 10 per cent and half would see a decrease greater than 10 per cent, he said. People who currently cover long distances on the SkyTrain without crossing a zone border will see the greatest increases, he said. Any riders confused by the changes will be greeted with new easy-to-understand maps at stations, Devlin said.They will also be able to follow a simple series of questions on the touchscreen of a Compass vending machine that will help them understand what they need to pay to finish their trip. TransLink looked at bringing fares down during off-peak hours and expanding discounts to young people and low-income individuals, Devlin said, but it is not making any proposals on that front at this time, as it would require more funding.
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A new parkade for bicycles is coming to the Metrotown SkyTrain station.The glass-walled area will include capacity for 26 bikes, outlets for charging e-bikes and CCTV surveillance. Great news for local cyclists, right? Maybe not. The project was planned without consulting enough Burnaby cyclists about if they want it, according to Cathy Griffin, chair of HUB Burnaby – the local chapter of a cycling advocacy group. “What about the people who do cycling in that area? Is there demand for it? Will people really use it? How did they come up with putting it there?” She said those are the questions the City of Burnaby and TransLink failed to ask before going ahead with the parkade. A similar facility installed at the King Edward station in Vancouver cost $500,000. Griffin wants more protected bike lanes and routes in the city, as well as improved parking at SkyTrain stations, but she doesn’t see the logic of this plan. “I have no idea why they chose Metrotown,” she said. TransLink spokesperson Chris Bryan said a bicycle parkade was chosen for Metrotown as part of other station upgrades. Metrotown is one of the busiest stations in the SkyTrain network, and the bike parkade is expected to be well used, he said. Brentwood, Lougheed and Production Way could all use better places to store bikes during the day, Griffin said, as the existing bike lockers, which require monthly rent payments, don’t cut it. Griffin hosted a community forum on Monday to rally local bike commuters to advocate for change and to share information about the city’s plans. Another forum is planned for July 5 at 7 p.m. at the Bob Prittie Library. “We want to make cycling voices are heard,” she said. Those voices are being heard, according to the city’s manager of transportation planning, Stuart Ramsey. He said cyclists are top-of-mind as the city begins work on the second phase of its Transportation Plan Update. That plan, he said, will include more protected bike lanes, especially in Burnaby’s city centres — Brentwood, Lougheed, Metrotown and Edmonds.
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