The Livable Blog

Below is the Livable Region Coalition comment on Metro Vancouver's draft Regional Growth Strategy. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

The draft we commented on is available at http://public.metrovancouver.org/planning/development/LRSPreview/LRSPDocs/DraftRGSFeb2009.pdf

Livable Region Coalition comments on Metro Vancouver 2040
May 22, 2009

Is Metro Vancouver planning to break climate law?
Vehicle travel targets are needed to meet emissions requirements

In 2007, the provincial government enacted the BC Greenhouse Gas Reductions Targets Act. To meet the targets under this Act, local governments will need to step up and play a key role in reducing greenhouse gases.

Metro Vancouver’s draft Regional Growth Strategy is a recipe for violating the GHG Reductions Act. The new land use and transportation document misses the mark on climate change by varying only marginally from the path of automobile dependant development, rather than making the bold change of direction needed to meet the legislated targets. The Regional Growth Strategy will affect emissions throughout Metro Vancouver, where about half the population of the province lives.

The Act requires that the Province reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by at least 33 per cent below 2007 levels by 2020, and by at least 80% by 2050.

Transportation is the single largest source of personal GHG emissions at about 58 per cent of average household emissions. Metro Vancouver’s draft growth strategy is largely about the land use and transportation decisions that determine emissions for about half the people in BC, and falls well short of the decisive actions needed to meet the legislated targets.

There are motherhood statements in Metro Vancouver’s draft report about reducing emissions, but the strong targets and enforcement measures needed to comply with provincial legislation are missing. In particular, the urgent necessity to significantly reduce vehicle kilometers traveled is barely addressed. Emissions from transportation can be greatly reduced by measures such as re-directing spending from roadway expansion to transit and reducing parking requirements. Moreover increasing the people carrying capacity of the existing road network by converting general purpose lanes to transit, cycling and walking must be an essential element. Across the region the amount of space devoted to parking and moving cars must be reduced steadily as transit and other modes are increased.

Reducing GHG emissions means reducing automobile dependency and vehicle kilometers traveled. Washington State, with a similar emissions profile to BC, has concluded that their emissions targets cannot be met without substantially reducing driving. In order to meet their targets, Washington Bill 2815 requires an 18 per cent reduction in distance traveled per capita by 2020 and a 50 per cent reduction by 2050.

Metro Vancouver must go beyond Washington State’s modest targets and commit to reducing Vehicle Kilometers Traveled (VKT) 25% by 2020. Hard targets for reducing parking supply are also needed to meet GHG reduction commitments. The strategy must clearly oppose the Gateway freeway expansions, pushed by former Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon, which will generate induce more and longer trips and thus increase vehicle kilometres travelled. Even if average vehicle emissions decline due to better technology and tougher standards, this induced travel will more than offset any prospective gains in vehicle fuel efficiency.

The Metro Vancouver board must either demonstrate how this plan will meet the targets set in legislation, or come clean about their intention to deliberately violate the law.

Given the twin crisis of global warming and the impending peak of conventional oil production, a strong plan to change the unsustainable path of development in our region is needed.

The Livable Region Coalition also recommends the following specific improvements to Metro Vancouver’s draft Regional Growth Strategy:

- Point 5.2.3 “develop a Regional Roads Concept generally consistent with Map 7” implies support for the Highway 1/ Port Mann freeway expansion and other Gateway freeway expansions. The GVRD Board opposed this freeway expansion and Gateway is a direct attack on the Livable Region Strategic Plan. It also contradicts the goal of point 5.2.3 (d) which is “reducing motor vehicle emissions and vehicle kilometres travelled.” The strategy must clearly oppose roadway expansions, which drive up vehicle kilometres travelled and emissions.

- The elimination of the Growth Concentration Area concept from the Livable Region Strategic Plan is a big step backwards, and undermines the stated goals of this document (including reducing vehicle kilometres traveled, ensuring efficient transit operations, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting residents from natural hazards, and adapting to sea level rise due to global warming). The LRSP Growth Concentration Area should be retained as a key concept in the new plan and adjusted for the projected increase in sea-level rise due to climate change.

- We strongly support the ides of developing a frequent transit network in higher density areas. However, the Frequent Transit Network concept shown on maps 2 and 6 should specify a frequent transit line within walking distance of all built up areas in north Surrey, and all other areas with higher existing densities.

- We support point 1.1.3(b) to “direct growth to established areas prior to the development of newly developing areas.” However, much more emphasis must be placed on ensuring that development occurs within already built up areas and on existing transit routes. New residential development should not be permitted in any area not served by transit. Moreover, municipalities will have to embrace the concept of transit oriented development both in new developing areas and as part of the redevelopment of existing areas. This includes increasing residential densities along transit routes as well as the development of multiple use nodes at transit stations and exchanges.

- We support the concept of reducing parking requirement in urban centers as per point 1.2.3 (b). However, parking requirements must also be reduced or eliminated, at least in all areas with good transit access. This is essential not only for meeting goals such as increasing transit ridership and meeting GHG reduction targets, but also for providing affordable housing.

It is essential that land use and transportation planning proceed together in an integrated fashion. If transit (and other alternatives to the car) are not available and attractive then new developments will continue to generate excessive car traffic. Reducing parking requirements will only be attractive to occupants and developers if adequate transit service is available before people start moving in. This is obvious, but is in stark contrast to present practice. A Livable Region can only be achieved with adequate operational funding for public transit.

The Livable Region Coalition (LRC) is a group of Lower Mainland citizens and sustainable transportation advocates. www.livableregion.ca