Vancouver Viaduct Removal Proposal

On Tuesday July 24^th at 9:30 AM City council will hear the overall concept for the removal of the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts. No recommendations or or decisions are being requested and delegations will not be heard at this meeting.

Highlights of the plan

Elimination of the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts
Creation of a 25 acre park on the east end of False Creek, which is a 13% increase in the park space that would be available without the viaduct elimination.
Enhanced pedestrian and bike connectivity including a bike bridge
No existing or planned transit services
15-20% LESS capacity (515 Vehicles) at peak AM periods that will have to be accommodated by increased us of other east west roads
30-35% LESS capacity (915 Vehicles) at peak PM periods that will have to be accommodated by increased use of other east west roads.
Estimated new expenditure of $80,000,000.00 which doesn't include buying the land needed or any previous obligations or the cost of soil remediation.
Targets of half of all trips to/from downtown on foot, bikes, and transit by 2020 and at least two-thirds by 2040 which may or may not be realistic

Click on Vancouver Viaducts Study to view the Open House Display boards that tell the complete story from the planners viewpoint.

Who are the winners and losers of the viaduct removal proposal?

Winners

Everyone who rides their bike from East Vancouver into downtown to and from work.
Concord Pacific, the owners of the land that the city will need to buy to make this project move forward and who will be able to charge significantly more for condos that overlook a park and False Creek instead of the viaducts.
The city who gets the higher taxes from the higher priced condos that will be developed.
People who live close enough to the new park to be able to use it without having to use their car.

Losers

Everyone who currently uses the viaducts especially daily to and from work.
Everyone who uses the other east/west roads to/from downtown during the rush hours.
Tax payers who have to pay for the removal of the viaducts and the building of the bike lanes and park.

Terry Burgess
Phone: 604-340-2928
Website:TerryBurgess.Ca

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Vancouver's Viaducts - Slide Show and Open House Info

by Terry Burgess on Tue, May, 29, 2012 05:42 PM

Categories:City of Vancouver,Presentation,Vancouver,Viaduct

Vancouver City Staff Recommends Removing The Downtown Viaducts!

Vancouver's city staff created the following slide show recommending the removal of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts.

Vancouver Viaducts Open Houses

View more presentations from viaducts

Selling features include more parks and bike lanes and raising the amount of buildable land, which should in turn, garner extra tax revenues for the city, all of which sounds great.

The slides tell us how much it would cost to maintain the Viaducts and that it's 10 times more expensive to maintain them than to maintain similar on ground roads. What they don't mention the cost to remove the viaducts nor to build those new roads/off ramps in the first place. There is no costing of the parks or the bike lanes either. One would expect, however that those costs will be significantly higher than leaving the viaducts in place and maintaining them.

The biggest concern of most people who work downtown and don't live there, is how will the traffic that these two viaducts carry be affected? The slides show how the traffic will be re-routed onto existing routes, but there is no mention how much traffic those routes currently handle, nor if they can handle the increased load created by the removal of the viaducts, without creating additional traffic problems for commuters.

You have an opportunity to find out more, air your concerns, or give the City a pat on the back, at the Public open houses June 5th, 7th and 9th.

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