TransLink targets 20 corridors for bus priority investments to tackle congestion

Credit: TransLink

TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s transit authority, has announced that it has unveiled a comprehensive Bus Priority Vision aimed at alleviating the impact of worsening traffic congestion on bus riders. The plan identifies 20 critical corridors across the region that require increased investment in bus priority measures to enhance efficiency and reliability.

According to TransLink’s data, bus riders collectively spend over 28,000 hours stuck in traffic on weekdays across Metro Vancouver. Alarmingly, nearly half of these delays (45%) occur on just 20 key corridors, which constitute only 15% of the transit network.

The identified corridors have been selected based on several factors, including average bus delays, ridership volumes, existing infrastructure and geographic spread across Metro Vancouver. TransLink plans to collaborate closely with regional municipalities to explore a range of improvements tailored to each corridor, such as dedicated bus lanes, approach lanes, queue jumps, adjustments to bus stop spacing, turn restrictions and signal enhancements.

TransLink has already made strides in this area, investing $40 million since 2019 in bus speed and reliability measures, which have successfully reduced delays by up to 35% on targeted corridors.

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Looking ahead, TransLink’s immediate focus is on securing funding for its ambitious 10-Year Access for Everyone Plan, which includes expanded bus speed and reliability measures. This funding will enable the company to work collaboratively with municipalities to implement these crucial improvements over the coming decade.

“As traffic gets worse throughout Metro Vancouver, our customers spend more time stuck on buses and less time moving,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. “Bus delays cost us more than $80 million each year, and we are committed to developing new bus priority measures that will mitigate those costs and get our customers where they need to go faster.”

The Bus Priority Vision represents a significant step towards ensuring that buses remain a viable and efficient transportation option amid Metro Vancouver’s growing population and traffic challenges.