More buses, rapid transit to the North Shore, a gondola to SFU — and a $20 billion price tag
Metro Vancouver mayors know their $20 billion wish list for the next decade of new transit investments is a lot — but they say it's worth it.
"We've fallen behind. Our region has grown significantly. We've experienced a lot of population growth, and our transportation and transit systems have not kept pace," said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West.
We are in the midst of both an environmental crisis and an affordability crisis, which are linked. The solutions on offer, from raising fares to relying on electric cars, don’t solve either problem. But increasing access to public transit is good for all workers, all riders, and the planet. Taking action for free and accessible public transit can win reforms and set us on track for climate justice.
By 2050 electric vehicles could require huge amounts of lithium for their batteries, causing damaging expansions of mining
The US’s transition to electric vehicles could require three times as much lithium as is currently produced for the entire global market, causing needless water shortages, Indigenous land grabs, and ecosystem destruction inside and outside its borders, new research finds.
“ Reducing demand for lithium by increasing the lithium efficiency of the transportation sector will be an essential strategy to improve the sector’s prospects for timely decarbonization while protecting ecosystems and meeting the demands of global justice.”
Website editor: This is a good piece but it should be noted that in the Vancouver area Translink is now cutting back service and proposing to raise fares
Feb. 16, 2023
Nate Wallace is the clean transportation program manager at Environmental Defence.
Everyone conscious of the problem of global warming understands that we must have fewer private cars on our streets. By lowering the cost of public transit (and ultimately to make it free) and increasing its accessibility, more riders will be attracted to it. Why can’t we have more buses and trains coming to more stops in neighbourhoods? Why can’t we make transit more affordable for people of lower income? Providing more public transit for less would be a step toward climate rationality and justice.
