Over a year ago, ahead of the opening of the Evergreen Extension, The Tri-City News sat down with three residents to get their take on how the new transit line would affect their commutes. This week, we reconnected with them to learn how SkyTrain has changed their travel patterns over the last 12 months.
DAILY COMMUTE
Dixon Tam started a new job at the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch in Vancouver the October before Evergreen opened. And two months of driving to work every day from his home on Burke Mountain before the rapid transit line became operational in December was all he needed to become a loyal transit rider.
“I used [Evergreen] starting day one,” he said, later adding: “I use it every day for work. Now, I am even using it on the weekends, something I normally would not do.”
Tam said the time it takes for him to catch the 191 in northeast Coquitlam, transfer to SkyTrain and get to his job next to Rupert Station is about the same as driving to work in rush hour traffic.
But while he misses having his own personal space, he said taking transit has made his life a lot easier. “I’m saving on stress in the morning,” he said. “I can put my headphones on. I can watch a movie or listen to music.”
One issue that Tam said he would like to see resolved is how fares are charged. Because his office is one stop into Vancouver, he has to pay a three-zone fare, which means he is not saving much money when compared to the cost of driving every day.
“If my office was one station earlier, I’d save money,” he said. “I am looking forward to seeing what TransLink does with changes to the fare system.”
WEEKEND WANDER
Monica Hayer did not end up riding the Evergreen Extension as much as she thought she would. A job change moved her commute from Vancouver to Coquitlam, meaning she now lives only a few minutes from her current work place on Westwood Street.
But she said getting downtown for shows and sporting events is easier than ever, and she has saved a lot of money on taxi fares thanks to the new rapid transit connection.
“I am still using it,” she said, adding that she’ll be attending a concert by rapper Jay-Z next week at Rogers Arena. “It is a nice way to go out without having to spend $100 on a cab.”
Having access to rapid transit also allows her to visit family and friends, most of whom live in east Vancouver.
But while the train makes traveling around the region more convenient, Hayer said getting to the stations from her home on Burke Mountain is still difficult on transit. With infrequent bus service in her neighbourhood, she prefers to park and ride, and has sometimes even taken a cab to get to and from the stations and her house.
“I have never taken the bus,” she said. “I have just avoided it.”
FAMILY TRIPS
When Evergreen opened, Mitch Williams and Yuko Kawano, who lived in Port Moody’s Newport Village, were looking for a new home for their growing family. But after getting accustomed to having rapid transit at their doorstep, they decided their next home would have to be close to SkyTrain.
Williams said his family settled on the Inlet Centre neighbourhood, a decision mainly made due to the area’s proximity to an Evergreen station.
“That was one of the selling features,” he said. “Now that we got it and we are using it, we don’t want to be away from it.”
Mitchell said his wife, Kawano, uses the train every day to get to work near Brentwood in Burnaby, while he mostly uses it to get to sporting events and shows in Vancouver. “It just makes things a lot easier,” he said. “I hate parking downtown.”
Friends from Vancouver are also more likely to venture east to visit, Williams said. He is even starting to use the train for shorter trips within the Tri-Cities, or to visit friends in New Westminster.
“Anywhere there is going to be any type of alcohol,” he said. “It is getting to the point where one drink is kind of your limit.”
BY THE NUMBERS
It did not take long for a significant number of Tri-City residents to get into the habit of using SkyTrain.
Last February, less than two months after the opening, ridership on the line hit 30,000 per day and has continued to grow from there.
This week, TransLink said daily passenger figures have grown to 34,000 per day, up 13% since last winter and on track to achieving the goal of 70,000 trips per day by 2021.
@gmckennaTC
