TransLink’s plans for a post-Evergreen Line bus system in northeast Coquitlam will not include new routes on Burke Mountain.
Margaret Wittgens, the director of systems planning and consultation with the region’s transit authority, told Coquitlam council Monday that there is no new funding to expand Burke bus service and any enhancements would have to be made using current resources.
“We are aware that Burke Mountain is a high priority for network expansion,” she said. “That is something that will be top of mind as resources allow, although that is not part of the current plan.”
When the Evergreen Line opens in fall 2016, transit planners expect the rapid transit line to render several bus routes obsolete. That means some buses could be freed up to enhance service along busier routes.
TransLink has put together 85 near term changes for public consultation, with a third of those items expected to affect riders in the Tri-City area. A survey will be posted on the TransLink website between October 13 and November 6, giving the public an opportunity to weigh-in on how the resources should be allocated.
But Coquitlam councillors expressed dismay that some routes, including a proposed No. 9 bus for Burke Mountain, are not in those plans.
Mayor Richard Stewart said he does not understand why TransLink is proposing a connection between Port Moody and southwest Coquitlam using Thermal Drive while Burke Mountain remains under-serviced. “We don’t have a bus in an entire corner of our community but we are going to add buses [to Thermal],” he said.
“TransLink cannot… ignore evolving demand as communities do what they have been asked to do — that is absorb population.”
Coun. Craig Hodge, a Burke Mountain resident, concurred with the mayor, noting the success of the 188 bus, which starts at Coquitlam Central Station and makes its way up to David Avenue before going down Coast Meridian and connecting with Port Coquitlam Station. He said many people in the neighbourhood would be willing to take advantage of public transit if the service was more widely available.
gmckenna@tricitynews.com
