Up until 1956, the only way to reach 麻豆社国产was either by Ferry from Vancouver or by train from Whistler and, more likely, points north.
Then in 1959, a road link to the Lower Mainland was finally established and 麻豆社国产residents have complained about it ever since.
Now with the new highway and more people commuting to Vancouver and Whistler than ever before, the irony is, 麻豆社国产may need a train or ferry or both to help alleviate the pressure.
鈥淚t is an interesting conundrum,鈥� said 麻豆社国产Mayor, Patricia Heinztman. 鈥淐ommuters fill the highway now. We do want jobs in Squamish, but we鈥檙e always going to have commuters. There are just many more employment opportunities in Metro Vancouver.鈥澨�
Of course, it is not just commuters. 麻豆社国产has grown as a tourist destination, which further adds to transportation woes on the highway.
鈥淭he tourist congestion issue is that it comes at high influx times and diminishes the visitors鈥� experience. As well, it diminishes locals鈥� ability to move around. Last Easter it took me two and half hours to get to Horseshoe Bay,鈥� said Heinztman.听
Eric Andersen, a 麻豆社国产Chamber of Commerce director and chair of regional transport, says the chamber has been looking at a number of presentations for various transportation solutions. Not to mention, the rest of the corridor鈥檚 chambers have been looking at alternative transportation solutions for years, if not longer.
鈥淸Squamish] Chamber has been involved in planning regional transport solutions for decades. We鈥檙e asked by our members to be an advocacy group to local governments up and down the corridor,鈥� said Andersen.
鈥淭he most important thing right now is to identify priorities for all modes, and to preserve infrastructure for bus, ferry or trains.鈥� Looking at possible transportation systems that have been studied by the chamber, he ticks off some of the pros and cons.
鈥淏us 鈥� that鈥檚 the simplest solution, but as it is we have no coherent park-and-ride plan, it remains ad hoc. Ferry 鈥� we don鈥檛 have a marine strategy that identifies ports and investment needs. Train 鈥� the first question that has to be asked is, 鈥楧oes the North Shore terminal have adequate infrastructure for a regular commuter/passenger train service?鈥� Then what about spur lines? What we鈥檝e been doing in the entire corridor for years is tearing up spur lines. In particular, we removed track in Pemberton and Squamish. So again, we need to preserve options and make preserving infrastructure our first priority.鈥�
Heintzman says a lot of study on alternative transportation solutions was done before the 2010 Olympics but hasn鈥檛 been addressed in a multi-faceted way since then.
鈥淔or the Olympics, it was decided just to put a ton of money into the highway.鈥�
She notes more communication between local governments, and stakeholder groups is needed. 鈥淚 think the biggest thing right now, is to stop doing isolated analysis. There are too many small plans in isolation. 鈥�
Almost to underscore that, the mayor was surprised to learn of a 2016 study by West Vancouver done in conjunction with UBC鈥檚 geography department. It was mainly an academic exercise, however, it did involve West Vancouver planning and transportation as well consultation from TransLink.
It proposed a rail link from North Vancouver, linking Lonsdale Quay, Park Royal, Dundarave, 麻豆社国产(possibly two stops), Whistler and Pemberton. It even went so far as to estimate ticket prices 鈥� $16 one way and $30 return (based on an undetermined government subsidy), without any subsidy the study estimated a ticket price of $25 one way.
鈥淲ell, when you factor in gas and parking for the day in Vancouver, a $30 return is about where it would have to be for it to make sense to commuters,鈥� Heintzman said.
She added that commuter rail was discussed in some detail between the concerned governments at September鈥檚 UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities) in Vancouver.
鈥淭hat was about a lesser train investment, not a high-speed rail idea. So we鈥檙e talking a North Van to Lillooet line. I talked with all concerned mayors about a via rail type of system, and we would be looking at about a $500 million investment for that.
鈥淢y understanding though is the existing (BC Rail) bud cars are not the most efficient. They need the ability to get up to 70 km. Now, I think, the most passenger cars can do is 50 km.鈥�
Andersen is more unequivocal about the potential for rail, of any design, for the corridor.
鈥淚t won鈥檛 be high speed, it鈥檚 not physically possible, or it is, but the cost is enormous. That鈥檚 something you build through the Alps to connect countries. What are the transportation priorities of the province? We鈥檙e talking billions for a few tens of thousands of people.鈥�
Andersen says that according to the West Coast Railway Association, 40 km/hour is the standard for rail travel in the corridor.
鈥淓ven with new technologies, to get trains going faster, it鈥檚 still, I think, cost prohibitive.听
Heintzman concedes any hi-speed train option is a multi-billion dollar project, but not outside the realm of possibility, and notes that former premier Christy Clark included the idea of a hi-speed rail connection from Vancouver to 麻豆社国产in a pre-election speech last May. Furthermore, it has been an option considered by TransLink.听
鈥淵es, the question is, how to pay for it, which probably means a huge expansion of real estate development through the entire corridor. Environmental groups want a high-speed train, but the catch-22 is with that, you get much more real estate. Anyone proposing that option has to understand that high-speed rail, even when paid by government, still means massive real estate investment.鈥�
Of course, the easiest solution for commuter travel is to make use of the massive infrastructure already in place, the highway.
鈥淲e did a study a few years ago about buses. But one bus takes at most 44 cars off the road. You need a lot of buses to reduce traffic. Even if you put 10 buses on at peak time for Whistler, that takes at most 440 cars off the road. So we need to look at the whole gamut of transportation options to be considered,鈥� said Heintzman.听
She said a high occupancy vehicle lane might be a possibility.
鈥淏C Transit has looked at it, but I don鈥檛 think they considered holiday/weekend traffic, and they didn鈥檛 consider Lions Bay, and how to dovetail with TransLink - their mandate does cover up to Pemberton. But you also don鈥檛 want to compromise our internal systems.鈥�
However, as stated above, the problems of moving people through the corridor are about more than just meeting the needs of commuters.
鈥淲e need to meet the needs of tourists and commuters. Whistler鈥檚 tourist growth has been huge, 麻豆社国产is now attracting more tourists, and the Highway at peak times is nearing its threshold.鈥�
Should 麻豆社国产make a deal with Translink on commuter buses?听
鈥淧ersonally, I think that鈥檚 the way to go,鈥� says Andersen. 鈥淭he gas tax is something we should look at. We鈥檙e not benefiting from that program, but in the end, we鈥檙e still paying higher gas prices.鈥�
Then there is the link that originally tied 麻豆社国产to Vancouver. 鈥淎 ferry has the advantage of being point to point. A rail link would just go to North Van. Also I think a ferry has the advantage of attracting tourists,鈥� said Andersen.
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The infrastructure for a ferry does exist, and the Darrell Bay ferry terminal is, to put it mildly, under-utilized, including its parking lot, which is not being used or commercialized in any way.
鈥淲hen Darrell Bay was built (to ferry workers to Woodfibre across Howe Sound) there was no coordination with Squamish, the province just went ahead and did it,鈥� says Andersen.
鈥淏ack in 2001 a business case was done for a potential ferry,鈥� said Heinztman. 鈥淭his was part of the transportation scenario for 2010. The business case then, was that it was workable for Darrell Bay... The idea was considered very viable, just for passengers, and it would be a Vancouver to 麻豆社国产shot only, so that has its limitations as well.鈥�
She said there is no plan for a ferry terminal on the oceanfront lands, although there is a mini-cruise ship terminal, which could, in all likelihood be adapted for commuter ferries.
Bill Cocksbridge of Slipstream Vessels says he was approached by investors about using one of his vessels on a 麻豆社国产to Vancouver ferry route. His company is developing a high-speed air cushion vessel that could travel speeds of up to 120 km per hour.听
鈥淚 spoke to council there a couple of years ago, and there was certainly interest in getting a commuter ferry operating. But I鈥檓 not in the ferry operating business, I鈥檓 in the shipbuilding business,鈥� said Cocksbridge.
Although he adds, the 200-passenger craft he envisions running the 麻豆社国产to Vancouver route would be fast enough and have a shallow enough draught to include other stops on the way.听
鈥淚 do think the marine interface 麻豆社国产had needs to be recovered. We鈥檝e been too preoccupied with housing and parks.鈥�
Heintzman says going forward all transportation options have to be considered.
鈥淏ut we have to address those options more comprehensively. Although I am optimistic that there will be a near-term solution for the corridor,鈥� said the mayor.
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Photo by David Buzzard/For The 麻豆社国产.听
