B.C.'s transit upgrade plan gets mixed reviews

The B.C. government's $14 billion transit upgrade plan drew mixed reviews Monday, as small business owners worried about the impact of construction. As well, local politicians wondered about the province's ability to secure financing for the upgrades.

In unveiling the proposal in Vancouver Monday, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said it aims to improve public transportation infrastructure across the province while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by getting people out of their cars and onto public transport.

But business owners are already expressing concerns about the impact of key components of the plan, including a $10 billion expansion of Vancouver's rapid transit system.

Vancouver Pizza store owner Nat Bastone has already seen what has happened to merchants along the route of the Canada Line Skytrain rapid transit project on Cambie Street, and worries that his Broadway Street store could face similar disruption.

During the Canada Line construction, there was traffic disruption caused by tunnelling on Cambie Street and customers avoided the area.

Bastone said the toll on Broadway could be much greater if the Millennium Skytrain line is expanded along Broadway to the University of British Columbia campus.

"Think about all the businesses,'' said Bastone. "Cambie is a short little business section compared to Broadway,'' he said. "I mean that would just ruin things. It's a ridiculous decision and whoever thought of it should have their head examined."

Meanwhile, a veteran civic politician wonders if B.C. will be able to deliver on a plan to build the new Evergreen Line to the Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody area.

Lou Sekora was mayor of Coquitlam 22 years ago when the provincial government was pledging that Evergreen would be the Lower Mainland's next Skytrain project after the first one was completed.

But it didn't happen and Sekora wonders if it ever will. "It's just another joke, another rent-a-crowd, or rent-a-media,'' he said. "Or somebody woke up in the middle of the night and had a nightmare and said, 'I'm going to announce it on Monday morning.'''

However, Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan said he is pleased to see a concrete plan in place, even through completion of components such as the Millennium expension hinge on as yet unsecured funds from Ottawa.

"Now we have to push hard to make sure the funding is in place and get things moving as soon as possible,'' he said. "I think the federal government will respond," he said.