North Van mayor-elect hopes more tow trucks will ease city's traffic

The City of North Vancouver's mayor-elect hasn't yet been sworn in, but she's already thinking about how to ease her municipality's long-existing traffic woes.

On Wednesday, the province made clear that a third bridge spanning Burrard Inlet was not an option being explored, but Victoria did announce additional tow truck services for the two existing bridges, which sees more than 185,000 vehicles combined travel on them every day.

Bowinn Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale said putting more tow trucks at the Lions Gate and Ironworkers' Memorial bridges would mean the bridges could be put back into service more quickly following accidents.

Mayor-elect Linda Buchanan says that even if a new bridge isn't in the cards, there are a few different methods of moving people across the Inlet she would like to look into, along with newly elected District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little.

"In the near term, there's a number of things ... We need to work collaboratively across the North Shore, to put those things in place," said Buchanan, adding that the additional tow truck services are a step in the right direction.

Buchanan said she's met with her fellow North Shore mayors-elect only briefly, but she's confident they will form a united front on the issue of transportation.

"We are in agreement that we absolutely need to be one voice when we are looking for our share of provincial and federal dollars," she said.

The increased tow truck service will go into effect Nov.1, and the service area includes Highway 1 from the south side of the Ironworkers' Memorial Bridge to Horseshoe Bay, Highway 99 in Stanley Park to the junction with Highway 1, as well as Taylor Way, Cypress Bowl Road and the Mt. Seymour Parkway. 

With files from The Early Edition