The B.C. government has turned down an idea to build a gondola connecting Burrard Inlet and the North Shore and ease gridlock.
Instead, more tow trucks will be on standby, as of Nov. 1, at the Ironworkers Memorial and Lions Gate bridges, according to a Facebook post from North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma. This will include a heavy wrecker tow for larger trucks.
Could a gondola connecting Phibbs Exchange, @CapilanoU, and Maplewood get us around the North Shore faster? Learn why gondolas may not reduce travel times or make it easier to get around by visiting https://t.co/nJQgoXdCYs #NorthVan #WestVan #INSTPP pic.twitter.com/2zG0tRvj6A
— Bowinn Ma (@BowinnMa) September 26, 2018
The push for expedited incident clearing has long been called for by North Vancouver locals, including city councillors and TransLink staff. Clearing vehicles with flat tires, mechanical issues and minor fender benders was one of a dozen key actions in the Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project report, released in August.
The idea of constructing a gondola across the inlet was first introduced in 2017 by transportation analyst Richard Littlemore. However, the group behind the transportation report crunched the numbers and determined it just wouldn’t be feasible.
“The analysis also showed that a gondola would not create considerable travel time savings compared with using buses on the existing roads, and it would require an additional transfer for most customers.” the report says.
The same was to be said about adding another lane to nearby bridges.
The North Shore has added more than twice as many jobs than working-age residents since 2011, the report says, resulting in more workers from elsewhere in the region commuting to work in the city.
Delays are most pronounced at bridgeheads in the afternoon rush hours, the report said, taking commuters three to four times longer to cross compared to the rest of the day.
@ashwadhwani
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