The B-Line will most likely stop at Park Royal—at least for now.
District of West Vancouver staff is recommending to council that B-Line bus turn around at Park Royal, and council work with TransLink to start the service to the shopping centre by early 2020.
An analysis of the last one month by Park Royal, TransLink and West Vancouver has determined that a B-line bus stop can be accommodated at the existing on-street exchange on Marine Drive in the same manner as the existing 239 bus route
“It has been confirmed through a field test conducted by Coast Mountain Bus Company on February 9 that the turn-around route through Park Royal is feasible,” the report says.
The report also says the current layover on Marine Drive for the 239 bus can be used by the B-line bus. There is also an operator washroom in place, and necessary permits from all parties.
But this doesn’t mean the bitter debates that have agitated the community for the last three months are over.
The possibility of the idea that B-line drives west of Park Royal remains.
Staff recommends that West Vancouver work with TransLink later in 2020 to see if the extension west of Park Royal to Ambleside is possible but by avoiding the contentions issues.
Those issues, the report says, include avoiding a turnaround route adjacent to schools, not requiring any shared bus lanes in the Ambleside business district, minimizing the loss of on-street parking and minimizing impacts to residential neighbourhoods.
District staff says a preliminary analysis hints at the possibility of B-line stopping at a stop on Marine Drive on 14th, but more data collection and modelling of possible solutions need to be done before that decision can be taken.
“Our biggest concern is the open ended motion to continue looking at options past Park Royal. Has the district not wasted enough of taxpayers money working against the residents wishes? This is a decision that the electorate should decide at the next election”–Nigel Malkin
A consultant hired by staff has suggested traffic improvement measures on Marine Drive, but that would cost $1.2 million.
The latest staff report comes along with a community consultation report which found that a majority in West Vancouver desire a better east-west transit connection but don’t support a shared bus lane or the bus going past Park Royal because of congestion and impacts to schools and neighborhoods.
West Vancouver businessman and citizen Nigel Malkin says the staff report is a good signal for the huge majority of residents who have fought TransLink and the district since early December.
He said this will keep the B-Line out of Ambleside – Dundarave until the next election so this can be an election issue.
“Our biggest concern is the open ended motion to continue looking at options past Park Royal. Has the district not wasted enough of taxpayers money working against the residents wishes? This is a decision that the electorate should decide at the next election.”
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The B-Line shouldn’t go as far as Park Royal. I watched a double-length bus navigate a tight turn. It took up two lane to make the turn. The B-Line in West Vancouver was the stupidest idea ever, for a myriad of reasons. One being that it is not needed. The pro B-Line people performed some dastardly and questionable tactics to get noticed, such as causing Facebook to shut down the anti B-Line Facebook page. There was nothing on the anti B-Line’s Facebook page to warrant this, but that is an example of the dirty game pro B-Liners are playing, probably lead by one or two developers, the mayor of West Vancouver, and other characters. One person received a phone call from a man in Richmond asking her to speak out at the next council meeting in support of the B-Line! Dirty game playing tactics by the pro B-Liners.