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While this research gets underway, there remain some urgently needed public transit and road projects that our governments must invest in immediately.

TransLink started rolling out the first phase of the 10-Year Vision earlier this year — providing some relief for overcrowding on our transit system and making improvements to the Major Roads Network — thanks to a funding partnership between the region, provincial and federal governments. These initial investments are introducing more choices for Metro Vancouver commuters, but it took more than two years after the plan was finalized by the Mayors to get the senior governments to the table.

We still have a long way to go before we can really address congestion and we can’t afford further delays. That’s going to take continued partnership and a commitment from the next Premier to work with the Mayors’ Council immediately after the election to follow through with the next phase of the 10-Year Vision. The benefits of doing so are clear: just by completing the Vision, we can reduce road congestion by up to 20 percent and save commuters as much as 30 minutes on their daily travels.

During this provincial election campaign, the Mayors’ Council is asking the major parties to clarify their commitments to Phase Two of the Vision. In addition to new rapid transit projects in Vancouver, Surrey and Langley — which the federal and provincial governments recently committed matching funding for — the Phase Two plan includes replacing the aging Pattullo Bridge; upgrading the existing SkyTrain system to deal with growing demand; expanding bus service; improving HandyDART service; ongoing improvements to road conditions for drivers, and safety improvements for cyclists and pedestrians. More information is available at CureCongestion.ca.

Assuming provincial commitments are secured for all of the Phase Two projects, the Mayors’ Council will step up with matching regional funding to ensure that the Vision can be fully and quickly funded in a manner that is fair and equitable to Metro Vancouver taxpayers.

Jonathan Cote is the mayor of New Westminster and chair of the Funding Strategy Committee for the TransLink Mayors’ Council.

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