Mary Polak
TransLink says cutbacks mean it will only be able to move a third of its capacity
Dave White Nov 16, 2012 12:18:48 PM
LANGLEY (NEWS1130) - Commuters who haven't been able to take transit over the new Port Mann Bridge for over 20 years will have the opportunity to do so December 1st. Rapid-Bus is being launched, and a new 700-stall Park and Ride is opening in Langley.
The $70 million Carvolth transit exchange opens just east of 200th Street and Highway One December 1st, the same official date for the new bridge. There will be a $2 daily parking fee. Access is from 86th Avenue to the south and 88th Avenue to the north, linked by a new tunnel under the freeway at 202nd Street.
"Well you pay another 20 or 25 dollars to park downtown," says Transportation Minister Mary Polak. "So I for one, will be quite happy to pay here to park at the park and ride. It's certainly, still, a far better deal than taking your car downtown."
RapidBus could see three to four thousand riders opening day -- that's a lot of cars off the road. TransLink has had to slash the number of originally planned trips, however, due to belt tightening.
"They're not wasting resources and squandering them where they're not needed," Polak adds. "We also know that TransLink, on an ongoing basis, reviews the ridership on different routes and makes adjustments and that is how operations continue."
It means the first regular, reliable transit on Highway One since 1986. Commuters will get from Langley to Braid SkyTrain in about 20 minutes. When construction on new off-ramps at Government Street in Burnaby are finished in 2013, RapidBus will terminate at Lougheed Town Centre.