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Common sense prevails with Translink's outgoing board for Port Moody...

By John Grasty

Real Estate Sales Representative with for real estate results in the Tri-Cities.

December 24, 2007 06:12 AM

Congratulations to Mayor Trasolini and Council.

TransLink doubles funding allocation and approves Murray-Clarke Connector

December 12, 2007

The city's campaign to explain the urgent need for the twice-delayed Murray Clarke Connector paid off. The campaign included a Council demonstration to expose what would happen if the project was delayed again.

At its December 12, 2007 meeting, TransLink's outgoing Board of Directors approved the allocation of up to $50 million for the design and construction of the much-needed Murray Clarke Connector.

Motivated by the urgency of the outgoing TransLink Board's last meeting, two dozen people appeared to speak in support of the project to Board Directors assembled at Richmond City Hall.

After the positive vote, Mayor Joe Trasolini said: "As a Director on TransLink's Board, I have supported many regional initiatives for years. It was time for Port Moody and the Northeast sector to receive support for a long overdue four-lane overpass."

The TransLink Board voted unanimously in favour of funding the Murray Clarke Connector. Echoing Port Moody's plea for common sense to prevail, the Board dismissed the TransLink staff suggestion that perhaps a two-lane overpass might suffice as a replacement for the old two-lane overpass. The idea of a new two-lane overpass is now dead.

"This project has been on the drawing board as far back as 1983," said Port Moody mayor Joe Trasolini. "We've been promised this many times and four lanes were already justified in the 1980's. We were not prepared to hear no or to be offered a half-baked solution."

The delegations included residents and elected officials from Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Belcarra and Port Moody. They included residents and business owners. The TransLink Board heard a variety of arguments from experts lined up by Port Moody to represent the views of industry owners, realtors, urban planners, developers and emergency response agencies.

The Murray Clarke Connector will be a major route that will serve the entire region, beyond the Tri-Cities. Constructing a four lane connector was already justified in 1983 based on a report by the Ministry of Transportation and Highways.

"This was a crucial step in having TransLink fulfill its promise to complete the connector," said Mayor Trasolini. "We now have to move quickly and retain a design firm to complete the detailed engineering of the overpass and road work. This is no longer time for more studies. We now have a clear mandate to take action."

http://www.cityofportmoody.com/City+Hall/News/2007+News+Archive/20071212MR1.htm

LETTERS

December 12, 2007

PoMo has done its part, now give us the connector

Open Letter to the Translink board

While Port Moody has surpassed its commitment to the Livable Region Strategic Plan, the same cannot be said about the reciprocal commitment. After over twenty years of delays, one seriously overlooked aspect of not having the Murray Clarke Connector is the enormous burden this has put on the citizens of Port Moody which has cost us all in ways not publicly discussed, or perhaps even realized.

With the ongoing Translink promise to fulfill the commitment of the LRSP, the City has spent millions of taxpayer dollars on strategic plans to improve the quality of life for Port Moody citizens and those passing through. The problem is that a large amount of these plans remain un-implemented and sit in limbo on shelves at City Hall waiting for the funding of the Murray Clarke Connector.

Yes, the entire City of Port Moody continues to be held hostage by Translink and its predecessors. This is absolutely outrageous! How is the City supposed to prepare another OCP, this time for 2008, with the continuing uncertainty?

Waiting for the Murray Clarke Connector means that residential development in Port Moody needs to remain in limbo as well.

It's now time our senior elected representatives emerged from the background, where they claim to be doing all they can, and do whatever needs to be done today in the open for the public to see some leadership, just like Mayor Trasolini and Council have.

Imagine if the Murray Clarke Connector had been properly funded back in the early eighties when the need and value was first justified; the transportation infrastructure of the City would be light-years ahead and traffic would flow during commute times.

If there is still any doubt remaining on the need today, I would suggest the Translink Board members take an early morning drive over the Moody St overpass then east along Murray St against the flow to Ioco Rd to see the gridlock first-hand. Turning onto Ioco towards St Johns St they will see what it is like sitting in the westbound toxic fume-spewing parking lot everyday; then do the reverse trip again anytime after 3:30 p.m.

Allowing the worsening, vehicular pollution, road noise, emergency response delays, traffic accidents, pedestrian accidents, economic disruption from slower commercial traffic, and frustration of travelling citizens through Port Moody, doesn't fit the vision, mission and values established by the Board and espoused on the Translink website, nor the four main strategies of the LRSP.

It is also stated on the Translink website that "Translink Listens". Well, at it's meeting today, the board can demonstrate this by swiftly moving forward with the Murray Clarke Connector - with no more delays or excuses.

John Grasty
Port Moody, BC
http://www.johngrasty.ca/

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Port Moody pleased with Evergreen Line corridor announcement

PORT MOODY - City of Port Moody council is pleased with today's announcement by Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon regarding the Evergreen Line alignment along the Northwest Corridor through Port Moody. The announcement ends years of planning and months of uncertainty about rapid transit service to the Northeast Sector.

"Obviously Port Moody is very pleased with the announcement," said Acting Mayor Diana Dilworth. "Having the northern alignment confirmed is very positive for our community and its residents who have long been waiting for access to rapid transit. We can now move forward, working to ensure that our conditions and concerns about this route are addressed, the most important being that it is constructed at grade along the CP Rail right-of-way."

A third key consideration for the route through Port Moody includes a tunnel portal situated north of Clarke Street and east of Barnet Highway. Any other location for the tunnel portal would be seen as overly disruptive to residential neighbourhoods.

Port Moody's conditions for the alignment through Port Moody were developed through extensive public consultation over a number of years, including a March, 2008 town hall meeting hosted by Council for Port Moody residents and businesses. These conditions include consideration for Port Moody's unique and vibrant communities, aesthetics, environmental concerns, and economic impact on existing and new businesses. A comprehensive list of conditions were garnered from a number of public input processes and consolidated in a report to council on the alignment on March 5, 2008 [see backgrounder, following].

Rapid transit service to Port Moody has been a key aspect of the city's planning and densification development over the past 15 years. Compact, high-rise developments such as NewPort Village and Suter Brook were envisioned with the promise that rapid transit would address the transportation requirements of the residents and businesses.

BACKGROUNDER:
Port Moody requirements for the design and implementation of the Evergreen ALRT line
1. Avoid environmentally sensitive lands (e.g. Miller Park Ravine);
2. Be constructed at grade along the southern alignment of the Canadian Pacific Rail Right of Way;
3. Avoid impacting significant heritage assets and landscapes which reflect the community's traditions and past;
4. Minimize impacts on existing neighbourhoods;
5. Create opportunities for redevelopment;
6. Include the modal integration of Coast Mountain Bus service, West Coast Express and rapid transit; and
7. Include a station within one block of Queens Street and one station located within close proximity to Moray Street. Each station should include a pedestrian overpass allowing pedestrian connections over the rail line. The two stations must be fully accessible. The western station should be designed in a heritage style and incorporate heritage elements.
8. Provide environmental compensation acceptable to MOE and DFO where environmental impacts are unavoidable.
9. Respect environmental policies and regulations that are unique to Port Moody such as tree removal, work outside of the bird nesting season, pesticide application, Naturescape policy and all other codes, bylaws and regulations.
10. Integration with the existing system means having the ability to travel from Port Moody to Commercial Drive without a transfer.
11. It is critical that construction of the Murray Clarke Connector start in 2008 and be completed first.
12. Additional costs of integrating the ALRT into the Murray Clarke Connector (MCC), including a longer bridge span for the MCC, additional property acquisition and delay costs are to be considered part of the ALRT project.
13. The alignment should cause a minimum of disruption to existing businesses on Clarke Street.
14. Traffic is already congested on St. Johns St. and Barnet Hwy, so construction should be planned in a way that maintains the ability acceptable traffic flow.
15. The Tunnel's portal should be east of Barnet Highway and North of Clarke St.
16. The guideway should remain at grade or below grade through Port Moody.
17. At grade means at or below the existing grade of Clarke Street and at or below the existing grade of Murray Street.
18. Efforts should be made to enhance security at every ALRT station.
19. TransLink committed to turnstiles during the public consultation and secure stations should be made part of the project's essential elements.
20. The application of best CPTED practices in terms of lighting, visibility, monitoring and physical security are expected.
21. Passive security measures must be accompanied by strict policies and appropriate enforcement of all public areas.
22. Stations should be small in terms of physical bulk, airy, and they should blend into the character of surrounding buildings.
23. All stations in Port Moody should feature public art and reflect the city's own 1% for art policy (i.e. 1% of the capital value of the buildings and structures should be allocated to public art suitably juried by the city's public art committee).
24. Emphasis should be on integrated public art and landscaping rather than on daring architecture for stations.
25. TransLink should explore opportunities to link stations to new development.
26. A station is required near the Inlet Centre area to serve high density Newport, Suter Brook and Klahanie developments.
27. Consideration should be given to appropriate park & ride; not an excessive number of parking stalls but some should be provided.
28. A pedestrian overpass over the CPR right-of-way should be provided at each station, if not already in place.
29. There should be some form of compensation for the loss of business opportunities for businesses affected during construction.
30. Port Moody residents and businesses need to be given opportunities to comment on the details of the project.
31. The City of Port Moody needs to be involved in the planning of community consultation processes.
32. This is not an exhaustive list and it should not be misconstrued as the only requirements to be addressed as part of the implementation of this project.