The City of New Westminster continues to seek input from residents about the Pattullo Bridge, but many citizens oppose plans to build a six-lane crossing from New Westminster to Surrey.
The City of New Westminster held two forums about its master transportation plan on May 3, with 120 people attending an afternoon session at Century House and more than 200 people attending an evening session at the Justice Institute of B.C.
Jim Lowrie, the city's director of engineering, said the city sought input on its overall master transportation plan and options for the Pattullo Bridge, but it's fair to say most of the people attending the meeting wanted to talk about the fate of the bridge.
TransLink is currently considering plans for the construction of a new Pattullo Bridge. It has proposed four alignments of a six-lane bridge that would be built near the existing bridge.
"I would characterize the comments we heard as being opposed to the sixlane replacement option," Lowrie told The Record. "That was a fairly predominant theme."
New Westminster city council wrote to TransLink April 30 stating that it doesn't accept TransLink's consultation and decision-making process, noting that decisions about the alignment, number of lanes and connecting road systems have been made without broader consultation and understanding of local community issues and network constraints.
The City of New Westminster has presented eight options for the public to consider regarding Pattullo Bridge, including the six-lane options proposed by TransLink. Other options include: rehabilitating the existing bridge; demolishing the bridge and building a four-lane replacement; demolishing the bridge and not building a replacement; demolishing the bridge and building a crossing from Surrey to Sapperton via Sapperton Bar; and building a bridge in Burnaby, which is known as the Tree Island option.
The City of New Westminster encourages residents to complete the surveys, which are available on the city's website and must be completed by May 18.
"We will obviously compile all the information, do some analysis and use that information to establish a city policy that will be used in negotiations with TransLink and possibly the province," Lowrie said.
Residents can access the questionnaires via the city's website (www.new westcity.ca) and search "master transportation plan." The city hasn't confirmed whether it will be doing a telephone survey to get further input from residents about the master transportation plan and Pattullo Bridge.
"We want to have something that is statistically relevant and is representative of the city as a whole," Lowrie said.
In the April 30 letter to TransLink, city council stated that a decision about the Pattullo Bridge project should be deferred until the outcome of the city's master transportation planning process is known, as this would ensure that the regional and local transportation systems are appropriately integrated.
The city also stated its opposition to any options for the Pattullo Bridge that increase vehicular capacity at the crossing; stressed the need to ensure that New Westminster's livability is enhanced by any decisions made concerning the Pattullo Bridge; and expressed concern that no mitigation measure have been identified to address traffic that will go to the Pattullo Bridge once the new tolled Port Mann Bridge opens at the end of 2012.
"The Pattullo Bridge project presents a unique opportunity to assess the overall role of the crossing within the local and regional growth management plans and to address longstanding transportation problems in New Westminster," stated the letter to TransLink.
"We trust that important decisions on the Pattullo Bridge will be deferred until the outcome of the city's master transportation plan is concluded. This will enable a holistic solution that balances local and regional needs which not only address long-term transportation needs, but also responds to the livability aspirations of New Westminster and the region."
TransLink has postponed some stakeholder meetings that it had scheduled for this week about the Pattullo Bridge. The meetings have been put off until June.
TransLink was set to share information with stakeholders on May 8 about the proposed bridge alignment and connections to Surrey and New Westminster; report back on how the technical analysis and public and stakeholder feedback affected decisions and outcomes; listen to stakeholder issues, concerns and opportunities related to the proposed bridge alignment and connection options; and discuss next steps. It was going to follow up with public open houses next week.
Although the Pattullo Bridge has become a top issue of consideration as part of the city's master transportation plan, the plan is being created to guide the city's decision making for the next two decades for all modes of transportation, including walking, cycling, public transit, goods movement and vehicles.
The City of New Westminster is hoping to conclude its update of the master transportation plan by the end this year.
