The community will be able to offer ideas about Pattullo Bridge replacement in the city's master transportation planning process within the next few weeks.
The City of New Westminster will hold a public open house and one or two workshops to discuss transportation visions and goals for the master transportation plan, and provide input on the Pattullo Bridge replacement project. The meetings are set to take place at the end of March and beginning of April.
A staff report to council outlines a variety of the subjects that may be discussed in regards to the Pattullo Bridge, including: Pattullo Bridge alignments that should be explored; streets that a new Pattullo Bridge should connect to; number of lanes on the new bridge; tolling and the form of tolling for the bridge; improvements needed to city streets to mitigate the potential adverse impact of increased traffic; and impacts that the new Port Mann Bridge and South Fraser Perimeter Road would have on the Pattullo Bridge.
New Westminster recently advised TransLink that the city wouldn't be participating in its public consultation program about the Pattullo Bridge because it will explore all options for the bridge's replacement as part of the city's master transportation plan. The options presented at TransLink's meetings showed a new six-lane bridge, which would be either upstream or downstream of the existing bridge.
"It won't be shoved down our throat," said Mayor Wayne Wright. "We are going to work for the things that work for everybody."
Coun. Jonathan Cote said the Pattullo Bridge will have a "huge impact" on transportation in New Westminster. Instead of the "limited focus" of TransLink's consultation process about the replacement Pattullo Bridge, he said the city will consider it as part of the overall transportation plan and consider all options for the Pattullo Bridge.
"I think we need to put everything on the table and have that dialogue," he said.
Coun. Lorrie Williams said some municipalities may view New Westminster as "holding things up" when it comes to transportation issues.
"We have to be careful - this is going to affect us forever," she said. "We do not accept TransLink's patchwork ideas."
Williams said New Westminster is doing all Metro Vancouver municipalities a favour by looking out for transportation issues because residents from many of those communities travel through New Westminster.
"I am very pleased that New Westminster is taking its time," Williams said. "Metro Vancouver is getting to realize we are a crossroads for so many municipalities."
In addition to the open house and workshops, New Westminster residents will also be able to provide input into the master transportation plan through an online survey. A citywide telephone survey will also be done in the future to gauge the overall level of public support for the vision, goals and objectives of the master transportation plan and the Pattullo Bridge project.
When surveyed in the past, residents have consistently ranked transportation as the number 1 issue in New Westminster.
The city has a number of goals and policies about transportation, which include minimizing the adverse effects of transportation facilities and services on community members and only accommodating increased capacity if it doesn't detract from the objectives and function of a regional city centre.
"That has been a policy for in excess of 15 years or more," said Coun. Betty McIntosh about not accommodating increased capacity. "What we are hearing from TransLink, I don't think they have heard our policy, or understand our policy."
McIntosh said the City of New Westminster needs TransLink to come back to the table and be a little bit more aware of the city's policies about transportation.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr expressed concern about the percentage of trucks driving through New Westminster that are actually servicing New Westminster.
Puchmayr attended a recent meeting with New Westminster MLA Dawn Black and NDP transportation and infrastructure critic Harry Bains to discuss transportation issues and the Pattullo Bridge replacement. He's concerned that the proposed six-lane Pattullo Bridge is basically building a freeway that stops in New Westminster.
"A new crossing is needed, but does it have to be there?" he said.
Puchmayr said there doesn't appear to be too much on the table that benefits New Westminster when it comes to the Pattullo Bridge or regional transportation plans.
"It is basically, do you want the hemlock or do you want the arsenic?" he said.
