TRANSPORT 2050 is now final after approval from the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation and the TransLink Board of Directors, TransLink said on Thursday.

Transport 2050 outlines a new long-range vision for Metro Vancouver and will guide transportation decisions for the next three decades. The newly approved Regional Transportation Strategy outlines over 100 actions or strategies to make transportation options more convenient, reliable, affordable, safe, comfortable, and environmentally sustainable.

Some key actions in Transport 2050 include:

* Quadrupling the rapid transit network with over 300 kilometres of new rapid transit.
– This could include bus rapid transit, light rail, subway, or SkyTrain.
* Completing a connected 850-kilometre traffic-separated Major Bikeway Network to provide communities with greener and healthier transportation options.
* Promoting the use of electric and shared vehicles such as bikes, scooters, and cars.

Transport 2050 is a strategy for everyone in Metro Vancouver, regardless of whether you primarily drive, take transit, walk, cycle, or roll. It was built through TransLink’s largest-ever public engagement – a three-phase process that began in 2019. In that time, TransLink hosted more than 350 in-person or virtual events that resulted in over 160,000 conversations, 38,000 surveys, and 4,000 ideas.

TransLink engaged directly with Indigenous Nations, urban Indigenous organizations, and over 500 stakeholder groups in 27 different municipalities. This included input from members of the public, representatives from all levels of government, organizations representing disadvantaged communities, and numerous others throughout the Lower Mainland and surrounding areas.

TransLink said it will next work together with the Mayors’ Council to develop a detailed implementation blueprint that will prioritize shorter-term action items from Transport 2050. That blueprint is projected to be released later this year.

Kevin Quinn, CEO, TransLink, said: “Quality transportation is the backbone of a quality society, because how we move impacts every facet of urban life. I’m proud that Transport 2050 will help make transportation more sustainable, reliable, convenient, safe, and affordable for decades. After the largest engagement in our history, Transport 2050 is truly a strategy created both by those and for those who call Metro Vancouver home.”

Jonathan Coté, Chair, Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, said: “In the time I’ve served as Mayors’ Council chair, previous long-range visions like Transport 2021 have influenced so many of the decisions that built what you see around you today. Transport 2050 is our new roadmap to a more livable Metro Vancouver. I’m proud that through engagement, members of the public have led this initiative from the beginning to set us on an ambitious path to a better region.”

George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, said: “With input from thousands of regional residents, Transport 2050 is an exciting vision for the future of transportation and connected communities in Metro Vancouver. A better, cleaner transportation system supports liveable communities, and aligns with our CleanBC Roadmap calling for increased electrification of our transit fleet, expanded opportunities for active transportation and other transportation initiatives to meet out climate targets.”