Transport 2050

Would you, a family member, or friend prefer to read and submit a survey in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese or Punjabi?

To submit one of the in-language PDF surveys, please open the survey of your choice, complete each question as indicated, and email your completed survey to transport2050@translink.ca.

• Chinese (Simplified) - 请参加简体中文调查问卷
• Chinese (Traditional) - 請用繁體中文參加問卷調查
• Punjabi - ਪੰਜਾਬੀਵਿਚਸਰਵੇਲਉ

July 29, 2019: Applications for Council membership are now closed, and applicants will be contacted shortly to confirm membership.

TransLink and CityHive are calling for a diverse group of 20 young adults aged 19-30 living across Metro Vancouver to help shape the present and future transportation systems of the region.

Whether you are a self-proclaimed transit nerd or don’t have a clue about how transportation systems work, if you have the ability to engage your networks and a desire to learn more about how the region is moving into the future this opportunity could be for you!

What is the Transport 2050 Youth Advisory Council?

Since the launch of our public engagement on May 3, we've heard from thousands of Metro Vancouverites about how they want the future of transportation to look.

With just shy of 1,400 ideas shared on our Idea Board we've seen conversations around new B-Lines, dynamic schedules, upgraded fare boxes, more public art, crowd control in stations, approaches to ride hailing services, and improvements to SkyTrain cars.

As well as new ideas, surveys are still coming in with nearly 13,000 submissions as of June. The Transport 2050 Survey will stay open until the end of our consultation in Sept. Check out the detailed results on the Buzzer and don't forget to attend one of our community events held throughout the summer.

TransLink is creating a new strategy for the next 30 years of transportation called Transport 2050, and we need your help. Find us at community events throughout the region to tell us how you want to move and live!

Transport 2050 is a regional strategy, so it needs regional input, and that’s why we’ve kicked off our largest ever public engagement. Our outreach team will be at hot events and festivals throughout Metro Vancouver. Take a walk through the engagement bus at the larger festivals!

We want to hear about your values and priorities, and your bold and creative ideas for the future of transportation. Your responses and ideas will shape the next Regional Transportation Strategy. Tell us how Transport 2050 can make life better for current and future generations.

Get involved!

TransLink is leading the development of Transport 2050, a new long-term transportation strategy for our region. And thousands of you who live, work and play across Metro Vancouver have stepped up to have a say!

Transport 2050 will set out what our region needs to build, do, and provide to meet our transportation needs between now and 2050. And a regional strategy needs regional input, so we’ve launched the largest engagement in our history to ask: What’s important to you? What are your transportation priorities? And, what are your ideas for the future?

After just one month of engagement, Metro Vancouverites have completed almost 9,000 surveys and shared almost 900 bold and creative ideas for the future. Below are some highlights from Phase 1 of engagement but if you haven’t taken part yet – don’t despair! You can participate until September 22.

Ideas | 896 bold and creative ideas

You’ve shared hundreds of diverse and thought-provoking suggestions, with ideas ranging from upgrading transit to improving amenities; embracing technology to changing how we pay for transportation; introducing new services and much, much more.

Some of the ideas submitted that have generated the most votes and online conversations, are:

• Gondolas, everywhere!: including to SFU Burnaby and around the region.
• Repurpose road space: speed up travel, turn street parking into dedicated bus routes or use the space for something else. Add protected bike lanes on commercial streets.
• Turn up the trains: expand SkyTrain hours on weekends and offer West Coast Express all day, everyday.
• More trains: commuter trains to Squamish and Whistler, and connecting major centres in the region. Canada Line from Horseshoe Bay to Tsawwassen.
• SkyTrain livin’: put more housing and amenities around major stations, including shops and more affordable homes.
• Customer comfort matters: offer washrooms at stations and real-time bus updates on displays at major stations.
• How we pay for mobility: introduce congestion pricing to reduce traffic. Put a daily cap on Compass Card charges.
• FerryBus, SeaBus’ little cousin: give locals and tourists alike the chance to use Compass Card to pay to travel on the region’s various waterways.

Today, TransLink takes a bold step towards the future. And it starts with you!

We’re leading the charge on Transport 2050, a new long-term strategy for transportation in Metro Vancouver. This strategy will set out a shared vision for the future, and what our region needs to build, do, and provide to keep moving over the next 30 years.

In the first phase of our engagement (our largest ever!) your input will help shape a new vision for the region. We also want to hear your bold and creative and ideas for the future.

What do you like about living here? What do you value in a transportation system? And – here’s where your creativity comes in – what do you want from future of transportation?

How we get around has changed a lot over the past 30 years. We’ve gone from paper maps, punch tickets,_, and schedules to Google Maps, Tap-to-Pay, and real-time updates. The region has also expanded its options for getting around. Today you can take the bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus, or West Coast Express. You can walk, skateboard, and scoot. You can drive a car or ride a bike – whether you own it or share it.

Think how much things have changed in just a few years. Now imagine the future. How can transportation support the kind of life you want to live? What new technology might improve how we move around the region?

Will it be shared scooters? Bus-only lanes? Computer-driven, electric-powered pods? Bicycle superhighways? Coffee shops in SkyTrain cars? Debit Tap-to-Pay? Ride-hailing? Library-quiet SkyTrain cars? The hyperloop?

No idea is too big or small! And here’s how you can participate:

• Take the survey and share your ideas
• Meet us at community events throughout the Lower Mainland all summer
• Connect with TransLink on social media and by using the #Transport2050 hashtag

You have from now until September 2019 to take part. After that, we’ll report back what we heard and how your input has shaped a new vision for the region. Then we’ll start Phase 2, asking you to help us consider trade-offs between different ideas in 2020.

Transport 2050. Shape the future of how we move. And live.

TransLink is leading the development of a new Regional Transportation Strategy called – Transport 2050. At the same time, Metro Vancouver is leading the development of Metro 2050, the updated regional growth strategy, and Climate 2050. This is a once in a generation opportunity to shape how we move and live.

Project Timeline

Phase 1 (May 3 – Sept. 22, 2019): Share values, concerns, priorities, and ideas

During Phase 1 engagement, TransLink worked with Metro Vancouver to understand the region’s values, concerns, priorities. We also asked people to share their bold and creative ideas for the future of transportation. From this input, we’re working to develop a new Regional Transportation Strategy.

What did we hear in Phase 1? See the report.

Phase 2 (April 19 – May 14, 2021): Consider goals and transformative actions

In Phase 2 engagement, we asked you to help imagine a region that looks different from what we know today. We asked for your input on new transportation goals, and three specific actions that could transform the region.

What did we hear in Phase 2? Read the report.

Phase 3 Engagement Documents

• Transport 2050 Summary
• Transport 2050 Draft Strategy

Phase 2 Engagement Documents

• Phase 2 Discussion Guide
• People-First Streets Backgrounder
• Rapid Transit Backgrounder
• Automated Vehicles Backgrounder

Phase 1 Engagement Documents

• Phase 1 Discussion Guide

Regional Planning

Social Equity & Regional Growth Study (Download)
Prepared by Keltie Craig Consulting on behalf of Metro Vancouver

This study explores existing inequities within the Metro Vancouver region. It proposes how equity can be defined and addressed in long-range land use planning and creates policy recommendations.

Regional Long-Range Growth and Transportation Scenarios Summary Report (Summary Report – Download ) (Technical Report – Download)
Metro Vancouver Regional District and TransLink

This report examines four possible futures for the region and key challenges and opportunities to be considered in any future regional transportation or land-use planning work, including the new Regional Transportation Strategy. The report also examines external forces that could affect the region – focusing on climate change, shifts in the global economy and trade, and new technologies, specifically artificial intelligence and automation. These external forces could impact employment, incomes, inequality, vehicle kilometres travelled, and other key factors relating to transportation and regional growth management.

Regional Transportation and Mobility Current Context Report (Download)
Prepared by Steer, on behalf of TransLink

This report provides an analysis of key trends in transportation, mobility, and growth impacting the region today.

2013 Regional Transportation Strategy Progress Report (Download)
TransLink

This report summarizes the current status of actions, investments and policy development undertaken in support of the 2013 RTS and the 2014 Mayors’ Council 10-Year Vision. It also provides learnings for the future RTS to consider and identifies potential gaps and emerging trends.

An ex post facto Evaluation of a Metro Vancouver Transportation Plan (Link)
Devon Robert Farmer, Simon Fraser University

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness, implementation, and outcomes of Transport 2021, including factors that impacted the implementation, and recommends improvements for future strategies. Key recommendations to improve implementation include: provide TransLink with governance capacity and funding tools; consider all recommended projects and policies for funding and implementation; set performance targets for all transport modes; assign individual agencies with specific tasks; and use an adaptable approach to long-range planning.

The Metro Vancouver Car Share Study (2014) (Technical Report, Summary Booklet)
Metro Vancouver

The 2014 Car Share Study found car share services reduced vehicle ownership, changed the number of vehicle-kilometres travelled, and the number of car share vehicles in the neighbourhood has some impact on the number of vehicles in apartment households. The study also identifies considerations for regional growth management and community planning such as car sharing’s relationship to household decisions, transit, suburban expansion, affordability, parking and fees, access, and apartment parking reductions.

The Metro Vancouver Housing and Transportation Cost Burden Study (Download)
Metro Vancouver

This page is an educational resource meant to provoke innovative thinking and discussion. External links in no way represent the views or opinions of TransLink.

Metro Vancouver Region: Credit "Inverse"

Learn about big disruptors that could reshape what the region looks like in the future.

We know that impacts of climate change are already here and intensifying. We also know that the region's place in the global economy could change. Combined with advances in technology, Metro Vancouver could look very different in 2050.

To learn more about potential futures we're thinking about, read our regional scenarios report. ( Download)

Climate Change

Metro Vancouver storm surge: Credit "CBC"

Learn more:

1. Climate change in B.C.: Here's how 2050 could look | CBC News, Jun 2017
2. Climate change predicted to transform Vancouver into San Diego, but at a heavy cost | Vancouver Sun, Feb 2017.
3. The Planet Can't Survive Our Transportation Habits | CityLab, Oct 2018
4. Google’s New Tool to Fight Climate Change | The Atlantic, Sep 2018

Shifting Global Economy

With Canada’s largest port, Metro Vancouver is a transport hub that's important for the economy. Imagine the region if trade picks up. Imagine the region with a less global, more locally-focused economy.

Learn more:

1. With automation threatening jobs, Canada needs to form an action plan |The Globe and Mail, Apr 2018
2. The gig economy is here – and we aren’t ready | The Globe and Mail, Oct 2017
3. What Should the ‘Sharing Economy’ Really Be Called? | The Atlantic, May 2016
4. The Future of Work in Cities | National League of Cities, Jul 2017

New Technologies

New advances in robotics could change the kind of jobs humans do in the future. Virtual reality could make tele-commuting commonplace. What will the nature of work look like by 2050? Will you even need to commute?

Learn more:

1. Can Silicon Valley Disrupt How We Build? | CityLab, Jun 2018
2. Delivery robots: a revolutionary step or sidewalk-clogging nightmare? | The Guardian, Apr 2017
3. Why People Still Don’t Buy Groceries Online | The Atlantic, Feb 2019
4. Can Artificial Intelligence Be Smarter Than a Human Being? | Crazy/Genius Podcasts, The Atlantic, Sep 2018

For more information on how new technologies are affecting transportation, read about four trends reshaping how we move.

This page is an educational resource meant to provoke innovative thinking and discussion. External links in no way represent the views or opinions of TransLink.

Urban Mobility: Credit "Bosch"

Learn about four trends reshaping transportation here. As you read this page, consider how new technology could transform how you move around the region. What are the benefits and consequences of these new technologies and ways of getting around?

Will these technologies affect your transportation priorities? Do you have any ideas about how we could incorporate them into the region’s transportation system?

Transportation technology is evolving rapidly, bringing new opportunities and challenges, and changing how we move. Many believe the future of transportation will be:

Automated

Advances in computing and sensors are increasingly putting robots in the driver’s seat. Automated vehicles are already being tested in cities around the world. And large companies – from Google to GM – are banking on a future of self-driving vehicles.

In just two decades, most passenger vehicles sold in North America could be capable of self-driving.

Learn more:

1. How Will Self-Driving Cars Change the World | Crazy/Genius Podcasts, The Atlantic, Sep 2018
2. The Future of Autonomous Vehicles | Robin Chase, Jul 2016
3. 8 Bright Ideas for Driverless Cities | CityLab, May 2017
4. The complete timeline to self-driving cars | Recode, May 2016

Connected

From our thermostats to our watches, it seems like all our devices are going online. In just a few years, vehicles of all types will be able to communicate with each other, potentially increasing safety and convenience.

By 2025, it is expected that all new road vehicles will be capable of communicating in some way.

Learn more:

1. Saving lives by letting cars talk to each other | The Conversation, Sep 2016
2. Rise of the robocar: are connected cars safer, or a target for hackers? | The Guardian, Aug 2017
3. Why Talking Cars Will Be Good for Buses | CityLab, Jan 2013
4. The Smart Way to Build Smart Cities | Forbes Magazine, April 2018

Electrified

When the CEO of Shell started driving an electric car, even electric vehicle skeptics did a double-take. Cheaper to operate, with smaller carbon footprints – electric vehicles are going mainstream. That goes for bikes, cars, trucks, and buses.

By law, all new vehicles sold by 2040 in British Columbia must have zero tailpipe emissions – meaning that electric cars will soon be the norm.

Learn more:

1. BC Introduces Law to Require Cars, Trucks Sold by 2040 to be Zero Emission | CBC News, April 2018
2. How cities will lead the electric transport revolution | World Economic Forum, Nov 2018
3. Electric cars may stall without a battery revolution | The Guardian, Jul 2017
4. How China Took Charge of the Electric Bus Revolution | CityLab, May 2018

Shared

Why own when you can rent? To get around, people are increasingly choosing to move around using shared transportation services — instead of personal cars. Shared scooters, bikes, and cars are starting to become common in many cities around the world.

Worth over $1 billion per year, Canada’s sharing economy is on the rise. And shared transportation a big piece of the pie.

Now that you’ve read about some new trends reshaping transportation, help us create Transport 2050. Take our survey and share your ideas for the future of transportation!

Learn more:

1. Electric Scooters Aren’t a Transportation Revolution Yet | CityLab, Apr 2019
2. ‘Uber Was Supposed To Be Our Public Transit’ | CityLab, Apr 2019
3. Netflix-Of-Transportation App Reduces Car Use And Boosts Bike And Bus Use, Finds MaaS Data Crunch | Forbes, Mar 2019
4. Public Transport at the Heart of the Integrated urban Mobility Solution | UITP Policy Brief, April 2016