The busiest bus corridor in North America needs a rail-based rapid transit system to meet current and future transportation needs, according to a KPMG report released by the City of Vancouver and UBC yesterday.
Public transit along the Broadway–UBC corridor, the province’s second-largest business and innovation area, is insufficient, the report states, with an estimated 2,000 commuters getting passed-up by packed buses every day.
More than 200,000 people work and live around the stretch of Broadway that runs from Commercial Drive to UBC’s main campus, and that figure is expected to grow by an additional 150,000 in the next 30 years.
Major employers along the route include Vancouver Coastal Health and the BC Cancer Agency, making it the largest health-care and life sciences region in the province.
“The economic potential of the UBC–Broadway corridor is tremendous,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The health-care, technology and life science sectors, combined with UBC’s research enterprise, set the stage for significant growth.
“We need a subway rapid transit system that will allow us to compete with tech hubs like Toronto and New York City and unleash the additional economic and investment potential along the corridor.”
Currently, 100,000 riders take buses down Broadway daily, with about half of these commuters coming from areas outside of Vancouver.
