Port Mann, highway expansion means more traffic, more pollution

June 23, 2004 -

VANCOUVER – The province’s plan to twin the Port Mann Bridge and widen Highway 1 between Vancouver and Langley will worsen urban sprawl, create traffic chaos and increase air pollution, said the David Suzuki Foundation.

 

“This is no solution at all to Vancouver’s traffic and air pollution woes,” said Morag Carter, director of the Suzuki Foundation’s climate change program. “Instead of building more roads, which only encourages more traffic congestion, the province should use that money for its original purpose – to build a sustainable transportation system.”

 

Investing in public transit will help make Vancouver’s transit system more attractive to more people by making it faster, more convenient and more direct. Widening highways and bridges simply puts more cars on the road, exacerbating the current problems.

 

“It’s outrageous that the provincial government would use money originally intended for rapid transit to build more roads,” said Ms. Carter. “This is beyond short-sighted. This will be bad for our economy, bad for people and bad for the environment. It’s mind-boggling.”

 

Public transit lines and better urban planning will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as improve regional and local air quality, ease road congestion, and reduce both unproductive commuting time and municipal infrastructure costs. Increasing public transit usage and infrastructure will also reduce urban sprawl. As commercial centres and more compact residential neighbourhoods develop along transit lines, the amount of land dedicated to urban areas is reduced.

 

“Investing in transit is a good idea,” said Ms. Carter. “It is vital for the health of the Lower Mainland that individuals put aside politics and make a decision on what is best for the future of the region.”

 

For more information, contact:

Sarah Marchildon

Communications specialist

David Suzuki Foundation

604-732-4228, ext. 237

 

Morag Carter

Director, climate change program

David Suzuki Foundation

604-732-4228, ext. 280 cell: 778-838-7157