Well, with the recent closure of the Pattullo Bridge it seems everyone has an opinion on its replacement. Here is the first such comment. The following is a letter that Voice director, Paul Johansen sent to The Record and News Leader.
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Since the closure of the Patullo bridge (due to fire on the Surrey side of the structure), the traffic in New Westminster has immediately and dramatically improved: on Royal Avenue, McBride Blvd., Eighth Avenue and Tenth Avenue, traffic flow is good. I hope the Minister, in conjunction with New Westminster city officials, recognize this and have another serious look at "option 4" of Translink’s Pattullo Corridor Study that calls for the construction of the replacement bridge to be aligned with Sapperton Island and tie into United Boulevard, Lougheed Highway, as well as the freeway.
With Coquitlam's development plans and potential, and the current population numbers out their way, and the geographic size and strategic location of our neighbouring municipality, in comparison to New Westminster, they are far better poised to receive expanded traffic volumes. For 71 years, New Westminster has hosted major regional traffic flows, but we do not have and will not have adequate ability to accommodate the added traffic capacity of a six-lane bridge. Keeping in mind that New Westminster will still have the Alex Fraser and Queensborough volumes and will likely continue to handle much of the Port Mann traffic, in terms of forward-thinking, good regional planning, in order to maximize limited resources and address current and future commuter needs, the new bridge should not re-connect with an already congested city; it should be positioned to optimize future commercial and residential growth patterns. The current traffic flow on 20th street also needs to be addressed. I would like to thank the New Westminster City staff for raising the Engineering Report on the Pattullo Corridor Study -- Preliminary Findings and Next Steps at their previous City Council meeting. This is a subject that warrants the immediate attention of all New Westminster citizens.
Paul Johansen
New Westminster Resident
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I sent the following letter to the TransLink Board re: bikes being banned on Skytrain as a result of the closure.
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I work in North Surrey and live in Sapperton in New Westminster. I had always carpooled to work but last March I purchased a new bicycle and began taking Skytrain and cycling to work. I continued doing so up until just before my Christmas holidays and was planning on getting back on my bike this week. I was very disappointed to hear that bicycle access on SkyTrain is suspended on all lines until further notice due to capacity limitations due to the closure of the Pattullo Bridge.
I took the Skytrain and bus to work yesterday, January 19th, (I head against the flow of traffic in the morning and afternoon) and did not feel that there was enough of a difference in the number of people using Skytrain to warrant the suspension. Every person cycling is one less person in a car. Many people can not get to work strictly by transit but by using Skytrain and their bikes they can. There is presently no way for a person to get a bike over the Fraser River with this closure. It may be necessary to suspend bike access to Skytrain at certain times and in certain directions but I believe that this decision goes to far.
I encourage you to revisit this decision, and reverse it, as soon as possible.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Regards,
- Neil Powell
Unfortunately, the closure of the bridge posed problems for the commuters who typically use the bridge, but on balance, for the city of New Westminster, it was an incredible opportunity to actually experience the meaning of "liveablility" instead of just talk about it.
Everywhere I went, and everyone I talked to had a big smile on their face and positive comment about the change in traffic volumes throughout the city.
"Can you believe the difference?" was the popular sentiment during that brief, but much appreciated break from the usual New West grid-lock.
My response was "Can you imagine if it were permanent?"
Certainly, the closure of the bridge made a huge difference to my neighbourhood -- what a privilege it was to safely and immediately turn left off a residential street onto 8th Avenue!!
Yes, it made a difference to Sapperton too. In the morning it was nice and quiet but in the late afternoon it was hard to get out out the east end and into Coquitlam as E. 8th was a parking lot all the way down to Brunette. I heard from a lot of residents who said once they were home they felt like they were trapped there until the rush hours ended.
It certainly did make for a quieter neighbourhood though. New Westminster reminded me of the suburbs. You know, where most of these cars originate from. ;-)
From the Newsleader article:
Resident Ian Brady is one of those who thinks the new bridge should be moved further east. He’s been saying that for years and the temporary closure of the bridge this month reaffirmed that.
“It was so pleasant for a week,” said Brady, who lives on Courtney Crescent and a couple of car lengths from McBride Boulevard—the main arterial route for the bridge. “It was a week of peace.”
Since moving in six years ago, the sounds of cars whizzing by and trucks grinding gears climbing to 10th Avenue have been a grating reminder to Brady and his wife of where they live.
He even built a high cedar fence and grew a hedge to insulate them from the traffic roar.
It hasn’t worked.
“We regularly have to adjust pictures on our walls because of the vibrations,” said Brady of the rumble.
Neighbour Terry Lith, who lives on Mott Crescent, found an expensive solution to dampening the ever-present traffic roar: Double-glazed windows.
But that’s not the end of Lith’s Pattullo problems.
“You feel trapped in here because of the traffic volume,” said the active senior who would rather walk than drive around the city.
Living just two doors from McBride, he watches a daily stream of cars “rat running” through the neighbourhood streets looking for short cuts.
“It can be very dangerous. They race through there.”
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