New bus lanes with enforcement to be debated by Vancouver City Council

New bus lanes with automated enforcement to be debated by Vancouver City Council

Example of bus lanes. (City of Vancouver)

The City of Vancouver should engage in an ambitious initiative to create a comprehensive citywide bus lane network, according to a new member motion by OneCity councillor Christine Boyle.

She is proposing that the municipal government work with TransLink to expedite the design and implementation of new additional bus lanes, as outlined in TransLink’s 2024 Bus Speed and Reliability update.

This would include implementing bus lanes along Southeast Marine Drive, 49th Avenue, Hastings Street, Main Street, and Kingsway.

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Additionally, Boyle suggests implementing bus lanes along routes such as Broadway, King Edward Avenue, West 4th Avenue, and downtown Vancouver to the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, including Powell Street and Cordova Street.

72 avenue bus priority lane surrey rapidbus

Bus-priority lanes along 72 Avenue in Surrey for the R6 RapidBus. (TransLink)

The motion specifically directs City staff to work with the public transit authority to implement bus lanes on at least two road corridors per year, starting in 2025. The municipal government would offer its planning and engineering resources, while TransLink would provide the funding.

Furthermore, the motion continues, the City should formally ask the provincial government to enable the introduction of automated bus lane enforcement in Vancouver.

One example of automated bus lane enforcement technology involves equipping buses with cameras that capture the license plates of violating vehicles ahead of the bus within the bus lane. These cameras are connected to an onboard computer which is integrated with GPS and cellular receivers.

Example of automated bus lane enforcement technology. (Safe Fleet)

The municipal government’s 2020-approved Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) also called for the expedited implementation of bus-priority measures, including bus lanes, for many of the same corridors named by Boyle.

In September 2023, City Council also approved a member motion informing TransLink of its formal support for new bus-priority measures on select corridors, a new RapidBus service along Marine Drive/Marine Way between the Canada Line’s Marine Drive Station in South Vancouver and the Expo Line’s 22nd Street Station in New Westminster, and a Hastings Street corridor rapid transit study that replaces the previously planned 41st Avenue/49th Avenue corridor rapid transit study.

Ever since it made its first Bus Speed and Reliability report in 2019, TransLink has been working with municipal governments to implement more bus-priority measures, such as bus lanes, queue jumpers, “bus bulb” sidewalk extensions at bus stops, traffic regulation changes, traffic signal priority, and other features.

The emphasis is growing on bus-priority measures aimed at increasing bus schedule reliability, reducing travel times, improving the passenger experience, and lowering operating costs. As early as 2019, TransLink estimated that its buses were travelling slower compared to five years prior, resulting in an additional $75 million in annual operating costs due to delays. This necessitated deploying more buses and drivers to maintain schedules and service capacities. According to the 2024 Bus Speed and Reliability update, these challenges have only intensified over time.

Bus-priority measures, including bus lanes, will also be crucial features for TransLink’s future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines.

City Council will consider Boyle’s motion in a public meeting next week.

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