Dear Editor:
In the nearly 20 years since the HOV lanes were installed on Hastings, this is third for sure, and possibly the fourth, letter to the editor I have written about attempts to change this primary east-west corridor.
Well, of course the world has changed, so revisiting what has worked before always has merit, and some ideas in the study should be considered, but a full public debate is needed first. Yet, the study is so narrow in its perspective that it virtually ignores that Hastings is a core part of regional road and bus network, especially the vital transit connection from downtown to SFU on Burnaby Mountain.
Most important, the study admits the road noise is not from cars, but primarily from the vast numbers of transit buses that run in the curb lane during peak times. So does slowing the street down also mean slowing down the transit buses so that riders consider alternatives like getting back in their cars. This will certainly mean more cars running through the adjoining neighbourhoods, which the city has worked hard to reduce through various traffic calming measures. In short, doing anything that reduces transit bus priority is just counterproductive. And kudos to city engineer Doug Louie for recognizing full consultations are needed, and this must happen well beyond the Hastings landowners and tenants.
Plus, few communities in B.C. have received millions of dollars’ worth of land for free to provide the Hasting’s off-street parking lots, which is available all the time, while the HOV impact on the local businesses is mostly during weekday afternoons. All those new condos along Hastings already benefit from those additional nearby free, and I stress, free parking lots which the study says should be converted to pay parking. Looking forward, the study identifies that currently an excess of off-street parking may exist, but when the entire length of Hastings is built out over the next 20 years with four-storey apartments with ground-floor commercial, then those off-street parking lots will be gold to the merchants.
Finally, the study includes a major error in suggesting these off-street parking lots should be redeveloped for commercial/residential uses. Well, those lands were purchased by the province as a parking offset for the HOV lanes during peak times. Before this study is given too much credence, then someone should first talk to the province and/or TransLink about whether they want these lands back if the HOV lanes are downgraded in any material way.
The city plan for this stretch of Hastings has lots going for it, and so let’s make sure we have as wide a perspective as possible as truly sustainable changes are pursued.
Joe Sulmona, North Burnaby
