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Regional Transportation
On commuter trips and out-of-town travel, BC Tran-
sit, FVRD and member municipalities are planning a
regular subregional bus service which aims to lower
private car traffic and improve the mobility of trav-
elers who do not drive or have access to a car. The
shuttle service between UFV’s Abbotsford and Chil-
liwack campuses has already started up, marking a
new beginning in the Fraser Valley for intercity public
transportation – albeit limited to servicing students.
At present, BC Transit, Chilliwack and Abbotsford
are working toward a new regional bus connection
with 15-minute peak and 30-minute off-peak ser-
vice, which will be extended through a transfer to a
new RapidBus service on Highway 1 to Metro Van-
couver. This new service will help not only to reduce
highway traffic between the two cities and between
the regional districts (and improve air quality), but
also integrate the two cities’ economies in terms of
labour force/job market, post-secondary school ed-
ucation/training and the retail market. The regional
bus service is anticipated to also extend to Hope (on
a 60-minute weekday /weekend schedule) and Agas-
siz-Harrison (30-minute peak and 60 minute off-peak
service).
The Trans Canada Highway (TCH) has been under-
going a systemic transformation from Abbotsford to
Surrey and Coquitlam, including the construction of
two new bridges over, and a peripheral highway along
the Fraser River. However east of Abbotsford, includ-
ing Chilliwack, the future of the TCH has not been
transparent. In the next three decades, the Lower
Mainland’s population will advance toward the 4 mil-
lion milestone and Chilliwack to 132,000, and Van-
couver, being the gateway to an expanding Canadian
economy, will see substantial traffic rise, including
the freight traffic of the TCH east of Abbotsford. It
is only prudent that a long term TCH capacity plan
be considered for the Fraser Valley and beyond – to
support the downstream system investment. Beyond
the capacity issue, the growing TCH traffic will also
become a concern for new residential development/
redevelopment in the vicinity of the national highway
and warrant precautionary measures against noise,
vibration and localized air quality.
Similarly, the freight traffic of the CNR main line will
multiply in the next 30 years. Together with its spur
lines and shunting area in Chilliwack, the CNR track
represents a public concern, and the recent rail re-
lated incidents have only highlighted that issue. Best
practices in land use planning should apply in order
to ascertain public safety and to reduce noise, dust,
fume and vibration to homes along the track and
around the shunting/spur line areas.
OBJECTIVES
1. Provide a balanced, integrated, multi-modal
transportation system that supports mobility at
the neighbourhood, city-wide and regional/pro-
vincial levels.
2. Ensure equity in mobility and access for all citi-
zens, including children, youth, seniors and the
disadvantaged.
3. Promote sustainable transportation to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Integrate land use and transportation planning
for healthy community development.
5. Improve public safety and reduce the negative
impact of increasing traffic on the Trans Canada
Highway and the CNR mainline.
POLICIES
1. Integrate the current road network plans, long
term capital works, Transit Future Plan, bicycle
plans, and sidewalk/walkway capital work pro-
grams; and work toward a comprehensive healthy
community transportation strategy that reinforc-
es mobility choices and emphasizes a more bal-
anced priority among the various modes of trans-
portation.
2. Design roadways for multi-modal purposes,
supporting vehicular traffic as well as walking,
cycling, ot
3. her non-motorized and slow moving personal
transportation.
Goal 5 - Build Healthy Attractive Communities