Biz groups outside Vancouver say lack of consultation on viaducts removal
Posted October 7, 2015 5:11 pm.
Last Updated October 7, 2015 5:12 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The decision to tear down the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts in Vancouver seems to have come without consultation with those outside of the city.
Business groups in Surrey, Burnaby and the Tri-Cities feel the lack of consultation was a missed opportunity. For those commuting into Vancouver from the east, the viaducts are often the route of choice and the main concern for the business community is the movement of goods and services.
Anita Huberman with the Surrey Board of Trade says thinking about a coordinated transportation network is important when making decisions like these.
“The number one challenge facing our region is the lack of coordination. In Vancouver, the downtown core is yes a core unto itself but it does connect to the rest of our region,” says Huberman. “It does represent an opportunity for both regions, the North Fraser and the South Fraser, to work together on a coordinated regional network around transportation.”
Michael Hind with the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce says anything that inhibits the movement of goods and services into a major core is concerning to the business community.
“Vancouver is a business hub of the area and they do need to be concerned about how it impacts people beyond the city borders,” says Hind. “Businesses do use that route to get downtown, to move their goods and services and if they have to find another route and it’s going to be more congestion that’s not a good thing.”
The Burnaby Board of Trade CEO Paul Holden says there’s a lot of commuting going through his city into and out of Vancouver.
“Our concern would obviously be to make sure the traffic can continue to travel in and out and through our city and adequately access the downtown core,” explains Holden. “If council does decide to move forward with the plan, I would hope and expect that there are still opportunities for the business community to be consulted.”
None of the groups are saying whether the viaducts should or shouldn’t come down but they all believe regional consultation is important.
