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MEETING DETAILS Pattullo Bridge Review Consultation – Small Group Meeting Tuesday, June 4, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Sapperton Pensioners’ Hall 318 Keary Street, New Westminster, B.C. Notes from a Small Group Meeting for the Pattullo Bridge Review Consultation PURPOSE held on June 4, 2013 at the Sapperton Pensioners Hall, New Westminster. FACILITATOR Judy Kirk, Kirk & Co. Consulting Ltd. John Ashdown Carla Jones Virginia Ayers Gunnar Jonsson Ben Birovchak Patrick Johnstone Bell Browne Alec Lambert Karl Brysch Christopher Longford Ruby Campbell Li Ma Linda Cooper Daphne MacDonell David Connor Barbara McGuire Dale Darychuk Jill Mountain ATTENDEES Sandy Del Grosso John Mountain Rita Delfing Adam Person Ken Dolphin Harpinder Sandhu Brad Dow Russell Sholberg Reena Meijer Drees Bart Slotman Monica Eyre Ivan Takagi Drew Ferrari Deanna Tan Morgan Haupt Shane Woolford Michael Hwang Bill Zander Ian Fisher, TransLink Darren Woodworth, TransLink Jim Lowrie, City of New Westminster Eugene Wat, City of New Westminster PROJECT TEAM Ashleigh Young, City of New Westminster ATTENDEES Paul Lee, City of Surrey Derek Drummond, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (observer) Geoff Freer, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (observer) Karen Schroder, Kirk & Co. Consulting Ltd., Meeting Recorder 1. Welcome and Introductions AGENDA 2. Discussion 3. Closing Remarks Pattullo Bridge Review Consultation New Westminster Small Group Meeting – June 4, 2013 Page 1 of 12 MEETING DETAILS Pattullo Bridge Review Consultation – Small Group Meeting Tuesday, June 4, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Sapperton Pensioners’ Hall 318 Keary Street, New Westminster, B.C. RECURRING THEMES • Some participants asked whether trucks could be managed, to reduce truck traffic moving through New Westminster. • Some participants are concerned about the connections between the South Fraser Perimeter Road and the Port Mann Bridge. In particular, people expressed a desire for the provincial government to improve routes other than the Pattullo Bridge for truck and vehicle traffic. • Some participants questioned the cost of potential tolls and wondered whether rehabilitated alternatives would also have tolls. • Some participants requested additional information regarding road connections associated with the alternatives recommended for further consideration. • Some participants said that a higher capacity bridge could provide better opportunities to improve traffic flow and avoid diversion through New Westminster neighbourhoods. Some participants said that Alternative 19 should be strongly considered and that the communities within Coquitlam should be consulted about this option. The record notes that the meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. DISCUSSION (Abbreviations will be used and mean – Q: Question, A: Answer, C: Comment) 1. Welcome and Introductions – Judy Kirk Judy Kirk welcomed participants to the small group meeting, and explained the format of the meeting. Judy informed participants that the small group meeting was being recorded for accuracy, would include attribution, and that the meeting notes would form part of the consultation record. The Pattullo Bridge Review team members introduced themselves. 2. Discussion – Ian Fisher Ian Fisher reviewed key sections of the Pattullo Bridge Review Consultation Discussion Guide and answered questions from participants as he went through the Discussion Guide. Q: Bill Zander: My concern is that ten years to put in a new facility is a long time to wait. Is it correct to say this seismic upgrade will take place in the interim? A: Ian Fisher: That’s right. It wouldn’t be to the same extent as what would happen if rehabilitation was chosen as the preferred long-term alternative; this would be to make sure it remains safe and useable for the next ten years or so. Pattullo Bridge Review Consultation New Westminster Small Group Meeting – June 4, 2013 Page 2 of 12 MEETING DETAILS Pattullo Bridge Review Consultation – Small Group Meeting Tuesday, June 4, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Sapperton Pensioners’ Hall 318 Keary Street, New Westminster, B.C. Q: Ben Birovchak: When we were at a meeting in this very room about a year ago, I was under the impression that they were hopeful to get under construction by 2016. Ten years is a long time to wait. Everyone knows that the bridge is crumbling. I’m not sure why we are talking about all the alternatives. The bridge has got to be replaced, so why is it taking so long to get underway? C: Judy Kirk: Let’s let Ian get into the alternatives but we have marked down the question about why so long and we can come back to it. C: Al Lambert: We are all seniors and that bridge is four months older than me. But there is an immediate problem, my wife and I counted 15 18-wheeler trucks coming across the bridge. That is something that can be dealt with immediately. There is less than 8” between those truck tires and the curb. All that the driver has to do is sneeze, scratch or lose control and that truck is going to over. It will bust through the railing and there goes the bridge. That’s the real problem someone is going to get killed. Here’s the solution; put a one dollar charge on every bridge in B.C. Q: Gunner Jonsson: I live in Surrey and have commuted across that bridge for over 20 years. It’s only since 2004 or 2005 that I’ve seen the trucks taking up two lanes, which is reducing the capacity. A: Ian Fisher: The way the trucks have to drive on the bridge does reduce the capacity and that is something we are looking at. Q: Ben Birovchak: Has there been any discussion between TransLink and those responsible for dealing with regional growth and development? A: Ian Fisher: Yes, there has been a lot of discussion between Metro Vancouver, TransLink and the municipalities. The Regional Growth Strategy is agreed to by the municipalities and Metro Vancouver and then TransLink works with those assumptions. Q: Ivan Takagi: Once the South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR), is completed, could you restrict truck movement across the Pattullo Bridge? That bridge could be reserved for traffic moving between the communities. A: Ian Fisher: That suggestion has come up before. Of course anything is possible; it’s whether the outcome of that is desirable for the region and meeting the objectives of the regional plans. C: Judy Kirk: You should make a note of that in your feedback form. There are also two people from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure here – Derek Drummond and Geoff Freer – and they would be good people to speak to as well. C: Ivan Takagi: You can’t restrict truck movement, they have to get through. I was wondering if there was sufficient truck movement on the highway so goods can go where they have to go. C: Ian Fisher: As the SFPR is completed there will be more alternatives for trucks although some will still go through New Westminster – for example, those using the Queensborough Bridge. C: Ivan Takagi: Why would they have to go through New West if the SFPR was finished? Why couldn’t they go straight to 176th? C: Judy Kirk: It’s a good point sir. We will take it down and other people will have questions and comments about truck movement on the highway. C: Ben Birovchak: Everyone likes ganging up on trucks and no one likes driving with them but they are necessary for commerce. Not all the trucks are just passing through New Westminster; lots of them are coming in to the mills, shops and industries. It’s a fact of life that we need to live with them and make it as simple as possible. Pattullo Bridge Review Consultation New Westminster Small Group Meeting – June 4, 2013 Page 3 of 12 MEETING DETAILS Pattullo Bridge Review Consultation – Small Group Meeting Tuesday, June 4, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Sapperton Pensioners’ Hall 318 Keary Street, New Westminster, B.C. Q: Ivan Takagi: Is there a way to restrict trucks to allowing only those coming to New West as opposed to passing through? C: Judy Kirk: I don’t think Ian can answer that but we do have it noted as a suggestion. C: Ian Fisher: Just for information, we are doing some truck counts right now. We are taking pictures of trucks and tracking where they are going and their movements: an origin/destination survey we will have a better understanding of where trucks are going. Q: Dale Darychuk: Objective 8 is cost effective? How are you measuring that? What about a cost- benefit analysis? How are you measuring neighbourhood livability? What value are you putting on that as opposed to the cost of the bridge? A: Ian Fisher: We will measure all those quantitatively or qualitatively if we can. We are using a multiple account analysis. It doesn’t get boiled down to a single number; it shows where an alternative is good for one aspect and not in another so decision makers can look at all the information. C: Judy Kirk: Also one of the reasons we are out here doing these meetings is to gather your input about what you think is most important. C: Dale Darychuk: The term “cost-effective” is meaningless to me. Q: Judy Kirk: Let’s get that answered, what do you mean by “cost-effective”? A: Ian Fisher: We have just looked at the affordability of this. We have to be able to afford the alternative that is preferred. Cost-benefit analysis looks at all the associated costs, road connections, emissions and property costs. Q: Reena Meijer Drees: So if I understand correctly, you have only looked at the affordability? A: Ian Fisher: At this stage, yes.

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