Rally against new dedicated bus lanes expected in West Van Saturday morning

WEST VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) –  Business owners will be among a group of people gathered at the corner of Marine Drive and 13th Street in West Vancouver on Saturday morning.

They are worried TransLink is about to go ahead with a new B-Line bus route going along Marine Drive, which means the conversion of two lanes into bus lanes.

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Rally organizer Nigel Malkin believes people have been left in the dark about what was happening. He said they aren’t going to have a plan ‘forced down our throats’ without consultation.

“There was no consultation, per se. There was nothing with the districts, it was just: ‘this is what we’re going to do’,” he says. “All there was was…information sessions at a farmer’s market. There was no indication of any lane closures.”

But TransLink’s Chris Bryan says the changes will help drivers and passengers get to their destinations faster.

“For everyone who uses that road, whether you’re a driver or you take transit,” he said. “Drive times, on Marine Drive, will actually be improved.”

He says they have received complaints about parking spots being removed – 15 spots will be removed – which he says will result in ‘very little impact.’ West Vancouver is planning to add new spots in 2020, he adds.

TransLink hopes the B-Line will be up an running by the end of next year, but the changes need city council approval.

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