Controversial West Vancouver B-Line sparks protests for and against route

WEST VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The debate over a controversial bus line on the North Shore continued with a loud protest earlier this morning.

People living in the area, both for and against a proposed B-line bus route to Dundarave in West Vancouver, marched on the streets. The route connects Phibbs Exchange, Lonsdale Quay, Park Royale and Dundarave, but would remove some parking spots along Marine Drive, swapping two traffic lanes for bus lanes in the process.

Peter Scholfield is in support of the bus route out to Dundarave in West Vancouver, which would eliminate some street parking. He says there’s a need for the route, which he insists will help local businesses.

“There’s an equally large number of people in West Vancouver that really want and are really going to benefit from this B-Line,” he says. “I mean, it’s going to open up the whole business community.”

Proposed West Vancouver B-Line route. (Source: TransLink)

Even so, he acknowledges the bus lanes would eliminate several parking spots, but adding better transit access could mean new customers arrive by bus.

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But others, like Nigel Malkin aren’t convinced, saying that the route would cost parking spots, and could create more traffic backups in the area.

On top of that, he says there just hasn’t been enough public consultation from council.

“If they go and try to ram something through, we can do something about it,” he says. “Are we going to fight back?”

West Vancouver Mary-Ann Booth admits are concerns over a lack of public consultation.

“In hindsight, I wish that we had taken control of the consultation process and the roll-out,” she says. “But we were working with a new agency that we haven’t worked with, and I don’t want to throw them under the bus, TransLink.”

Council is scheduled to vote on the project in early March.

– With files from Adam Cooper