RESIDENTS of the North Shore, and in fact of cities all over North America, should pay attention as Vancouver moves closer to tearing down the vestiges of its highway system.
This week, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson said his council was preparing to vote on a proposal that would see the aging Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts removed and replaced with an at-grade thoroughfare, parkland and housing.
The move would be a significant one, not just for its effect on drivers and the surrounding neighbourhood, but because it would be proof of concept.
When the viaducts were built in the 1960s, North America was in the grips of a freeway-building frenzy. If you plowed big roads into cities, the reasoning went, you could solve commuting woes permanently. Except for those two elevated streets, Vancouver resisted the trend.
No doubt many disagreed with the decision, but over time it has proven to be the right one. While other, freeway-dominated, cities have seen neighbourhoods wither around their major roads and traffic continue to balloon, Vancouver, through smart planning and alternative transit, has created a thriving centre. Over the past 15 years, the number of cars entering the core has actually dropped by 15 per cent. The death of the viaducts - together with the construction of the Evergreen Line - would push that process even further.
On the North Shore, as we prepare to deal with a surge in traffic over our two bridges, we should take note. Transit and good planning - not road expansion - are the answers to the coming mess.
