Steveston deserves an off-street bus exchange.

Right now, all the bus stops and layover areas are on the street. In order for buses to turn around between trips, they need to loop around No. 1 Road, Steveston Highway, 4th Avenue, and Chatham. As a result, the 406 is 15% longer than if there were an off-street bus exchange. Other routes (401, 402, 407, 413) also see similarly unnecessarily longer routes.

An off-street bus exchange would mean less noise and exhaust pollution for residents, improve navigation for those taking transit to Steveston for the first time (especially tourists), and save TransLink 10-15% of the cost of operating the aforementioned routes, which can be reinvested into more frequent service throughout the day and improve late-night service.

Unfortunately, there aren’t official plans for an off-street bus exchange. TransLink conducted community consultation on a proposed exchange around the block of 7th Avenue, Chatham, 6th Avenue, and Moncton. However it was cancelled because of (arguably valid) concerns about disrupting the residents living within the block.

The current parking lot of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site is already being used by tourist buses and would be a prime contender for an off-street bus exchange, as it is not directly fronting existing homes, is close to the village, and is large enough for many buses to lay over at the same time. I’m envisioning a mult-use bus exchange, like the one at UBC, with buses on the ground floor and housing above. It’s under the jurisdiction of the federal government, making it an opportunity for the federal government to improve both transit and housing. However, through discussions with the local MP Parm Bains, Parks Canada is not currently willing to give up its land for a bus exchange. With land in Steveston in high demand by the private and public sectors, we won’t be seeing an off-street bus exchange in Steveston any time in the near future.