LRT project moving ahead

TransLink expected to choose 'Evergreen Line'

By Leneen Robb - Staff Reporter

TransLink staff has drafted a list of properties along the proposed light rapid transit (LRT) route in Port Moody and Coquitlam - in order to identify any "that may potentially be impacted by the project" - according to a written report that will be presented to the board today.

The next stage, according to the report, will involve consultation with the owners of those properties, presumably both residential and commercial.

Sheri Plewes, TransLink's vice-president of capital management and engineering, says in the report that the regional transportation authority will take a "proactive approach" by contacting businesses that will be directly affected by construction, to make sure they are "made aware of potential decisions that may affect their operations."

The line is expected to be operational by November 2009, and TransLink is currently estimating the costs of acquiring affected properties, as well as "mitigating temporary or permanent impacts" of the project.

A real estate agent, scheduled to begin work in the new year, has been hired to provide valuations for the properties.

While plans for expropriations and other measures are in the preliminary stages, TransLink is expected to take a concrete step today toward making the LRT system a reality, by approving the name "Evergreen Line."

Curiously, though, a written report states that while that name was the favourite among 48 participants in focus groups, it was not the top choice among 900 respondents to an informal web survey.

The survey, which polled residents from throughout the Lower Mainland, found that 56 per cent preferred "Spirit Line" as the new name. Just 44 per cent chose "Evergreen Line."

But TransLink is recommending the board go with the choice of the focus groups - which included both frequent and infrequent transit users from Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Port Moody and Burnaby - since "both names appear to be acceptable in the region and 'Evergreen Line' was preferred by participants in the community process."

TransLink received a total of 1,453 submissions when it asked the public for names, but none of the others are identified in the report, which states that "Evergreen Line" is "geographically identifiable with the part of the Lower Mainland in which the new line will be located; it reinforces the sustainable nature of the LRT system; has good potential for branding; and prompts images which could be effectively incorporated in marketing elements of the new line."

The TransLink board will also vote today on whether to name the LRT vehicles after historic events, local geography and famous people from the region - and to place a historical plaque in each car to provide more information about the names.

published on 12/07/2005