Three cities that neighbour Coquitlam say they want to see the municipality get a better handle on its future traffic as it prepares its regional growth plan.

Port Moody has asked Coquitlam to take out all references of the Murray-Clarke Connector in its Strategic Transportation Plan to lessen traffic around Rocky Point Park.

PoMo also wants Coquitlam to funnel commuters from the central and northern parts of the city towards Highway 1 rather than through Moody.

As well, New Westminster sent Coquitlam a letter about its designation of United Boulevard as a route for movement of goods, calling that "premature."

The contentious issue comes up as the two cities head into a dispute resolution with the provincial government over the aging bailey bridge linking United Boulevard and Braid Street.

And Port Coquitlam has also voiced its concern about transportation impacts from development on Burke Mountain in northeast Coquitlam, which is slated to be home to 20,000 more people.

The three cities' issues came up this week as Coquitlam council considered rescinding its official community plan (OCP) and giving second and third readings to change it by incorporating the Regional Context Statement, as required by Metro Vancouver.

The statement, which is mandated by provincial government through Metro Vancouver for all of its 22 member municipalities, defines how local plans comply with the Regional Growth Strategy, a visioning document for the next 30 years. Member municipalities had until Monday to submit their statements to Metro Vancouver. Five cities have had their statements accepted by the board: Vancouver, Richmond, Port Coquitlam, the city of Langley and the village of Belcarra.

Another six municipalities (plus the University of BC) met the July 29 deadline: Burnaby, Langley township, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, White Rock and — shortly before midnight on Monday — Coquitlam.

Delta's statement is expected soon, said a Metro Vancouver spokesperson who also noted there are no provisions set out in the province's Local Government Act for the six municipalities that failed to meet the deadline.

On Monday, there was some drama at Coquitlam city council as it debated the merits of its statement. Council first voted 4-3 to defer its statement pending the results of a provincial referendum on TransLink funding which could be held as early as next spring or as late as the November 2014 civic elections.

(Earlier Monday, during a public hearing, Joe Sulmona, a member of the TransLink northeast area transit plan advisory committee, urged council to shelve the statement until the outcome of the referendum, which he argued would affect future land use and transportation needs.)

A dismayed Mayor Richard Stewart then called for a short recess to speak with city managers about the legality of council's decision before bringing the matter up for a second vote, which passed unanimously to forward the statement to Metro.

The statement, which is generally consistent with Metro's Regional Growth Strategy, looks broadly at future needs and services until 2041 for a population nearly double from today, to be accommodated in some 46,000 new homes. Over the next 30 years, the city envisions:

• 27,200 more residents in Coquitlam Town Centre (up 29%);

• 5,800 more residents in Lougheed Town Centre (up 6%);

• 7,800 more residents in Burquitlam (up 8%);

• 51,700 more residents outside of the so-called "urban centres" (up 56%).

At Monday's meeting, councillors said they wanted to send a clear message to Metro about their ongoing frustrations with the lack of transit funding. This fall, Coquitlam will lose bus 177 to United Boulevard; council also continues to lobby for buses to Burke Mountain.

Meanwhile, Mayor Stewart said council may withhold fourth reading of the OCP amendment should Coquitlam's transportation woes not be addressed.

Coquitlam has been at odds with Metro and TransLink for several years. In 2011, the city went into dispute resolution with the regional government after Coquitlam rejected the new Regional Growth Strategy, saying it was inconsistent and exerted too much control over municipalities.

Currently, Metro is locked in a legal battle with Langley township to make the municipality comply with the strategy, saying the local council's defiance of the plan threatens to set a dangerous precedent. At issue is the township's vision for the University District, a 180-hectare area named for nearby Trinity Western University and earmarked for future institutional expansion by TWU and related development.

Township council last month rezoned the land near Highway 1 and Glover Road, much of which is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, but the legal challenge by Metro aims to quash the bylaw.

jwarren@tricitynews.com

— with files from Jeff Nagel, Black Press