Coulter defends NDP government's local transit record

Chilliwack has been denied funding for more buses and the Fraser Valley Express doesn’t have enough room for more university student riders, but Dan Coulter insists that his government has done plenty to expand transit in the region.

Coulter has served for years as BC’s Minister of State for Transportation and Infrastructure and in an interview with The Current just prior to the writ dropping, the Chilliwack MLA said his government was working to create more reliable transit in the region by adding bus lanes to a widened Highway 1, boosting HandyDART service in Chilliwack, and adding more hours to the overcapacity Fraser Valley Express will bolster transit in the valley. But he said some investments, like those that would serve “transit-oriented development areas” will depend on demand and BC Transit decisions.

As for any hope that rail service could be extended to Abbotsford or beyond, Coulter declined to say whether there would be enough room in the Highway 1 corridor to accommodate tracks along the route in the future.

This interview has been very lightly edited for clarity purposes.

FVC: I've been watching the Fraser Valley Express, and both its success and its ability to attract riders, for a while and I want to hear from you kind of about the challenges it's faced, and its users have faced, and what the long term plans are to scale it up, if possible. So I'll just, I'll just hand that over to you, then I'll get into some more detailed questions. So what is the long-term future and plan for the route?

Coulter: So this year, the Fraser Valley Express will see an increase of 2,600 hours. [Editor: We reported on this in July.] We are expanding this service throughout the Fraser Valley, because we know there's a lot of folks who rely on the Fraser Valley Express and would like to see those longer hours and they rely on it to get to and from work or to and from different activities.

So we realize that people use transit more when it's reliable and affordable, and so I know BC Transit has identified the Fraser Valley Express for some expansion. As far as its future, I can't tell you 100% sure, but I expect it to continue to expand. With the Fraser Valley highway improvement project, there will be bus-on-shoulder lanes, because buses are trapped in the same traffic as cars and trucks are, so there will be bus-on-shoulder lanes so the buses can avoid traffic snarls. This will make the service much more reliable and affordable and much more likely to be used more as it'll get you quickly through the Fraser Valley and out into Vancouver, where it hooks up with SkyTrain. So I expect, you know, the service to only get better and expand.

FVC: From what I've seen and heard is that this route has been overcrowded to the point where riders are being left behind. They're not able to get on the buses when they expect to get on them, and it would seem that that would impact the choices and planning people make in terms of [whether] they plan their lives around the availability of this transit system or not. It sounds like a lot of these issues are because just BC Transit doesn't have enough money. It has got too many people, too many municipalities and areas requesting money for the money it has. Why doesn't BC Transit have the money to really fully support a route like Fraser Valley Express?

Coulter: Well, as you know, we've just come through COVID, where we supported BC Transit with almost $900 million to make sure that we kept fares low and service levels where they were at, because we know people use transit when it's reliable and affordable, and if fares increase and service is cut, then folks are less likely to use transit. We made a decision to support our BC Transit, whereas other jurisdictions across North America didn't make that choice, and a lot of their transit systems are really suffering.

We are now, with Budget 2024, adding service hours to BC Transit. And so they're putting that where they see the greatest need. And part of that is increasing the Fraser Valley Express by 2,600 hours and three new vehicles to support more frequent service for folks throughout the central Fraser Valley region.

FVC: But is that enough? If the goal here is really to move more people onto transit and reduce the need to upscale other parts of the infrastructure, it seems like the need is still more than what BC Transit is getting at the moment.

Coulter: Well, BC Transit will continue to make the operational decisions of where they see the greatest need. And they have made the decision to increase the service for the Fraser Valley Express by 2,600 hours. And also [add] new vehicles and stuff like that. And through our Fraser Valley highway improvement project, we only expect that this service will continue to grow because the demand for it continues to grow. And like I keep saying, people use public transit when it's reliable and affordable, and that's why we're investing in BC Transit.

FVC: With the creation of transit development areas [in the] province's housing plan, transit is a key part of that to address the [housing] crisis, but Chilliwack, at least, has been denied matching funding to improve its transit system. Why doesn't there seem to be alignment between [housing and transit plans]. These places are being told, ‘We want you to build more housing near transit hubs,’ and the same places are being told ‘You can't actually increase your transit availability because there's not the funding for it’?

Coulter: Well they are. In Chilliwack, funding for transit has increased. Part of that is the Fraser Valley Express, and the other part is we're investing in HandyDART, and so that will see HandyDART operating more weekends and on holidays, as well as more frequent service here in Chilliwack. We know folks with disabilities really rely on transit so that's why we're investing in that. So there's one area, I think, one bus route here in Chilliwack where it is a transit-oriented development—or it's slated to be a transit-oriented development area, and as we continue to grow, and as as the demand increases, we’ll continue to see more investments throughout the Fraser Valley when it comes to transit. I think too, there's a real risk that will slide backwards here. John Rustad and the Conservatives have said that they plan on making cuts throughout government, and I think there'll be a real risk to the expansion of transit and probably a retraction in the investments that we make in transit. Certainly, the Fraser Valley highway improvement project is definitely at risk of slowing or maybe being curtailed when we're talking about, or when the Conservatives are talking about these cuts.

FVC: But if you're asking municipalities to go along with the the transit-oriented development areas, isn't there some justification that when they say, ‘OK, but you haven't given us the money and the funding needed to actually move these people from this place to the other parts of our city’?

Coulter: I mean, we're continuing to expand transit as the need is there. That's why, BC Transit has received more money for more hours this year, and a lot of those hours are going into the Fraser Valley, and they've allocated those hours based on where they see the need. They make the operational decisions. Obviously, folks really do use and need transit, and, especially around the transit-oriented development areas, it’s very, very important. I'm sure, BC Transit will continue to expand where the need is there.

FVC: You spoke about the widening project, is there room in the Highway 1 corridor for rail in the future?

Coulter: Right now, we're putting a bus-on-shoulder lane that is going to basically provide rapid bus to central Fraser Valley. So from Chilliwack, where the expansion is slated to go as of now, or where our government has committed to it, all the way to Vancouver. So there's that, and we feel like extending that service is going to make sure that transit is reliable and affordable for folks in the Fraser Valley that are trying to move within the Fraser Valley and beyond.

You know that another thing that's at risk when we're talking about making cuts to government. And we know that right now, we can't let people suffer. We need to provide services and affordable and reliable transit, including the Fraser Valley highway improvement project, and there is a very serious risk to that with John Rustad and the Conservatives.

FVC: But long-term, is there any room in that corridor for expansion 15, 20, 30 years down the line when it’s deemed that rail is finally something that might be useful and could be expanded out toward Abbotsford?

Coulter: I can't say what is going to happen 20, 30 years in the Fraser Valley, but right now, there is a growing need for expanding the freeway, and part of that is going to be a bus-on-shoulder lane that goes in or around the Fraser Valley as well as beyond. And we know that having more reliable, quicker, affordable transit is going to make more people choose that option when it comes to their mode of travel,

FVC: But have you or anyone in the government thought about that 10, 20 years down the line about what the next step for rail is?

Coulter: Well, recently we've done a rail study: Rail Through The Valley. We only got through a preliminary study on it. That's the old rail line that goes from Chilliwack through Abbotsford. We've only done a preliminary study, and COVID has set that work back but we're also currently working on a Fraser Valley transportation strategy plan, and we're working with local governments and local First Nations on how the province's infrastructure can connect with their infrastructure, and what the future of transportation and transit looks like through the Fraser Valley.

We've just begun that work and I'm very excited. I've been leading that work and meeting with a lot of local governments and First Nations, and been discussing their transit needs, what we're going to have in the future, and what we see in the future.

The Current later emailed the Ministry to ask for an answer about rail on the Highway 1 corridor. A Ministry spokesperson emailed back with the following response: “The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is making sure that the infrastructure being built today takes into account potential expansion later on. As the Fraser Valley Highway 1 Corridor Improvement Program is developed and rolled out, the ministry will ensure that it won’t preclude any possible future development of mass transit, such as light rail.”

FVC: One of the reasons I wanted to have this conversation is because in February or March or sometime, Rob Fleming was speaking to the Surrey Board of Trade. He was asked about rail at that point and—I don't need to get too far into the rail side of things—but he said, ‘Well, rail is not something that the Fraser Valley needs; if you look at the the amount of public transit and regional transit usage, it's still very low compared to everywhere else. And it's a statement that sounds like it makes sense. And at the same time, the amount of usage of public transit is highly dependent on what public transit is available. And when you have a bus system, or a regional bus route that sounds sometimes pretty hellish to be on, or you have routes that don't exist because there's not transit—or not funding for them, I wonder how that's squared. It feels like it's backwards reasoning: We can't create this or think about building this rail because people aren't using transit, and people aren't using transit because we haven't created the transit.

Coulter: But we are creating the transit. I've just talked to you several times about the Fraser Valley highway improvement project, where we'll have bus-on-shoulder lanes for rapid bus going through the Fraser Valley and to Vancouver that links up with the sky train. It'll be much more fast and reliable. As well, BC Transit is expanding the Fraser Valley Express this year. It's adding more hours to the Fraser Valley Express and three new vehicles. So I'm excited about that, but I'm also very excited about the bus rapid transit that will, that's going to be part of the Fraser highway improvement project,

FVC: But it's not like there's that much more capacity on that bus. Those changes are happening because it's so over capacity at the moment. I mean, they're not positing or even considering allowing the expansion of the U-Pass program for students because there just isn't enough room or capacity to take on more student usage.

Coulter: Are you suggesting that adding 2,600 hours to the Fraser Valley Express doesn't increase capacity? Because it does. It's going to put more vehicles on the road and a lot more hours. You know, as the MLA for Chilliwack myself, I've been advocating for services that support our growing community and there is going to be a serious capacity change when we have completed the Fraser Valley highway improvement project, and we have bus-on-shoulder lanes.

FVC: I’m not saying it's not increasing capacity. I'm saying it's not creating the—I mean, there's not enough supply for those students who might want to use it if there was a U-Pass, right? That would suggest that BC Transit is saying, ‘Even with these new buses, we still don't have the seats available for all these new students who might want to use it.’

Coulter: As demand increases, more hours will increase for the Fraser Valley Express and definitely, with the completion of the Fraser Valley highway improvement project, with bus-on-shoulder lanes I can only see the services getting better. When people want reliable, fast and affordable transit it's because we're building this stuff.

FVC: You spoke of the 2,600 hours. About one-third of those are actually just pull trips from the Abbotsford maintenance facility. [Editor: A pull-trip is when an out-of-service bus travels from its home base to the start of its route.] I understand, BC Transit has purchased a property in Chilliwack for a facility there that would allow more buses to be stationed there, increasing the efficiency of the system, so that more of those 2,600 could actually be spent on the highway and transporting people. Do you have any information on the state of that and when that facility could get built?

Coulter: No, I don't have specific information when it comes to the property that BC Transit has bought, or what that facility will look like.

FVC: You spoke about the highway widening to Chilliwack. Now that federal funding has been denied for the flood protection improvements out there, I know a large part of that project is now trying to figure out how you how it balances out with flood protections. What is the status of that? Can it proceed without federal funding for flood protections?

Coulter: We're designing the freeway from Highway 11, from Sumas [Way] out to Chilliwack. We're currently working with the City of Abbotsford and Semá:th First Nation, as well as the federal government, on what that looks like. So then the new road is going to have to fit into Abbotsford's flood mitigation plans and what that design looks like is not currently clear.

We are doing that work. We are committed to building that piece of road, no matter what the federal environment minister says about the federal government not investing in roads anymore. We're going to continue, because we know that British Columbians rely on good, safe roads to get themselves around, and especially through the Fraser Valley. But like I said, there's an election coming in October, and a lot of that is at risk with the spending cuts that John Rustad is proposing. You know that project is ultimately at risk and may not get completed because of him.

FVC: I'll let you go. I know everybody's busy right now, but do you have any more information on anything else in the region? I was talking to the mayor of Hope the other day, and he said that he’d like to see a [bus] connection between Hope and Chilliwack back at some point. Is there anything else you can share on that, or anything else before I let you go.

Coulter: I can't share anything on a specific route between Hope and Chilliwack. But all I want to just underline is people will use public transit when it's reliable and affordable, and that's why BC Transit is investing in shaping the growth of the Fraser Valley transit system, and why we've provided them with more money. I'm excited about the new, expanded services. I'm excited about the Fraser Valley Highway 1ne widening project, and what that means for the people in the Fraser Valley as an MLA for Chilliwack. I'm really excited about this increased service as I think it'll really help a growing community out here. So I'm excited for people to be able to get around the region quicker and more reliably and safer.