Does it make sense to anyone else that if “they” really want a full SkyTrain extension (which it will be, of course) to UBC, that the University should do a cost sharing program with the governments and Translink to bring the line past either Granville or Arbutus. I mean, that expensive extension would only really serve students or visitors of the Museum of Anthropology, and there’s no reason why people can’t take other bus routes to the school, so if they really want it done, they should pay a portion. I think it’s more important to connect other regional town centres to rapid transit right now than UBC (not to say it shouldn’t go as far as Granville or Arbutus, which it should). I mean, it’s not like SFU got its own SkyTrain connection right up the mountain…
Paul Hillsdon
Exploring public policy from the edge of Metro Vancouver
Well, they say that UBC is the 2nd biggest destination for transit trips in the region, after DT Vancouver. And extending the line to UBC would serve the West Broadway and 10th Avenue shopping villages while encouraging transit use on the West Side.
Not to mention that, if the extension were to terminate at Granville or Arbutus, it would mean 3 transfers if you were coming from anywhere not right on the Millenium line route (ie. Broadway/Lougheed corridor) — surely that would discourage use?
That’s not to say UBC shouldn’t contribute something, especially if there are to be stations on the Eastern parts of the endowment lands to service all the development they want to put in.
But wouldn’t it make more sense to eliminate the Broadway/Commercial Dr stations mess altogether rather than just moving it west a little bit? Not that I think that they’re going to do this in the next 50 years due to our wonderfully shortsighted government, but one can dream…