Jordan Bateman's removal of Lions Gate Bridge in 15 years is correct. Third Crossing plans Green lighted

Mayor Walton of the District of North Vancouver sees the Lions Gate Bridge demise as being premature.  The limitation to Buses and cyclists (pedestrians too) was conditional upon there being a Third Crossing, which, in his opinion will never happen.

We disagree.

One option for the replacement costs for the Lions Gate Bridge should be borne entirely by the very fine people who built it in the first place, and then sold it to W.A.C. Bennett:    British Properties

British Properties are furthering their real estate development needs and at the same time raising havoc on the rest of the North Shore, BC Ferries and Whistler and those that already here are paying the price so the real estate company gets to rub their hands together, eh.

However, we have a much better idea for a Third crossing, one that will not add one motor vehicle to the soon to be tolled road from the Second Narrows $140 Million improvement project to the Port Mann Bridge.   The money losing Golden Ears Bridge will finally be a major player in collecting their tolls.  (Update 2023:  2017 BC NDP Government removed ALL tolls)

One other minor detail goes to the fellow, a land developer, late last year, that bought a large tract of land north west of Port Moody.

 A new player in Metro Vancouver real estate development — Brilliant Circle Group Investments Ltd — has bought 230 acres of Imperial Oil land in Port Moody and Anmore to develop a master-planned new village.

The deal, which closed last week, includes about half of the Ioco townsite as well as the surrounding area, which is forested land in both Port Moody and Anmore. The purchase price was not disclosed. The property includes some heritage buildings and is close to an environmentally sensitive salmon hatchery.

The purchaser behind Brilliant Circle Group Investments Ltd. is an unknown player in Vancouver, but already owns properties in Vancouver, including the old Buschlen Mowat building at 1445 West Georgia, according to James Cheng, who represents the purchaser and is lead architect on the Ioco land development. 

Snip

 “We’ve never planned for that area,” Clay said. When the land first went up for sale a couple of years ago, “a number of local development companies found it was too challenging. We figured it would be a 10- to 20-year time frame before anybody would develop on that land.”

“We really didn’t expect very much to happen there. The access is very poor. There’s one main road to get out of there and it’s a two-lane road. A windy road. There are creeks out there. I’m not even sure that this owner has any interest in developing this land. The selling price was quite low. It may be the land up in Anmore they were really after.”

The buzz is that the 230 acres sold for under $40 million, Clay said. “An acre in Anmore generally sells for around $1 million,” Clay said.

“What would we allow there right now? Basically nothing,” Clay said. “What would it take to put something there? It’s about getting traffic in and out.”- Vancouver Sun

British Properties: Forest-Green-to-Pink-Roads-and-Monster-Houses

West Map GIS

Translink vehicles may use the Lions Gate Bridge, but not "Trucks"

 Truck Route Maps and Regulations   UPDATED: December 2, 2013

Truck Route via City of Vancouver 2013

 Vancouver City Police could be raking in a ton of cash, for the Santa Claus Parade on bikes, in 2014.

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"Truck" means a motor vehicle designed or used primarily for the transportation of property.  Page 8 of 92  City of Vancouver  BY-LAW NO. 2849

NOTE: In the link which we have highlighted below in BOLD BLUE   "First Narrow Bridge" via Wikipedia they have written this:  "Trucks exceeding 13 tonnes (14.3 tons) are prohibited"    WHICH isn't true.  NO TRUCKS are permitted because........... read on Dear Readers.

UPDATE:  July 25, 2013

Prohibited vehicles, bicycles and tire chains

9 The following apply to and in respect of the First Narrows Bridge only:

(a) a person must not operate, on any part of the structure or its approaches, a vehicle having a gross weight in excess of 13 000 kg unless the vehicle is a bus as defined in the Motor Vehicle Act;

(b) a person must not operate a bicycle on the roadway of the structure or its approaches;

(c) a person must not operate, on any part of the structure or its approaches, a vehicle equipped with a tire chain or chains.

More and more times we're seeing "trucks" using the First Narrows Bridge, and probably the cause of this sudden influx/outflux is that the drivers, and/or swampers, have a GPS which is telling them that the shortest route between "A" and "B", "downtown Vancouver" and the "North Shore", or visa versus, is via Stanley Park's Causeway, which is true, it is shorter, but.....

There's one catch though, maybe even two catches....... TransLink buses probably outweigh "Trucks" threefold or more in some instances, but the City of Vancouver has determined that although "trucks" may have a lesser GVW than a Bus and the bridges are strong enough to carry both trucks and buses within the allowed GVW per vehicle, they also have right to write a Bylaw, which they did, to designate that the two bridges are NOT Truck Routes.   Passenger cars and cyclists need only apply.

Coast Mountain GVW:

Gross vehicle weight rating – the maximum recommended weight for a vehicle, including: the weight of the vehicle itself, fuel and other fluids, passengers, and all cargo. The manufacturer determines the GVWR. The Motor Vehicle Act Regulations of British Columbia prohibit vehicle operators from loading their vehicle in excess of its GVWR.   - Page 40

For youngsters, once upon a time our beloved Lions Gate Bridge was given a major face lift with the deck replacement, but before that face lift, the bridge had developed a severe "back" strain to its North supporting column..... because of the heavy loads of "trucks" taking the route as their regular route.

That was stopped once the engineers figured out what was going on, or it should have been stopped.

There's a story from ten or eleven years ago where a trucker arrived in downtown Vancouver a half hour ahead of time after coming over from Vancouver Island, where upon he climbed into his sleeper compartment for a nap.   When queried as to why he arrived so early when he shouldn't have arrived EARLY at all..... they discovered he had used the First Narrows Bridge......the Lions Gate, to cross over Burrard Inlet.   OOOOPS!    The Driver should have used the Second Narrows Bridge which would have taken a half hour longer.....and made him on time for his destination.

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For Trucks:

Total width no greater than 2.6m(8’6”).
Total height no greater than 3.81m(12’6”) on any street or 4.3m(14’1”)on any truck route.
Total length (inclusive of load and front and rear bumpers) no greater than:
• 12.5m(41’) for a single vehicle.
• 23m(75’3”) for a vehicle with 1 trailer.
• 25m(82’) for a vehicle with 2 trailers.
VEHICLES EXCEEDING ANY OF THESE DIMENSIONS MUST OBTAIN A PERMIT

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If the Vancouver City Hall wants to earn more cash, and create a safer driving experience for motorists, then there should be fines collected.   In the case of the First Narrows... Lions Gate Bridge, there are options by which over size, TRUCKs, could learn from their experience.... of receiving multiple fines.   Stanley Park Causeway, north bound, is not the end of the road for Truckers, they could take the off ramp just before heading for the bridge deck... and take a tour of Stanley Park...and eventually end up on the Second Narrows Bridge.  If they continue to cross the bridge, then a Two Hundred Dollar Ticket should be enough of a carrot to deter them in the future....   South Bound truck traffic, same story.   No officers required.  All that is required is a system similar to the Port Mann Bridge, and only three lanes need monitoring.

The Ticket, is in the Mail.