Environment

Banners Hung over 20 Bridges

by WestCoast TreeHugger | April 14, 2009 at 03:54 pm

160 views | 22 Recommendations | 4 comments

Saturday saw citizens from West Vancouver to Chilliwack hoist banners on Highway 1 overpasses across the region in a coordinated Day of Action, with slogans such as "Stop the Gateway to Global Warming" and "Better Transit, Not Freeways". Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in BC, and the protestors said emissions are expected to rise substantially if the Gateway Project is built.

Activists South of the Fraser also marked the riding office of provincial Highways Minister Kevin Falcon a "Global Warming Crime Scene" Saturday morning, and piled sand used by Ministry contractors for highway construction in front of the door.

"Kevin Falcon is a Climate Criminal, bulldozing us with freeways, and roasting the planet with greenhouse gases," said Surrey resident Jim Shook as he attached large strips of yellow "Global Warming Crime Scene" tape across the door to Falcon's office. "In solidarity with the region-wide Day of Action on Highway 1, we declare this a 'Global Warming Crime Scene' and return this freeway construction material to let him know that he should cancel the Gateway project immediately."

The activists emptied buckets of highway construction sand in front of the office, taken from an area of recently bulldozed homes in Surrey's Bridgeview neighbourhood that is being dumped with sand to prepare for possible construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road.

According to Bridgeview resident Sonia Nazar, "Kevin Falcon has raped our community for his billion dollar freeway scheme, but our transit system is still starved for cash. Would he do this to his own neighbourhood?"

"Thousands of people from throughout Metro Vancouver have signed petitions against Gateway," says Carmen Mills, spokesperson for GatewaySucks.org. "The people of the region are clearly opposed to this project, and we will make our voices heard. With this action, we're saying it loud and clear: No Falcon Freeways!"

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WestCoast TreeHugger

at 20:14 on April 14th, 2009

Only 9-10% of the traffic on the Port Mann bridge is truck traffic. If the vast majority of users of the Port Man bridge (single occupancy vehicles) were given other options (improved mass transit) there would be plenty of excess capacity for goods movements.

The transit modal share in Metro Vancouver right now is about 12%. Many world class cities with economies that are as strong or stronger than Vancouver have transit modal shares of 20%, 30% or even 50%. Clearly we can invest in expanding our transit infrastructure instead of highway infrastructure and still have a strong economy. And at the same time reduce pollution, illnesses and ghg emissions.

Expanding transit infrastructure creates 3 times as many jobs as highway expansion (Conference Board of BC figures), so this is also the better way to increase employment.

badfreeway

at 23:22 on April 14th, 2009

www.gatewaysucks.org is a good place to start if you seek more information.

eastvanray

at 17:14 on April 14th, 2009

I assume you do not believe in trade, jobs or commerce nor do you have to commute over the Port Mann Bridge! You cannot transport goods in or out of the Port of Vancouver or Deltaport by public transit. The infrastructure must expand or we will suffer grave economic damage and job loos in Greater Vancouver.