The name of the project is innocuous enough: Vancouver’s Westside Mobility Strategy, representing the kind of undertaking in which governments and citizens try to condense 10 pounds worth of problems into a five-pound bag. But as city officials ponder the balance of commerce and residential concerns when planning for the future of transportation in the city, the simplicity of the moniker belies the difficulty of the task.
Vancouver’s west side residential neighborhoods lie between Interstate 5 and the city’s industrial center at the Port of Vancouver and surrounding areas. Hence the difficulty in transporting goods and materials between the region’s primary transportation corridor and its manufacturing hub — there are houses and historic neighborhoods along the way. All of which has led to understandable consternation among residents who increasingly find their streets serving as a conduit for heavy trucks.
Balance between livability and commerce is essential, but the facts are that balance is in the eye of the beholder and that any possible solution is destined to be imperfect.
Consider the ongoing situation at 39th Street. In November 2010, a new bridge spanning railroad tracks near Fruit Valley Road opened in an effort to improve transportation between I-5 and the industrial area. The result, according to a city of Vancouver study: Truck traffic along 39th Street has tripled, leading residents to complain that the traffic has hampered the livability of their neighborhoods and has presented dangerous conditions for children and cyclists. The complaints are understandable. While improved infrastructure is essential for a vibrant, prosperous community, it is difficult to imagine residents in any part of town welcoming increased truck traffic rumbling through their neighborhood.