North Vancouver residents upset over losing lane to bridge traffic

UPDATE — Oct. 03, 2024: This story has been updated to include comments from NDP candidate Susie Chant, reported by the North Shore News.

UPDATE — Sept. 27, 2024: The District of North Vancouver confirmed the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will pause the reconfiguration of the lane to the Seymour area and will revisit the proposed changes in the spring.

North Vancouver residents are expressing frustration over a new traffic pattern change that is set to affect a key route near the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, which links Vancouver to the North Shore. 

According to the District of North Vancouver, the province is moving forward with a plan to merge what was previously a dedicated lane for local traffic on Main Street eastbound with vehicles headed for the busy bridge onramp.

For residents like Peter Teevan, who lives east of the Seymour River, the change means an even longer commute in a city already weighed down by heavy traffic congestion.

"Anyone trying to get to the Seymour area will be perpetually caught in the traffic jam that almost always exists to get onto the bridge," Teevan told CBC News. 

Teevan's petition urging the B.C. government to stop the lane changes, which he launched just days ago, has already garnered over 2,800 signatures, as residents fear the reconfiguration will lead to traffic headaches.

"Every time I hit refresh on my browser, it's signed [by] another 20 people and another 20 people."

Currently, the eastbound traffic on Main Street is divided into three lanes: one for buses, one for Dollarton- and Deep Cove-bound vehicles, and one for accessing the Ironworkers Bridge.

The district says the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has been pushing to eliminate the dedicated local traffic lane since 2019, which would force eastbound drivers to share the road with vehicles heading to the bridge into Vancouver.

In a statement to CBC, the district emphasized its ongoing advocacy against the lane changes, noting that despite "multiple attempts to reach a mutually beneficial solution," the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has decided to proceed with the reconfiguration, which is set to be implemented in the coming weeks.

The frustration is amplified by the timing of the decision, which comes during the provincial election campaign. 

With the government in "caretaker mode," MLAs — who would typically advocate on behalf of their constituents — are unable to fully intervene, leaving residents feeling cut off, says district councillor Lisa Muri.

"People have been writing letters to the MLAs and the response back is that [they're] no longer MLAs as we're in the middle of an election," she said. 

"This community is done. We are fed up, and we are pushing back."

Muri says the reconfiguration will affect about 24,000 residents in the Seymour area.

"We are constantly being held captive to traffic," the councillor added. "We are the gateway to the Sea to Sky Highway, to Vancouver Island, and there is a mass amount of volume coming into this community, and we cannot handle it."

Muri is urging the province and this election's MLA candidates in the area to prioritize reducing traffic congestion and investing in infrastructure on the North Shore.

In a statement, Sam Chandola, a B.C. Conservative candidate for MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour, called the ministry's proposal "reckless," adding that the elimination of the dedicated lane would mean two hours in traffic jams for commuters.

"The real problem lies in our inadequate bridge infrastructure, which is failing to meet our community's needs," the statement reads. "We need to invest in our transportation infrastructure to upgrade the Second Narrow bridge so that all communities can get enough on-ramp lanes to a wider bridge."

In a story published September 25, the North Shore News quoted NDP candidate Susie Chant — who is seeking re-election in the riding — as saying she had only just learned of the plan, disagreed with it, and had directed her staff to contact the ministry about the proposed changes.

The ministry did not respond to questions about the project other than to state that communications are restricted to critical health and safety issues during an election campaign.