Corey Agopian/Unsplash
When the UBC Department of Geography’s Climate Action Committee launched its Climate Action Plan in April 2020, one of the commitments was to advocate for increased bus capacity and rapid transit to UBC.
Much has changed in the world since then, but as we look towards a return to pre-COVID levels of campus occupancy in the coming year, access to UBC via public transit remains a climate issue, an equity issue, and an accessibility issue.
We recognize the challenges that the provincial government, UBC, and TransLink have faced in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and believe that a sustainable and just recovery plan will lead to a more efficient and reliable transit system for all. In the below letter, this is the transition that the undersigned members of the UBC Geography community wish to advocate for.
This letter was delivered to the addressees on February 16th 2021, but anyone from the UBC community wishing to lend their additional support can do so here.
The Climate Action Committee is grateful to Project Assistant Rachel Cheang for her work in helping to draft this letter.
The Hon. John Horgan, Premier of British Columbia
The Hon. Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation & Infrastructure
Gigi Chen-Kuo, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Translink
Professor Santa Ono, President and Vice-Chancellor, The University of British Columbia
Robin Ciceri, Vice President External Relations, The University of British Columbia
Michael White, Associate Vice President Campus and Community Planning, The University of British Columbia
To the Provincial Government of British Columbia, TransLink and UBC:
Transit has demonstrated itself to be an essential service, especially in the wake of COVID-19. With parts of B.C.’s economy reopening and the restoration of transit services, transit ridership is expected to return to pre-COVID levels as many people begin returning to their commutes. We are aware that the Province of B.C. has set aside funds from its provincial aid package for transit agencies to address the major financial impacts that TransLink, like many transit agencies across the country, has incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the conditions created by the pandemic have resulted in a dire loss of transit revenue and created financial uncertainty around the future of transit services, calls have been made for the Province to address transit affordability in its poverty reduction mandate. It is also imperative that we urgently act on significantly reducing our carbon emissions. This is the time for us to rethink emergency relief and recovery plans to strategically address the climate crisis we are in and push for a just transition.
UBC has committed to an ongoing transition towards a low-carbon future, with a goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, yet daily commuting alone accounts for 20% of UBC’s Vancouver campus total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (in 2017). We commend the University for working closely with TransLink on improving transit options to UBC, and would like to express our support for continued efforts to improve infrastructure that will greatly reduce single-occupant automobile use. One way is to increase transit capacity and ridership. This will reduce reliance on private automobiles and associated fuel use, especially for UBC community members who live outside of Metro Vancouver, and promote sustainable urban growth for the city as students, staff and faculty prepare to return to school.
Therefore, as faculty, staff and students of the UBC Department of Geography, and members of the wider UBC community, we request that the provincial government of British Columbia, TransLink and UBC prioritize the following demands in transit recovery plans:
Increased bus capacity and frequency: Transit ridership at UBC accounted for 54% of all trips to and from UBC each day in 2019. Despite a significant growth in ridership, up to 2019, UBC has failed to achieve the target of a 20 per cent reduction in single-occupant vehicle trips to and from UBC from 1997 levels. Trips by transit are often limited by transit capacity, especially during peak periods where students struggle with having comfortable standing room, much less having a seat for long commutes. We need greater bus capacity to safely rebuild and incentivize ridership to return to, or even exceed, pre-COVID levels. We urge TransLink to refocus its workforce and distribute resources into routes that serve UBC commuters by deploying additional bus capacity and increasing bus frequency once in-person classes resume.
Expansion of rapid transit to UBC: A rapid transit network will not only accommodate a growing population of students, faculty and staff at UBC, it will also efficiently and sustainably connect UBC to the Metro Vancouver region and beyond, while reducing commuting times, decreasing emissions and expanding access to a wider range of services and facilities. In January 2020, TransLink rolled out a new R4 RapidBus line to UBC. This is a step in the right direction, and we look forward to continued investments in rapid transit to UBC, including light rail options, more bus priority measures and more express route improvements considering peak period ridership. As noted by some experts on urban design, these options must go hand in hand with plans for more affordable rental housing on campus for students, faculty and staff.
Continued investment in accessible transit infrastructure: We commend Translink’s capital plan to deliver new accessibility features in its 2020 budget, including installing new tactile walking surface indicators (TWSI) and braille and tactile signage for bus stops across the region, as well as new RapidBus signs to display bus arrival times with supplemental audio announcements. Access also goes beyond physical accommodations. TransLink’s monolingual system and lack of translation services, signs and information sheets effectively creates language barriers to accessing transit services for various racialized communities and tourists. Multilingual transit is also crucial for passengers in times of a major service disruption, delay, or in the case of emergency conditions. We urge TransLink to pave the way for greater accessibility in transit infrastructure via proper research and consultations with members of the disabled community. Accessibility should be prioritized alongside other facility upgrades. We also hope to see more accessible transit features on the UBC campus, to remove barriers to mobility for our community members.
We support the current efforts by UBC to set GHG reduction targets for Scope 3 emissions, which include daily commuting, as part of the University’s Climate Emergency Declaration. According to the UBC Climate Action Plan, Scope 3 emissions accounted for 56 per cent of UBC’s Vancouver Campus total emissions in 2017, and emissions from daily commuting was the largest contributor (36 per cent). As a global leader in sustainability, it is encouraging that the University is accounting for daily commuting emissions, and we hope they will continue to work with partners in the region, including the Province, TransLink and Metro Vancouver, to achieve net-zero carbon strategies for the transport sector.
Transit is a lifeline for our communities. As we transition into a post COVID-19 world, transit will be critical to our economic recovery, and our solutions to both the pandemic and the climate crisis should carve a clear path to ensure no one gets left behind. This means setting bold targets and collaborating with stakeholders across the region to take action on targets that match the scale of the climate crisis. We hope that the Province and TransLink will continue to work alongside the University to support the pressing need for action on these requests.
While we recognize that this is a major undertaking, we must underscore how our return to a “new normal” presents a promising opportunity to rebuild a more sustainable, efficient and reliable transit system. As faculty and staff, we will continue to hold our university and partners accountable to its goals and lead the way forward towards a just and livable future for all.
Signed,
Nafeesa Alibhai
Student, UBC
Mohammed Rafi Arefin
Assistant Professor, UBC Geography
Vicky Baker
Project Manager, Department of Asian Studies
Trevor Barnes
Professor, UBC Geography
Flavien Beaud
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UBC Geography
Pablo Beimler
Student, UBC
Samantha Beleutz
Student, UBC
Olga Belokon
Student, UBC
Alec Blair
Lecturer, UBC Geography
Isak Boyd
Student, UBC
Anna Brookes
Student, UBC
Loch Brown
Associate Professor of Teaching, UBC Geography
Rachel Brydolf-Horwitz
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Sara Cannon
Graduate student, UBC Geography
María Cervantes
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Melanie Chanona
Graduate student, UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences
Rachel Cheang
Student, UBC Geography
Richard Copley
Senior Instructor Emeritus, UBC Geography
Paul Cottle
Adjunct Professor, UBC Geography
Jesse Couture
Student, UBC
Jen Crothers
Data Manager, UBC Sustainability Initiative
Francesco D’Acierno
Student, UBC
Joseph Daniels
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Esme Decker
Student, UBC
Samuel Dumesh
Student, UBC
Dylan Qichen Di
Student, UBC
Johannes Exler
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Pamela Francis
Administrative Assistant, UBC Geography
Jonathan Garner
Manager, Communications & Operations, UBC Sustainability Initiative
Ian Garvie
Student, UBC
Albina Gibadullina
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Kevin Gillard
GIC Operations Manager, UBC Geography
Isabella Gonzalez
Student, UBC
Daniel Gowryluk
Education & Outreach Co-ordinator, UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences
Derek Gregory
Professor, UBC Geography
Aidan Haigh
Student, UBC Geography
Mary Halton
Communications Manager, UBC Geography
Sara Harris
Professor of Teaching, UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences
Connor Henderson
Graduate student, UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences
Simen Hennum
Student, UBC
Sally Hermansen
Professor of Teaching, UBC Geography
Nathan Herrington
Student, UBC
Tim Herron
Engagement and Events Manager, Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability
Nina Hewitt
Assistant Professor of Teaching, UBC Geography
Dan Hiebert
Professor, UBC Geography
Kaitlyn Ho
Student, UBC
Tara Ivanochko
Senior Instructor, UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences
Sara Knox
Assistant Professor, UBC Geography
Michele Koppes
Associate Professor, UBC Geography
Sadhri Kumar
Student, UBC
Merje Kuus
Professor, UBC Geography
Sarah Labahn
Alumna, UBC
Fion Lao
Student, UBC
Sol Leader-Cole
Student, UBC
Kevin Liang
Student, UBC
Sung Ching Lee
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UBC Geography
Hui Yu Li
Student, UBC
Yanbo Li
Student, UBC
Xueshun Liu
Lecturer, Department of Asian Studies
Diana Lopez
Research Project Coordinator, Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability
Lexine Mackenzie
Student, UBC
Divija Madhani
Student, UBC
Silvana Martinez
Student, UBC
Siobhán McPhee
Associate Professor of Teaching, UBC Geography
Isabella Montecalvo
Student, UBC
Dan Moore
Professor, UBC Geography
Priti Narayan
Assistant Professor, UBC Geography
Maija Norman
Administrator, Department of Asian Studies
Linda Nowlan
Senior Director, UBC Sustainability Initiative
Miah Shull Olmsted
Student, UBC
Jamie Peck
Professor, UBC Geography
Erik Post
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Geraldine Pratt
Professor, UBC Geography
Katherine Raymond
Research Scientist, UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences
Christopher Reimer
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Sepideh Rezania
Colin Rowell
Student, UBC
Megan Russell
Research Associate, UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences
Lizzy Ruta
Student, UBC
Cora Sachs
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Matteo Saletti
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UBC Geography
Naomi Schwartz
Assistant Professor, UBC Geography
Laia Shpeller
Student, UBC
Olav Slaymaker
Professor Emeritus, UBC Geography
Sarah Smith-Tripp
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Hanno Southam
Katrin Steinthorsdottir
Graduate student, UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences
Emily Suchy
Student, UBC
Philippe Tortell
Professor, UBC Earth & Ocean Sciences
Anna Vu
Student, UBC
Julie Walchli
Executive Director, Work Integrated Education and Career Initiatives, Faculty of Arts
Allison Walters
Student, UBC
Georgia Wearmouth
Student, UBC
Jennifer Williams
Associate Professor, UBC Geography
Alex Winter-Billington
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Kyle Wlodarczyk
Graduate student, UBC Geography
Madeline Woodley
Student, UBC
Aaron Woods
Digital Media Specialist, UBC Geography
Christine Yan
Student, UBC
Liv Yoon
Postdoctoral research scholar, University of Columbia
Margot Young
Professor, Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC
Maria Yushchenko
Student, UBC
