Yellow Fever
November 19th, 2008, 09:31 AM
Metro ranked second greenest for transport
By Jeff Nagel - BC Local News
Published: November 18, 2008 12:00 PM
Updated: November 18, 2008 12:23 PM
Metro Vancouver has ranked second, only behind Victoria, in the latest national survey of sustainable urban transportation.
"Vancouver has shown the largest percentage increase of its labour force using public transit," according to the Appleton Foundation's 2008 smart transportation rankings.
The region was given a B grade – the same as last year.
Improved air quality and policy changes contributed to the region's high rank for the second straight year.
The foundation cited Vancouver's EcoDensity initiative to increase the population along transit corridors.
Statistics show 76 per cent of housing starts last year were for multi-family apartments or townhouses, closing in on an 89 per cent target, and multi-family housing now makes up 61 per cent of the region's housing stock.
Survey organizers also credit the rising number of municipalities with anti-idling bylaws – 54 per cent of the Metro Vancouver population now lives where idling limits apply.
The Township of Langley was lauded for limiting idling by civic vehicles to one minute and moving to convert its entire fleet to biodiesel fuel.
TransLink's decision to buy 141 hybrid buses that boost fuel efficiency by 20 per cent will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the survey notes.
Another bright spot noted are upgrades to the Central Valley Greenway, which links downtown Vancouver to town centres in Burnaby and New Westminster, as well as transit hubs and major workplaces.
Metro Vancouver scored poorly on regular bus service, 23 per cent below target service levels.
The Fraser Valley regional district (Abbotsford census metropolitan area) got a D grade and was ranked 14th out of 27 urban areas surveyed across Canada.
That's the lowest score of any B.C. urban area, but the foundation called it "respectable" compared to other Canadian centres.
The Abbotsford area has the highest per capita carbon emissions from retail fuel sales, despite an 11 per cent reduction over one year.
Abbotsford is credited with seeking to prevent sprawl through an Official Commummity Plan that aims to densify downtown and concentrate new residential and business growth in existing areas.
The rankings aim to give residents a yardstick to compare local progress in the fight on climate change, according to foundation spokesman Barry Appleton.
"Citizens win when cities compete to adopt best practices," he said. "It is hard for cities to know how they are performing if they do not know how they compare with others."
BY THE NUMBERS
Tonnes of greenhouse gases emitted per capita from retail fuel sales
Metro Vancouver: 2.1
Fraser Valley: 4.1
Target: 1.5
Registered vehicles per capita
Metro Vancouver: 0.57
Fraser Valley: 0.58
Target: 0.37
Workers commuting by transit, walking or biking
Metro Vancouver: 24 %
Fraser Valley: 6 %
Target: 37 %
Regular bus service – kilometres travelled per year, per person
Metro Vancouver: 55 km
Fraser Valley: 10 km
Target: 71 km
Taxis powered by alternative fuels
Metro Vancouver: 16 %
Fraser Valley: 1.7 %
Target: 100 %
Regular bus fleet powered by alt-fuels
Metro Vancouver: 27 %
Fraser Valley: 100 %
Target: 39.5 %
By Jeff Nagel - BC Local News
Published: November 18, 2008 12:00 PM
Updated: November 18, 2008 12:23 PM
Metro Vancouver has ranked second, only behind Victoria, in the latest national survey of sustainable urban transportation.
"Vancouver has shown the largest percentage increase of its labour force using public transit," according to the Appleton Foundation's 2008 smart transportation rankings.
The region was given a B grade – the same as last year.
Improved air quality and policy changes contributed to the region's high rank for the second straight year.
The foundation cited Vancouver's EcoDensity initiative to increase the population along transit corridors.
Statistics show 76 per cent of housing starts last year were for multi-family apartments or townhouses, closing in on an 89 per cent target, and multi-family housing now makes up 61 per cent of the region's housing stock.
Survey organizers also credit the rising number of municipalities with anti-idling bylaws – 54 per cent of the Metro Vancouver population now lives where idling limits apply.
The Township of Langley was lauded for limiting idling by civic vehicles to one minute and moving to convert its entire fleet to biodiesel fuel.
TransLink's decision to buy 141 hybrid buses that boost fuel efficiency by 20 per cent will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the survey notes.
Another bright spot noted are upgrades to the Central Valley Greenway, which links downtown Vancouver to town centres in Burnaby and New Westminster, as well as transit hubs and major workplaces.
Metro Vancouver scored poorly on regular bus service, 23 per cent below target service levels.
The Fraser Valley regional district (Abbotsford census metropolitan area) got a D grade and was ranked 14th out of 27 urban areas surveyed across Canada.
That's the lowest score of any B.C. urban area, but the foundation called it "respectable" compared to other Canadian centres.
The Abbotsford area has the highest per capita carbon emissions from retail fuel sales, despite an 11 per cent reduction over one year.
Abbotsford is credited with seeking to prevent sprawl through an Official Commummity Plan that aims to densify downtown and concentrate new residential and business growth in existing areas.
The rankings aim to give residents a yardstick to compare local progress in the fight on climate change, according to foundation spokesman Barry Appleton.
"Citizens win when cities compete to adopt best practices," he said. "It is hard for cities to know how they are performing if they do not know how they compare with others."
BY THE NUMBERS
Tonnes of greenhouse gases emitted per capita from retail fuel sales
Metro Vancouver: 2.1
Fraser Valley: 4.1
Target: 1.5
Registered vehicles per capita
Metro Vancouver: 0.57
Fraser Valley: 0.58
Target: 0.37
Workers commuting by transit, walking or biking
Metro Vancouver: 24 %
Fraser Valley: 6 %
Target: 37 %
Regular bus service – kilometres travelled per year, per person
Metro Vancouver: 55 km
Fraser Valley: 10 km
Target: 71 km
Taxis powered by alternative fuels
Metro Vancouver: 16 %
Fraser Valley: 1.7 %
Target: 100 %
Regular bus fleet powered by alt-fuels
Metro Vancouver: 27 %
Fraser Valley: 100 %
Target: 39.5 %