SkyTrain to UBC: New poll shows widespread support

The Millennium line SkyTrain expansion is set to open later next year, and the end of the line will be nearly seven kilometres away from UBC.

A new poll suggests there is widespread support for a SkyTrain to the University of British Columbia, according to proponents of a pitch to extend the under-construction Broadway extension to the campus.

The current terminus at Broadway and Arbutus will mean commuters from further west will still have to rely on buses, says Micheal White, associate vice‑president of campus and community planning at UBC.

“The Arbutus station will be over capacity on day one. So, we’re essentially moving the problem from commercial and Broadway to Arbutus and Broadway ... There is a strong transportation need to finish the project,” he said.

The poll—commissioned by the university—showed support for the extension among 76 per cent of those surveyed in municipalities across Metro Vancouver. In contrast, 11 per cent of respondents said they opposed the extension.

“I don’t think you’ll find a better business case for a transportation infrastructure project in North America right now,” White said.

White says more than 1,000 buses travel to and from UBC each day, and an expanded SkyTrain line would become the busiest station in the network while creating new opportunities.

“There’s also significant economic development benefits,” White said, adding there are roughly 18,000 employees and 60,000 students at UBC.

The current Broadway Subway construction has caused widespread disruption, including a four‑month closure of a major intersection, lost parking, traffic congestion and financial hardship for businesses.

Questions remain about whether a future extension would bring similar impacts.

“There’s an opportunity to learn from every major project that we’ve had in the region,” White said.

“And I would like to think that we can learn from previous rapid transit projects and apply that learning to the extension to UBC.”

Transit Minister Mike Farnworth said, in a statement, the province is continuing to explore the idea of extending the line.

“UBC’s recent opinion poll reinforces that there is interest in an extension to UBC. That’s why our government is committed to continue to work with UBC as well as other regional partners to advance the technical work needed for this project,” he wrote.

CTV News reached out to the Point Grey Village Business Improvement Association about potential construction impacts, but it declined to comment.

The week-long online poll, conducted by Research Co., surveyed 1,931 adults from across Metro Vancouver. The margin of error for a poll with a sample this size is plus or minus 2.3 per cent, 19 times out of 20.