{"id":25894,"date":"2014-10-22T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2014-10-22T17:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/?p=25894"},"modified":"2014-10-20T16:24:47","modified_gmt":"2014-10-20T23:24:47","slug":"the-comprehensive-costs-of-transportation-and-metro-vancouver-conclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2014\/10\/22\/the-comprehensive-costs-of-transportation-and-metro-vancouver-conclusion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Comprehensive Costs of Transportation and Metro Vancouver – Conclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

[EDITOR’S NOTE: We are please to offer our readers the conclusion to George Poulos’\u00a0 in-depth series focusing on the Comprehensive Costs of Transportation and Metro Vancouver<\/em>. If you missed past articles, you can read them here:\u00a0 Introduction<\/a>, <\/strong>Part 1 – Costs and Benefits of Transportation in Vancouver<\/a> (Part 1),<\/strong> Investing in Transit is Imperative for Metro Vancouver<\/a> (Part 2), <\/strong>The Business Case for Active Transportation<\/a>\u00a0 (Part 3), <\/strong>Transportation Equity and what it Means for Metro Vancouver<\/a>\u00a0 (Part 4), and <\/strong>A New Tool for Cost-Benefit Analysis of Transportation Projects<\/a> (Part 5)<\/strong>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Planning for transportation needs is one the fundamental functions of modern societies. In Canada, governments at all levels face challenges in accommodating complex transportation needs while simultaneously promoting more sustainable transportation practices. These challenges are especially relevant at the Regional\/Municipal level where the majority of day-to-day trips are made, and which also have the greatest potential for multimodal growth and uptake.<\/p>\n

The Metro Vancouver Region has demonstrated a decided shift in the focus of transportation planning policies to prioritize transit and active transportation use. While there may be a general recognition among policy makers that opportunities exist to mitigate against the many deleterious outcomes that result from an over-reliance on motorized travel, the more comprehensive costs of transportation in the Metro Region (as elsewhere in Canada) remain poorly defined.<\/p>\n

As the many pathways through which transportation affects individuals and society continue to be better understood (e.g. health, environmental, economic impacts), the need for more comprehensive estimates of transportation impacts will only continue to grow. These would be especially beneficial if they were presented as practical planning tools for governments and professionals to use in policy and decision-making processes. To this end, the focus of my analysis has sought to address this critical gap in the professional knowledge base in Canada.<\/p>\n

If you’ve been following the series, no doubt you may have been surprised by many of the findings presented. Indeed, as discussed throughout the previous five articles, study results include many useful findings regarding transportation impacts that help to address many of the topical planning issues presently at play in the Metro Vancouver Region.<\/p>\n

In the end, I’ve tried to provide a source of information which will inevitably become increasingly in demand by policy makers and practitioners. After all, it is the job of transportation professionals to continue to provide the best possible information and advocate for the best solutions. It\u2019s my hope that this work contributes to this end.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Just in case you missed earlier pieces of The Comprehensive Costs of Transportation and Metro Vancouver
\n<\/em><\/p>\n