Main Street Transit & Pedestrian Priority

Main Street bus

Completed in fall 2010, the Main Street Transit and Pedestrian Priority Project took a comprehensive approach to improving Main Street for transit passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. A partnership between TransLink, Transport Canada and the City of Vancouver, the project:

  • Improved bus travel time and reliability through measures such as stop spaces and spacing and transit signal priority
  • Provides a pleasant pedestrian environment and improves pedestrian safety and comfort by reducing street crossing distances and improving sidewalks
  • Makes waiting for the bus a better experience with real-time transit arrival information and more bus shelters
  • Increased cycling visibility and convenience through pavement markings and additional bike racks
  • Reinforced neighbourhood and shopping district identity and vibrancy through public art and streetscape improvements


Results

Perceptions of transit and the street
Both residents' and transit riders' perceptions of transit service on Main Street improved after the project. Surveyed residents and passengers rated the #3 Main service significantly higher on two measures of transit service: "having enough transit information at bus shelters and bus stops" and "not being overcrowded." Passengers' perceptions of trip duration also slightly improved. Other measures of transit service remained constant after project completion.

In addition to improved perceptions of transit service, residents' perceptions of the walking and transit waiting environments also improved. These improvements can likely be attributed to a combination of the Main Street pedestrian and transit improvements and corridor redevelopment.

Support for similar improvements on other corridors is strong among both residents and transit riders, with 92% of Main Street residents and 95% of Main Street bus riders supporting the implementation of similar measures in other Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods.


Travel time and reliability
Monitoring of transit travel time and reliability on Main Street is currently ongoing. Preliminary results of transit signal priority monitoring suggest that transit signal priority improves transit travel time and reliability on Main Street and that there is potential for further gains as the system is calibrated for Main Street's particular traffic conditions. Further system calibration and monitoring will be ongoing in 2010 and 2011.

Full market research results and other project documents are available in the Main Street Document Library.


Public Art

Public art has been installed on Main Street to make it a more interesting and vibrant place for pedestrians, people waiting for the bus or anyone visiting the area. Five art installations make up a public art program called 88 BLOCKS • Art on Main!, that will run over the next three years. The first exhibit, A Bright Future, was created by Instant Coffee, an art collective based in Toronto and Vancouver. The exhibit includes:

  • Sandwich boards installed along the street
  • Lightbar, a temporary installation of light therapy bulbs to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Main and 20th Ave bus shelter
  • A #3 Main trolley wrapped in prints inspired by crocheted afghan blankets
  • A #3 Main trolley containing 20 artworks in place of its interior ads
  • One of the interior artworks, chosen by public voted, displayed on the side of a #3 trolley

For more information, visit Instant Coffee's website. Subsequent public art exhibits will be managed by the City of Vancouver's Public Art Program.

Afghan patterned bus