page_title: Gateway Program (Vancouver)
section_title: Criticism
hierarchical_section_title: Gateway Program (Vancouver) / Criticism
caption_attribution_description: David Suzuki at a rally for the Global Day of Action on Climate Change, Vancouver, BC
context_page_description: The Gateway Program is a C$3.0 billion regional transportation project for Metro Vancouver that is being managed by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation. The ministry introduced the Gateway Program on January 31, 2006, as a means to address growing congestion and reduce travel times.
context_section_description: Burnaby city council, Vancouver city council, and directors of the GVRD (now Metro Vancouver) have passed resolutions opposing the Highway 1 portion of the project.
  Groups opposing the program include the Livable Region Coalition, a group based south of the Fraser called the Gateway 40 Network, a group of urban planners, the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC), the Burns Bog Conservation Society, Sunbury Neighbourhood Association, South Fraser Action Networks, Bridgeview Community Action Group, Gateway Sucks, the Council of Canadians, and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. These groups argue that increasing the highway's capacity will only increase traffic over the span and encourage suburban sprawl. The Livable Region Coalition urged the former Minister of Transportation,  Kevin Falcon, to consider more viable solutions to reducing congestion, including more rapid transit and improved bus routes.
  The David Suzuki Foundation claims the project violates the goals of the Livable Region Strategic Plan and does not consider alternative forms of transportation.
  The provincial government studies, conducted as part of the environmental assessment process, project an increase of 176,000 tonnes per year in greenhouse gas emissions. An analysis by SPEC found that these studies included emissions in Whatcom County, Washington, when calculating the baseline and left them out when calculating the impact of Gateway. When this is factored in, the studies predict a 31% increase in road emissions.
  Groups supporting the project include Get Moving BC and the BC Truckers Association.
caption: David Suzuki speaks at the Global Day of Action on Climate Change in Vancouver.
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