The transit plebiscite highlights a major generation gap in Metro Vancouver when it comes to attitudes toward public transportation.
Just 10 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents aged 45 to 65 say they rely on public transit to get to work. In comparison, almost one in three aged 15 to 30 use transit to get to their job.
Those demographics could lean to an even stronger ‘No’ side as studies show Baby Boomers who don’t use public transit may be more likely to vote in the plebiscite than younger voters.
Full coverage of the transit plebiscite
Attitudes toward transit could even be redefining the city’s neighbourhoods, as younger people who grew up using the U-Pass when they were students continue to rely on public transportation after they enter the workforce.
“They got U-Pass, free trips everywhere by transit,” says Gordon Price, director of the city program at Simon Fraser University. “So they understand how that system works.
READ MORE: Vancouver transit vote embodies cities’ troubles
Research by Bing Thom Architects suggests some of Vancouver’s once highly sought-after neighbourhoods are now being shunned by young, upwardly-mobile professionals. Even young couples earning six-figure salaries are choosing to live in East Vancouver neighbourhoods rather than the super-expensive and less sociable west side.
-with files from Ted Chernecki
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