February 7, 2019 7:22 pm

Majority support SkyTrain to UBC if school helps to pay for extension: poll

By Jon Azpiri Online News Producer Global News

WATCH: (Aired Jan. 24, 2019) A new report presented to the Mayors' Council says SkyTrain is the best option for getting people to and from UBC. But as Nadia Stewart reports, not everyone is on board.

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A new poll shows strong support for extending SkyTrain to the University of British Columbia if the school contributes to the costs of the project.

Eighty-two per cent of respondents say the Millennium Line SkyTrain should extend beyond Arbutus Street to UBC’s Point Grey campus.

WATCH: Aired April 19, 2018) UBC offers to pay for some of Broadway SkyTrain

Sixty per cent said connecting UBC with a rapid transit line should be considered a regional priority as it will bring benefits to the entire region. Almost half said they’d be more likely to visit the campus if they could hop on the SkyTrain.

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Of the 1,900 adults polled, two-thirds said they would be more inclined to support the project if the university carried a significant chunk of the costs.

Last week, Vancouver city council voted to support extending the future Broadway subway line all the way to UBC.

Critics argued that light-rail options were more cost effective than SkyTrain, and voiced concerns that development along the future line would raise property values and displace affordable housing.

LISTEN: Vancouver City Council has voted to endorse an extension of the planned Broadway SkyTrain line, so that it goes all the way out to UBC. But some councillors have concerns.

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According to TransLink’s report, extending the line from Arbutus Street to UBC would cost between $3.3 billion and $3.8 billion.

The currently-approved Phase Two subway plan, from VCC-Clark station to Arbutus Street, is expected to cost about $2.83 billion.

— With files from Simon Little