Post Carbon Fellow Anthony Perl was quoted in this article about new transport plans for a Pattullo bridge.

From the article:

Perl sees it differently. On first blush one might say his vision would harm New West as much as TransLink’s. But one could also argue in the long run the Royal City—and the whole region—would benefit.

“Part of the answer is sitting next to the Pattullo,” he says. “And no one seems to notice.”

It’s the 1904 rail bridge.

Despite the Pattullo’s obvious shortcomings, Perl believes replacement of the rail bridge is much more vital to transportation—particularly goods movement—in the region, especially in the long run.

In B.C., trains shake, rattle and sometimes roll over, so it may seem surprising to call them the wave of the future. But Washington, Oregon and the U.S. federal government are all investing heavily in high-speed rail along the Cascadia corridor. High-speed rail is common throughout much or the rest of the world.

“If we were in Asia, there’d be trains every hour between here and Seattle,” Perl says.

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Image credit: Pattullo Bridge, New Westminster, BC – Gord McKenna/flickr