Bahram test

Whereas:
- The underground bus-loop concept was initially a central component of a three-phase privatized development plan for the University Square the above-ground phases of which included major retail and private market-housing, which were stayed by the original U-Blvd petition of March 2007 and is no longer consistent with new plans for the U-Blvd area, which have been drawn up based on community consultation;
- The underground bus loop design was based on ridership figures that predate the UPass program, and therefore the loop would have limited capacity and would not accommodate 1) ridership expansion, 2) trolley buses, 3) the Millenium Line;
- An extension of the Millenium Line to UBC has been announced by the Provincial Government of British Columbia for completion by 2020;
- The bus loop will not to increase ridership or overall bus transit and is therefore not related to the Universitys sustainability goals;
- The UBC community was never meaningfully consulted on the specific issue of the underground bus loop; the consultations which resulted from the March U-Blvd petition excluded the bus loop as an item of consultation;
- The construction of the underground bus loop will incur a cost of over $40 million to the UBC budget, a value larger than the prospective budget shortfall that was used to justify department cuts and the current faculty hiring freeze; the busloop will use $30 million dollars of ICCs (Infrastructure Impacts Charges) IICs are traditionally used for childcare at a time of childcare shortage and a waitlist of 1,200 spaces;
- The underground bus loop places significant restrictions on the SUBRenew process, and will delay the potential construction of the new SUB by at least 3 years;
- The construction of the underground bus loop entails the destruction of Grassy Knoll, a much-cherished student space outside the Student Union Building.


Therefore, be it resolved that we, the undersigned, call on the UBC Board of Governors and the University Administration (Campus and Community Planning, Properties Trust, etc.):
Halt the construction of the underground bus loop and substitute the current plan with a public transport plan for UBC that is socially, financially and ecologically sustainable, a plan to attract adequate democratic support of the UBC community.


We draw the attention of the members of the Board of the Governors and UBC Administration to the following pressing concerns of the UBC community that can be ameliorated if the extensive monies for the construction of the underground bus loop were to be redirected:
- There is a daycare shortage on campus and an estimated daycare waitlist of 1,200 spaces;
- There is a student housing shortage on campus and an estimated housing waitlist of 2,000 students;
- UBC students are currently working to build a much-needed new Student Union Building (SUB) or a thorough renovation of the current SUB. While there is a general consensus about the importance of the undertaking, the $120 million estimated cost of the project is beyond affordable for students and requires alternative sources of financing, including substantial financial support from UBC;
- Many of the academic departments in UBC are in such dire financial conditions that have put a freeze on the hiring of new faculty and are increasingly cutting educational opportunities;
- Many areas of the campus need more direct access to public transport, which is best addressed by increasing and improving the transit flow to and around the campus.