Number One in the World… Vancouver and Zurich have the best overall quality of living, according to a recent survey of the world’s major cities by global human resource consultant William M. Mercer.

More and More People Like to Visit… In 2000, 8.4 million overnight visitors traveled to Greater Vancouver, an increase of two per cent over 1999. Visitors to Greater Vancouver spent close to $3.5 billion in the region, on accommodation, shopping, restaurant meals, groceries, private and public transportation, attractions, recreation, and entertainment. Ten years ago there were 5.9 million overnight visitors and they spent $1.9 billion.

Job Generator… The Greater Vancouver Gateway Council estimates that seaports, airport, railways, marine and trucking industries generate one job in twelve in Greater Vancouver. Moving 100 million tonnes of cargo, one million containers, 16 million air passengers and one million cruise passengers a year is a major part of the Region's economy.

How Big is Transportation in British Columbia? B.C.’s transportation industry employed 111,200 people in 2000. BC Stats figures indicate that is roughly the same amount of people who work in British Columbia’s construction industry, or close to 25 per cent more than the combined total 85,200 people employed in the province’s agriculture, forestry, fishing, oil and gas, and mining sectors.

How Do We Stack up Against the Rest of the World? The Greater Vancouver Port gateway ranks 14^th in world port rankings, when you combine the total cargo shipments of Port Vancouver, Fraser Port and Port North Fraser. That’s ahead of Tokyo, Marseilles and New Orleans and within striking distance of Yokohama, Antwerp and New York.

Record-Setting… Port Vancouver is Canada’s largest port and the second largest port in North America in terms of foreign trade. In 2000, Port Vancouver set new records in total cargo shipments, containers and cruise ship passengers.

• The Port handled 76.5 million tonnes of cargo in 2000, a seven per cent increase over 1999,
• Container volumes hit a record of 1,163,178 TEU’s (20-foot equivalent units), up nine per cent from 1999, and
• Cruise ships carried 1,053,989 revenue cruise passengers on the Vancouver-Alaska trip in 2000, an 11 per cent increase over the year before.

Cruising Good for Vancouver… The cruise industry contributes over $508 million to the local economy annually. With newly renovated facilities at Canada Place this year and a third berth slated for 2003, the Vancouver-Alaska cruise is poised for good growth and a bright future.

An Award-Winning Airport… Vancouver International Airport has been rated number one in North America among medium sized airports by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The prestigious annual global survey of international airports also ranked YVR as one of the top ten airports in the world for the third consecutive year. Overall, regardless of size, YVR ranked second in North America and tenth in the world and is the only Canadian airport to make the global top ten list.

YVR Keeps Growing… In 2000, Vancouver International Airport handled 16.01 million passengers and 252 thousand metric tonnes of cargo. Since 1992, passenger traffic has increased 61 per cent from 9.94 million passengers and air cargo increased 74 per cent from 144,000 tonnes of air cargo… The number of passengers is expected to increase to 21.8 million by 2015.

Car Growth… In 2000, there were 1,172,866 licensed passenger vehicles in the Greater Vancouver Regional District — that’s the equivalent of 1.5 cars per household and an increase of 20 per cent from 1993…Based on current trends, the GVRD’s population will grow by 40,000 people and 23,000 cars a year. By 2005, GVRD residents will be making 500,000 to 600,000 more trips every day.

Congestion, Congestion, and More Congestion… Translink points out that between 1996 and 1999, rush-hour traffic on main roads and bridges in Greater Vancouver increased by eight per cent — twice the rate of the region's population growth. Congestion has caused speeds to slow by seven per cent during the past decade. It’s estimated Lower Mainland congestion costs between $1 and $1.5 billion annually in delays.

Transborder Truck Traffic on the Rise… Commercial vehicle traffic at the Pacific Highway border crossing has doubled since 1991 — close to one million trucks used the crossing in 2000. Congestion at Lower Mainland border crossings is estimated to be costing truckers $100,000 a day in delays.

Container Boom… Canadian Pacific Railway expects to double its transpacific container shipments to the American midwest thanks to three new contracts with shipping lines calling at Port Vancouver. CPR’s dedicated double-stack container train arrives in Chicago in 90 hours. Intermodal freight service is now CP Rail’s largest revenue generator, out performing grain and coal… Canadian National has a new agreement with CSX Intermodal that offers shippers five-day service for coast-to-coast intermodal traffic moving between Vancouver and New York. Shippers will also enjoy efficient "steel-wheel" interchange of intermodal traffic at the Chicago and Buffalo gateways.

Greater Vancouver’s Growing… In 2000, Greater Vancouver’s population passed the two million mark, a 18% increase from 1992… Half the population of B.C. lives in Greater Vancouver… The Vancouver Board of Trade reports that the population of the Greater Vancouver Regional District is projected to increase from 2 million persons to 3 million persons over approximately the next 25 years, and to 4 million persons by 2050. This prospective growth makes the need for a coordinated approach to regional transportation essential.