Projects

Metro Vancouver is one of the most rapidly changing urban regions of Canada. It covers an area of 2,800 square kilometres and is presently home to 2.2 million people. Its population, however, is predicted to increase by 33% to 2031, a sharp rise that presents many challenges to existing transport policies.

The regional planning and transportation authorities have acted to address these and other key issues, including meeting stringent greenhouse gas emission targets set by the provincial government. There has been a significant investment in major transit and highways projects, including the Canada Line and multiple extensions to the existing SkyTrain network, Bus Rapid Transit and a massive increase in bus network and frequency. The region remains very popular with tourists and visitors - with 7.7 million overnight stays annually.

TransLink, the transportation authority for the region, recognising the scale of the challenges facing it, commissioned Applied Information Group to produce a multi-modal Wayfinding Strategy. The strategy, covering all modes from vehicle use to walking, frames the delivery of better information to passengers and travellers through development of a comprehensive, integrated, multi-modal, multi-media information system.

Key to delivering this strategy is the development of information infrastructure in the transport environments. Lacock Gullam was commissioned as part of the AIG team to design the physical aspects of this and is currently developing products, signage and street furniture.

Following a series of prototype stations and interchanges, implemented in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the team have produced new wayfinding standards that have been formally adopted and the system is now being incrementally rolled out region wide.