After a week of sharing stories of nightmare commutes across B.C.'s Lower Mainland, CTV News went to those who have the power to enact change.
The "Road to Nowhere" series profiled road and transit warriors who face one-way treks as long as two hours every day, and all came to a similar conclusion.
The half-plea, half-demand, from Anne Murray of Surrey, whose 40-kilometre drive takes 90 minutes or more when traffic is bad, was echoed by many viewers who weighed in on social media.
So CTV's David Molko took their questions to those at the top.
Transit expansion a long-term solution
TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said those who asked for better communication when something goes wrong with the Skytrain or bus network were "totally right."
He said the service has "a lot of projects underway," including exterior signs at some stations to communicate delays. TransLink will continue to provide real-time information on its social media pages, Desmond said, and he agreed with some who suggested the company should develop its own cellphone app so riders don't have to rely on third parties.
"This region's going to grow by, we estimate, 1.2 million people over the next 30 years, so imagine what transportation's going to be like over the next 10, 20, 30 years," he said.
"We've got to figure out how to make the flow better, how to make transportation more predictable."
Desmond said he's hopeful breaking ground on the Surrey light rail system sometime next year will help those currently having to do multiple transfers in the Fraser Valley.
"Four different trips within one journey is a lot," he said, referencing Elly Robertson, who lives in Newton but works in Coquitlam.
Desmond said about 85 per cent of TransLink trips involve one or no transfers.
"For the vast majority of our riders, our customers, it's an effective system. It gets you from Point A to Point B fairly well."
But for those like Robertson, the best fix is to continue to build out the system, he said.
TransLink is adding 56 more SkyTrain cars on the Millennium and Expo lines later this year and into 2019, he said.
The Millennium Line extension scheduled to break ground next year will also relieve some tension for transit-takers, and the new Pattullo Bridge will help traffic flow starting in 2023.
Both projects are part of a 10-year plan with a $2-billion price tag which was approved by Metro Vancouver's mayors in 2016.
Desmond said he's confident that the projects will be completed on time, and the province will come through on the funding it’s already committed.
However, he added, "we can't be everywhere for everybody."
'Building our cities and planning our lives differently'
The newly-elected vice-chair of the Mayors' Council, a group of representatives from the 21 municipalities within TransLink's service region, said more community planning would be required to alleviate congestion on the roads.
Vice-chair Richard Walton is also the mayor of the District of North Vancouver, where a commuter profiled by CTV News said he spends as long as two hours some days trying to get home without ever leaving the North Shore.
Walton said residents of the District of North Vancouver are facing headaches that didn't exist a generation ago, but that the problem is now "very real."
"It is very frustrating for people trying to plan their family lives when a short commute can all the sudden turn into a much longer and much slower journey," he said.
The best way to keep the Trans-Canada Highway clear would be to discourage those working or living in the area from driving, but a SkyTrain expansion is unlikely until the area embraces higher density land use.
"Cities have realized that they can't build themselves out of congestion by building massive car and vehicle roadways and very expensive bridges because you'll just simply perpetuate – as cities grow even further – cars as being the principal way of getting around," he said.
"For a variety of economic and environmental reasons, we have to start looking at building our cities and planning our lives differently."
When asked whether a SkyTrain or light rail line could be in the future for North and West Vancouver, Walton said the district is competing with denser cities like Surrey.
"Good transit is a reward for communities that accept density," he said.
Perhaps a better solution is improving housing affordability, commuter Derek Churchill said.
There have been few affordable rental accommodations built on the North Shore, and as a result, many who work in the area can't live nearby.
However, those already living in North Vancouver worry that affordable housing options would bring even more traffic to the area, Walton said.
"So you've got this challenge, this catch-22, that involves a lot of public education and discussion to realize that you can't simply solve the problem by adding more housing, you just compound it."
Walton suggests "building smart," densifying town centres that are connected by frequent transit.
As for traffic bottlenecks, he feels that the municipal, provincial and federal governments are working well to improve busy interchanges, but that he'd like to see a better system for splitting the funding of major projects.
And, he added, taxpayers would have to be willing to pay for changes.
The newly-elected chair of the Mayors' Council, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, was not available for an interview.
Affordability is the bottom line: transportation minister
Claire Trevena, B.C.'s minister of transportation and infrastructure, said the frustration felt by those who face lengthy commutes is understandable.
"This isn't how people want to live their lives, to spend 90 minutes going to and from work. This is really distressing for many, many families," she said.
"This is an issue that I think everybody is grappling with, both here in B.C. and around the world, about how we can make sure that people can live close to their work, be able to participate fully in their community and their family life, and not face these massive challenges."
Trevena, agreeing with all three commuters from CTV's series, said housing affordability is one of the biggest issues in Metro Vancouver. The area's infrastructure is overloaded simply because people can't afford to live near where they work.
"One of the problems with the Lower Mainland is we are a victim of geography… The compressed nature of the Lower Mainland is problematic," she said.
With many working in downtown Vancouver and living outside of the city, the traffic pattern is always pointing in the same directions.
Trevena said she thinks the largest mistakes made by the Liberal government was not investing enough over time.
“We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. That’s impossible.”
She believes if there had been long-term, strategic investment in affordable housing, road networks and public transportation, the problems wouldn't be at the level they are now.
The NDP is working with partners including the housing ministry, municipalities and transit groups on improving commute times and traffic flow, she said.
Trevena did not provide specific projects or proposals, but said looking at city planning and growth management is "vitally important."
She said she doesn't think building extra lanes to existing highways and high-traffic streets is the answer, but that politicians and planners must work on solutions that include affordable housing and viable public transit options.
"I agree that we have a problem and we need to find a solution, and the solution does not come overnight," she said.
As part of a series, CTV Vancouver looked into why more Metro Vancouver residents than ever are spending large parts of their days stuck in traffic. Visit our Extreme Commutes microsite for full coverage. Want to join the conversation? Leave a comment on our Facebook page, or tweet us using the hashtag #CTVCommute.
