DirectionsVille
But there is one stretch where, particularly if I'm in a hurry, I use King Edward, which is reasonably OK given that most of it is that wide open stretch between Oak and Granville.
Anyway.
On Friday I got started a little late and headed out into the teeth of the rush that, when you factor in SUV's ferrying kids to westside schools, can be a real schmozzle.
And as I headed for the corner of Oak and 25th I couldn't help but notice the massive three stop light long lines of cars heading off in all directions all at once.
I was also struck dumb with the realization that we've just got to stop this.
Now, I further realize that only a small percentage of people will ever ride a bike, even if it is battery powered, regularly to and from work/school, etc., especially in the grey months.
But, honestly, why don't we have buses heading off in all directions all at once all the time?
And why aren't rides on all those buses subsidized to the hilt with actual, comprehensive carbon tax monies to make them as cheap as possible, if not free?
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Image at the top of the post?....From the City of Vancouver Archives (decided to make like NVG on this one)..King Ed and Oak looking west, sometime in the '80's...The actual pavement itself is pretty much the same, the buildings, not so much...
Heading into Day 6 of the term from heck fire...Got through the first week...The grant is almost done and professional school teaching now tapers off for me a little as the new course and my undergraduate teaching ramps up...
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6 comments:
Absolutely bang on and I couldn’t agree more. More buses, all the time, at reasonable rates, $1. ?. It’s simpler and cheaper than building expensive skytrain stuff and can be done tomorrow basically.
I was recently up in Whistler to do a bit of hiking for a couple days and the wife wanted to stay up there. I said sure as long as we are not close to the village, too busy and noisy for me. We were near Lost Lake and for some reason the bus that serves that area is free. Walk out and hop on, hop off, at the mountain gondola or at the village. It was great, didn’t use the car. Let’s do more of this.
You have to start earlier RossK, like this:
According to the Vancouver Sun article, Clark’s son Hamish encouraged the Premier to flout the rules while she was driving him to a goalie clinic at 5:15 a.m.
“I might. Don’t test me,” Clark is quoted as saying. “Would you go through? You shouldn’t because that would be breaking the law.”
After she drove through the stoplight, Hamish reportedly said, “You always do that.”
You have come to a thorny issue, buses.
I have been around the transit scene for many decades and the one thing becomes apparent is that buses, are buses, are buses and buses are extremely poor in attracting the motorist from the car.
Forget about the hype and hoopla about free transit, because it doesn't work and most studies supporting free transit have had their numbers cherry-picked to support free transit.
I like the German model for transit and operate it as a business and if the product is good, people will use it and if the product is bad people will not use it and politicians then replace those who cannot provide a descent product with people that can.
The result is that transit manager actually listen to what the customers want, providing a service that people will use.
To be blunt our transit system is crap and the management of said transit system must do what the politicians tell them to do or .......... adios.
This is not the 1960's, yet our buses still operate as it was.
Our light-metro rapid transit system gas failed to attract the motorist from the car and the percentage of people using transit has not changes in almost three decades, yet we still do the same thing, hoping for different results.
We are spending over $11 billion to extend the Expo and millennium lines a mere 21.7 km, yet even TransLink reluctantly admits that both lines will not attract much new ridership, if any! But light-metro makes nice photo-ops and to second news bytes for the evening news at election time. $11 billion is peanuts if one gets elected or re-elected!
Lament all you want, but until we operate the transit system as 2023 transit system and not a 1960's transit system, maybe, just maybe more people will use it.
$11B to extend the Expo and m. lines for 21.7 km. OMG
Watched the news this weekend and they held a rally at the Surrey Hospital to demand better equipment to save people's lives when they have a heart attack. The speaker advised one doctor had died because they did not have the equipment at the Surrey hospital and had to go to New West and just didn't make it. Like really, we are short of doctors to begin with and now one dies because his hospital didn't have the equipment. Its just like the FIFA thing, hundreds of millions and we have to replace a lot of infrastructure and homes because of forest fires. Will some one in the Leg. get a grip and do something which is a tad more practical.
If it were put to a vote, people might just want that heart equipment and not the extension of the skytrain for 21.7 Km. If it comes to voting I'm in favour of having the equipment in the hospital and living. I'll survive quite well without the extension and FIFA games.
The bus system needs to be re worked. It hasn't changed since I was a kid. At that time trams and the Richmond railway were eliminated and that has been about it.
As Evil Eye notes, the decisions are made by politicans who know nothing or little about transit and most don't even use public transportation. They can all afford vehicles and the gas to run them. Have professionals make the decisions with imput from the users.
Loved the picture of long, long ago. You used to be able to make a left hand turn there back in the day, then they hadd to install advance left hand turn signals. There are all sorts of large buildings on King Ed now and Cambie.
The first time I was in Ottawa, took a bus and it got onto what I thought was a highway, except only buses were on it. Some one explained that was their answer to rapid transit. Worked like a hot dam back then. Less money than our sky train system and come a decent sized earthquake, a lot of our transit system will collapse. I know, they've taken that into consideration when engineering the system, but really I'd rather not take the chance.
What I liked about the Ottawa system is if necessary emergency vehicles could use those types of roads and thus saving a lot of important tie. I've been stuck on Boundary Rd, between Kingsway and 49th and police cars with emergency lights, etc. on try to move. Not a great sight. If its bumber to bumper and people blocking side streets........... There used to be a $50 fine for doing that.
Yes, its time for some changes and sky train, etc. isn't it. Just too expensive when we have a lack of affordable housing, medical equipment, staff, forest fires to pay for and the list goes on.......
In reply to e.a.f.: Ottawa busways were designed to be later turned into light rail because of the huge operational costs of buses when ridership exceeds 5K to 6K on a transit route.
The success of the busways only came about with hugely restrictive parking for federal employees, forcing them onto transit.
The problem now in Ottawa is that they did not build light rail, oh no, they built a fully automatic light metro and used light rail vehicles because they are much cheaper to operate and maintain than our MALM (SkyTrain) vehicles.
The problems with the current LRT line stems from gross politcal interference and Transport Canada's daft rules designed for 1940's interurbans.
The mainstream media have so mislead the public about Ottawa that the real facts are now impossible to find.
By the way, what about the uproar with Toronto's version of SkyTrain where a truck failed causing so much damage that the TTC abandoned the line several month before its planned closure, instead of having a inquiry. TransLink operates many MK.1 trains and they are prone to metal fatigue if not properly maintained.
The lesson is simple, if you want a public transit system to work well, design it for the transit customers and not the next election.
Thanks for the update, EE.
"design it for the traansit customers and not the next election". could be a slogan for the next election.
It might have been better if the province had built the transit system and then the houses. at least they could have organized things a bit better, but politicians make decisions, on the next election or what their financial supporters want.
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