Friday, March 29, 2024

The Stumps of Vancouver, Canada

If you are from Prince_GeorgeKamloops or Kelowna, you might think that Vancouver is a big & tall place. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Vancouver#Tallest_buildings

However, it's all on a much smaller scale than real big cities around the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Vancouver#Under_construction

Seattle & Calgary never fell into the Vancouver trap. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Vancouver#Approved_and_Proposed

Simply because they aren't under the Vancouver type restrictions.

The miniature Burnaby Central Railway

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/burnaby-central-railway-miniature-confederation-park

Housing strategy must also focus on "aging in place"

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/seniors-affordable-housing-rapidly-aging-population

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-property-tax-fare-increase-2024

The Growing Discontent with the cost of living in Canada

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/leave-canada-cost-to-live

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-residents-moving-alberta-record

BC BRT BS

 https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/purple-line-problems-burnaby-councillors-clash-over-north-shore-bus-rapid-transit-routes-7731155

BC TransLink's busy No. 2 bus route sees upgrades with articulated buses for more capacity

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-no-2-bus-route-articulated-buses-upgrade

Get people so frustrated for taking the bus, only to start driving more on the inadequate BC roads & bridges. 

Expo_86 should have had a sub-theme of showing the world how Vancouver & BC would continue to take an inept approach for several decades. In contrast, the World_Expo_88 in Brisbane is a place where transportation infrastructure isn't thwarted by any Vancouver or BC type restrictions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane#Rail

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busways_in_Brisbane Of course Brisbane would get moving on better busways several years before slow-moving Vancouver would.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_transport_in_Brisbane 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Cook_Bridge,_Brisbane

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translink_(Queensland)

Hilton Hotel with nearly 400 rooms to be built at future Oak-VGH SkyTrain station

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/hilton-hotel-888-west-broadway-vancouver

This is part of the southern extension of downtown Vancouver, yet it has to be shorter than the 103 m, 340 ft Old_City_Hall_in_Toronto. Even shorter than the 92 m (302 ft) Brisbane_City_Hall. Those are both little buildings by today's standards. Yet, in certain parts of the Vancouver core, they would be consider to be too tall. It even has to be shorter than the 245 ft (75 m) King_Street_Station in Seattle. Fortunately, these 3 cities will never be Vancouverized. This, keep Vancouver small & stunted mentality really sucks, but it's all part of the KEEP THEM OUT agenda. 

Such restrictive & congestive planning helps Vancouver & BC maintain, the keep it small symbolic approach to things.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Burnaby vs. Vancouver's stumps

 https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/two-more-towers-up-to-80-storeys-tall-more-rental-housing-could-be-coming-to-burnabys-brentwood-8461795

This illustration shows Vancouver stumps next to some Burnaby towers. https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/bc-tel-boot-redevelopment-burnaby-1500-homes-900-rentals-towers-up-to-64-storeys-7957610

https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/two-massive-towers-at-60-storeys-43-storeys-planned-for-burnabys-brentwood-7674810

https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/hotel-proposed-in-giant-highrise-development-in-burnabys-brentwood-7741609

The eastern part of False Creek is slated for major transformation, although progress has been slower than anticipated.

 https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouvers-plan-to-turn-no-mans-land-into-a-destination-waterfront-park Slow-moving Vancouver, as usual.

Port of Vancouver handled record cargo volumes in 2023 due to strong growth

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/port-of-vancouver-statistics-2023?

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/baltimore-bridge-collapse-remindwhats-at-stake-metro-vancouver

BC Government housing near Nanaimo Station in E. Vancouver

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/3805-3919-nanaimo-street-vancouver-coromandel-bc-government-housing

Proper big planning should have been implemented at least a few decades ago. Now people have finally been bought out so that denser housing can be put in.

https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/grandview-woodland-community-plan.aspx

The Broadway Station area remains a constipated mess. Stubborn people refuse to accept or be bought out, because NIMBY is the perpetual way to be in BC. Nevermind a magnificent 80 story tower, even 40 floors is too much for this constipated part of Vancouver.

https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/two-more-towers-up-to-80-storeys-tall-more-rental-housing-could-be-coming-to-burnabys-brentwood-8461795

The intersection of 2 Skytrain lines, but no Brentwood size towers. 

The trench or cut at Commercial_and_Broadway could easily be covered over, so that big towers can go up. However, the constipated NIMBYs refuse to receive an urban enema & be pushed out. They don't want growth, because that means more non-white people in their neighborhood. But as long as they don't set up a bunch of KEEP THEM OUT signs, their agenda remains strong. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial%E2%80%93Broadway_station

https://www.translink.ca/schedules-and-maps/station/commercial-broadway/map

Vancouver & the metropolitan region remains very stunted when compared to Toronto & Montreal. At least Burnaby, Coquitlam & Surrey are starting to allow a larger scale.

Baltimore bridge collapse investigation continues

 https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/investigation-into-baltimore-bridge-collapse-picks-up-speed-as-divers-search-for-missing-workers/3374336/

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

MBTA removes seven safety speed restrictions on Orange Line

 https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/press-release/53100019/massachusetts-bay-transportation-authority-mbta-mbta-removes-seven-safety-speed-restrictions-on-orange-line

Boston has some of the oldest sections of subway in the USA. It's taken quite a while to make various improvements.

How safe are bridges at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach?

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/how-safe-bridges-at-ports-of-los-angeles-and-long-beach/3373516/

Of course there are bridges in and around Greater LA Area. However, it most an urbanized land mass.

Cities like Seattle, Portland, SF, NYC, Montreal, Boston & Vancouver require an extensive bridge & or tunnel system to keep each region effectively connected.

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-lions-gate-ironworkers-bridge-ship-collision-collapse-risk

Vancouver & the metropolitan area already has a deficit of adequate bridges. There should have been about a dozen bus & bike bridges over the past few decades. Improved existing bridges to allow for HOV lanes, but Vancouver & the greater region are too afraid to go beyond the chokepoint mentality. Apparently, congestive planning is always the best way to go in BC. There isn't enough bridge redundancy, so if anything goes wrong, the region will only get more blocked up.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ironworkers-memorial-bridge-replacement

Baltimore bridge collapse shares eerie similarities with Tampa Bay’s Skyway disaster

 https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2024/03/26/florida-sunshine-skyway-bridge-disaster-collapse/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Skyway_Bridge#1980_collapse There is always the potential to improve safety standards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Summit_Venture#1980_Skyway_incident

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13239929/bridge-collapses-florida-great-yarmouth-baltimore.html

Of course the Tampa+Bay+Sunshine+Skyway+Bridge returned in a new & better structure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Skyway_Bridge#Replacement_bridge

Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapses after being struck by cargo ship

 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/francis-scott-key-bridge-baltimore-collapse-container-ship/

The Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_in_Baltimore is a high & narrow structure.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/26/us/baltimore-key-bridge-collapse-tuesday/index.html

Unfortunately, there is always a potential for a ship to crash into a bridge.

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/baltimore-bridge-collapse-key-bridge-video/60304085

Thus, its essential to have an extensive bumper or barrier system around the pillars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_collapse

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Dali#2016

But sometimes a bridge will collapse without being hit by something.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-deadliest-bridge-collapse-in-modern-history

https://www.history.com/news/deadly-bridge-collapses


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Francis+Scott+Key+Bridge+in+Baltimore+collapses

Saturday, March 16, 2024

BC Highway 1 - Colquitz River Bridges Widening

 https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation-projects/other-transportation-projects/colquitz-river-bridges

Finally, some bus lanes.

Bus Rapid Transit, Cushing Bridge, Calgary

Vancouver needs bus-bridges as much as Calgary, but of course Vancouver is slow to the party, once again. The 4 lane bottleneck, AKA the Cushing+Bridge in Calgary should get the Vancouver Chokepoint Award. There aren't any HOV lanes or even emergency lanes, just 2 lanes each way. What transformed this BC type bottleneck in Calgary into a semi-decent crossing, was the simple addition of a bus & bike bridge. The Greater Vancouver Area should have had bus & bike bridges built next to all of the regional crossings decades ago. However, that would go against the congestive planning approach, which is so intertwined within backward BC, but not in Alberta & Washington State.

The new Pattullo+Bridge shouldn't require a bus & bike bridge to be built next to it, but it might eventually. If only it could have been properly designed in the first place to not just have 2 lanes each way, but a bus & HOV lane each way as well. Plus, built high & strong enough with a provision to allow LRT on a lower deck. 

Unfortunately, no one seriously planned to have an LRT line between NW & Surrey, because the Skytrain isn't a 24hr system. Overnight buses can't go on the Skybridge, because no one allowed for a provision to have a couple of bus lanes on it. Thus, the old & the new Pattullo Bridge will have no bus or emergency lanes. Even if someday the new Pattullo+Bridge is widened from 4 to 6 lanes, there still won't be any emergency lanes.

Light_rail_in_Sydney, NSW. Once again, BC falls so far behind. BC was so quick to get rid of its streetcars before the 1960s. Where as NSW has been gradually reinstating a modern version of their old tram lines.

New Tramways_in_Paris have been gradually added, but not in backwater BC. 


Unlike NW & Surrey, Portland_has_Streetcars & the MAX train which cross the river. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JvGTx4ufFo

https://www.travelportland.com/plan/portland-streetcar

MAX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpfRKqy96_E

32-storey West End rental housing tower approved by Vancouver City Council

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/1065-pacific-street-vancouver-rental-housing-wall-financial-corporation

So many rental towers could be much taller, but the, keep Vancouver short & small mentality remains so firmly entrenched. A mixed income tower approach can offer more floors & suites for various income levels. However, curtailed buildings will simply just be more limited as to what they can offer.

BC is mostly mountainous, yet Vancouver is continually held back, due to the extreme building height restrictions. 


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Vancouver

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Surrey, BC

https://vancouversun.com/news/metro-vancouver-projected-to-hit-three-million-residents-this-year

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey,_British_Columbia

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-population-growth-immigration-2024-report

https://www.surreynowleader.com/local-news/surreys-population-1054376-by-2046-7312331

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-suburb-in-the-Metro-Vancouver-area-the-City-of-Surrey-is-one-of-the-fastest-growing_fig1_350529878

https://www.straight.com/news/future-lives-here-surrey-population-growth-rate-outstrips-vancouver-by-almost-double

 https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/surreys-population-grows-to-568000-with-certain-communities-seeing-10-growth-2985167

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-population-forecast

https://www.westerninvestor.com/where-to-invest/surrey-fastest-growing-bc-city-to-become-future-core-of-the-lower-mainland-3829729

https://www.biv.com/news/economy-law-politics/swift-growth-surrey-drives-citys-economic-engine-8265448

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220209/mc-a002-eng.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey,_British_Columbia#Current_transportation_network


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=BC

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=BC

B.C.'s city planner shortage could slow housing progress

 https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/real-estate/bcs-city-planner-shortage-could-slow-housing-progress-8435105

Over 2 dozen Switzerland areas can fit into BC. Yet, BC hasn't reached the population of one Switzerland.


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=BC