How Vancouver commute times compare to the rest of Canada

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-commute-times-canada

bc-private-sector-jobs-bureaucratic-waste-government

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-private-sector-jobs-bureaucratic-waste-government

vancouver-art-gallery-construction-cost-increase

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-art-gallery-construction-cost-increase-redesign

1045-haro-street-vancouver-receivership-sale

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/1045-haro-street-vancouver-receivership-sale

bc-agricultural-land-reserve-alr-protection

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-agricultural-land-reserve-alr-protection

The Boundary Road corridor in Vancouver and Burnaby

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/boundary-road-vancouver-burnaby-shared-maintenance-history

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/driving-in-vancouver-the-worst

Lynnwood Link extension

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

https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/lynnwood-link-extension

https://seattletransitblog.com/2024/07/20/lynnwood-link-opening-ceremony

https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/04/04/lynnwood-link-light-rail-will-open-august-30

https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/programs-and-projects/lynnwood-link-connections

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/press-release/55062487/sound-transit-sound-transit-performing-lynnwood-link-extension-pre-revenue-testing

Ottawa to limit low-wage temporary foreign workers in Canada

 https://globalnews.ca/news/10715377/temporary-foreign-workers-limit-canada/

Canada has less people than California and Australia has less people than Texas. 

Kensington (Philadelphia)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWGwCbSUECw

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington,_Philadelphia

https://6abc.com/post/kensington-avenue-shooting-leaves-man-fighting-life/15228913/

https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/fentanyl/philadelphia-opioid-crisis-kensington/

https://time.com/jeffrey-stockbridge-kensington-philadelphia-photographs/

LA's Most Dangerous Hood

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMdonaTqgGc

SF, the City that Pays You to Do Drugs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypZu61OgITE

The Ironworkers Memorial Bridge will experience lane closures over the following week

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ironworkers-memorial-bridge-lane-closures

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-brentwood-town-centre-expansion

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-brentwood-town-centre-expansion

Construction begins on new expanded Oakridge-41st Avenue SkyTrain station entrance

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-oakridge-41st-avenue-station-new-entrance-construction

Surrey-Newton Guildford LRT

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-skytrain-lrt-metro-vancouver-transit-projects-future

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

https://businessinsurrey.com/policy/lrt/

https://skytrainforsurrey.org/tag/surrey-newton-guildford-light-rail/page/4/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4saz4VSuW3I

https://surreylangleyskytrain.gov.bc.ca/

Driving-in-Vancouver-is the-worst

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/driving-in-vancouver-the-worst

Rail strike would halt B.C.'s West Coast Express

 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rail-strike-would-halt-b-c-s-west-coast-express-translink-1.7301343

Ideally, any commuter rail & intercity lines should have their own tracks so that there is no conflict with the tracks for freight trains.

Broke and broken: Canada’s public transit in critical funding state

 https://globalnews.ca/news/10702607/canada-public-transit-funding-shortfall/

Toronto’s CNE is off to a rough start after record-setting rainfall on opening weekend

 https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontos-cne-is-off-to-a-rough-start-after-record-setting-rainfall-on-opening-weekend/article_434d6f46-5f14-11ef-9fc3-1322ab0c4434.html

It's always unfortunate when a Vancouver type rainstorm causes the CNE to be watered down. 

Quebec to limit temporary foreign workers in Montreal with six-month freeze

 https://globalnews.ca/news/10706534/quebec-temporary-foreign-workers-program-freeze/

There are labor shortages, but the push is on to slow things down for a while.

Singapore and Switzerland

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLdDep1t6YY

Why is Switzerland home to so many billionaires? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuEpU_IdvNo

Canada vs. Australia

 https://www.solmigration.com/blog/canada-vs-australia/

Unfortunately, unless you like crappy, cold weather for half of the year, Australia is the better country.

https://financialpost.com/diane-francis/why-australia-doing-so-much-better-than-canada

https://www.canozvisas.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-living-in-canada-vs-australia/

Two Economies, With One Set of Flaws: The Economies of Australia and Canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu5lPuaZ9Jo

Canada or Spain?

 https://www.blogto.com/travel/2024/08/canadian-move-spain/

https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/cost-of-living/spain/canada

Well, if you like crappy, cold weather for half of the year, then Canada is where it's at.

https://www.canadacis.org/blog/moving-to-canada-from-spain-pros-and-cons/

The Monorail vs. the Subway

 Why Monorails Are A Bad Idea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f__nhlHC1g A monorail is OK to go from one end of a line to the other. However, having several branches and junctions can be quite problematic.

 How Los Angeles Rejected the Monorail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piF7adQyXCk 

 How Seattle Rejected the Monorail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVQ-2lcBOjI A long double track monorail line might have worked for Seattle. However, conventional rail is still much more practical.

Why Tokyo's Metro Is Profitable and New York City’s Isn’t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdJwAUdvlik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4YFFtTEUQc The Broadway subway in Vancouver, BC.

The Columbia River Crossing project (CRC)

Expanding transit options between Portland and Vancouver, WA. https://wsdot.wa.gov/accountability/ssb5806/docs/6_Project_Development/PublicInvolvement/Transit_FactSheet.pdf

https://bikeportland.org/2022/04/21/interstate-5-expansion-project-proposes-repeat-of-crc-or-slightly-less-wide-version-352609 Just because this is a bridge that will extend partially into Vancouver, WA, it should still be as wide as possible. Narrow bridges are part of the narrow mindset of Vancouver, BC.

https://bikeportland.org/2022/04/22/i-5-project-leaders-pick-light-rail-as-transit-option-for-columbia-crossing-352639 A wider bridge makes it easier for rail rapid transit, bus & HOV lanes, truck lanes & bike lanes. 

https://bikeportland.org/2022/04/14/new-renderings-offer-clearest-picture-yet-of-interstate-bridge-replace-project-design-352112

https://www.interstatebridge.org/updates-folder/river-crossing-visualizations/

Potential railway stoppage could have big West Coast Express impacts

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/08/19/rail-strike-lockout-west-coast-express-impacts/

Freight Train issue blocks major Langley intersections

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/08/19/langley-train-traffic-stops/

There should have been several more overpasses in the valley by now. Urban railway crossings that are at grade are such a hindrance to truck & vehicle traffic in general.

https://www.aldergrovestar.com/local-news/fatal-train-crash-shuts-down-langley-thoroughfares-7363504

https://www.abbynews.com/news/train-crash-with-construction-truck-blocking-langley-roads-7117877

Transforming Nanaimo into a public transit hub for Vancouver Island

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/hullo-ferries-nanaimo-hub-vancouver-island-public-transit

https://www.dpworld.com/canada/projects/nanaimo

Victoria to Nanaimo should all be one urban strip.

A mixed-use building development at VCC-Clark SkyTrain station with rental housing, office, childcare, grocery store, and retail uses

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/1155-east-6th-avenue-vancouver-vcc-clark-pci-low-tide-redevelopment

This is small considering how close it is towards downtown Vancouver. Its big when compared to developments in Kelowna, Kamloops & Prince George, but small by big city standards.

Surrey-Langley SkyTrain construction cost balloons by 50%

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-langley-skytrain-new-cost-opening-date

This should have been started decades ago, but BC always has to be behind schedule.

8-km-long Highway 1 widening in Abbotsford

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/highway-1-widening-abbotsford-fraser-valley-cost-bc-phase-3b

This should have been done in the 1980s, or at least by the 1990s. Still no bus & HOV lanes after all these decades. Of course no provision for rain rapid transit. This is BC congestive planning at its best.

Nearly 2,000 hotel rooms planned for Richmond Night Market site development into an entertainment district

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/richmond-night-market-redevelopment-duck-island-hotel-entertainment-district

Hullo Ferries celebrates a busy first year, and looks ahead to growth and expansion

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/hullo-ferries-vancouver-nanaimo-high-speed-ferry-service-statistics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Ferries NSW can do so much, because it was never under anything like the Vancouver restrictions & the backward BC mentality in general.

https://transportnsw.info/travel-info/ways-to-get-around/ferry#/

https://www.myfastferry.com.au/destinations/circular-quay/

https://www.sydney.com/articles/best-ferry-trips-in-sydney

https://www.transdev.com.au/solutions/sydney-ferries/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Ferries#Network

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferries_of_San_Francisco_Bay How can the SF Bay Area do so much? That's because it never had anything like the backward BC mentality to thwart it.

https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Ferries_on_the_Bay

https://sfport.com/ferry

https://sanfranciscobayferry.com/

http://calurbanist.com/san-francisco-bay-ferries/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferries_of_San_Francisco_Bay#Current_ferry_routes

A cyclist claims wire left across bike lane on the Iron Bridge

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-bridge-cyclist-wire-allegations

Someone might have been very angry with bike people and not with car & truck people. The real problem is that so much of the older BC infrastructure just wasn't designed to be more of a multi-modal crossing.

The Ironworkers-Bridge is so narrow for a bride in that location & wasn't designed for substantial future capacity. When it was initially designed in the 1950s, there was no concept to have 2 bus lanes, 2 truck lanes & 2 emergency lanes. Plus, at least 2 general traffic lanes each way & a provision for 2 train tracks. Thus, the 6 lane bridge is overwhelmed, because it can't do the job of an 8-10 lane wide bridge. 

Hopefully, it can be replace with something like the Samuel-De_Champlain_Bridge.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-montreals-new-44-billion-champlain-bridge-opens-to-traffic-for Fortunatly, the Vancouver mentality wasn't able to ever reach Montreal & prevent such a nice modern bridge from being built there. https://www.flatironcorp.com/project/champlain-bridge

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/granville-bridge-connector.aspx A bike & foot bridge should have been built next to it decades ago. Then the Granville Bridge could have 3 general lanes each way, plus a bus & HOV lane each way. Instead, if 2 bus & HOV lanes are designated, there will only be 2 general lanes each way.

The Burrard Bridge should have had a bike & foot bride next to it. Instead, it was reduced from a 6 lane crossing to a 4 lane bridge.

The very narrow Oak Street Bridge & the Knight Street Bridge, should have had bus & bike bridges next to them decades ago. 

Most bridges in Vancouver & the metropolitan region just weren't designed with that much future capacity in mind. Thus, it's a travesty that by now, almost every crossing should have had bus & bike bridges next to them. 

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/walk-bike-and-transit.aspx Unfortunatly, provisions for bus & bike lanes just weren't the thing to do several decades ago.  

A truck lane is just as important as a bus & HOV lane. That's because freight should be efficiently & easily be transported in any major urban region.

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/trucks-commercial-and-oversize-vehicles.aspx

The Largest European Cities

 https://www.discoveryuk.com/building-big/urban-explorers-a-tour-of-the-largest-european-cities

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101883/largest-european-cities/

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

Should downtown Vancouver eventually require a 3rd major train station?

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/downtown-vancouver-train-station-new-railway-line-ideas

Perhaps eventually there could be a deep underground train station below Robson_Square. However, it's more likely that Waterfront+Station+and+Pacific+Central+Station would be extensively upgraded first.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robson_Square#Features

https://www.robsonsquare.com/about-us 

Wall Centre in downtown Vancouver

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Centre_(Vancouver)

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

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/wall-centre-tower-fireworks-downtown-vancouver

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

Longer Trains for Crossrail?

 https://www.londonreconnections.com/2024/longer-trains-for-crossrail/

Ideally, it's always better to allow for enough clearance for longer trains.

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

It's even better to have longer stations or at least a roughed out provision established in the first place.

https://www.londonreconnections.com/2024/bonus-trains-for-crossrail-more-details/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossrail#Route

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/more-elizabeth-line-trains-arriving-in-summer-2026-73566/

Why is anti-immigration sentiment on the rise in Canada?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txyjmNXcWiU

Part of bringing more wealth into a country is to have most of the immigrants moderately wealthy to very wealthy. Then a smaller percentage of migrants & refugees would be less of a strain on the system. However, even if 60-70% of immigrants were well off or financially comfortable, some people still might get too jealous of them. 

Unfortunately, Canada has been several decades behind in keeping up with a necessary level of infrastructure. Canada is one of the largest countries in overall area, yet it doesn't even have 1% of the world's population.

Should the Hastings SkyTrain and North Shore SkyTrain lines be built together?

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/hastings-north-shore-skytrain-lines-regional-planning

Railway rolling stock

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Generation_Rollingstock Brisbane

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Light_Railway_rolling_stock London 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Light_Railway#Future_rolling_stock

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Light_Railway_rolling_stock#B23_rolling_stock

Airport Trains and Stations

 

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Gaulle_Airport#RER

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Airport_Rail_Link , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Airport_Rail_Link#Planned_reinstatement_of_the_link

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_International_Airport#Transit

The World’s Largest Railway Stations

 https://www.discoveryuk.com/building-big/the-worlds-largest-railway-stations/

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/7-of-the-busiest-train-stations-in-the-world.html

https://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature76247/

Is Montreal the best city in North America?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yDtLv-7xZ4

The tallest buildings in Montreal aren't that impressive when compared to what's allowed in Melbourne, Toronto, Chicago & NYC.

https://reporter.mcgill.ca/montreal-named-best-student-city-in-north-america/

Montreal doesn't have the very wide freeways that LA, Houston, Dubai & Toronto have, but its not stuck with the narrow bridges that Vancouver has.

https://vocal.media/wander/why-montreal-is-the-greatest-city-in-north-america

https://blog.mtl.org/en/montreal-ranks-top The Metro is fantastic! Especially the newer walk-through 9 car trains.

https://www.mtlblog.com/2-quebec-spots-ranked-among-best-cities-in-canada

https://www.mtlblog.com/quebec-cities-cheapest-rent-prices-canada

https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal/what-montreals-iconic-habitat-67-was-supposed-to-look-like-photos

At least Montreal hasn't been forced to adhere to the same restrictions as Vancouver. The first 2 SkyTrain lines only have 80m stations, when the Montreal Metro has 152.5m stations. The Canada Line only has 50m stations. It would have been chaos if Montreal had decided to have short stations & narrow bridges.

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

NY-NJ Hudson Tunnel Project Ramping Up

 https://www.soundtransit.org/blog/platform/making-i-90-floating-bridge-stronger-longer-lasting-trains

The Economies of Australia and Canada

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu5lPuaZ9Jo

In some ways Australia is able to think & plan as if its a bigger country than Canada. 

Waterfront Station and Pacific Central Station (Vancouver, BC)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfront_station_(Vancouver)

"Waterfront station was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and opened on August 1, 1914.^[2] It was the Pacific terminus for the CPR's transcontinental passenger trains to Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto, Ontario." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfront_station_(Vancouver)#History

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

"Pacific Central Station was built in 1917 by the Canadian Northern Railway as the terminus of its line to Edmonton.^[4] It was dedicated on November 2, 1919, a day after the first Canadian National trains began using the station.^[5][6] It was originally named False Creek Station..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Central_Station#History

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Waterfront+Station+and+Pacific+Central+Station