Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Langley Township says new road into Surrey won't open right away

https://www.langleyadvancetimes.com/local-news/langley-township-says-new-road-into-surrey-wont-open-right-away-7732981

So much for proper regional planning.

 https://www.cloverdalereporter.com/local-news/langley-township-says-new-road-into-surrey-wont-open-right-away-7732981

Vancouver & Burnaby were able to have a better connective road agreement, the same between NW & Burnaby.

Vancouver to ring in 2025 without family-friendly events downtown

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/12/31/vancouver-2025-new-years-eve-no-events/

Fortunately, most real cities around the world don't take such a watered down approach.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-new-years-eve-fireworks-cancelled-2025

Somehow, many other cities around the world have a better formula for NY Eve celebrations.

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/no-fireworks-show-planned-for-vancouver-on-new-years-eve-10014552

Thus, many other cities are actually able to have awesome NY's events.


"It's no secret that, compared to other world-class cities, Vancouver is rather boring, and it's on New Year's Eve that this reality comes crashing down on those who turned a blind eye to the lack of fun for the past 364 days.

As residents of Sydney, Taipei, Cape Town, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, and even Seattle ring in the new year with elaborate, family-friendly parties, Vancouverites are left yet again wondering what to do.

While there may not be any public events downtown, those hoping to end 2024 on a high note can cross the Burrard Inlet to the north shore, where festivities — and fireworks — are planned atop two of the three ski hills." https://www.westernstandard.news/news/looking-for-something-fun-to-do-in-vancouver-on-new-years-eve-head-for-the-hills/60816?utm_source=website&utm_medium=related-stories

Vancouver vs. Seattle

 https://versus.com/en/seattle-vs-vancouver Unlike Vancouver, Seattle never impose the harsh restrictions that Vancouver has.

https://www.postalley.org/2024/02/05/tale-of-two-cities-why-vancouver-and-seattle-downtowns-look-so-different/

https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/new-years-eve-fireworks

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article297812518.html

Vancouver vs. Calgary

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/josh-white-vancouver-chief-planner-interview

Unfortunately, even when people are brought in from real cities, they are thwarted by the Vancoverization agenda. 

https://versus.com/en/calgary-vs-vancouver Unlike Vancouver, Calgary is allowed to function like a proper big city. https://www.westernstandard.news/news/whats-happening-in-calgary-for-nye/60811

https://www.justinhavre.com/blog/calgary-ab-vs-vancouver-bc.html

https://calgaryhomes.ca/blog/calgary-vs-vancouver.html

https://newhomesalberta.ca/calgary-vs-vancouver-cost-of-living/

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Canada&city1=Calgary&country2=Canada&city2=Vancouver


columbia-square-in new-westminster-development-plan-approved

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/columbia-square-new-westminster-edgar-development-plan-approved

Of course the Skytrain stations weren't designed to eventually accommodate 10-12 car trains. NW like backwards Vancouver, refuses to build proper bus and truck bridges. Apparently, it's better to funnel the trucks and busses into a 2 lane each way bottleneck. 

Toronto

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce_Court_North It took several decades until Vancouver would allow some buildings to be taller than CCN.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Toronto_-_ON_-_Toronto_Skyline2.jpg

https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2017/05/16-giant-heads-touring-historic-commerce-court-north.26843

https://tayloronhistory.com/2013/02/18/torontos-architectural-gemsthe-bank-of-commerce-cibc-on-king-street Of course CCN has become like a stump in Toronto, but in Vancouver, it would still be a prominent building.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/toronto-feature-canadian-imperial-bank-of-commerce

https://www.torontojourney416.com/canadian-bank-of-commerce-building/

https://torontopics.me/2016/05/29/commerce-court-north Like the LA City Hall, CCN would be the equivalent of the tallest buildings in Vancouver for several decades. Yet, for the past few decades, the LA City Hall & CCN have become stumps.


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

Los Angeles

The LA_City_Hall should have been at least 500' tall, but its only 454'. That still makes the Los_Angeles_City_Hall one of the taller ones around the planet.

https://laist.com/news/entertainment/city-hall-tall From 2016.

The agenda to not permit any building in LA to be taller than City Hall was the case for several decades. Even Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane & Perth weren't allowed to have buildings taller than the LA_City_Hall for a long time. Of course it took until the early 1970s for Vancouver to allow a building to be a little taller than the LA_City_Hall

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Los_Angeles_with_Mount_Baldy.jpg

City Hall is like a stump on the modern LA skyline

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


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

Monday, December 30, 2024

The tallest buildings that joined the Toronto skyline in 2024

 https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2024/12/tallest-buildings-joined-toronto-skyline/

West Vancouver isn't so livable for the thousands who have left

"West Vancouver council’s own decisions mean seniors, young people and workers cannot stay" https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letter-west-vancouver-isnt-so-livable-for-the-thousands-who-have-left-10014663

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/west-vancouver-falls-75-short-on-new-housing-targets-9741852

Tour KPMG, Montreal vs. Cathedral Place, Vancouver

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KPMG_Tower 34F 146 m (479 ft)

 https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=1363 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107856968&offset=250

Of course Vancouver has the watered down or scaled back version. 

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Place

https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=546 23F 118.6m 389', https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107857003&offset=75

British Columbia should have standardized construction bylaws

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/british-columbia-standardized-construction-bylaws

It's so difficult to turn things around for the better in backwards BC.

The stump

 There are a lot of stumpy towers around the world that would actually be among the tallest buildings in Vancouver, BC. The Scotia_Tower was never the tallest in Vancouver, but it's been a prominent building on the skyline since 1977. https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=65 34F 138m/452' https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107855260&offset=50 The windows only go up to 34, then there are 2 windowless floors above that. In contrast, the Scotia_Plaza is double the height & twice the width. That's because such tall buildings in Toronto don't have to be watered down to Vancouver standards.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Vancouver_Skyline_and_Mountains.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Concord_Pacific_Master_Plan_Area.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Vancouverdowntown2019.jpg 

Seattle, WA https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6965 38F 141m/462" , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=27&searchname=timeline

Calgary, Alberta https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=370 39F 147m/481' https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107855241&offset=25

Perth, WA https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=1593 33F 140m/459' , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=168&searchname=timeline

Dubai https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/may/16/story-of-cities-43-dubai-world-trade-centre-turned-sand-gold-uae , https://www.dubaidesertsafaris.com/dubai-world-trade-center , https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=3245 , https://gulfnews.com/business/dubai-world-trade-centre-marks-40th-anniversary-1.62395318 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=23&searchname=timeline It would be stupid & pointless if the towers of Dubai had to be watered down to Vancouver standards.

Bank Bumi Daya Plaza https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=14799 32 floors , https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/jakarta/bank-bumi-daya-plaza/15474 143 m/469 ft , https://www.bumidayaplaza.co.id , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=750&searchname=timeline

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Place Ville Marie, Montreal

https://mtltimes.ca/business/have-a-look-at-the-changes-on-the-45th-and-46th-floor-of-place-ville-marie The building is equvalent to a 51_story tower, but the main widowed floors stop at 46. Some of the floors and of course the roof, have no windows, as they are mechanical or building plant operation levels.

Although it's not quite the tallest in Montreal, PVM is the tallest wide building in Quebec. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Boulevard_Ren%C3%A9-L%C3%A9vesque.JPG Unlike narrowminded Vancover, Montreal has allowed for some tall wide buildings and even some wide streets or boulevards. Wide streets can allow for better accomodation of bus & bike lanes. The Vancouver approach is to try to cram everything into 4 lanes.

"This widening to 8 lanes was requested by the real estate developer planning the construction of Place Ville-Marie . This urban gesture allowed the arrival of several tall buildings, especially in the city center. It is without a doubt the boulevard of skyscrapers since it is on this artery that the largest buildings in Montreal and Quebec are located."
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulevard_Ren%C3%A9-L%C3%A9vesque_(Montr%C3%A9al)#Historique

 https://montrealjemesouviens.blogspot.com/2012/07/place-ville-marie.html

https://www.voirvert.ca/projets/projet-etude/ecologisation-place-ville-marie

https://www.pcf-p.com/projects/place-ville-marie It opened in 1962 & 6 years later a stump building in Vancouver with a similar shape wasn't even allowed to have half as many floors.

https://pcfandtypecodewebstuff.s3.amazonaws.com/images/2.lin.PCF.5503_plan-section.max-1600x1600.jpg

https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=937 43, 46 or 50F. 188m/617' https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107855813&offset=75

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=375x375&zoom=18&center=45.501488%2C-73.568466&maptype=satellite&key=AIzaSyCNedHKUJhos7_OH_zp9Xtyw-eV8ylf-78 The Montreal tower.

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=375x375&zoom=18&center=49.282982%2C-123.121780&maptype=satellite&key=AIzaSyCNedHKUJhos7_OH_zp9Xtyw-eV8ylf-78 The watered down Vancouver version is just a stump by comparison.

777 Hornby Street
Vancouver BC Canada 
https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=4904 20F 72m/237' https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107855260&offset=25 It opened in 1968.

https://www.cityfeet.com/cont/listing/777-hornby-st-vancouver-bc-v6z-1s4/cs4415499

"777 Hornby is a 20 storey office, retail and parking complex strategically located at the corner of Hornby Street and Robson Street within walking distance of Vancouver's many amenities and top restaurants." https://www.777hornby.com

The former World_Trade_Center_in_New_Orleans was converted to a 34 story hotel.

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

Monday, December 23, 2024

MetLife Building, NYC

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MetLife_Building#Architecture

Court rules against BC government on methods for advancing Kitsilano supportive housing project

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/kitsilano-arbutus-supportive-housing-bc-government-appeal-court-ruling

Metro Vancouver's tiny industrial lands drive $43B economy

 https://www.biv.com/news/economy-law-politics/metro-vancouvers-tiny-industrial-lands-drive-43b-economy-finds-report-9998620

Industry represents employment, production and development, at least before AI and robotics might take over most human jobs. Unfortunatly, BC has quite a history of so many restrictions, which makes growth or expansion difficult. Its been part of a multigenerational BC mentality or agenda. Fortunately, the backwater BC mentality hasn't been able to take over all of Western_Canada and the Pacific_Northwest

Despite that Switzerland could fit into BC almost 2 dozen times, it's been tough for BC to even have the population of one CH. 

Surrey City Centre

Will the first 40 story office tower in BC happen in Burnaby or Surrey? It sure wont happen in Vancouver, because the city wont permit any office tower to have 50 floors, let alone 40.

https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/surreys-tech-hub-gets-housing-boost-from-private-partnership-8403636

https://www.citycentredistrict.com/

https://www.citycentredistrict.com/#location

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Capstan Station on Canada Line in Richmond to open on Friday

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/capstan-canada-line-station-in-richmond-to-open-friday-9984359 Why design the old & new stations to eventually accomodate 8-10 car trains? The Catheter Line wasn't even designed to officially accommodate enough space for 5 car trains. Thus, in accordance with the BC antigrowth mentality or slow growth agenda, the stations were only designed to eventually just have 2.5 car trains. However, even in 2025, the Catheter Line will still only be using 2 car trains. All the SkyTrain stations should have been designed to eventually be 150.5 meters long, just like the Montreal Metro stations, with even more long-term provisions. Unfortunatly, the first 2 lines only have 80m stations & the C Line only has a clearance for 50m stations.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-capstan-station-canada-line-opening-date

It's been very difficult to get urban planners in BC to properly plan for future transportation demands. The main excuse is governmental budgetary constraints. Even if that's usually the case, at least build half the length of a proper size urban station, with a provision to eventually double or triple its length, for future demand. However, that would go against the Greater Vancouver congestion planning mentality. Thus, even if you have the skills, once you get to BC, you realize that several things are watered down & you must think small or backwards.

 https://bc.ctvnews.ca/video/c3050886-metro-vancouver-facing-population-boom With the Metro-Vancouver-population-expected-to-reach-4-million-by-2045, BC is so unprepared & inept, as usual. https://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/metro-vancouver-expected-to-push-past-4-million-by-2045-as-growth-accelerates-7717888

There seems to be an outright refusal in the Metro Vancouver Region to avoid building up to the same level of infrastructure as when Greater Toronto, Greater Montreal, Greater Seattle, Greater Sydney, Greater Melbourn & the SF Bay Area, all exceeded 4 million people.

Going into 2025, the SkyTran will still only have 2-4 car trains, not counting the old Mark 1 rolling stock. By 2025, every SkyTrain should have consisted of 6-8 car trains, not the two-car & four car congested joke that it is. 

There is no valid reason as to why the Greater_Vancouver Region can't eventually have an urban train system on par with the Montreal Metro & a regional train system that's as good & frequent as the GO Trains or the Caltrain.

The refusal to build proper bus & truck bridges to help the mostly narrow bridges, still seems to be a half-assed pipedream. Yet, the GV Region pretends that it will eventually have a good Rapid Bus Network without bus-bridges.

While the GV Region is supposed to be a major seaport, there is still a false_front approach to things. How can this false-front & half-ass approach still be the norm in backwater BC? Not only should all the freight-train bridges be at least double tracked, there should also be truck port bridges. 

The Oak_Street_BridgeKnight_Street_Bridge & the Queensborough_Bridge are all so narrow, there is no room for truck & bus lanes. Therefore, a truck & bus bridge should be built next to all of them. Otherwise, everything can just continue to be funneled into only 2 lanes each way.

Of course the Arthur_Laing_Bridge wasn't designed to have 2 bus lanes & 2 truck lanes. Yet, a lot of trucks have to be able to get in & out of YVR. Why have any bus lanes when busses & trucks can all be funneled into only 2 lanes each way? Even though the C-Line doesn't run 24hr a day, the North_Arm_Bridge should have had two 24hr bus lanes & 2 bike lanes & a provision for a middle track. Instead, the narrow North-Arm-Bridge only has 2 tracks & just 1 bike lane.

Fortunately, Greater Vancouver & backward BC hasn't been able to get most place around the world to adopt such a ridiculously reduced infrastructure approach to things. 


high-speed-rail-connecting-vancouver-seattle-portland-moving-forward

 https://604now.com/high-speed-rail-connecting-vancouver-seattle-portland-moving-forward/

San Diego County, CA vs. Honolulu County, HI

 https://www.city-data.com/compare/San-Diego-CA-vs-Urban-Honolulu-HI

https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/san_diego_ca/urban_honolulu_hi/overview

https://www.budgetyourtrip.com/compare/san-diego-vs-honolulu-5391811-5856195


No 45-50 story office tower has been permitted in San Diego, because of the airport.

https://alohatower.com/index.html No 40 story office tower has ever been allowed in Honolulu. 

For some reason, someone wanted to digitally insert some San Francisco size buildings upon the short Honolulu skyline. Thus, this PHOTO only depicts what some tall buildings would be like in Honolulu.

https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/new-hotel-strikes-in-the-us-spread-across-major-cities-what-travelers-to-honolulu-san-francisco-and-san-diego-need-to-know/

Towers vs. BC stumps

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_New_York_City#History

In accordance with small scale planning and symbolism, Vancouver isn't allowed to have what would be a tall building in Seattle and Calgary. In LA, its not just the buildings that are taller, the mountains are taller there as well.

City of Vancouver reveals a large employee count, surprising many

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/city-of-vancouver-staff

Apparently, the city doesn't have enough money to spend on bus & bike bridges. It should have only permitted the short SkyTrain stations, as long as they were designed to evenly become as long as the 152.5m Montreal Metro stations. As a port city, there should be proper truck routes & truck bridges, because the existing bridges are too damn narrow to efficiently handle the port-truck & express bus traffic. However, there is plenty of money to pay for extra city staff.

Ring Around The Downtown: Riding Toronto's Inner City Subway Loop On Two Lines

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNVwPA5mQF4


Toronto's Subway vs. Montréal's Metro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lby9PcDshFY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQQWM87alMY Montreal

The Detroit People Mover

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

https://www.wxyz.com/news/voices/could-the-detroit-people-mover-expand-beyond-downtown-a-study-will-explore-options

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/transportation/aecom-lead-detroit-people-mover-expansion-analysis

https://michiganchronicle.com/detroits-people-mover-reimagining-transit-for-a-city-on-the-move/

https://www.thepeoplemover.com/

https://visitdetroit.com/directory/detroit-people-mover-detroit-transportation-corp/


How Elevated Rail can Make Cities Better https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ZnGNRk8V0

The Chicago Train Loop

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

A Landslide halts Amtrak service between Seattle and Vancouver, once again

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/amtrak-suspended-landslide-vancouver-seattle

A double track tunnel or even a trench would be very expensive to build. Thus, an elevated double track line would be better. However, people would likely complain and prefer the current backwater BC situation.

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/12/19/vancouver-seattle-amtrak-rail-service-suspended-landslide/

Backwater BC must upgrade its transportation corridors.

https://globalnews.ca/news/10925862/white-rock-bc-landslide-amtrak-service-seattle/

Utility rates set to rise for West Van taxpayers in 2025

 https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/utility-rates-set-to-rise-for-west-van-taxpayers-in-2025-9964845

An old Downtown Vancouver SRO building must be demolished as soon as possible

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/500-dunsmuir-street-vancouver-holborn-properties-demolition-approved

An old Downtown Vancouver SRO building must be demolished as soon as possible

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/500-dunsmuir-street-vancouver-holborn-properties-demolition-approved

South Florida sees dozens of luxury high-rise buildings start to sink

 https://nypost.com/2024/12/18/real-estate/south-florida-sees-dozens-of-luxury-high-rise-buildings-start-to-sink/


Constructing The Scorpion Tower in Florida https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRSFoP24jLM

Vancouver will remain BC's most populated city for decades to come

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-population-job-growth-forecast-2050

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

broadway-subway-pattullo-bridge-cost-increase

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/broadway-subway-pattullo-bridge-cost-increase

Of course.

Life coach Tony Robbins in contract to buy a penthouse at the tallest residential building south of NYC

 https://nypost.com/2024/12/18/real-estate/life-coach-tony-robbins-buys-atop-miamis-tallest-building/

vancouver vs. surrey-urban-growth-planning-purpose

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-urban-growth-planning-purpose

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-housing-supply-needs-population-forecast-growth

Metro Vancouver has the worst public transit commute time in Canada and the US

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-metro-vancouver-public-transit-commute-times

Fortunately, most cities don't want to copy what Vancouver has done.

Ottawa moving ahead on automatic tax filing

 “Many countries have already pursued full-scale automatic tax filing and the federal government is launching the second phase of its work to move Canada towards broad-based automatic tax filing.” https://globalnews.ca/news/10922025/automatic-tax-filing-fall-economic-update

Although there is nothing saying that Canada should always try to be slow towards getting things done, sometimes other countries just can wait.

Stanley Park Christmas Train remains closed

 https://globalnews.ca/news/10923873/stanley-park-christmas-train-closed/

Why not plan ahead & do the appropriate amount of maintenance, repairs & safety testing before the winter?

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/cancellations-stanley-park-christmas-train-suspended

Unfortunatly, this is backward, waterdown Vancouver.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/we-re-not-taking-any-chances-stanley-park-train-comes-to-a-halt-due-to-concerns-over-dangerous-fumes-1.7147987

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/we-are-very-sorry-stanley-parks-christmas-train-suspended-after-worker-safety-incident-9958897

https://globalnews.ca/news/10920397/questions-stanley-park-christmas-train-safety-incident Just give up, because it Vancouver.

Metro Vancouver says population will hit 4 million by 2045

 https://vancouversun.com/news/metro-vancouvmetro-vancouver-population-4-million-2045er-says-population-will-hit-4-million-by-2045

So what Greater Seattle & Greater Montreal will have as their 2025 populations, it will take Greater Vancouver until 2045. Vancouver is still such a slow backwater, hindered city. Fortunately, most real cities properly plan for a faster pace and think on a much grander scale.

Richmond's new developer-funded rapid transit station is coming soon. What happened to Vancouver's?

 https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/richmond-developer-funded-rapid-transit-station-where-vancouver-stations

Vancouver has a smaller population than Winnipeg. However, Greater Vancouver & Abbotsford has more people than Calgary, Edmonton & Winnipeg combined. There is such a reluctance to properly plan for large-scale infrastructure demands in BC. 

Several months after the City of Vancouver missed the deadline to pursue federal funding for Prior-Venables road upgrade

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/prior-venables-street-underpass-railway-vancouver-project-funding-deadline Of course, because Vancouver sure has a knack for missing the boat.

At the very least, by now there should have been a wide bike-bridge there on Union Street. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/false-creek-flats-arterial-road-prior-venables-train-overpass-1.5088409

Several years ago, Union-Adanac Street was designated to be part of a major east-west bike route in the city, but as usual, Vancouver hasn't built enough bike-bridges. Two blocks north is the Pedestrian+Bridge+near+Raymur+Ave.+&+Keefer+Street. However, its not a proper bike-bridge, as its more for pedestrians.

https://thedailyscan.providencehealthcare.org/2019/09/125-million-prior-venables-route-recommended-for-false-creek-flats-arterial-road-renderings-new-sph/

https://strathcona-residents.org/issues/calm-prior The local residents have their concerns about the Prior-Venables corridor.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/big-win-for-prior-street-residents-as-vancouver-council-backs-calming-plan

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/prior-street-traffic-calming-1.5307007

https://globalnews.ca/news/5967486/false-creek-new-road-city/

https://www.straight.com/news/1174396/vancouver-panel-get-leeway-search-new-arterial-road-through-false-creek-flats#

Vancouver is such an inept & slow-moving backward city.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vancouver,+BC/@49.2767728,-123.0818906,163m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x548673f143a94fb3:0xbb9196ea9b81f38b!8m2!3d49.2827291!4d-123.1207375!16zL20vMDgwaDI?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Westminster Ave. crossing in Montreal West is a problem that seems to have no owner

 https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article564718.html Either an overpass or an underpass needs to be built there.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Montr%C3%A9al+West+Station/@45.4525647,-73.644724,342m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x4cc917295379361f:0xa7e017cb24bc30e0!8m2!3d45.453484!4d-73.641724!16s%2Fm%2F027p4xd!5m1!1e2?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

BC keeps bleeding residents to Alberta thanks to the cost of living

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-residents-leaving-alberta

UBC-Vancouver

The+University+of+British+Columbia still has to allow cars & trucks, as well as busses & bikes.

https://planning.ubc.ca/planning-development/policies-and-plans/u-boulevard-area-planning Unfortunatly, what used to be a 4 lane corridor has been reduced to only 2 lanes. For some reason, instead of widening the sidewalks to add bike lanes, 2 boulevard lanes were removed. 

https://planning.ubc.ca/about-us/what-guides-us/history-campus-planning Unlike Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton & Calgary, there just didn't seem to be any long term plan to have a train reaching into the main UBC campus. That is until recent decades. 

https://visit.ubc.ca/eat-drink-and-stay/restaurants/food-courts/university-boulevard-central-food-court/

https://archives.library.ubc.ca/general-history/a-brief-history-of-ubc/

https://www.universityendowmentlands.gov.bc.ca/Library/Area_D_Neighbourhood_Profile_Website.pdf


UBC Station?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Washington_station 2016

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_station_(Edmonton) 1992

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_station_(Calgary) 1987

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longueuil-Universite-de-Sherbrooke_station 1967

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berri-UQAM_station 1966

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George_station U Toronto1963

Hobart, Tasmania

The University+of+Tasmania seems to have been Vancoverized, in terms of its 1 lane each way streets. 

Hobart is much smaller than Vancouver, BC. Yet, it has more lanes on a total of 3 crossing over the River_Derwent_(Tasmania). Burrard Inlet in Greater Vancouver only has 2 bridges.

Fortunately, Hobart has the 5 lane Tasman+Bridge, the 4 lane Bowen+Bridge and the 2 lane Midland+Hwy+Bridge. That's a total of 11 lanes.

In contrast, Burrard_Inlet-Port_of_Vancouver only has the 6 lane Iron+Workers+Memorial+Bridge and the inadequate 3 lane Lions+Gate+Bridge. Only 9 lanes for the old port area of the region. While a multigenerational moratorium on any new harbor bridges made sense from an anti-freeway perspective, something essential was neglected. As of the end of 2024, no bus-bridge or bus-tunnel was ever built across the harbor. There is only a single freight train track, so of course there was never a truck-bridge or a truck-tunnel built. Even at the dawn of 2025, a SkyTrain or LRT crossing still only seems like a pipedream. 

Greater Hobart isn't just the state capital, its the main city on the island of Tasmania, which has less than 65% of a million people. Greater_Vancouver is getting close to 3 million people, yet the infrastructure is so inadequate.

Anyone visiting Vancouver from the big 4 cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane & Perth might be surprised to see shorter trains & smaller buildings & narrower bridges & highways. Those 4 cities, just like Toronto, Montreal, Calgary & Edmonton, are allowed to exist on a larger scale than extremely restrictive Vancouver. Indeed, its as if rainy Vancouver must continually water things down.

Launceston, Tasmania

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launceston,_Tasmania#Education

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Tasmania#Northern

Wow, University Way in Launceston+TAS,Australia hasn't been Vancouverized. Its still 2 lanes each way. 

While King's+Bridge might seem like a 2 lane joke, it provides a nice local paralel crossing next to the 4 lane West+Tamar+Bridge. Unfortunatly in Greater Vancouver, there isn't a similar concept. Just funnel everything into one bridge to handle local, regional & national traffic.

Canada's Climate Plan

 https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html

https://climateinstitute.ca/reports/2030-emissions-reduction-plan/

Metro Vancouver has the longest transit trip times in North America

 https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/metro-vancouver-has-longest-transit-trip-times-in-north-america-plus-other-congestion-problems

Short trains & a refusal to build a network of express bus-bridges, really limits public transits capacity & efficiency. That's the BC way.

Saturday, December 14, 2024

North Vancouver residents defend city's most livable ranking

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/north-vancouver-most-liveable-city

Learning From Melbourne’s Level Crossing Removal Project

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T_auX_R4dw

Airport Stations

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Airport_station Wow, a real semi-long train vs. the short train to YVR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverliner_V#RTD_Commuter_Rail


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Airport+Stations

Denver RTD vs. the C-Train of Calgary

The $6 Billion Transit Project with No Ridership https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkI6Fmet4FE

Of course there needs to be more things built close to the stations to increase ridership. 

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

Silverliner V trains are used on the RTD's ABG and N lines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverliner_V#RTD_Commuter_Rail 

Car length85 ft 0 in (25.91 m)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Airport_station







https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CTrain#Further_underground_infrastructure Any underground stations or trench stations won't be an 80m or 50m joke like in backward Vancouver.

HOV Lanes vs. Bus and Truck Lanes

Carpool Lanes: Commuting Miracle or Enormous Waste of Space? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FYeebu0S4c

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-occupancy_vehicle_lane

https://truenorthideas.org/are-hov-lanes-really-a-good-idea

A bus lane will more a lot more people than any HOV lane. A truck lane will always move more freight or payload than a HOV lane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-occupancy_vehicle_lane#Canada

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/driving-and-cycling/traveller-information/routes-and-driving-conditions/hov-lanes

https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/lanes/using-hov-lanes

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-hov-lane-incident-debate

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/commentary/hov-lanes-dont-make-sense

https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/UT06/UT06019FU1.pdf


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

RapidBus (TransLink BC)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RapidBus_(TransLink) BRT 

Unless there is a series of us bridges or tunnels for BRT, it will just be another watered down transportation BC joke.

https://www.translink.ca/plans-and-projects/projects/rapid-transit-projects/bus-rapid-transit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RapidBus_(TransLink)#Metrotown_to_North_Shore

A proper Bus RT line will always move more people than any carpool or HOV lane.

Bus Lanes

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_lane#Design

A bus lane will always move more people than any HOV lane.

73m-podium-park-proposed-for-this-139m-burnaby-community-centre

 https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/73m-podium-park-proposed-for-this-139m-burnaby-community-centre-9949677

Friday, December 13, 2024

Altered Carbon TV Series Technology

 https://building.ca/feature/sci-fi-shows-like-westworld-and-altered-carbon-offer-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-urban-transportation/

https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/article/2022/11/hbos-westworld-asces-future-world-vision-offer-competing-futures

Does WestWorld Provide a Glimpse of What Smart Cities Hold for Us in the Future?

 https://www.rsaconference.com/library/blog/does-westworld-provide-a-glimpse-of-what-smart-cities-hold-for-us-in-the-future

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-12/the-sleek-spaces-of-westworld-courtesy-of-real-world-starchitects

https://www.fastcompany.com/90449279/toyotas-creepy-new-prototype-town-is-a-real-life-westworld

https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/article/2022/11/hbos-westworld-asces-future-world-vision-offer-competing-futures


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

Why some Vancouver buildings reject "unlucky" 13 and other numbers

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/unlucky-numbers-real-estate-rules

Nevermind a 13th floor, there was a time when Vancouver and any city in BC didn't have any buildings over a dozen floors. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_Building 14

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Tower 17

The Marine_Building has more than 13, but not 26, only 21. floors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Building#History

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Vancouver 17

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

City of North Vancouver Top’s List of Canada’s Liveable Cities in 2024

 https://www.cnv.org/City-Hall/News-Room/News-Releases/2024/12/12/City-of-North-Vancouver-Top%E2%80%99s-List-of-Canada%E2%80%99s-Liveable-Cities-in-2024

There is North_Vancouver_(city) and then there is North_Vancouver_(district_municipality).

https://dailyhive.com/canada/canada-most-liveable-cities-ranking-2024

As long as you have everything you need on the North Shore, you are fine.

https://www.upperlonsdale.ca/blog/87130/north-vancouver-ranked-1-in-canada

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/article-canada-most-livable-city-north-vancouver/

Unfortunatly, transportation planners haven't seen a need to link Horseshoe Bay and Park Royal with downtown Vancouver. Indeed, a direct rail connection from the North_Shore_of Greater_Vancouver to YVR might as well be part of a Sci-Fi story. However, multigenerational congestive planning in Vancouver is a harsh reality.

A 3 lane Lion Bridge never had any bus tunnels built under it and the bridge is too narrow to accommodate one, let alone 2 proper bus lanes. This is the finest in BC bottleneck planning. 

The Iron_Bridge was built too narrow for an urban TCH crossing. Unfortunatly, no one planned or designed it to eventually have a lower bus and train deck.

https://www.cnv.org/streets-transportation/travel-options/transit A bus and truck bridge should have been built next to the Iron Bridge, decades ago. Why do that, when you can cram everything into just 3 lanes each way? 

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/north-shore-bus-rapid-transit-at-the-front-of-the-line-translink-says-7843788

https://www.translink.ca/plans-and-projects/projects/rapid-transit-projects/bus-rapid-transit

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/north-shore-skytrain-burrard-inlet-rapid-transit-brt-lrt-study

https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/opinion-lrt-remains-the-best-option-for-north-shore-rapid-transit-9643033 Of course a train would be able to move many more people efficiently. 

Grouse Mountain celebrates new gondola opening

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grouse-mountain-blue-grouse-gondola-open-expansion

https://www.nsnews.com/local-business/watch-north-vancouvers-grouse-mountain-opens-new-gondola-9950444

https://vancouversun.com/news/grouse-mountain-new-gondola

https://www.grousemountain.com/

The Institutional like interiors of The Butterfly tower in Vancouver

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/butterfly-tower-interiors-reaction-medical-clinic

There is a sort of WestWorld robot maintenance facility look to it.

https://westworld.fandom.com/wiki/Behavior_Lab_and_Diagnostics

https://www.inverse.com/article/22166-how-the-westworld-laboratory-makes-robots-and-realism-hbo


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

Cities in BC, Canada

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia#Cities

Despite the BC part of Canada being big enough to contain Switzerland some 23 times, BC has yet to reach the population of just one CH.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_areas_in_British_Columbia#Metropolitan_areas

So much urban infrastructure in BC hasn't been designed for future higher capacity demands.

https://www.nsnews.com/real-estate/bc-cities-turning-to-ai-to-speed-up-housing-approvals-9949325

With so many narrow bridges, there should have been several bus & bike bridges built to augment them. Of course Vancouver would opt to have shorter underground train stations than what Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton & Seattle have. Short stations means short trains, which means less capacity.


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

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


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

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


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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_District_of_Fraser%E2%80%93Fort_George


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

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


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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_District_of_Okanagan-Similkameen


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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson-Nicola_Regional_District


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

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


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

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


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

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


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._John,_British_Columbia

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


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

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


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_District_of_Kitimat%E2%80

The removal of some Broadway Plan tower height limits

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/broadway-plan-amendments-vancouver-december-2024-approved

Most of BC is a mountainous wilderness that will likely always remain unpopulated. While there are dozens of cities_in_British_Columbia, there are only a few key regions for major population areas. 

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

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


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

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


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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_District_of_Fraser%E2%80%93Fort_George


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

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


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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_District_of_Okanagan-Similkameen


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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson-Nicola_Regional_District


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

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


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

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


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

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


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._John,_British_Columbia

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


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

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


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_District_of_Kitimat%E2%80%93Stikine

Vancouver's last undeveloped waterfront site could potentially house a new convention centre and hotel...

 https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/new-convention-centre-hotel-undeveloped-waterfront-vancouver

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

A 43-storey addition atop an existing nine-storey office building at 111 Peter Street?

 https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2024/12/111-peter-street-toronto/

One Delisle condo-tower

 https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2024/12/1-delisle-ave-toronto/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Clair_station

https://www.ttc.ca/subway-stations/st-clair-station

https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2024/12/135-st-clair-avenue-west-toronto/

https://toronto.urbanize.city/post/49-storey-tower-proposed-avenue-road-and-st-clair

https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2024/03/resubmission-bumps-st-clair-station-proposal-50-storeys.55425

Slow construction progress on the Broadway Subway

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/broadway-subway-vancouver-construction-progress-fall-2024

The tunnel should have gone all the way to what would eventually become the main UBC station. Then, just left in a roughed out state until it was time to complete phase 2 of the Broadway Subway. As usual, there is just something strange about Vancouver & BC in general, that makes it difficult to build infrastructure for much higher future capacity demands.

the Northlander Corridor, Ontario

 https://www.railway.supply/en/restoration-of-passenger-rail-services-in-the-northlander-corridor-essential-updates/

https://www.mynorthbaynow.com/104776/news/northlander-exterior-design-unveiled-and-various-construction-projects-announced/

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/press-release/55248286/infrastructure-ontario-government-of-ontario-awards-contract-to-ellisdon-to-begin-platform-reconstruction-and-installation-of-pre-manufactured-shelters-along-future-northlander-corridor

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/news/Ontario-awards-Northlander-station-construction-contract-unveils-exterior-train-design--73449

https://www.renewcanada.net/ontario-awards-contract-for-return-of-northlander-passenger-rail-service/

A signal issue shuts down an entire TTC subway line

 https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/what-sort-of-signal-issue-shuts-down-an-entire-subway-line-major-rush-hour-delays-on-ttc-for-second-time-this-week-1.7141270

Eventually, all such urban train networks will become fully automated. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ttc-subway-signal-problem-1.7407212

The loss of various jobs for people over the next few decades could be rough for people. 

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2024/12/11/ttc-subway-signal-issue-line-1/

A totally AI run machine world could eventually produce a very efficient, but inhumane world. 

https://nowtoronto.com/news/ttc-riders-faced-multiple-delays-during-monday-morning-rush-hour/

https://www.renewcanada.net/ttc-issues-rfp-for-55-new-line-2-subway-trains-and-automatic-train-control/

Nine new towers in the Broadway Plan

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/broadway-plan-tower-approvals-vancouver-december-2024

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

How public transit held up during Taylor Swift's Vancouver concerts

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-event-traffic-congestion-public-transit

A small & narrow urban road system must be augmented by long rail rapid transit trains.

Thus, the SkyTrain should have been designed to eventually have longer stations, which could accomodate 8-10 car trains.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#Rolling_stock


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro#Current

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPM-10 

articulated cars per train

MPM-10_Azur

152.43 m (500 ft 1+18 in)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPM-10#History



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MR-73 

3 cars per trainset, operating as 6- or 9-car trains

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MR-73#History



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_subway#Rolling_stock

  • 6-car set (Line 1)
  • 4-car set (Line 4)

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

  • 137.82 m (452 ft 2 in)[2][3] (6-car set)
  • 92.1 m (302 ft 2 in)[3] (4-car set)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Rocket#History