https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-places-for-new-years-eve
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
New Year's Eve celebrations in Edmonton
The longer that I live in backwards Vancouver, the more glad I am to see that it can't stop other cities from having fireworks...
https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/here-are-some-ways-to-ring-in-the-new-year-in-edmonton
https://icedistrict.com/event/upcoming/new-years-eve-december-31-2025
New Year's Eve fireworks in and around Calgary
https://curiocity.com/new-years-eve-fireworks-2026-near-calgary-alberta/
Just like Vancouver can't stop its surrounding cities & suburbs from setting off fireworks, Vancouver can't stop Calgary, Perth and Seattle...
https://www.chatterblock.com/events/427141/new-years-eve-fireworks-calgary/
New Year's Eve fireworks in Seattle
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/how-watch-nye-fireworks-seattle
Despite Seattle being relatively close to backwards Vancouver, BC, no Mind Virus will be thwarting Seattle.
https://seattlebloggers.com/new-years-eve-in-seattle/
https://www.spaceneedle.com/newyears
https://www.seattlecenter.com/events/featured-events/new-years-eve
Perth New Year’s Eve Fireworks
https://soperth.com.au/perthnews/perth-new-years-eve-fireworks-2025-2026-132795
https://visitperth.com/events/new-years-eve-in-the-city-2025 A nice hot summer in Perth is so much better than a cold, damp depressing winter in Vancouver, BC.
https://www.perth.wa.gov.au/news-and-updates/all-news/double-firework-spectacular-to-ring-in-2026
The people of Perth and WA in general, are so fortunate that nothing like the Vancouver Mind Virus has ever been accepted there.
https://www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/schedule-fireworks-events
Monday, December 29, 2025
No fireworks in downtown Vancouver for New Year's Eve or the rest of 2026
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-fireworks-2026-new-years-eve-nye
While Vancouver hasn't been able to get most other cities across Canada and around the world to stop, ban or cancel their NY Eve fireworks, strange Vancouver will retain this part of its NO FUN CITY mentality and agenda.
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/fireworks-banned-halloween-vancouver-fire-department-9726922 Why just ban them in October and January, when you can ban them throughout the year?
https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/articles/third-year-of-vancouvers-fireworks-ban
For some strange reason, backwards Vancouver hasn't been able to get other cities around the world to adopt the same bizarre idiosyncrasies.
Officially, there isn't supposed to be a Vancouver+Mind+Virus, but the backwards city is so stunted and strange. Other cities in a scenic setting such as Sydney, Auckland, San_Francisco and Seattle are able to have wider bridges in or close to their city centers.
Despite warm and scenic Honolulu having some very short bridges, they are still wider than what extremely restrictive Vancouver allows. These two short bridges in Honolulu provide 4 lanes each way. Thus, they form an 8 lane crossing and they aren't even part of a freeway.
There is also a very short 6 lane bridge in Honolulu. In addition to its 6 lanes, there is a turning lane and a one lane wide median, which makes it equivalent to being 8 lanes wide. Plus, there are 2 wide sidewalks, which are wider than the original sidewalks on the Granville Bridge in Vancouver. In other words, no bridge in Vancouver is allowed to be as wide as it. Despite regional population growth, the Granville Bridge was reduced from 8 lanes to 6 lanes.
Considering how Vancouver has such a narrow road system, one would think that a regional network of bus and bike bridges would be essential. Of course the backwards city and greater urban region is too cheap to fund such infrastructure and rather opted for a congestive transportation approach.
In contrast, The+Helix+Bridge in Singapore is fine example of what backwards Vancouver refuses to build. No lanes had to be removed from the 6 lane Bayfront+Bridge or the 10 lane Benjamin+Sheares+Bridge. Stubborn Vancouver could really benefit from something like the Helix Bridge.
While Vancouver went backwards after Expo 86, Brisbane really took of after Expo 88. The Kangaroo_Point_Green_Bridge, Goodwill_Bridge, Kurilpa_Bridge, Jack_Pesch_Bridge and the Go_Between_Bridge are all great examples of what strange Vancouver refuses to build. What's really amazing from a backwater Vancouver perspective is that those bike and foot bridges in Brisbane never required any lanes to be removed from the cities road bridges.
In comparison, Vancouver removed 2 lanes from the Burrard Bridge, 1 lane from the Cambie Bridge and 2 lanes from the Granville Bridge. If urban planning in Vancouver was wise and the city never got rid of its trams or streetcars, perhaps something like the Tilikum_Crossing could have been built across False_Creek.
Friday, December 26, 2025
Would people pay a bridge toll if it helps solve traffic woes on the North Shore?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Shore_(Greater_Vancouver)
As of 2026, no bus, car, truck and commuter train tunnel was ever built near the extremely inadequate 3 lane Lions+Gate+Bridge. For if there had then, the LGB could have become a nice bike and foot crossing.
Of course no bus, truck and commuter train bridge was built next to the Iron+Bridge. The inadequate Iron Bridge is so narrow that there isn't any room for emergency lanes and especially no proper express or rapid bus lanes.
By now, there should be a SeaBus crossing of at least every 5 minutes in both directions.
Its extremely difficult to bring the Greater Vancouver Region up to a proper urban transportation standard. Partly because this is part of backwards BC and partly because there is just such a lack of a normal big city vision.
For some reason, congestive transportation planning just isn't that popular outside of backwards Vancouver, BC.
Thursday, December 25, 2025
Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Driving over the Pattullo Bridge replacement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwwOqxqzNrQ
It's great symbolism with opening the bridge with just 1 lane. In 1800s backwater BC, it was amazing just to have a wagon road anywhere. Well the new bridge, when it's fully open,will have 2 wagon roads each way, just like the old bridge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0EeyJmmpuM
This is a very good example as to why station planform walls and doors should become standard
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IIpoXRBjJ4A
Even a safety barrier of a meter or a few feet in height would prevent drunk or epileptic or fainting people from falling onto the tracks.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UCzef5fvOao
Of course an entire platform wall would even be safer and not just for jumpers.
Spacex starship height
https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship 123m or 403 feet in length.
https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starship-nasa-saturn-v-sls-moon-rockets-comparison-2019-7
https://www.nps.gov/wamo/faqs.htm 169m or 555 feet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument
Even the Skytrains in backwards Vancouver aren't allowed to be as long, due to such short stations. Of course the Montreal Metro can run 152.4m or 500 foot long trains, because of building longer stations in the first place.
Partial opening of the Pattullo Bridge replacement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDFkc9Oa-j0
Unfortunatly, the old bridge is such bad shape that it can't be refurbished. Otherwise, each bridge could have provided 3 or 4 lanes each way. People will be in for a shock once the old bridge is dismantled. Then the new bridge will become just another classic 4 lane BC bottleneck-chokepoint.
No bus lanes or HOV lanes and especially no wide emergency lanes.
Peace River Nuclear Power Project in Alberta
https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/89430?culture=en-CA
It would be very likely for Alberta to have the first such power plants in Western_Canada.
https://www.energyalberta.com Of course there are various risks, but Alberta likes to think big.
https://www.alberta.ca/nuclear-energy-engagement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_River,_Alberta
https://www.peaceriver.ca/business-development/peace-river-nuclear-project
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_River,_Alberta#Economy
https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/ap1000-under-consideration-for-deployment-in-alberta
https://www.albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildlands/energy/nuclear-power
https://www.energyalberta.com/project#project-overview
Alberta just never had the same impose restrictions that backwater BC has.
One lane of new Pattullo Bridge now open to vehicle traffic
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/riverview-bridge-opening-official-christmas-pattullo-replacement
They should have had a horse and waggon going over the bridge to symbolize the desire by some urban planners to have roads and bridges that aren't much wider than a wagon road.
Tuesday, December 23, 2025
How air cargo is driving Vancouver International Airport's evolution and growth beyond passenger travel
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-international-airport-yvr-cargo-freight
Unfortunatly, the antigrowth crowd will always try to thwart the improvement and expansion of infrastructure.
A Six-hour SkyTrain shutdown caps chaotic pre-Christmas morning in Metro Vancouver
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bridges-skytrain-shutdown-chaos-december-23-2025
There is nothing like short trains that stop running and mostly narrow bridges which prevents a proper and efficient regional rapid bus network.
Japan to restart the world’s biggest nuclear power plant, 15 years after Fukushima disaster
Apparently, some people thought that it was a good idea to build a Nuclear_Power_Plant close to an earthquake faultline.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/22/japan-set-to-restart-worlds-biggest-nuclear-power-plant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_Nuclear_Power_Plant#Site_layout Plus, built it closer to sea level so that it could be more vulnerable to a tsunami.
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/place/403203/earthquakes/date/largest.html
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h20002
Perhaps there is a kind of wishful thinking going on, a belief that there won't be anymore big earthquakes in Japan. Just rub your tummy and pat the top of your head and all such dangers go away, because it could never happen again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_earthquake
While many want it to be fully dismantled, others want to boot it up again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_Nuclear_Power_Plant#Dismantling_of_reactors
https://earthquaketrack.com/p/japan/fukushima/biggest
Perhaps if it can be built back better and bigger, there can be an even greater chance for it to become another disaster zone.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-of-2011
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-population-decline-60-minutes/
With less people being born in JAPAN, one might think that there will be less of a demand for energy.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/4199
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/07/asia/japan-biggest-population-decline-record-intl-hnk
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74dnzr4jdvo
https://www.dw.com/en/japan-sees-record-drop-in-population-in-2024/a-73562758
Sunday, December 21, 2025
Friday, December 19, 2025
Thursday, December 18, 2025
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Monday, December 15, 2025
Metro Vancouver leadership chaos
https://globalnews.ca/video/11579521/metro-vancouver-leadership-chaos
This has been such an inept and mismaged organization for several decades. Too many short trains and mostly narrow bridges, but always enough money to put into another $HIT box project.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Vancouver_Regional_District
Sunday, December 14, 2025
Is Addis Ababa Turning into The Dubai Of Africa?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRC243t3jkc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa#Economy
Ethiopia’s Capital Is Transforming Into A World Class City https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oxwBIq2Cco
Friday, December 12, 2025
History of the Pattullo Bridge in BC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw934knFUgc Such a very narrow 4 lane bridge that just wasn't properly designed for future capacity.
The new (4 lane) cable-stayed bridge to replace the old 1937 Pattullo Bridge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHzr0ZSIcfo
History of the Port Mann Bridge in BC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4aYxObfjJ8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Mann_Bridge#Original_bridge The original PMB had only 2 lanes each way with no emergency lanes or wide shoulders. It was designed to be a classic BC bottleneck-chokepoint right from the start. Eventually, a 5th lane was squeezed in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Mann_Bridge#Opposition_to_twinning_plan While bridge duplication isn't that big of a problem in Australia or the US, it is in the BC part of Canada. Australia is allowed to have 3 proper big cities on the Pacific. Thus, the urban scale of infrastructure in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are much larger than what's allowed in the Greater Vancouver Region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Mann_Bridge#New_bridge Given that this is supposed to be part of the main East-West highway in Canada, a significantly wider bridge was eventually approved. While it was designed with a provision for a potential future rail line, there should have also been a provision for a lower deck.
Are Trams the Best Transportation Mode for Cities?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNTg9EX7MLw While trams and streetcars (LRT) can't rival the capacity of a metro train or commuter rail, they still can be a good intermediate mode of transportation.
Every Type of Transit System That can WORK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYYIXluTu8E
Do Cities Still Need Metros? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp0SystR3GU
Public Transit in Texas and Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTbSQyqCuys
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Australian pipeline history
https://apga.org.au/pipeline-facts-and-figures
https://www.aemc.gov.au/energy-system/gas/gas-pipeline-register
https://apga.org.au/pipeline-information-users
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Australian-Gas-Pipelines-and-LNG-Plants_fig1_320655629
https://www.australiangasnetworks.com.au/
https://nataustpipe.com.au/national-australian-pipelines-a-brief-history/
https://www.pipeliner.com.au/1968-1979-the-making-of-an-industry/
https://www.jemena.com.au/gas/pipelines/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_gas_pipelines_in_Western_Australia
https://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/wa-goldfields/water-arid-land/building-pipeline
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
No help for Broadway corridor businesses suffering from subway construction
If the Covid control shutdown wasn't bad enough, this is like a push over the edge.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/broadway-subway-won-t-be-cut-and-cover-mayor-pledges-1.2850400 For all the trouble and B$ of constructiong the YVR-Canada Line, the stations should have been long enough to accommodate at least 5 car trains. Unfortunatly, the BC Mind Virus made sure that the stations were only designed to eventually accommodate 2.5 car trains.
https://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Transportation/2009/05/27/CambieWins/
Monday, December 8, 2025
The Montreal Metro and REM Trains
The REM vs. Reality: Does Montreal's new train meet expectations? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq1xpxOt7FM
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Los Angeles and its traffic problems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7CxiqNnm80
While LA has a subway, it's not that extensive. Of course several other cities have more lines.
What the future has in store for Sydney's Metro! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZlV329Ba8g
Inside the $60 Billion Metro Transforming Sydney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe3y7Rlhk9c&t=2s
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Halifax, NS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_FnM-e-8xs
This city could have been as big as Boston or Montreal by now.
Canada's plan for the Arctic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7JX6fD6GXA
Manley on Canada joining EU defence program https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m67_sGvESEA
Friday, December 5, 2025
There will be no revival of the Olympic streetcar line in Vancouver for 2026
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-olympic-line-demonstration-streetcar-revival-cancelled
Once again, what's easy for several cities to accomplish is difficult for backwards Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_North_America#Second-generation_streetcar_systems
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tram_and_light_rail_transit_systems
Thursday, December 4, 2025
The Bus and Bike Bridge Concept
The Bus and Bike Bridge Concept isn't officially banned in Vancouver or BC in general. It just hasn't been as important as it is in other cities.
Of course it would be Calgary, not stubborn Vancouver that would have an improved Cushing+Bridge crossing. While the main 4 lane bridge could easily be just like a narrow BC bridge, it's the parallel crossing that takes it above and beyond backwards Vancouver. There is a 2 lane bus bridge with a wide bike & footpath.
Since so many bridges in backwards BC are mostly narrow, a parallel Bus and Bike Bridge would be a huge improvement.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Inglewood+Bicycle+Pump+Track
Not just Greater Vancouver, but several cities in BC could really benefit from having parallel bus+and+bike+bridges.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=bus+and+bike+bridge
Federal Way Link Extension
https://seattletransitblog.com/2025/12/04/federal-way-link-extension-a-sneak-peek/
https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/tacoma-dome-link-extension
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article309480020.html
https://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_lrt_sea.htm
https://seattletransitblog.com/tag/tacoma-light-rail/
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Westham Island Bridge, B.C....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westham_Island_Bridge So, it would take until the mid 2020s for this wagon road era bridge to be seriously considered for upgrading.
https://deltasheritage.com/buildings/wib.html Whenever a new bridge is built, it should have 2 wide lanes, 2 bike lanes & 2 sidewalks.
https://lifesincrediblejourney.com/explore-historic-westham-island/
https://seabc.ca/rehabilitation-of-westham-island-bridge-and-alexandra-bridge/
The Marpole_Bridge_(1889) was another wagon road era crossing that took a very long time to be upgraded.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marpole_Bridge_(1889)#Congestion_and_replacement
The 1970s Arthur_Laing_Bridge (ALB) should have had at least 6 lanes, plus 2 wide shoulders.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Laing_Bridge#Since_opening There also should have been 2 sidewalks & 2 bike lanes. By now, there should have been a bus+and+bike+bridge built next to it.
Several decades after the removal of the (wagon road) Fraser_Street_Bridge_(1894), no replacement has ever been built.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_Street_Bridge_(1894)#Provincial_government_headache
At the very least, it should have been replaced with a bus+and+bike+bridge in the 1970s.
https://www.richmond-news.com/local-news/photos-and-video-was-this-the-unluckiest-bridge-between-richmond-and-vancouver-4475444 However by now, there should have been a new 4 lane bridge with 2 emergency lanes, 2 bike lanes & 2 sidewalks.
https://evelazarus.com/the-fraser-street-swing-span-bridge
The joke that is the Knight_Street_Bridge (KSB) was deliberately designed to be another quintessential BC bottleneck-chokepoint. The bridge should have opened with 6 lanes & 2 wide shoulders or emergency lanes. Pulse, 2 wide sidewalks & 2 bike lanes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Street_Bridge#Maintenance,_upgrades_and_incidents Instead, the middle of the bridge is just 2 lanes each way, with 2 narrow sidewalks & no bike separate bike lanes. The KSB should have had a parallel bus+and+bike+bridge built next to it decades ago.
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Broadway Plan Solar Access Policies
Over the decades, Vancouver planners have ingeniously used shadow restrictions to hold back the scale of the city. Vancouver is cold, dark and depressing for half of the year. Even a 10-20 story stump can cast a shadow. However, when summer does return every year, some people like to have more shade from buildings and trees.
San Francisco MUNI (rail) and the Trams of Melbourne
Why San Francisco Runs America's Slowest...Metro? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzi1oNaRIUE Unless a streetcar, tram or any LRV has its own right of way, it always has the potential of running slow.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne#First_electric_trams
_in_Elizabeth_St_on_route_19_to_North_Coburg_in_PTV_livery,_December_2013.jpg){kind=link}
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne#/media/File:C2.5123_bourke,_2014.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne#/media/File:E2.6057_bourke,_2023_(01).jpg
.jpg){kind=link}
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne#/media/File:Melbourne_Tram_E-Class_6007.jpg
SF and Melbourne
The gentrification of the Downtown Eastside
https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2025/12/01/events-before-dec9th-dtes-mass-rezone-public-hearing
I really like tall buildings, but...
The city should be able to use leverage to get developers to not only match, but add more social housing and affordable housing in general.
Monday, December 1, 2025
Metro Vancouver housing supply
Developers want to make a profit, but most people really need affordable housing.
Sunday, November 30, 2025
Saturday, November 29, 2025
2538 Birch Street
https://storeys.com/vancouver-2538-birch-street-broadway-rental-tower-controversy-construction/
https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/2538-birch
Seattle and Calgary have never used shadow restrictions to the extent that Vancouver has. Vancouver has used almost every excuse possible to not permit buildings to be as tall as those in Calgary and Seattle.
https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2020/07/13/shadow-analysis-2538-birch/
Seattle is a little ways south of Vancouver and Calgary is a good ways NE of Vancouver.
https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2020/07/13/support-vs-oppose-statistics-2538-birch/
Friday, November 28, 2025
San Francisco Megaprojects
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiOC13McqdY
The Rise and Fall of The San Francisco Centre Mall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5rosHIbZhA
Why San Francisco's Newest Towers are So Empty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc0TTfC6wMQ
San Francisco’s Leaning Skyscraper Nightmare Isn’t Over https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_p7hksWtUQ
Thursday, November 27, 2025
Boston’s Forgotten Streetcar Tunnels
The Secret Subway Beneath the City https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUMWXOUfJf4
Exploring the MBTA Green Line in Boston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vscyJqFong
The History of Boston’s Iconic Mattapan High-Speed Line | Making the Mattapan Line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSDfF-xWuwk
What Happened To Boston's Streetcars: A Brief History of the Boston Trolley Network https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CJR3xaK8vY
Boston's Commuter Rail Network Evolution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uZnmaMVA-s
The Trout Lake view cone
No matter how big Vancouver could get, BC is mostly a mountainous wilderness.
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Calgary's Green Line LRT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfQTjvFFMUY
The Biggest Pain Point of Calgary's CTrain (and how to fix it for less than the cost of a subway) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObWf2SwO-OY
The Evolution and Review of the Calgary C-Train https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th44KLfAwJA
The Vancouver Harbour Air Control Tower
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1p7kqyv/did_you_know_the_vancouver_harbour_air_control
https://panethos.wordpress.com/2025/01/02/worlds-sky-high-civilian-air-traffic-control-towers
https://www.airport-technology.com/features/the-top-10-tallest-atc-towers-in-the-world/
https://simpleflying.com/tallest-air-traffic-control-towers , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sab2yAg5e8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_air_traffic_control_towers_in_the_United_States
Pattullo to partially close for three nights as 4 lane replacement bridge opening draws near
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pattullo-bridge-closures-replacement-opening
No matter how much NW wants to be one of the smallest cities in backwards BC, it can't stop Surrey from eventually being the biggest city in what should be bustling BC. The SkyBridge was deliberately designed to not have any HOV or truck lanes. The narrow SkyBridge wasn't even designed to eventually become a bus and bike bridge. Just a train bridge without even any sidewalks. It really should have been given an award for one of the worlds best examples of inept urban infrastructure.
It's like the SkyBridge (1990) was designed to be the first part of the new inadequate crossings between NW and Surry.
Indeed, just like its 1937 predecessor, the Pattullo_Bridge_replacement will open with only for lanes, but at least it will have 2 bike lanes and 2 sidewalks. The Pattullo_Bridge_replacement should have opened with 6 lanes and 2 wide shoulders or emergency lanes, but that would go against funneling everything into just 2 lanes each way. No emergency lanes or wide shoulders helps to reduce emergency vehicle inefficiency. No bus & HOV lanes helps to increase transportation congestion. Despite being a seaport region, there aren't any truck lanes. Perhaps the best feature of all is than the bridge wasn't designed to eventually have a lower deck for trains and trucks.
Multibillion dollar bridges can be designed with future widening capabilities, or at least having a provision for a lower deck. Unfortunatly, it's very difficult for BC to design prober big city size transportation infrastructure.
Vancouver's Celebration of Light fireworks festival cancelled indefinitely
Some people say that there can't be anything like a No Fun Vancouver Mind Virus. Its just that throughout the decades, backwards Vancouver keeps getting sevela things wrong.
For some strange reason, Vancouver hasn't been able to convince other Canadian cities to give up on their summer fireworks.
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouvers-celebration-of-light-cancelled-indefinitely
Over the years, a lot of people living in the West_End of downtown have gotten very pisst-off with all the beer, pee and excremental antics by the masses of visitors.
https://604now.com/honda-celebration-of-light-vancouver-cancelled/
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/celebration-of-light-vancouver-fireworks-2026-cancelled
https://vancouversun.com/news/could-be-vancouvers-last-celebration-light-producer-warns
This cancelation make sense, since Vancouver also ended up being the only major Canadian city to no longer bother with NY Day fireworks. Even if Vancouver was some kind of an entity that could pee into a bottle and market it to other cities so that they also would cancel their NY Day fireworks, they just aren't interested in buying that PI$$!
Vancouver lost its Sea Festival after 2005, but was never able to convince Seattle to give up on its Seafair.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/sea-vancouvers-assets-to-be-liquidated/article4122853/
This No Fun Vancouver Mind Virus is such B$! It would breakdown other cities if it ever gets contagious.
It's all part of the overall Vancouver Mind Virus.
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Toronto’s $13 billion Eglinton Crosstown Line
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVQ8CbZK7Mo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_5_Eglinton
So, what should have been a proper high capacity subway ends up being a little like an Edmonton LRT line.
https://www.metrolinx.com/en/projects-and-programs/eglinton-crosstown-lrt/what-were-building
Montreal’s New (REM) Rail Line Is the Future
https://macleans.ca/society/montreals-new-rail-line-is-the-future/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Paris_Express , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88nkbjsLbI8
| Formation |
|
|---|---|
| Capacity | 932 per train (8 cars set) |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP_14_(Paris_Metro)
| Train length |
|
|---|---|
| Car length | 15.04 m (49 ft 4 in) |
Airport Rail Links
The Transit Every Airport Needs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YeVZVluQWI&t=247s
https://www.upexpress.com/en/about-up/things-are-looking-up Its only a two and three car train, when it should be between 4-6 cars, depending upon the time of day. https://www.torontopearson.com/en/transportation-and-parking/up-express
At least it's not a perpetual 2 car train joke that is the YVR-Canada Line. The eventual airport REM line should consist of 4 car trains, but the entire REM should eventually have 6 car trains.
Somehow, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane & Perth all are able to have longer trains to the airport. The 10 car SFO-BART trains are pretty cool.
Toronto’s Skyline Is About to Change Forever (again)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4V8jo8-NFg&t=113s
Drone View Of Toronto’s One Bloor West - Canada’s Tallest Building When Completed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26xU_Rx2ks0
How Toronto Is Slowly Becoming The Skyscraper Capital Of North America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z6w82sAYck
First Day in Sydney Australia was a Culture Shock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt3gjetsDtQ
How Sydney is Designed To Crush Poor People https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni1bk-yEstg
Australia’s $5BN Mega-Airport Just Finished 7 Months Early https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7NpHKX1z_8
Monday, November 24, 2025
Canada's next tallest building just crossed the 100-floor mark
https://dailyhive.com/toronto/canada-next-tallest-building-100-floors
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_108 Opened between 2018 to 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/875_North_Michigan_Avenue Chicago's first 100 story building opened in 1969.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building Opened in 1931.
https://www.dezeen.com/2025/07/09/one-park-lane-skyscraper-australia
An Overview of Urban Planning in Los Angeles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CipNVHhOER8
Why is the Purple Line in L.A. so Short? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4F0hB2nEcE
Why fixing LA’s transit crisis feels impossible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIlLC0KNCYc
Why Traffic Is So Bad In Los Angeles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S76lKWeU_xc
Why LA Destroyed Its World-Class Transit System https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwKv3_WwD4o There was such a drive to have nice, wide highways, but no one seemed to realize that eventually just having an extensive highway system will become overloaded.
Why is LA traffic so bad? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbiI9ainetY
The real cost of freeways in LA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS6WrJZKbjs Wide highways can certainly accommodate a large volume of traffic, but if there isn't an efficient bus and rail system, it all gets overloaded.
Did GM really kill the streetcar in Los Angeles? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnFVBfhpprU
LA's $40 Billion Plan to Transform for the 2028 Olympics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkKsiIaycU8
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Why Washington DC Doesn’t Have a Single Skyscraper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq9iJyNLY7Q
The High Price of Keeping DC’s Skyline very Low https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHjMQ8T5ZRI
The Real Reason Washington D.C. Doesn't Have Skyscrapers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDdxEHwsLcM
Saturday, November 22, 2025
Grand Paris Express
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmC8UJs9VYo
Paris Metro Expansion 1900-2030 (Métro, RER, Tram, Grand Paris Express) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppFzg6dIpS4
The future of Paris Metro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEqAMiUOHVE
The Paris Metro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sLxsIYjxrk
The Line Megacity Is Officially Dead— Here’s Why It Will NEVER Happen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqRTBzUfJmo
So, was it just a B$ publicity stunt?
Some Canada Mega-projects Under Construction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwsOVZ-j7hg
Oakridge_Park is on a much smaller scale than Metrotown, Brentwood and Lougheed. It will especially be on a much smaller scale than Parramatta in NSW.
Unfortunatly, the Oakridge-41st_Avenue_station was only designed to have 50m platforms, when it should have been at least 100m. Thus, the utter foolishness has meant that instead of allowing for a future level station clearance to accomodate 5 car trains, the Canada (embassament) Line was only designed to just have 2.5 car trains. While its extremely short stations might have been disguised as a cost saving measurer, there didn't seem to be any key people onboard to make sure that it could eventually become a proper big city train line. Its sad that a line which opened in 2009 is still only running 2 car trains. While the 2.5 car configuration is still a joke of a train, at least half of an extra coach-length is better than nothing. Plus, there should have been extra cars ordered by now so at least during the very busy times the trains could be operating at 1 minute headways. Unfortunatly, this goes against the Vancouver & BC congestion planning mentality.
Despite being built several years after the Sydney_Harbour_Bridge, the joke that is the Pattullo_Bridge was designed to only have 4 narrow lanes & only 1 sidewalk. Of course the replacement_bridge will only open with 2 lanes each way. It was as if someone really wanted to make sure that there won't be 2 bus lanes and no HOV lanes when the bridge opens. While the new bridge is designed to be expanded from a 4 lane joke to eventually having 6 lanes, it still won't be wide enough to accomodate 2 HOV lanes as well as 2 bus lanes. Of course the new bridge won't have any emergency lanes, just like the old bridge. However, it will have 2 bike lanes and 2 sidewalks. https://www.globalhighways.com/news/pattullo-bridge-completion-end-year Its only fitting that in backwards BC this new bridge wouldn't be designed to eventually have a lower deck to accomodate 2 bus lanes and 2 LRT tracks.
If the planners were afraid to symbolically have a wide bridge between NW and Surrey, the old Pattullo_Bridge should have been designed to eventually have a lower deck for trams, trucks and busses. Even when the SkyBridge between NW and Surrey opened in 1990, it wasn't designed to have any bus lanes or emergency vehicle lanes and especially, no bike and footpaths.
Is Vancouver the best city in North America? (2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8dmVUrNt38
One of the biggest mistakes in Vancouver & SW BC is to have short trains combined with mostly narrow bridges. Thus, the region doesn't get to have long, high capacity trains and there isn't a proper regional network of bus-bridges. The refusal to twin most of the bridges means that it's almost impossible to have a proper and efficient regional network of rapid-bus and HOV lanes.
While Montreal built the REM to augment their long-train Metro system, Vancouver should have allowed for enough clearance to eventually have 500 foot long trains. 80m-50m Skytrain stations are going to become inadequate, when there should have been a 152.4m provision so that the trains could eventually become as long as the ones on the Montreal Metro.
Is Regional Rail in the Future of British Columbia? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PeIOVy6fFc
World’s Tallest Towers Comparison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09pmnf8npA8
There was a time when no structure in BC was allowed to be as tall as Blackpool Tower. Then there was a time when no building in Vancouver was allowed to be as tall as the Seattle Space needle or the Calgary Tower. Even in late 2025, only one Vancouver building has been allowed to be taller than the Calgary Tower.
Burnaby, Coquitlam and especially Surrey, don't have such imposed height restrictions as stumpy Vancouver. Thus, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Surrey will all be having taller buildings than Vancouver.
If Montreal can ever have its equivalent of La_Defense or Canary_Wharf, then it might be able to have some tall buildings that would be impressive by Melbourne and Toronto standards. Perhaps even Chicago or NYC standards.
The small Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/westin-bayshore-vancouver-best-luxury-hotel
https://vancouversbestplaces.com/vancouver-hotels/vancouver-westin-bayshore-hotel
Of course the Vancouver location wasn't allowed to be as big as the one in Seattle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westin_Seattle "The hotel originally consisted of a single 40 story tower, today's south tower, reaching a height of 121 m (397 ft). The tower was topped out in January 1969 and the hotel opened on June 29, 1969." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westin_Seattle#History "The 137 m (449 ft), 47-story north tower opened in June 1982..."
While Vancouver is only warm for half of the year, at best, the old Bayshore Inn wasn't allowed to be as big as anything in Waikiki.
https://corporatemeetingsnetwork.ca/2025/05/01/tackling-vancouvers-hotel-shortage-crisis/
Unlike Seattle, Vancouver no longer has its first 40 story hotel. Perhaps if the city had allowed a much taller condo tower, the hotel tower could have been saved. Or, a new double tower combination of a 55 story hotel and 65 story condo tower. Instead, the old landmark was replaced with 2 stumps that have less than 40 stories.
Other cities seemed to be more interested in cultivating their hotel and tourism industry. Even encouraging more hotel towers. However, Vancouver with its very strict (multigenerational) imposed height restrictions, kept falling behind.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/sep/27/wipe-out-era-1970s-vanish-vancouver
After several decades of keeping Vancouver hotels short and small, now the city realized that there aren't enough hotel rooms for the tourism industry.
https://globalnews.ca/video/11127278/biv-vancouver-needs-thousands-more-hotel-rooms
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-tourism-risk-hotel-development-construction-policies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Regency_Seattle Vancouver has yet to permit a big, bulky hotel like this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_Square_Tower While this isn't a hotel, its 60m taller than the tallest building in Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telus_Sky No hotel, just an office and residential tower. However, its about 22m taller than the tallest in Vancouver.
The (unofficial) rule is that almost everything in Vancouver has to be scaled back or watered down in size.
Friday, November 21, 2025
Why The Worst Designed Cities Are Always In Texas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCFxiQZfdGg
Texas has more people than Australia.
Cities around the world with the most monstrous traffic jams
https://smapse.com/5-cities-in-the-world-with-the-most-monstrous-traffic-jams
https://www.tomtom.com/newsroom/explainers-and-insights/tomtom-traffic-index-2024-london-is-slowest/
https://www.worldatlas.com/transportation/the-biggest-traffic-jams-in-history.html
https://www.discovercars.com/blog/worlds-busiest-roads
Thursday, November 20, 2025
The Post building complex sells for over $1.1 billion
https://vancouversun.com/news/quadreal-sells-the-post-heritage-building-vancouver This stump building+complex doesn't even have 26 floors. It's not much taller than this 22 story stump in LA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_National_Plaza This was the first office complex to rise over 50 floors in LA.
https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=2301 52 stories opened in 1972.
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/city-national-tower/1395
LA and then Calgary were able to have a double tower complex of over 50 floors, but Vancouver just has a double stump thats not even 25 floors.
https://www.brookfieldproperties.com/en/our-properties/bankers-hall-west-175 47 stories
https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6993 1989
https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=7073 2000
52 floors in total.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bankers_Hall_Towers_%281%29_%288068206826%29.jpg
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
A Richmond encampment under the Oak Street bridge
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/11/19/growing-calls-to-clear-richmond-encampment
Of course any neighborhood will be concerned when a bunch of people are living under a bridge and wandering around.
Living under a bridge is hardly affordable housing. There needs to be proper secure housing with plenty of security and staff to help people who are stuck living outside.
That bridge is so narrow and inadequate.
SW-Vancouver needs a proper transportation upgrade. Granville Street should be extended across the Fraser River on a parallel bridge to the Oak Street Bridge (OSB). Then, the 2 bridges could provide 4 general lanes each way. Plus, another 4-lane parallel bridge to accommodate 2 BRT lanes and 2 HOV lanes.
Or, a totally built a new version of the Oak+St+Bridge that could provide 6 lanes northbound. Then, a Granville Street extension could provide 6 southbound lanes onto a new OSB. Four general lanes each way, plus a rapid bus lane each way & 1 HOV lane each way.
For the most part, the Oak+Street-Granville+Street+Corridor has 12 lanes. A yellow paint strip designates 3 lanes each way. Instead, Oak could have 6 northbound lanes and Granville could have 6 southbound lanes. The 5th & 6th lanes could be for the Oak & Granville BRT lane & HOV lane on complete one way streets.
Unfortunately, the OSB remains as a 4 lane traffic bottleneck or chokepoint.
The 2009 Canada (embarrassment) Line is still only using 2 car trains in 2025. A proper big city YVR-Canada Line should have been started with 5 car trains. Unfortunately, this joke of a train is only designed to ultimately run a 2.5 car train, someday.
This stunted infrastructure approach is so absurd. Transportation planning in the most populated parts of BC is so inadequate, but its all part of backwards BC symbolism. The symbolism is all about showing a thwarted or watered down a city can be. Narrow bridges and short trains are some of the best ways to increase congestion and inefficiency in backwater BC.
Is Greater Vancouver’s Transit in Trouble?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViGAY4xzdkU
How is TransLink's RapidBus Program Performing? | Brief History and Analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WW--T85dPY
Zara's billionaire founder buys Amazon-anchored The Post office complex from QuadReal in downtown Vancouver
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/the-post-amazon-vancouver-quadreal-pontegadea-acquisition
This stump building+complex isn't even 26 floors.
It's so incredibly small when compared to what big cities allow.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankers_Hall 52 stories in Calgary.
https://www.stockaerialphotos.com/-/galleries/cities/calgary/-/medias/a1d07eb9-561e-4f75-9235-64c07d7320ee-penn-west-plaza-calgary The Post isn't that much higher than this stump in Calgary. https://www.stockaerialphotos.com/media/8e457764-fd2f-4e0c-9944-09fc86185f5d-penn-west-plaza-i-and-ii
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Post+building+complex
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