https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoiKNvo3sks
Despite eventually having longer cars than the Chicago_L, the SkyTrain isn't as long as a Chicago L train.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%22L%22#Rolling_stock
Saturday, November 15, 2025
This is how a SkyTrain car is built
Friday, November 14, 2025
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Airports and Tall Buildings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_City_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Wharf#Tallest_buildings Tall buildings there are no problem, despite the airport being relatively close.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle-Tacoma_International_Airport Prevented Seattle from having a 1000 foot tall office tower in the 1980s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_International_Airport Runways don't conflict with the tallest buildings in Boston.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_City_Centre_Airport#Closure Once closed, Edmonton could eventually plan for the tallest building in Alberta.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_International_Airport Untill its ever closed, buildings are kept short, because of its location.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Reid_International_Airport Tall buildings are relativly close to a runway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_International_Airport Unlike, London and LV, Richmond is forced to have very short buildings, because of YVR.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Canada misses target to protect quarter of land and water
As it so happens, most people want to live in the cities, or general urban areas. While others like to live in the small to medium size towns. Some people like to live out in the wilderness or the Outback, but you had better know what you are getting into.
https://www.dreamsabroad.com/oceania/guide-to-the-australian-outback
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_bush#Australia
Bus, Bike and Footbridges
https://www.tbtechno.com/en/portfolios/pergola-viaduct-of1-4b-bus-hov-lanes/
https://stvinc.com/project/verrazzano-narrows-bridge-bushov-lane-implementation-design/
https://seattletransitblog.com/2025/01/29/wsdot-hov-overview/
https://bikeportland.org/2017/05/11/is-it-time-for-more-bus-only-lanes-in-portland-228020
https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/bus-network-improvements.aspx
https://ipvdelft.com/bicycle-bridges/
https://www.arch2o.com/10-amazing-bridges-passageways-bikes/
https://hansonthebike.com/2017/07/11/dutch-bike-bridges/
https://www.curbed.com/2021/04/brooklyn-bridge-bike-lane-narrow.html
https://www.benesch.com/project/43rd-street-pedestrian-bridge/
https://surfarchitecture.com/a-new-suspended-pedestrian-bridge-over-the-water-in-toronto
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/581364-longest-enclosed-pedestrian-bridge
https://www.conteches.com/bridges-structures/truss-and-girders/continental-pedestrian-bridge/
Cities, the BIG and the small of it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CN_Tower
1815' divided by 581' is almost 3.13 times the height of a stump in Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbour_Centre "Skyscraperpage lists the buildings height to the roof as being only 139.6 m (458 ft). This is stated to be the height from the Hastings Street entrance while the height from the back entrance on Cordova Street is 146 m (479 ft). It also lists the buildings pinnacle height to the tip of the antenna as being 177.1 m (581 ft)." STUMP!
This Vancouver stump is only 32% of the CN Towers height.
.jpg/960px-A_look_downtown_(759827996).jpg)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Canadian_Place The BMO. Unlike Chicago, Toronto has no 100 story office towers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentall_Centre_(Vancouver)#Three_Bentall_Centre A 32 story BC office stump.
Being from small Vancouver, its amazing that Canada even has one megacity. Toronto is certainly a big city on a lakeshore like Chicago is. Montreal isn't allowed to have buildings as tall as Melbourne, let alone NYC. Montreal has allowed only one office tower to be over 50 floors and a few residential towers in the 60s.
Calgary has more 50+ story office towers than Denver and Perth. No 40 story office tower exists in BC. The office section of the Harbour_Centre doesn't even have a 30th floor and the revolving restaurant is closer to being like 35 floors up. However, with the overall building being 481 feet, it would be equivalent to 40 floors, if the windows went right up to the top. The flagpole has no windows, but the flag would be like the equivalent of being 48 floors up.
Not just Toronto & Montreal, but Edmonton and Seattle have longer underground train stations than backwards, congested Vancouver.
The Iron+Bridge, Oak+Street+Bridge, Knight+Street+Bridge & the Arthur+Laing+Bridge should all have a bus+and+bike bridge built next to them. The extremely inadequate Lion+Bridge should have already had a bus and train tunnel close to it.
Monday, November 10, 2025
Vancouver's rental market suddenly surging in popularity
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/renters-interest-vancouver-report
There needs to be taller and larger rental units. Two and 3 bedroom apartments are always in demand.
Over half of all Metro Vancouver homes projected to be condos by 2051
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-housing-growth-forecast-condos
For several decades, trains, bridges and buildings had to be half the size of what real cities allow. Vancouver and especially the Greater Vancouver Region couldn't build a huge wall, so the next best thing was to heavily impose a symbolic resistance to build big. Thus, by watering the scale of almost everything down by imposing a series of overlapping restrictions, Vancouver & BC remained stunted.
Then, things started to slowly change going into the 21st century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Wall_Centre Opened in 2001.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Tower 2004
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Georgia_(Vancouver) 2012
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Vancouver
While restrictive Vancouver started to allow some taller buildings, its still behind what many other cities permit. Especially that of what's in Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinnacle_One_Yonge Toronto
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_Square_Tower Seattle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stantec_Tower Edmonton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telus_Sky Calgary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_sur_le_Parc Montreal
Since Burnaby, Coquitlam & Surrey aren't under Vancouvers imposed restrictions, they can build taller. Eventually, Vancouver will have to allow taller residential buildings, but its as if there is a strong mind virus determined to hold the scale of everything back.
Lions+Gate+Bridge Still, a 3 lane crossing with no plans for a bus, train & truck tunnel. Australia has no problem building tunnels near bridges.
YVR-Canada-Line Still, a 2 car train of a joke, when several cities will have 6, 8 or 10 car trains.
Sunday, November 9, 2025
A fully built steel overpass was hoisted into its new position above Highway 1 in Burnaby on Saturday night
A wider version of this bridge strategically placed throughout the region would improve mobility in Greater Vancouver. Ideally, a pedestrian, bike+and+bus+bridge provides 3 great modes of transportation. However, an efficient street, road and highway system are also essential. During crappy, cold weather, people just aren't as inclined to bike or walk around.
New pedestrian bridge above Highway 1 next to Burnaby Lake lifted into place
This isn't a bike+and+bus+bridge, because only a bike and pedestrian crossing was necessary there.
https://www.burnaby.ca/our-city/projects/burnaby-lake-overpass
https://yourvoice.burnaby.ca/pedestrian-cyclist-overpass-over-highway-1
Friday, November 7, 2025
Soccer Lease negotiations between Whitecaps and BC Place at an impasse
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-whitecaps-new-stadium-1.7503283
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-whitecaps-stadium-pne-hastings-park
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-whitecaps-pne-stadium-city-mayor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitecaps_Waterfront_Stadium
https://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/waterfront-stadium-could-be-dramatic-beautiful-spectacular-province
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Expect noise, vibration during upcoming Massey Tunnel replacement
https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/expect-noise-vibration-during-upcoming-massey-tunnel-replacement-11436394 This B$ should have been done a few decades ago.
A 10 lane bridge with 2 bus lanes, 2 HOV lanes & 2 wide shoulder-emergency lanes, plus at least 3 general lanes each way, could have been a nice wide crossing. Some 12 lanes, including the 2 emergency lanes. Plus, a provision for at least 2 LRT tracks.
Instead, it's a 3 lane each way tunnel with the 4th being a bus lane. No HOV lanes and no emergency lanes & especially, no train tube section.
So, just like the YVR-Canada (embarrassment) Line, this new 8 lane tunnel will eventually require some major upgrades.
Eventually, a YVR-Canada Line bridge or tunnel will have to be built so that someday, trains can go between the airport and the ferry terminal. Such a train crossing should be parallel to the new highway tunnel. A new train tunnel or bridge should have at least 3 tracks, 2 rapid bus lanes and 2 bike lanes and sidewalks. Then the bus lanes in the highway tunnel could become HOV lanes.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Massey+Tunnel+replacement
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Richmond+and+Delta
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Monday, November 3, 2025
Why the SkyTrain and DLR are So Unique
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrMISsHZ85s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Light_Railway , https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/dlr
The DLR could have been built better right from the start so that more capacity and efficiency were in place since its first day. It was never meant to rival any section of a tube line in capacity per KM.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Light_Railway_rolling_stock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)
While the first 2 Skytrain lines only have 80 m stations which are slightly more than half the length of a Montreal Metro train station, there should have been enough level station clearance to eventually double the length of each station. The 3rd line to YVR only has a level station clearance of 50 m, vs. the 152.4 m Montreal Metro stations. The YVR-Canada-Line should have had enough level station clearance to eventually become 160 m in length.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#Rolling_stock
Harrison Ford torches Trump over climate policy despite owning and flying private jet
That's just like when some people having a few kids & cars, are saying that there are too many people on the planet.
A lot of people will never have enough money to even own one car, let alone a private plane. There are some people that own 1 or a few cars and will be the first to complain that there are too many people with cars and trucks...
I never could understand when some ferociously bearded Range Rover drivers look like they are homeless. Are they projecting the image that because they look like a bearded wildman or caveman, it's good for the environment? Are they symbolizing that even if they lost all of their investments or their job, they would still be driving a range Rover?
Once I saw a guy sitting on the sidewalk with regular clothes with a sign asking for donations. Then I saw what looked like a caveman with scruffy cloths getting into his Jaguar, just a short distance away. Whether some guy makes a few hundred thousand dollars a year, or a few million, why would they want to look like they live on the street or the backwoods?
Then there are some billionaires who would like people in general to stop eating red meat and stop breeding so that they can have a better Champaign & caviar lifestyle. Then there is the AI server farm craze which uses so much energy, the owners wish that most of the "human herd" would cut down on their energy consumption. Yes, humans should give up and totally hand over their power to AgI control systems in order to have an inhumane world.
If someone has done well enough to own their own plane, mansion, boat & luxury car, they should be proud and might even feel fortunate. But then they wish that there weren't so many consumers & breeders taking up the Earths resources, when it should be for the cream of the septic tank.
Whether its the feudal system, kingdoms, Communism or crony capitalism, the top always enriches themselves and doesn't care if most people are closer to the sewer than those who live above it all.
Sunday, November 2, 2025
Getting to and from the Airport Doesn’t Have to be Difficult
Getting to the Airport Doesn’t Have to Suck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WDCfDHQrxQ
The Missing Transit in This Fast-Growing Canadian Province https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LGigNBLuS0
The Transit Every Airport Needs | Airport Rail Links https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YeVZVluQWI
Metro Vancouver's Future Transit Plans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVVfYwn7vmI
Saturday, November 1, 2025
Friday, October 31, 2025
Thursday, October 30, 2025
The Dark Sides of Dubai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tvpsnGtV8E
2 Years in Dubai | Brutally Honest Review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tbNJcvGjOY
World Cup lodging shortfall predicted in Vancouver
The proposed 27-storey hotel tower at the edge of Stanley Park is drawing pushback from West End residents over its scale https://vancouversun.com/news/proposed-west-end-tower-that-aims-to-fill-vancouvers-hotel-shortage Parking lots and almost delapadeted buildings should be selected first. This building still seems to be in reasonable shape.
https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/vancouver-needs-10k-more-hotel-rooms-says-report-10508458
https://vancouversun.com/news/vancouver-major-hotel-policy-overhaul-room-shortage
Lots of people in some parts of the West_End end are still accustomed to stumpy buildings, despite the very high land costs.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Vancouver-stanley-park.jpg/960px-Vancouver-stanley-park.jpg Many other cities aren't afraid to build tall close to the water or parks.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Vancouver_west_end.jpg/960px-Vancouver_west_end.jpg People shouldn't be displace just becaus of a new development. An agreement should be reached so that they can still remain in the new structure. However, it's the height issue that usually keeps popping up. A lot of people that still remember Vancouver as a provincial backwater of a city want it to remain that way for as long as possible.
https://www.shapeyourcity.ca/2030-2038-barclay-st , https://stop2030barclay.ca
https://henriquezpartners.com/projects/2030-barclay The height proposal is at lest a dozen floors too short, it should be about 20 stories taller.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/2030-barclay-street-vancouver-stanley-park-hotel-tower
https://storeys.com/marcon-barclay-street-vancouver-hotel The issue here is that a lot of people don't want a stump replaced with an atempt of a taller building. The people that live there should have the option to live in the new building. If the city and the developer could reach an agreement to allow the current residents to move into the lower floors of the tower. Then remain there at a reasonable rental rate for as long as they want. Then eventually after all the former residents have moved on or passed on, the lower floors could be repurposed into hotel rooms. If a developer in such a situation could agree to that, then the city should allow them to build 15-20 floors higher than 27 stories.
That gets back to the height restriction issue in Vancouver. Other cities have allowed tall buildings right up to the edge of a park. It seems that no one from Vancouver was able to ever stop Sydney. Rather, the Vancouver Mind Virus (VMV) never made it there to thwart big, bustling Sydney.
.jpg/960px-Global_Citizen_Festival_Central_Park_New_York_City_from_NYonAir_(15351915006).jpg)
https://bcbusiness.ca/industries/real-estate/land-values-how-the-hotel-shortage-in-vancouver-is-coinciding-with-a-boom-in-tourism The BC Mind Virus is so firmly entrenched that its still very difficult to properly upgrade things.
Vegas Casino CEO Admits Why the Strip Is Empty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd0AG9doLjY
What It's Actually Like In Las Vegas Right Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JMTd59qkoE
Las Vegas in 2026 is looking REAL BAD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnybe5ekBRY
MGM Is Collapsing — The Fall of Las Vegas’s Biggest Casino Empire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nZcBSx6n0c
LV is in trouble.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Long-term plan to completely rebuild and expand Vancouver General Hospital
It's about time that backwards BC start building up a proper big city size medical center in watered-down Vancouver. Another proper big city medical complex should be built in Surrey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy%27s_Hospital#Facilities
Houston, TX has been building theirs over the past several decades.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center#Hospitals
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center#Cityscape_and_infrastructure
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Hermann_Memorial_City_Medical_Center#Facilities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Complex_Goi%C3%A2nia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_hospitals
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lurie_Children%27s_Hospital
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Medical_and_Dental_University#Campuses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herlev_Hospital
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_hospital_campuses#Ranked_by_capacity
Backwater BC has been under a multigenerational, KEEP THINGS SMALL OR INADEQUATE agenda for too damn long. The overbearing implemented symbolism is too much! An inept 3 lane Lions+Gate+Bridge and an absurd Canada+Line with only 2 car trains, are classic BC Mind Virus (BCMV) B$! Even the 4 lane Pattullo+Bridge+replacement is another example of the BCMV. Somehow, Vancouver & BC fell behind with having enough hotel rooms. Its as if the city & province just didn't think that adding hotels would actually help the local tourism business. The Greater Vancouver Region should have made it easier for more hotels to be built by cutting out so much red tape.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=BC+hotels
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Surrey primed to surpass Vancouver population in the very near future
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-vancouver-population-estimates-rennie Fortunatly, the Vancouver Mind Virus won't be able to stop Surrey from having taller residential buildings. While Vancouver still won't permit any office tower to have 40 floors, Surrey will very likely have the first office tower in BC to have more than 40 stories.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-metro-vancouver-population-growth-forecast-bc-city-2038
Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast vs. Waikiki, Honolulu
https://www.racq.com.au/articles/holidays/2018/8/hang-loose-in-hawaii
https://www.reddit.com/r/GoldCoast/comments/zw8k7x/why_is_there_so_much_hate_on_surfers_paradise/
https://www.redbull.com/mk-mk/best-places-to-surf-in-the-world
.jpg/960px-Waikiki%2C_Honolulu_Panorama_(16191692896).jpg)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waikiki , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=421&searchname=timeline
.jpg/960px-Rainbow_Tower_Waikiki_(16178632002).jpg)
Why the Las Vegas Sphere Is Now a Ghost Landmark as Tourism Collapses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgeBuVNqROg
Las Vegas Just Wasted $20B — Now the City is DYING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSIRIynjOVI
Las Vegas Megaprojects: 4 Projects that will Change America in 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17wPIo6UMlE
Monday, October 27, 2025
Surrey ranks among Canada’s top cities for digital infrastructure and economic growth
Digital growth is great, especially for backwater BC.
Some people don't like the idea of Surrey eventually becoming the biggest city in BC. Yet, as long as Surrey continues to think, plan and build on a larger scale than Vancouver, Surrey will be the most populated city in BC.
There has been a strong anti growth movement or slow growth agenda in BC for several decades. Eventually, Surrey will have a taller residential building than Vancouver's tallest and Surrey will likely have an office tower than Vancouver's tallest. As of late 2025, Vancouver still has no 40 story office tower.
Brisbane Airport Railway Line
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_railway_line,_Brisbane
https://www.airtrain.com.au/travel-info/brisbane-airport
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Airtrain_NGR_Indigenous.jpg Being from backwards Vancouver, its sometimes difficult to comprehend the scale of how several cities are able to have longer trains on their airport+line. Then I'm always reminded, that its because they aren't hindered by anything like the Vancouver MV or the BC Mind Virus (BCMV).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Airport#Rail
https://www.airtrain.com.au/catch-airtrain-to/brisbane-city/
https://www.airtrain.com.au/travel-info/frequency-and-hours/
https://www.airtrain.com.au/travel-info/network-map/
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Brisbane+Airport+Railway+Line
Honolulu’s Skyline Rail Expands to West Honolulu, and to a New Airport Station
Even if the widest parts of the H-1 could be 10 or 12 lanes, it would still get plugged up. Nevertheless, being from Vancouver, it's quite impressive to see such a wide H-1 by the airport. If you visit Vancouver from Hawaii, you might think that Vancouver is a big city like Sydney, SF or Seattle. Then you discover that the roads & bridges are much narrower than what's in those cities. The real big surprise is that Vancouver not only has shorter trains than Sydney, SF & Seattle, but even Edmonton. Fortunately, the Skyline to the airport isn't a 2 car joke of a train like Vancouver's airport line is.
https://honolulutransit.org/about/route-map , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Route
https://www.honolulu.gov/dts/skyline
The Airport Segment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Segment_2:_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lelepaua_station If only Vancouver's line to the airport could have opened with 4 car trains, then with Selective_door_operation, eventually 6 car trains. Unfortunatly, backwards Vancouver has been stuck with a 2 car YVR train since 2009, but it has the potential to become a 2.5 car joke of a train, someday.
Downtown Honolulu.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Segment_3:_City_Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Ala_Moana_extension
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Rolling_stock "The line uses 256 ft (78 m) four-car train sets, each with the capacity to carry nearly 800 passengers..." "Each car is 64 ft (20 m) long, weighs 72,000 lb (33,000 kg), and has 36 seats with a listed total capacity of 195 people, and sits on standard-gauge (1,435 mm) rails."
While the Skyline cars are similar in length to the YVR-Canada-Line cars, they are of a heavier construction. Plus, the trains are twice as long as any on the embarrassingly short Canada+Line trains.
While it took a long time to get the Skyline to the airport, at least the stations were all initially built to accommodate 4 car trains. Unfortunatly, the joke that is the SkyTrain-Canada+Line is still only running 2 car trains and wasn't designed to eventually have 5 car trains. Its difficult to understand why the joke-line stations are only designed to accommodate a 2.5 car train, someday.
Honolulu like Brisbane, are very far away from the Vancouver Mind Virus (VMV) and much warmer. Thus, they are able to have longer trains to the airport, because they can build on a proper big city scale.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Brisbane+Airport+Railway+Line
Sunday, October 26, 2025
All cables and final steel girders now installed for new Pattullo Bridge
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pattullo-bridge-construction-milestone-cables-deck Unlike the old, inadequate bridge, which only has 4 narrow lanes and just 1 sidewalk, this will have 2 sidewalks and 2 bike lanes. Unfortunatly, there won't be any bus or HOV lanes. Thus, all the traffic will be funneled into just 2 lanes each way. Of course there won't be any emergency lanes or breakdown lanes, so this is another quintessential BC bottleneck by design. At least a provision for a lower deck would have provided some hope. While this bridge can eventually be widened to 6 lanes, there seems to be no serious consideration for there to be bus and HOV lanes. So it will end up like the overloaded 6 lane Iron Bridge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyBridge_(TransLink) No bike lanes and sidewalks and it wasn't built wide enough to eventually accomodate 3-4 tracks and 2 bus lanes. There is just something about backwards BC that makes it so obtuse and inept.
.jpg/500px-SkyBridge_from_SkyTrain_(5770458210).jpg)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Westminster_Bridge Still, only a single track bridge for freight and passenger trains.
In order for this joke of a river railway crossing to be properly upgraded and efficient is for there to be at least a new double track bridge.
NW should have really had something like its own version of the Steel_Bridge in Portland.
.jpg/960px-Fraser_River%2C_Surrey_-_panoramio_(1).jpg)
Look at the lack of bridges between NW and Surrey.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Portland_OR_aerial.jpg/960px-Portland_OR_aerial.jpg Portland is a city that really exists on both sides of the river.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/New_Westminster_Aerial_view_2015.jpg/960px-New_Westminster_Aerial_view_2015.jpg For most of the history of NW, Surrey was just some farmland south of the river with not much going on, but its many times larger than little NW.
There just didn't seem to be that much a big city vision for little provincial backwater NW. Back in the day, NW could have acquired what would become the Tri-Cities and perhaps, even Surrey. There just wasn't any desire to have a big river city in BC on the scale of Portland,_Oregon. So while NW is stuck as a tiny city, Surrey is on its way to becoming the biggest city in BC.
Unfortunately, the Iron Bridge and Granville Bridge were never designed to have a lower deck for trains and buses either. That's just how it is in backwards BC.
Saturday, October 25, 2025
Sweden and Iceland in 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96eV97y3gKg
The Ghetto in Reykjavik, Iceland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47_EyKQEQu4
Happier Living in Iceland Than In The U.S. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIDp5FJa15U
Friday, October 24, 2025
Chaos on East Hastings Street in Vancouver, BC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0eokh7IQq8
Life of the Homelessness in Vancouver Canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwRLD49gJhI
West Vancouver Housing directives not dependent on transit investments
West+Vancouver is so lacking with its infrastructure.
Other places don't use mountains and water as an excuse to not build proper urban transportation infrastructure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Monaco#System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaco-Monte-Carlo_station
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Is LA's Airport Train Actually that Useful?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-9O8UYX3FQ
The Amazing Transit Comeback of Los Angeles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0Zm7T1npE
Vancouver's middle-density housing unable to keep up with other Canadian cities
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Honolulu
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-1
https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/special-use-lanes/
https://www.honolulupd.org/information/traffic-information-page/
https://www.wa-rock.com/project/oahu-h-1-freeway/
https://www.civilbeat.org/2015/04/honolulu-traffic-jam-a-perfect-storm-of-everything-falling-apart/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu_County,_Hawaii Land Area 601 sq mi (1,560 km2)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O'ahu 596.7 sq mi (1,545 km2)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu#Geography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu#Transportation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu#Public_transit
The Municipality of Monaco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipality_of_Monaco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaco#Administrative_divisions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Monaco
Despite being so much smaller than WV, Monaco can still have taller buildings and even wealthier people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odeon_Tower , https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/tour-odeon/2728
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/le-millefiori/9036
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/lannonciade/9037
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/parc-saint-roman/10179
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/columbia-palace/11239
The District of West Vancouver
https://www.growingcity.com/service-area/west-vancouver
While during the summer one can sort of pretend that West Vancouver is a little like Monaco, BC is still more like a movie set imitation of things.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Monaco_pano_b.jpg/960px-Monaco_pano_b.jpg Monaco has allowed for some taller buidings than what larger WV would permit.
https://metrovancouverlife.com/city-guide/west-vancouver
'Insufficient evidence' to conclude city building inspectors taking bribes in Vancouver
Allegations remain as allegations.
However, in an unrelated matter, there was a case of total $HIT-BOX mismanagement and excrement. Billions of dollars wasted in a $HIT-PIPE DREAM. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/metro-vancouver-board-votes-to-pause-nswwtp-review-until-legal-dispute-settled-1.7594512
Then there is the case as to why the Canada+Line+is+so+under-built. Apparently, as a rushed and inept cost saving measure, the Canada+Line wouldn't have 152.4m long stations like the Montreal Metro or even the Edmonton LRT stations, which range from 125m to 130m. Despite its 2 billion dollar cost the Canada-Line wasn't designed with that much future capacity in mind. The ridiculously short 50m stations should have been roughed out or level for at least 100m, if not even 160m. That would have allowed for future 5-8 car trains.
Ultimately, as a long-term, high capacity link between YVR and the 2 main ferry terminals, the stations should have had a 200m level clearance. That would have allowed for ten, 20m car trains. Unfortunatly, no provision for a 10 car train, not even a 5 car train, just an absurd 2.5 car short train, someday.
$HIT-BOX mismanagement and opting for short trains is such careless urban infrastructure planning.
The BC Mind Virus is such a horrible thing, but it officially doesn't exist. Yet, the crappy approach to things endures.
Ground broken for three towers at north end of Victoria's downtown
https://www.biv.com/news/ground-broken-for-three-towers-at-north-end-of-victorias-downtown-11378830
Despite Victoria being the most mild winter city in Canada, it was supposed to be a provincial backwater for as long as possible. Buildings were to be kept smaller than the tallest in Edmonton, QC, Winnipeg & Halifax.
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=37&status=15
In typical upside-down BC fashion, Edmonton is a mighty capital in cold winter Northern Alberta, while Victoria excels as a stunted & thwarted small city in mild SW BC.
Before Victoria could ever rival Edmonton, it would first have to rival Halifax, then Winnipeg and then Quebec_City.
Perhaps someday, Regina might equal or rival Winnipeg, but not likely Edmonton. After Toronto, Edmonton is the largest of the Canadian provincial capitals. Both cities are worlds away from the extreme imposed restrictions of Vancouver and Victoria.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Longer Trains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area_Rapid_Transit 700 foot long with 10 car trains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area_Rapid_Transit_expansion#Proposed_extensions
%2C_July_2023.JPG/960px-BART_train_from_Farallones_Street_footbridge_(1)%2C_July_2023.JPG)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area_Rapid_Transit_rolling_stock#Fleet_of_the_Future_(D_and_E_series) Car length 70 ft (21 m)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area_Rapid_Transit_rolling_stock#C_series
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area_Rapid_Transit_rolling_stock#Original_(legacy)_fleet
Long Trains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%22L%22 , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%22L%22#Rolling_stock While a 2 or 4 car train was used in the earlier decades, a 6-8 car train simply moves more people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Metro , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Metro#Rolling_stock Stolkholm can easily put 2 short trains together. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/C20_vagn_2201.jpg Thus, they can be almost as long as a montreal Metro train. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/SL_C30_tekniska_h%C3%B6gskolan_-_20240420_-_25.jpg So while Stolkholm can have a short Vancouver train, they have enough sense to allow for a proper big city size train. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/%C3%96rnsberg_tunnelbana%2C_SL_C30%2C_20240210_-_50.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/SL_C20_Gamla_Stan%2C_Stockholm.jpg/960px-SL_C20_Gamla_Stan%2C_Stockholm.jpg Just like Montreal, Stockholm can run 9 car, big city trains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro#Rolling_stock ,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPM-10 9 articulated cars per train at 152.43 m (500 ft 1+1⁄8 in)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MR-73 3 cars per trainset, operating as 6- or 9-car trains
It's taken until 2025 for Vancouver to have 5 car trains, but that's only on the first line. The 2nd line is only running 2 car trains, but once the extension opens, there should be 4-5 car trains. The 3rd line still isn't even running 2.5 car trains. Its very frustrating how almost everything in backwards Vancouver has to be watered-down.
Short Trains
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Canada_Line_Train_201807.jpg/960px-Canada_Line_Train_201807.jpg , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Route An airport+line connecting Vancouver & Richmond to YVR should have started out with at least 5-6 car trains, then eventually, 8-10 car trains after eventually connecting to the 2 main BC Ferry terminals. However that's a problem, because backwards BC can't seem to allow for proper long-range, bigcity infrastructure planning & development.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_777 Train length 64.98 m (213 ft 2 in)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merseyrail#Fleet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Metro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL_C30 Train length 70 m (229 ft 7+29⁄32 in)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SL_C20 46.5 m (152 ft 6+45⁄64 in) Unlike Vancouver, Stockholm can run double-length trains. This is possible whenever longer stations are built, or at least have enough level clearance for future expansion.
The Montreal Metro in the 1960s could run ridiculous 3 car trains, but eventually realized that 6 car trains & especially 9 car trains can efficiently more more people. Thus, its a good thing that they planned to have 152.4 m stations right from the start.
While short trains and stations can initially be a cost saving measure, allowing for future level clearance can be more economically efficient, in the long run. Thus, even a tram premetro can eventually be turned into a tram-train.
Unfortunatly, in typical Vancouver fashion, the Canada+Line wasn't designed to have 10 car trains, not even 5 car trains. The 2 billion dollar joke of a train was only designed with a level clearance for 50 m stations that only can accommodate a 2.5 car train. For a line that had to be open by 2009, it's still only running 2 car trains, with no 2.5 car trains in sight as 2025 is winding down.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/NorthArmBridge.jpg/960px-NorthArmBridge.jpg A pathetic 2 car train on a bridge that should have 2 bike lanes & 2 sidewalks.
Indeed, just because the Canada Line was designed as if it was only to start out with short premetro train stations, there should have been a long-term plan to eventually have proper big city trains. One of the biggest mistakes for what should be a proper big city metro train, is to design short stations that are almost impossible to double, let alone tripple in length.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Canada+Line+is+so+under-built
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