Crews cleared multi-vehicle crash blocking Lions Gate Bridge southbound

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/12/31/vehicle-incident-blocking-lions-gate-bridge Another year has gone with no plans to have an express bus and a commuter train tunnel there. Especially no 6 lane tunnel for general traffic. 

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 SydneyAucklandSan_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_BridgeGoodwill_BridgeKurilpa_BridgeJack_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.


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

Would people pay a bridge toll if it helps solve traffic woes on the North Shore?

 https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letter-i-would-gladly-pay-a-bridge-toll-if-it-helps-solve-our-traffic-woes-11665442 

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.

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. 


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Pattullo+Bridge

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.

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

 https://www.accuweather.com/en/climate/japan-to-restart-the-worlds-biggest-nuclear-power-plant-15-years-after-fukushima-disaster/1847018 

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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Japan#Strongest_earthquakes_by_prefecture_(since_1900) 

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_Nuclear_Power_Plant#Incidents_and_accidents_prior_to_March_2011 

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

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crossings_of_the_Fraser_River#Main_Watercourse_(New_Westminster_to_Yellowhead_Pass)

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. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crossings_of_the_Fraser_River#Main_Watercourse_(New_Westminster_to_Yellowhead_Pass)

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

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. 

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

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://dailyhive.com/vancouver/westham-island-bridge-new-replacement-crossing-planning-transink-delta 

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.  


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Westham+Island

Broadway Plan Solar Access Policies

 https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2025/12/02/main-st-is-high-quality-public-space-deserves-solar-protection-dec4-public-hearing-215-229e13th/ 

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.

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.

Metro Vancouver housing supply

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-cities-regional-district-choking-housing-supply-demand 

Developers want to make a profit, but most people really need affordable housing.