Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Friday, January 16, 2026
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
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.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Granville Bridge, Vancouver, etc.
https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/granville-bridge.aspx
Even after 3 tries, Vancouver still couldn't quite get the Granville_Street_Bridge correct. Of course the 3rd bridge wasn't designed to have a lower deck for streetcars or tram-trains. Even though it was generally designed to be a car, truck and bus bridge, the sidewalks should have been double width and have an inner railing. If the city couldn't wait until late March, it should have had the official dedication in early March, not in crappy February 1954.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Street_Bridge#Third_bridge_(1954) "On February 4, 1954, the current Granville Street Bridge opened to traffic after five years of planning and construction; its dedication ceremony was attended by 5,000 spectators after it had been delayed a week due to heavy snow."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Street_Bridge#21st_century Unfortunatly, new bike lanes and extra sidewalks couldn't be installed below the 8 lane deck. Thus, Vancouver went for strike 3 and removed 2 lanes from the bridge. The Burrard+Street+Bridge lost 2 lanes and the Cambie+Bridge lost 1 lane. A bike and foot bridge could have been built on the west side of the Burrard Bridge, then no lanes would have been removed. The Cambie Bridge already had a wide sidewalk on its east side. The west sidewalk should have been widened, then no lane would have been removed.
The Granville+Bridge could have had 6 lanes and 2 bus lanes. Now, if there are ever 2 bus lanes, there will only be 2 general lanes each way.
Several cities around the world have bike & foot bridges and don't have to remove lanes from the existing bridges.
For a congested city to have removed 5 lanes from 3 bridges, could there even be more of a reduction of lanes Well, there are some who would like to have the LGB just for bike and foot traffic.
That would be OK if an 8 lane tunnel could be built near it. As its projected, the new & improved tunnel between Richmond & Delta won't be ready unto 2030. Since things move so slow in constipated, backwater BC, a First_Narrows_Tunnel might not be completed until 2040.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Bike and Pedestrian Bridges
https://www.cnv.org/streets-transportation/transportation-projects/casano-loutet-overpass
https://www.fastepp.com/portfolio/kingsway-pedestrian-bridge/
https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/burnaby-planning-for-pedestrian-bridge-over-highway-1-3099072
https://vancouverbikeguide.com/top-five-vancouver-cycling-bridges A regional network of foot, bike & bus bridges would help to reduce the strain on the mostly narrow bridges of Greater Vancouver.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pedestrian-and-bike-bridge-proposed-for-false-creek-1.800643 Unfortunatley, this never happened. Apparently, it was better to remove 2 lanes from the Burrard Street Bridge instead.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/granville-connector-bridge-walking-cycling-pathways
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=bike+and+pedestrian+bridges
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
The Granville Connector
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/granville-connector-celebration-free
It's still the Granville+Street+Bridge, but it's also the Connector. Unfortunatly, it wasn't designed to have a lower deck for streetcars and busses. Such is the irony of backwards Vancouver to be one of the first cities to get rid of its streetcars and doing its damndest to be one of the last to bring them back.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Granville+Connector
Friday, June 13, 2025
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Granville Street faces 30% vacancy rate as city pushes revitalization plan
It's sad that the city let this part of town go to $HIT! Apparently, there was an unofficial need to have another crappy area, in addition to Main & Hastings.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Sunday, April 20, 2025
The Oak Street-Granville Street Corridor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Street_(Vancouver) , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXbUb7TMj6k
The Oak+Street-Granville+Street+Corridor are both 6 lanes wide for most of their lengths. Thus, this is mostly a 12 lane street corridor and is much less disruptive than if a 10-12 lane freeway had been pushed through in the 1950s or 60s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Street , https://storeys.com/vancouver-granville-street-entertainment-district-history-renewal-planning-program
The yellow line is set for 3 lanes each way. However, if it was moved over 1 or 2 lanes, then there could be 4 or 5 main lanes one way & 1 or 2 lanes the other way.
The Oak+Street+Bridge+and+Granville+Street+Bridge are still part of an incomplete corridor.
An improved 8 lane Granville+Street+Bridge with double-width sidewalks could have still worked, if there had also been a wide bike & foot bridge built next to it. Then, a roughly new paralel bridge next to the 4 lane Oak+Street+Bridge could have allowed for an 8 lane crossing there. Four lanes of Granville_Street southbound over the Fraser River and 4 lanes of Oak_Street northbound.
Unfortunatly 2 lanes were removed from the Burrard+Street+Bridge (BSB), 2 lanes removed from the Granville+Street+Bridge (GSB) and 1 lane from the Cambie+Street+Bridge (CSB). That didn't have to happen if a bike bridge was built next to the BSB and the GSB. While the east side of the Cambie-Street-Bridge has a nice, wide sidewalk, there wasn't enough foresight to also have a wide sidewalk on its west side. However, that narrow sidewalk could still be built out to be nice & wide so that the CSB can be restored to 6 lanes.
When a city & metropolitan region mostly has narrow bridges, removing lanes or not having enough is utterly foolish! Case in point... https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca Instead of 2 bus & 2 HOV lanes, everything will be initially funneled into just 2 lanes each way. https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/about/projectoverview Two nice sidewalks & 2 nice bike lanes, but no emergency lanes or bus lanes, right from the start. Its another classic BC bottleneck in the making. Since the SkyTrain doesn't run on a 24hr basis, 24hr bus lanes are essential, but that would go against the congestive planning methodology that is backwards BC.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Oak+Street+and+Granville+Street
Saturday, April 19, 2025
The narrow bridges of Vancouver, Canada
https://montecristomagazine.com/community/forgotten-bridges-vancouver
The LGB just wasn't designed with any future capacity in mind.
History of the Lions Gate Bridge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHqi7Kijedw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge#History
The inadequate 3 lane LGB is currently the most narrow road bridge in backwards & stubborn Vancouver. It's been in that category since the removal of the 2 lane Fraser Street Bridge in the 1970s. There was a refusal to twin the absurdly narrow LGB between the 1950s & 1970s. By the 1980s there should have been a subway tunnel and an 8 lane tunnel. Then two of the lanes could have been for buses. Georgia+Street is 7 lanes wide as it gets closer to Stanley Park. Thus, the main part of a tunnel through the park could have provided 3 general lanes each way & a bus lane each way. Instead, the 7 lanes of the westernmost part of Georgia Street are funneled into a 3 lane causeway & a 3 lane bridge. The LGB would be fantastic as just a bike & foot crossing, with train, bus & road tunnels well beneath & beside it.
The Burrard_Bridge, BB or BSB opened with 6 lanes, but now it only has 4 lanes. There are 2 bike lanes & 2 sidewalks. Had a parallel bike-bridge been built, the BB could have still had 6 lanes. While the BB has a lower level provision for streetcars or tram-trains, Vancouver did its damndest to phase out streetcars well before the 1960s.
The Ironworkers_Memorial_Bridge has 6 lanes, but should also have had 2 wide shoulders & 2 very wide sidewalks. Unfortunatly, there was no provision for a lower deck, as is also the case with all of the other Vancouver bridges. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironworkers_Memorial_Second_Narrows_Crossing
Any replacement of the inadequate Ironworkers+Memorial+Bridge should be on the scale of what Perth, Seattle and Montreal have done.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Street_Bridge#Third_bridge_(1954)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=vPSdF0jRTC4 The Granville-Bridge or GSB is the widest bridge in the city limits. It opened with 8 lanes, but is being transformed into a 6 lane bridge with 2 bike lanes & 2 sidewalks. Had there been a paralel bike & foot bride, the GSB could have still been 8 lanes wide. Then there could have been 2 exclusive bus lanes.
https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/granville-bridge-connector.aspx
The Oak Street Bridge should have been 8 lanes wide, with 2 wide sidewalks.
The Knight+Street+Bridge should have been 8 lanes with 2 wide sidewalks. Instead, its a 4 lane chokepoint.
The Arthur+Laing+Bridge should have been at least 6 lanes with 2 proper bike lanes & 2 sidewalks.
If the Cambie_Street_Bridge had 2 very wide sidewalks, then its likely that it would still have 6 lanes instead of 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambie_Bridge#The_present_bridge
Unfortunatly, bottleneck or chokepoint planning is part of the Vancouver & BC mentality.
Of course BC & the Metro+Vancouver Region just hasn't put enough funds and effort towards proper big-city planning & infrastructure development.
If Perth+and+Seattle had to conform to the extremely restrictive Vancouver approach to things, those cities would be in a perpetual state of chaos. Fortunately, nothing like the BC Mind Virus has ever reached WA.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Oak+Street+and+Granville+Street
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Revamped 800 Granville proposal drops offices for rental housing and hotel uses
A taller version of 800+Granville, but still stumps when compared to what many other cities allow.
https://storeys.com/bonnis-properties-800-granville-revised-rezoning/
Monday, March 17, 2025
Granville bar owners demand immediate action ahead of FIFA
There seems to be an unofficial, LET THE CITY GO TO $HIT attitude. That's especially the case with Granville Mall and Gastown.
https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/share-your-thoughts-on-granville-street-feb-2025.aspx
The city & region desperately needs thousands of new hotel rooms. Yet, the extreme height limits in Vancouver doesn't allow developers to put 30-40 floors on top of a 30-40 story hotel. Some cities can get enough steady business that a hotel can be over 70 stories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westin_Peachtree_Plaza_Hotel Atlanta
The Marina_Bay_Sands in Singapore was possible, because nothing like the Vancouver building restrictions gets in the way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Bay_Sands#Expansion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JW_Marriott_Marquis_Dubai
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_hotels#Completed_or_topped_out
Friday, February 7, 2025
Oak Street Bridge and Granville Street Bridge
While Oak+Street continues over the Fraser River as a bridge, there is no Oak+Street+Bridge (OSB) over F. Creek. The city foolishly never even allowed for future clearance for a bus & bike bridge over F. Creek. From the Fraser River to F. Creek, Oak Street should have been mostly for northbout travel.
Right now, the Oak+Street-Granville+Street+Corridor has 12 lanes. That's because they are both 6 lane streets. Simply by moving the centerline over one lane, they each can provide 4 lanes one way & 2 lanes the other way. A reconfiguration of 4+2 lanes or even 5+1 lanes.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Granville+Street+Bridge
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Oak+Street+Bridge
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Oak+Street+Bridge+and+Granville+Street+Bridge
From Granville-town to Vancouver City
Somehow Granville was never allowed to become much more of a grand street downtown.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Street#History
https://heritagevancouver.org/top10-watch-list/2010/4-downtown-granville-street/
https://onthisspot.ca/cities/vancouver/granville
There should have been a wide Granville+Street+Bridge over the Fraser River, in addition to the GSB over F. Creek. Then 4 lanes of Granville+Street could be for southbound traffic and 4 lanes of Oak+Street for northbound traffic.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Granville
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Oak+Street+and+Granville+Street
Thursday, February 6, 2025
A proposed car-free transformation of the Granville Entertainment District
This was supposed to be a surface transit mall, but now there is a desire to just have it as a pedestrian mall.
Granville_Mall should have been designed to eventually have an underground bus, streetcar or tram-train level, several decades ago. The current GSB should have been modified to have a lower transit deck. Unfortunatly, each version of the GSB wasn't designed to have a lower deck.
The First Granville Bridge: 1889-1909:
Just getting a basic bridge across the creek was challenging enough. Thus, there was no reason for the-first-Granville-Bridge to have a provision for a lower level for such a provincial backwater.
The Second Granville Bridge: 1909-1954:
The 21st century was too far away for backwards Vancouver to think big, so the 2nd Granville-Street-Bridge was also designed with no provision for a lower deck & wider sidewalks.
The Third Granville Bridge: 1954 – Present"
The 3rd Granville-Bridge also had no provision for a lower deck for public transit in the 1950s. Since it was intended to be an expressway bridge for a cancelled city freeway plan, there was no need to have wide sidewalks and a lower-deck for streetcars or tram-trains. Unfortunatly, no one seriously considered that the 2nd Granville-Bridge should have been kept as a streetcar or bus and bike crossing, with widened sidewalks. Indeed, the two bridges could have worked well together.
https://placesthatmatter.ca/location/granville-st-bridge 3 strikes & this Vancouver bridge is out, not quite. The reconfigured GSB loses 2 lanes, but gets 2 bike lanes & wider sidewalks. Unfortunatly, still no lower deck for a potentially revived streetcar line. Vancouver was one of the first cities to get rid of its streetcars in the 1950s and will be one of the last cities to revive them. Of course Seattle & Portland would reinstate some of their streetcars long before slow-moving Vancouver ever will.
