Showing posts sorted by date for query Pattullo Bridge. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Pattullo Bridge. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Thursday, April 2, 2026

The Pattullo Bridge replacement, so far

 https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/construction/bridge-opening/ 

There are still months of finishing touches.

https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/construction/current-works/ 

Over the course of the year, many more people will start to realize that despite there being adequate bike lanes, there are no bus lanes, no wide shoulders and especially no emergency lanes. Its currently still too narrow for all of that.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SurreyBC/comments/1omufv6/the_new_pattullo_bridge_will_gradually_open_to/  

In fact, the bridge was deliberately designed to be so narrow that there is only enough future deck space for either 2 bus lanes or 2 emergency lanes, but not both. For now, its just another 4 lane BC funnel.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/New+Westminster,+BC 

No lower deck for a potential truck connection between Surrey and Front Street and especially, no lower deck for a future LRT crossing.

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/pattullo-bridge-renamed-stalwasm-set-to-open-soon-11595501

It seems that whenever its possible, a 4 lane BC bottleneck-chokepoint is all that's necessary.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SurreyBC/comments/1rb4nmd/bus_connect_surrey_and_coquitlam/ 

It really would be a good idea to eventually have a couple of bus lanes on that bridge, especially since the Skytrain doesn't run 24 hours a day.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/New+Westminster,+BC/@49.2037496,-122.8791442,674m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x5485d8753ddb5097:0xeca8e918f64dfeee!8m2!3d49.2057179!4d-122.910956!16zL20vMDF2cXEx!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMzMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D 

Its still amazing how the SkyBridge (1990) was never built with 2 bus lanes, 2 bike lanes and 2 sidewalks. Such is the narrowminded planning methodology that is backwards BC.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyBridge_(TransLink)#Details   


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

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

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

Monday, March 30, 2026

Its Not Just About Bus and Bike Bridges

Bike bridges might not be able to totally solve the transportation mess that is Vancouver. However, its quite odd how Vancouver Cycling_Infrastructure is missing a crucial bit of transportation infrastructure. Indeed, many cities will build least 1 proper bike bridge. The Vancouver approach is to take traffic lanes away from existing bridges, or not even bother to build a bike bridge next to a congested bridge. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crossings_of_the_Fraser_River#North_Arm There should have been several bus and bike bridges in just this section alone. 

 https://bicyclenetwork.com.au/newsroom/2024/08/08/striking-perth-bridge-crosses-key-construction-milestone Unfortunatly, such a nice bike bridge in Perth isn't allowed in backwards Vancouver. 

https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/projects-initiatives/all-projects/metropolitan/causeway-path/

https://www.wsp.com/en-ca/projects/perths-boorloo-bridge If you are visiting Perth from Vancouver, you might cry when you realize what WA can do, simply because its not influenced or limited by the backwards BC mentality or mind virus.

https://www.destinationperth.com.au/listing/boorloo-bridge/3706 Unlike in backwards Vancouver, many cities build bike bridges so that they don't have to remove traffic lanes.

https://dissingweitling.com/en/project/swan-river-causeway-bridge 

https://www.buildingfortomorrow.wa.gov.au/projects/boorloo-bridge Unfortunatly, properly building-for-tomorrow is much more difficult in backwards BC than it is in WA. 

bike+bridge in the right spot can make a huge difference. A bus+and+bike+bridge can be a huge improvement, especially in the case of Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Region. 

The Arthur_Laing_BridgeOak_Street_BridgeKnight_Street_Bridge and the Queensborough_Bridge all could be improved simply by building a bus+and+bike+bridge next to them. These bridges are simply too narrow to accommodate 2 bus lanes, 2 wide bike lanes and 2 wide footpaths.

The narrow North_Arm_Bridge for the very short Canada Line trains, is another lost opportunity. There should have been 2 express bus lanes, since the little train doesn't run 24 hours. There should have been 2 wide bike lanes as well as 2 sidewalks. 

Perhaps it was designed to be in the tradition of the narrow SkyBridge between NW and Surrey. Unfortunately, the SkyBridge wasn't designed to help the old Pattullo Bridge by accommodating 2 bus lanes, 2 bike lanes and 2 sidewalks.

While the Pattullo_Bridge_replacement opened with 2 nice bike lanes and 2 footpaths, there was a deliberate decision not to open it with 2 bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes. Especially, no wide emergency lanes or wide shoulders. Its another instant classic BC bottleneck-chokepoint. 

Somehow the Metro_Vancouver_Regional_District still hasn't realized that a regional network of bus and bike bridges can really help the region's mostly narrow bridges. Plus, proper big city long trains. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_Line_(SkyTrain) Only started to run some 5 car trains in 2025.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Line Still usually only 2 car train with the option to run 4 and the potential to eventually run 5 car trains.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#Canada_Line Despite a building cost cutting measure, this joke of a train and its short stations still could have been designed with enough level clearance to allow for 5 car trains eventually. Unfortunately, this line was designed to ultimately just have 2.5 car, 50m trains. Since 2009, this line is still only running 2 car trains. 

Multigenerational congestion planning is all by design in backwards BC.


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=bike+bridges

Sunday, March 29, 2026

YVR-Canada Line and REM

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ouk0VifwM&t=42s Even if the YVR-Canada Line had to initially be built as a symbolically small city train, urban transportation infrastructure can be designed in ways that can double or even triple capacity to meet future demand. Unfortunately, its very difficult to build anything in BC with significant future capacity in mind.

Ultimately, the YVR-Canada Line should have had level station clearances to eventually be able to accommodate 10 car trains. Unfortunately, in typical backwards BC planning the stations weren't even designed with enough level clearance to accommodate 5 car trains. The joke that is the Canada Line only has a level station clearance of 50m to eventually accommodate just a 2.5 car train. 

Most other cities actually build long stations to accommodate long trains right in the first place. Or, at least allow for enough level clearance so that the stations can eventually be doubled or tripled in length. 

The YVR-Canada Line should have started with the Vancouver & Richmond segment, then the Vancouver and Horseshoe+Bay+ferry+terminal segment. Then finally, the YVR to Delta and the Tsawwassen+ferry+terminal

The SkyTrain Stations in Greater Vancouver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qg78Bmf1fk

Unfortunately, proper big city transportation planning is very difficult to achieve in backwards BC. So much is watered down in Vancouver.


Montreal’s Biggest REM Expansion Yet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G1oeIAfxDU&t=106s 

The Montreal REM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9O6RzsXIqQ 

While the REM was designed to help the Metro, it should have the capability to be gradually expanded. Eventually, REM trains should be lengthened from 4 car trains to 6 and even 8 car trains. 

In contrast, every Skytrain line should have been designed with enough level future station clearance to eventually accommodate a train as long as a 152.5 (500 ft.) long Montreal Metro train. The first 2 Skytrain lines have 80m stations and the joke that is the Canada Line only has 50m stations. 

While the first 2 lines can accommodate 5 car trains, the C Line wasn't designed to accommodate 5 car trains. Just 2.5 car trains, someday. 

Despite there being such a symbolic push for Vancouver to keep having short trains, narrow bridges and stumpy buildings, things are gradually changing in backwards BC. The Vancouver or BC Mind Virus should have been challenged decades ago, but too many loud people wanted to perpetuate the, KEEP THINGS SMALL AND INDEQUATE agenda.

Given how most of the bridges in Greater Vancouver are so narrow, there isn't enough room for proper bus and HOV lanes, or even wide emergency lanes. One would think that at least the trains & stations would have been designed to eventually be doubled or tripled in length. But that would go against the mutigenerational congestive planning agenda. That's why there still is only a 3 lane LGB when there should have been at least a parallel bus, HOV and train tunnel. The Pattullo+Bridge replacement didn't open with 2 bus and 2 HOV lanes, not even wide shoulders or emergency lanes. NW really likes the congestive planning approach. Of course the new tunnel between Richmond and Delta won't have an additional provision for a train tube. This will also help to perpetuate the congestive transportation mandate. 

Fortunately, Selective_door_operation technology can eventually allow more sensible transportation planners to enable longer trains. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_door_operation#International_variations , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdH5d1ZthmM 

This means that a 5 car Skytrain (85m) could eventually become a 7 car train, despite the 80m stations. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)_rolling_stock#Alstom_Mark_V Thus, an 80m train can become a 117m train.

A two car and 2.5 car (50m) train on the multibillion dollar Canada Line is so absurd and inept! With some slight station modifications, there could be a potential to eventually accommodate three, 20m cars at such short platforms. Then, once 3 car trains could become possible, its just a matter of having an extra 20m car at both ends of each train. A 5 car train of 100m is so much better than a 50m joke of a train. 

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


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=SkyTrain-Canada+Line

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

Monday, March 9, 2026

The narrow Pattullo Bridge Replacement

https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/construction/current-works Its a nice 4 lane bottleneck choakpoint. There should have been a provision for a lower deck for bus lanes, HOV lanes and LRT, but that would help to alleviate some transportation congestion.

It wasn't designed with that much future capacity in mind, just like the absurd Canada+Line. The SkyTrain-Canada+Line is still only running 2 car trains. The New stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge is only 2 lanes each way. This is congestive urban planning in BC at its best. Narrow bridges and short trains are some of the best ways to symbolically demonstrate a reluctance to accommodate future growth capacity. 

People aren't suppose to wonder where all the money went over the past several generations, because it seems that not enough funds have gone towards proper big city infrastructure.

 

Thursday, March 5, 2026

Why the Widest Freeway on Earth still Made Traffic Worse in Houston

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMwKgT4ZUvQ It is utterly foolish to not have enough space for a commuter train to run above, or in the middle or underneath the widest highways. 

https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/houstons-15-year-growth-three-charts Simply building wide roads like in Houston, L.A. and Toronto is just as bad as having mostly narrow bridges in Greater Vancouver.  

Whether its 10 lanes or 20 lanes wide, there should always be 2 dedicated bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes. While the highway will get clogged up during the day, at least the buses and trains can still get through quickly. 

The Pattullo+Bridge+replacement is only 2 lanes each way with narrow shoulders. It should have opened with enough space for 2 bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes, but that would go against the congestive urban planning mentality of BC.

The Samuel-De+Champlain+Bridge in Montreal is just as good as similar wide highway and train bridges in Seattle+and+Perth. All were possible, simply because they aren't limited by anything like the Vancouver and BC Mind Virus.

The narrow-minded Vancouver and BC approach is to try to funnel everything into just 2 or 3 lanes each way. Then there just isn't enough space to have 2 bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes. Greater Vancouver has certainly gone in the extreme opposite direction of Houston, L.A. and Toronto...

A wide Greater Houston highway has lots of space, but without 2 bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes, everything gets plugged up. In contrast, Greater Vancouver has most of its bridges and highways so damn narrow, there isn't enough space to accomodate a proper express bus and HOV network. 

This deliberate backwards BC bottleneck-chokepoint planning approach is totally absurd. 

There is no commuter train tunnel near the Lions+Gate+Bridge or even for the Massey+Tunnel+replacement. Thus, they are the best examples of BC choke-point urban planning. Despite having twice the lanes as the inept 3 lane LGB, the newer Iron+Bridge never had any emergency lanes. A bus and HOV bridge was never built next to it. Plus, no commuter train bridge. It's another fine example of BC choke-point, bottleneck planning. 

A north and south Boundary+Road bridge system would provide direct access between the North+ShoreRichmond+and+Delta, but that's what a proper big city would do. Backwards BC has quite a problem with thinking and building big. The 2 car Canada+Line is another example. Don't build it to at least have a 5 car train, just design it to only have 2.5 car trains, someday.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Houston#Transportation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_610_(Texas)#Lane_configurations There is a point when simply adding more lanes won't provide long-term improvement. However, when combined with dedicated bus and HOV lanes, other options become available. Especially, if there is rail rapid transit and commuter rail as well. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/METRORail While not as extentise as DART_rail, it still works like a tram-train. 

Of course longer streetcars or tram-trains are still slow on the actual surface street segments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne#System_upgrades 

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muni_Metro SF

Saturday, February 21, 2026

The Pattullo Bridge Replacement

 https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2026TT0025-000178 Its only 2 lanes each way for the foreseeable future. No bus lanes and no HOV lanes, it's just another classic BC funnel for congestion.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Four Lane Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-ING5Pfrdk 

The old bridge has 4 narrow lanes and no traffic divider. However, the new bridge won't have any bus or HOV lanes and no emergency lanes. 

Chokepoint-bottleneck planning remains firmly entrenched in backwards BC.

Saturday, January 3, 2026

The new bridge next to Pattullo Bridge

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

This new bridge should have had 2 wide emergency lanes and 2 bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes. While there is a potential for the bridge to eventually have 3 lanes each way, for the foreseeable future everything will just be crammed into 2 lanes each way. 

It was a mistake to not have designed this bridge to eventually have a lower deck for buses and LRT.

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 


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.

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

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

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

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. 

Saturday, November 22, 2025

Some Canada Mega-projects Under Construction

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwsOVZ-j7hg 

Oakridge_Park is on a much smaller scale than MetrotownBrentwood 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

Saturday, November 15, 2025

The sad joke that is the Pattullo Bridge

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattullo_Bridge 4 narrow lanes with only 1 sidewalk.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge 8 lanes, 2 train tracks and 2 sidewalks. Plus, a 4 lane tunnel underneath it. 

NW started out as a backwater BC provincial capital. In contrast, Sydney kept evolving into a mighty state capital on the Pacific Rim.


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

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Long-term plan to completely rebuild and expand Vancouver General Hospital

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-general-hospital-vgh-campus-redevelopment-preliminary-concept 

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://www.tmc.edu/about-tmc  

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


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. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/SkyBridge_from_SkyTrain_%285770458210%29.jpg/500px-SkyBridge_from_SkyTrain_%285770458210%29.jpg At the very least, this bridge should have had 3 tracks and 2 bus lanes, a bike lane and a sidewalk on a lower deck. There is only a middle service track and apparently, no provision for a bike lane and a sidewalk.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Westminster_Bridge Still, only a single track bridge for freight and passenger trains. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/New_Westminster_Swing_Bridge.jpg/960px-New_Westminster_Swing_Bridge.jpg This old single track bridge should have been double tracked on a lower deck and have at least 4 lanes on an upper deck. Then when the first 4 lane Pattullo Bridge opened, it might not have been quite as overloaded in its later decades. 

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. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Amtrak_talgo_train_crossing_steel_bridge.jpg/960px-Amtrak_talgo_train_crossing_steel_bridge.jpg Fortunatly, Portland didn't have a provincial backwater mentality like NW. Thus, they could build a lot more bridges. 
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/SteelBridgePano1.jpg/960px-SteelBridgePano1.jpg MAX light rail on the upper deck and Amtrack and freight trains on the lower deck. Fortunately, Oregon is far enough away from ever catching the BC Mind Virus. 
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Aerial_view_of_Willamette_River_crossings_in_Portland%2C_February_2018.JPG So many nice bridges in Portland. 
 
There is such a the lack of bridges between NW and Surrey.
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.  


Friday, October 10, 2025

Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Bridge_(Tokyo) Unfortunatly, such double deck bridges just aren't allowed in Vancouver and BC in general.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEjugfrP3wS/?img_index=2 

https://www.kanpai-japan.com/tokyo/rainbow-bridge 

https://www.alamy.com/rainbow-bridge-to-rainbow-town-daiba-tokyo-japan-image921088.html Tokyo has no problems with curves and loops. Unfortunatly, the Vancouver Mind Virus (VMV) and the BC Mind Virus keeps the city and metropolitan region as a warped mess just going round in circles.

https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/html/202403/202403_02_en.html 

https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20230828-132566/ 

https://www.tokyobybike.com/2014/08/tokyos-rainbow-bridge-by-bicycle.html 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Pattullo+Bridge+replacement Will open with only 4 lanes, not 6 or 8 and no provision for a lower deck. Another fine example of BC bottleneck planning. There just isn't any interest in correcting most of the chokepoints in Greater Vancouver. A key giveaway is the lack of funding for a regional network of bus-bridges. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Arm_Bridge This should have had 2 tracks for the airport and another 2 tracks for an eventual Vancouver-Richmond & Delta extension to the ferry terminal. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/North_Arm_Bridge_%284378906640%29.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/North_Arm_Bridge_shot_from_SkyTrain_3622.JPG

Friday, October 3, 2025

The outlook of B.C.’s economic action plan for 2026

 https://bcbusiness.ca/industries/invest-in-bc/the-outlook-b-c-s-economic-action-plan-for-2025-2026/ 

BC has so much red tape to resolve that Alberta & Washington State never had or had gotten rid of long ago. 

The transportation infrastructure is so lacking.

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Lions+Gate+Bridge A lingering sad 3 lane joke of a bridge. No interest in at least having a bus, truck and train tunnel near it. 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=YVR-Canada-Line A 2 car joke of a train.

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Pattullo+Bridge+replacement A modernern 4 lane joke of a bridge with no emergency lanes, let alone no bus and HOV lanes. Of course there is no provision for a lower deck to accommodate trains and trucks.