https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=besUtMqzjMA
UTL is about exploring past, present and future urban technologies in science and fiction, etc...
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Highway 99 Tunnel Program Update
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvaPpt2R69Y
A parallel bridge or tunnel should have been built decades ago.
There should have been 3 + 1 express bus lane each way, but also a temporary HOV lane each way. Then eventually, becoming 4 general lanes each way with the 5th becoming a totally separate BRT line each way.
Unfortunately, no 10 lane tunnel, just like no 10 lane bridge. Thus, whenever the 8 lane tunnel finally opens, there should be serious planning for a parallel BRT and LRT bridge or tunnel.
An extension of the YVR-Canada Line to the mall and ferry terminal would be of great benefit. However, since BC doesn't have 24hr train service, 24hr BRT can fill in the gaps.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
New RapidBus ride between Park Royal and Metrotown starts early September
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R2_Marine_Dr Finally, a better connection between Park_Royal_Exchange, Lonsdale_Quay, Phibbs_Exchange, Kootenay_Loop and Metrotown_station.
https://www.translink.ca/plans-and-projects/projects/bus-projects/r2-marine-willingdon-rapidbus
https://movementyvr.ca/r2-and-brt/
https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/metrotown-to-north-shore-rapid-transit.aspx
Unfortunately, 2 bus lanes weren't added to a widened Iron Bridge, or a parallel bus-bridge. A North Boundary Road bus-bridge over the Inlet and a South Boundary Road bus-bridge to Richmond, would dramatically improve bus connections between the North Shore and Richmond.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RapidBus_(TransLink)
https://www.translink.ca/plans-and-projects/projects/bus-projects/rapidbus-projects
Monday, August 24, 2026
BRT in backwards BC
Of course Greater Vancouver really needs a big city BRT network, but unless a proper series of bus and bike bridges are built, its all just a Half-A$$ED joke of an attempt.
https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/about/projectoverview Of course the new bridge opened without any express bus lanes, especially no BRT corridor. Yet, Skytrain isn't a 24hr system, but a bus can be.
https://www.railforthevalley.com/tag/brt
Reykjavík, Iceland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reykjav%C3%ADk
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Reykjavik
The BC part of Canada has more than 10 times the population of Iceland.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_Region_(Iceland)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reykjav%C3%ADk#Roads Once an urban area is busy enough, there should be a 3rd or 4th lane each way, so that there can be a bus lane or express bus lane each way. Of course, a proper BRT system requires its own right of way. Thus, its usually separated from the general traffic lanes.
Reykjavík has some overpasses and a bridge that are at least 6 lanes wide.
A key overpass with four lanes each way. This already has enough space for eight lanes.
This already has the space for three lanes each way. Nine lanes with enough space for 10.
In contrast, the Knight+Street+Bridge between Vancouver and Richmond becomes a classic 2 lane each way BC bottleneck-chokepoint. Unless a parallel bus and bike bridge is built, it will remain as an inefficient crossing. A parallel bridge could have 2 express bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes, plus 2 wide bike lanes and 2 footpaths. Two truck lanes would also be good, since Greater Vancouver is supposed to be a major port region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keflav%C3%ADk_International_Airport
There is enough space for this to be a big airport, someday.
Saturday, August 22, 2026
The 14 lane George Washington bridge vs...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH6Q8yWjYpM There are wider sections of freeways in the US, but the double deck GWB has the most lanes.
Wow, in backwards Vancouver, or almost anywhere in backwater BC, just having 2 lanes each way is tough enough. A consistent 3rd lane each way could be for busses and a 4th lane for HOVs. Given that Greater Vancouver is supposed to be a major port region, several of the bridges should also have a truck lane each way. However, there is only one bridge in backwards BC that has 5 lanes each way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Mann_Bridge#New_bridge Unfortunatly, it wasn't designed to have a lower deck. Such a lower deck could have had 2 freight train tracks, 2 commuter train tracks and even a provision for 2 BRT lanes.
Essentially, in any proper big urban area, the bridges should not only provide at least 3 general lanes each way, but a bus and HOV lane each way. That's 5 lanes each way, plus on some crossings that are closer to port activity, there should even be a 6th lane each way. That's the case with the Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges. Unfortunately, unlike Queensland, BC has been very reluctant towards bridge duplication or twinning.
https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/bus-hov-lanes-different-2918490
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1d3fixq/hov_and_bus_lanes_how_to_deter_abuse/
While Australia has Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane as its major Pacific Rim gateways, Canada just has provincial Vancouver, Victoria and Prince Rupert as port gateway cities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges#Design
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Gateway_Bridge_aerial4.JPG
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges#Duplication A 12 lane crossing.
The Port_of_Brisbane and the Brisbane_Airport are excellent port facilities in Queensland.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Brisbane#Facilities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Airport#Rail Far away from the inept transportation planning in Greater Vancouver, Brisbane was able to do things correctly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_line,_Brisbane Unfortunatly, backwards BC just can't seem to properly plan big city type infrastructure.
The YVR-Canada_Line is a total embarrassment!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Stations Not 150 m, not 100 m, only a 50 m level clarence was allowed for the stations. Even the first 2 Skytrain lines only have 80 m stations, when they should have almost been twice as long.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Technology Aparently, the inept planning was due to cost saving measures. Thus, instead of designing the stations to be long enough to accommodate 5 car trains, they were only designed to ultimately have 2.5 car trains. Since 2009, the Canada_Line still only has 2 car joke trains.
The Tilikum_Crossing in Portland vs the North_Arm_Bridge between Vancouver and Richmond. The Tilikum_Crossing accommodates 2 bike lanes, 2 footpaths, 2 MAX-LRT tracks, 2 articulated_bus lanes and even streetcars can cross on it. Such a fine bridge just hasn't been allowed in BC.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/NorthArmBridge.jpgFriday, August 21, 2026
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Chemtrade and North Vancouver
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chemtrade+Electrochem+Inc.
By now, there should have been a North Boundary Road bus & bike bridge. Such a bus & bike bridge could be built in a way that isn't too disruptive to Orcas+Snow+Removal and Chemtrade+Electrochem+Inc., or any other businesses.
There should have also been a Willingdon Avenue bus & bike bride over the inlet by now. Instead, a 3 lane each way Iron Bridge is supposed to handle not only the TCH traffic, but regional traffic & truck traffic in what is supposed to be a major port region.
The Iron Bridge is so narrow, because there wasn't any serious consideration to have 2 emergency lanes, 2 wide shoulders and especially no bus or HOV lanes. Of course there should have been a parallel LRT bridge built there several decades ago, as well.
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
A look inside Broadway-City Hall Station's future Canada Line-Millennium Line interchange
It really would have been nice if the YVR-Canada Line was able to run 5 car trains by now. Unfortunately, due to inept transportation planning in the BC part of Canada, the stations were only designed to accommodate 2.5 car trains.
A 2.5 car train fits right in with a 3 lane Lion Bridge that was never augmented with parallel BRT and LRT train tunnels.
Backwards Vancouver and backwater BC, are some of the best places in the world to see inept multigenerational transportation infrastructure.
Friday, August 7, 2026
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Historic photos show Stanley Park more than 100 years ago
https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/via/images/historic-images/vancouverarchives/stanley-park-100-years-1920s-entrance.jpg;w=960;h=640;bgcolor=000000 A nice wide public walkway. Unfortunately, due to a lack of a proper big city vision, no 4-6 lane wide right of way was ever established through the park.
https://stanleyparkvan.com/stanley-park-van-road-stanley-park-causeway.html
The 3 lane wide option was never followed-up with a lower 3 lane tunnel. So, instead of 3 lanes each way, everything is funneled into just 3 lanes.
https://council.vancouver.ca/000203/pe3.htm Thus, no need to have a bridge designed to be strong enough to have at least two 3 lane decks.
In Vancouver and backwards BC in general, its very difficult to build infrastructure for long-range future capacity.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Stanley_Park_Labeled_Aerial_Map.png
After several generations, Stanley_Park has remained as a provincial gateway to backwater Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Park#21st_century
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia_Highway_99#Vancouver
While no one was able to stop the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal from being built, too many people still don't want Greater_Vancouver to have a proper big city train and highway link between West_Vancouver and Downtown_Vancouver.
Fortunately, the BCMV never made it to Sydney, NSW and SF, CA. Thus, their CBD or downtown has good rail and highway links.
However, it was almost like part of the Vancouver MV made it to Auckland, NZ.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland_Harbour_Bridge#Clip-ons_(1967%E2%80%931969)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland_Harbour_Bridge#Alternate_proposal A parallel bus, bike and train bridge should have been built decades ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Harbour_Crossing,_Auckland#2023_Waitemat%C4%81_Harbour_Connections_proposals
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/waitemata-harbour-connections
https://infrastructurepipeline.org/project/additional-waitemata-harbour-crossing
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2026/05/27/build-this-brilliant-bridge
Monday, August 3, 2026
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
A Commercial-Broadway rental housing tower might need to be redesigned for an additional SkyTrain station platform and pedestrian bridge
It looks like dailyhive.com might be the only local media to effectively inform people about this potential transportation infrastructure blunder. Vancouver has notoriously not properly planned things for future capacity. A proper big city Commercial-Broadway_station is essential, so there should be enough clearance for another platform, when its needed. Thus, any new structure should be designed to allow for extra station space. There is just something inept about infrastructure planning in Vancouver and BC in general.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/YVRBroadwayStn.JPG/1280px-YVRBroadwayStn.JPG Platform 4 and what should be a potential platform 6 just west of it.Monday, July 27, 2026
Western Canada's tallest tower, gets green light from Vancouver City Council
There was a time when Vancouver wasn't allowed to have any building taller than the Great_Pyramid_of_Giza, then Ulm_Minster and then the Philadelphia_City_Hall.
The Harbour_Centre had to be less than a 3rd of the CN_Tower.
The stations on the first 2 SkyTrain lines are barely 2 thirds of the length of a Montreal_Metro station.
The Canada_Line only has 50 m stations compared to the 152.5 m Montreal_Metro stations.
For too long, anything that is symbolic of a proper big city was watered down or scaled back in provincial Vancouver. Indeed, Vancouver was supposed to perpetually be a half-sized city, or even a third of what a proper size city should be. The mostly narrow bridges still have no parallel express bus bridge, or BRT bridge built next to them.
If the project actually gets built as envisioned it will be taller than First_Canadian_Place in Toronto, Columbia_Center in Seattle, and a little taller than the Sydney_Tower and the U.S._Bank_Tower_(Los_Angeles). It still won't quite be as tall as Australia_108 in Melbourne or especially the Salesforce_Tower in SF.
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Dallas Skyline Will Look COMPLETELY Different by 2035
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ZhHjtnpUE
Dallas’ $8B Gamble: Rebuild the City… or Break It (2027–2029) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJitOoB0KoA
Why Dallas Is Spending Nearly $1B on this Bridge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gud50kcyJQs
Austin and San Antonio, the concept of a "Megaregion" already shapes your daily life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmxCw3v9U8I
Friday, July 24, 2026
TransLink's first European-made next-generation trolley bus to enter service in September
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-solars-trolley-bus-enters-service-september-2026
Unless there is a regional plan to build proper bus-bridges, the bus system will have too many many bottlenecks and chokepoints on the mostly narrow bridges.
The 4 lane Cushing+Bridge in Calgary was too narrow and congested for efficient east-west fast buses. So, a parallel bus-bridge was constructed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17_Avenue_SE_(Calgary)#17_Avenue_Transitway
Stubborn, backwards Vancouver refuses to follow what Calgary and several other normal cities have done. Fortunately, the Vancouver Mind Virus never reached Calgary.