https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gardiner-expressway-construction-time-halved-1.7615052
https://www.blogto.com/city/2025/04/gardiner-expressway-construction-time-lapse-toronto/
https://www.gftinc.com/project/gardiner-expressway-section-5-detailed-design/
https://www.grascan.com/projects/new-ramp-construction/
https://undergardinerprp.ca/ https://thebentway.ca/
https://torontolife.com/city/admire-gardiner-expressway-not-tear/
https://nanaimobulletin.com/2026/05/19/car-crashes-into-sushi-restaurant-in-downtown-nanaimo/
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/05/19/vehicle-crashes-into-downtown-nanaimo-restaurant/
https://www.reddit.com/r/nanaimo/comments/1thubmm/car_crashes_into_sushi_restaurant_in_downtown/
While side streets and regional major streets don't unusually have protective side barriers, bridges should, along with having a traffic divider.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge
https://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/en/george-washington-bridge/history.html , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPVRdR4EKSY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge#Planning
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge#Decks The upper level opened on October 25, 1931 - Although the lower level was part of the original plans for the bridge, it did not open until August 29, 1962.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge#Road_connections
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge#Non-motorized_access
https://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/en/george-washington-bridge.html
Truck stuck under overpass on George Washington Bridge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw5pNZQQ3tU
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1tfsdxg/long_lost_days One of the few major streets within Vancouver to be at least 6 lanes wide. However, with curb lane parking it just becomes another 4 lane corridor in BC.
https://www.vancouverarchives.ca/wp-content/uploads/cropped-a9b22bf7-d985-4372-9650-7a51afbe5f94-2010-006.161-2-3.jpg This part of Granville used to have 6 lanes. The 1970s mall reduced it to just 2 lanes, causing an instant bus bottleneck-chokepoint. A 4 lane compromise still would have allowed for wider sidewalks. A 4 lane transit mall could have allowed for a constant passing lane when another bus has stopped. It was as if someone didn't want to have an efficient bus corridor for express buses, as well as local busses. When a local bus stops on a 2 lane street, its impossible for an express bus to pass, especially when there is a stopped bus on the other lane, also preventing any express bus to pass.
Several cities around the world still have wide streets, boulevards and avenues with 8-10 lanes. If Vancouver had allowed some 8 lane wide streets, 2 curb parking lanes would still provide 6 traffic lanes. Then, if 2 lanes were for buses, there would still be 2 lanes each way for general traffic.
The public and then the planning department (after being pressured) were firmly against having freeways within the city limits during the 1960s and 70s. However, there still should have been enough logic to allow for wider streets so that it would be easier and more efficient to have a bus lane each way.
As of 2026, no bridge within the Vancouver city limits has 8 lanes and only two bridges have 6 lanes. One has 5 lanes and then there are four 4 lane bridges and the 3 lane Lion Bridge joke.
All of the Vancouver bridges are so narrow that there was no provision for any future bus lanes. Plus, 2 bridges each had 2 lanes removed that could have been used for buses. Congestive transportation planning is the name of the game for backwards Vancouver. If there ever was a city that needs a series of bus bridges, it would be stubborn Vancouver.
Even the Greater Vancouver region is lacking in having a series of bus bridges, especially since the Skytrain isn't a 24 hour system.
https://www.vancouverarchives.ca/2011/04/18/how-did-harland-bartholomews-ideas-shape-vancouver
https://archive.org/details/vancplanincgen00vanc The Bartholomew Plan published in 1928.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouver-archives/albums/72157626484421302/
https://globalcivic.org/harland-bartholomew/
https://www.urbanstudio.sala.ubc.ca/2010/lectures/Sept21_presentations/2_TheBasics.pdf
https://samsullivan.ca/taking-a-closer-look-at-the-legacy-of-harland-bartholomew-and-his-plan-for-vancouver-2 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIuAk1TIKHo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64SisMwIuY
Another illogical lane reduction project. Broadway was for the most part, always 6 lanes, 7, if you count the turning lane at major intersections. The train isn't a 24 hour service, so its important to always have 1 bus lane each way, especially if the train is shut down for an occasional emergency. Then there still should be 2 general lanes each way, because this isn't supposed to be a small town street or avenue.
This, combined with so many 4 lane bridges, ensures that BC bottleneck-chokepoint planning remains firmly entrenched.
A 5 car Vancouver train is expected to do the job of a 9 car Montreal Metro train. That's because a short Vancouver train can run a little more frequently than a 9 car Montreal Metro train, during even the most busy times of the day. Of course many proper cities have long big-city trains, because they aren't under anything like small thinking Vancouver, or a backwater BC mentality.
The standard short trains, narrow bridges & narrow streets and short buildings, are all part of holding the scale of Vancouver back. Apparently, if you can't build a wall around Vancouver, the next best thing is to continually plan and build symbolically for a provincial backwater of a city.
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/05/14/granville-bridge-death-was-preventable-say-advocates/
While the Granville+Bridge needs to have a higher fence like the Burrard+Bridge, there is another remaining pending danger.
There is no central safety barrier to prevent head-on collisions. Whether a person becomes disoriented, or actually wants to crash into traffic from the opposite direction, there is no traffic divider.
The sidewalks could have been made a little wider in a way that there still could have been enough space for a traffic divider.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1td85mt/iio_investigates_womans_death_after_ninehour/
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Granville+Bridge Was 8 lanes, now 6, but with 2 bike lanes and wider sidewalks.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Burrard+Bridge Was 6 lanes, now 4, but with 2 bike lanes & already good sidewalks.
Unfortunately, both bridges have no middle safety barrier to prevent head-on collisions, despite their recent modifications.
The Pattullo+Bridge was too narrow to ever have a traffic divider. Fortunately, its 4 lane replacement does have a central divider.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Knight+Street+Bridge Only 4 lanes in the middle, but has a traffic safety barrier. The KSB really needs a bus and bike bridge next to it.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Oak+Street+Bridge A traffic divider was eventually installed, but the narrow bridge was never designed to have 2 emergency lanes, or 2 wide shoulders. There especially was no consideration to have 2 bus lanes on the OSB. Since there is no 24 hour train service to the airport, there should be a parallel bus and bike bridge.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Arthur+Laing+Bridge While it does have a traffic divider, there are no wide emergency lanes or wide shoulders. There isn't even enough space for 2 bus lanes. Thus, a bus and bike bridge really should be built next to it.
https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/agriculture-shippers-call-for-replacement-of-north-shore-cn-rail-bridge-12291086 This BC bottleneck-chokepoint mentality is ridiculous!
Unfortunately, due to a lack of properly planning for future infrastructure needs, the Thornton_Tunnel and the Second_Narrows_Rail_Bridge weren't designed to be double tracked.
The New_Westminster_Bridge is also another single track, bottleneck-chokepoint.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Westminster_Bridge#Proposed_changes
https://www.nsnews.com/economy-law-politics/vancouver-council-calls-for-reopening-of-container-truck-entrance-to-port-clark-drive-11231559 More trouble and in efficient B$.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1t9pgs8/lions_gate_bridge_at_night_oc The classic 3 lane BC bottleneck-chokepoint. No need for a bus and commuter train tunnel around there, because that's what a proper city would do.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/1teae3s/another_beautiful_post
The Race To Fix The World's Most Isolated Mega-Port https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81CLKTJnw7I
In Melbourne, its just a matter of finally getting around to getting a huge port upgrade accomplished.
Unfortunately, in Vancouver things are more difficult to do. Key freight rail bridges are still only single tracked.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-mayor-city-climate-bylaws
So, after all threes years, no money went towards a city and a regional bus bridge network. The existing bridges are too narrow to accommodate 2 express bus lanes, so there should have been parallel bus bridges built by now.
The Canada Line wasn't designed to have at least 5 car trains, only a 2.5 car joke of a train, someday. Since 2009, only 2 car trains have been running, when there should have been 3. Despite the ridiculously short stations, there should have been modifications to have at least 3 full-size cars by now. Its as if not enough funds still haven't been put towards such a short train , since 2009.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpEoJia-4ns Fortunately, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth don't have similar restrictions as Sydney. However, NSW still has less imposed restrictions and impediments as backwater BC.
Backwards+Vancouver B$ logic should never make it to Sydney, or any other properly functioning city. Fortunately overall, NSW never was overtaken by anything like the BC Mind Virus (BCMV). Otherwise, Sydney would also have narrow bridges, short trains and mostly short buildings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_Martin_Place Over 60 levels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotia_Tower Not even 40 levels.
Vancouver still won't allow any office tower to have 40 floors, let alone 50 or 60.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11841417/metro-vancouver-three-minute-meeting-members-pay-500-dollars/
Apparently, its better to waste money on overpaid managers, rather than putting it towards bus and train bridges and improved highways overall.
10 Lane Narrows Bridge in Perth Australia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6mVXcX-4h4
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trifecta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifecta#History
Ideally, for some small thinking cities, the plan is to symbolically have mostly short buildings and short trains and mostly narrow bridges.
That seems to have been the goal of Vancouver over the past several decades. In contrast, Brisbane after its Expo 88, was able to really go into big city planning mode, because it doesn't have anything like the excessive Vancouver restrictions holding it back.
1 The+Typical+Vancouver+Size+Stump+Building No office tower has been permitted to have a 40th floor. https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Stumpy+Post+building+in+Vancouver Never-mind 40 or 50 stories, it wasn't even allowed to have 25 floors.
2 YVR-Canada+Line A 2 car joke of a train.
3 Lions+Gate+Bridge A 3 lane joke of a bridge.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=backwards+Vancouver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2m4n1tUYVM This is heading northbound and shows the proper wide sidewalk that's on the east side of the bridge.
For some reason the sidewalk on the west side of the bridge was made too narrow. Had the sidewalk been as wide as the one on the east side of the bridge, the Vancouver planning department wouldn't have likely reduced a lane. Of course if the city would ever build a proper bike bridge beside the Cambie Bridge, then perhaps the 6th lane might be reactivated.
A 6 lane Cambie bridge is better than a 5 lane version, or a former 6 lane Burrard Bridge reduced to 4. If both bridges had bike bridges next to them, then 2 lanes of each original 6 lane bridge could have been for busses. However, that goes against the congestive planning agenda that is backwards Vancouver.
The late 1950s, 6 lane Iron Bridge should have had 2 wide emergency lanes and 2 wide shoulders. Then, the Iron Bridge could have been gradually modified to have 4 lanes each way, plus a bus lane each way. However, having a 10 lane bridge is what a big city would do. Unfortunately, Vancouver city planning has become so engrossed with perpetuating a small city agenda over the decades.
When most of the regional bridges were built, there was no concept or interest in having them wide enough for bus lanes and wide emergency lanes and wide shoulders. Congestive transportation planning or stunted infrastructure, is one of the best ways in demonstrating a local reluctance to properly build big for the future. Who knows where all the money went over the decades, because it doesn't look like enough of it went towards building wider bridges and having longer trains and stations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_86
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_86#Fair
Unlike highly restrictive Vancouver, Brisbane started to allow taller buildings, wider bridges and longer trains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Expo_88
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Expo_88#The_Fair
No office tower in Vancouver has been allowed to have a 40th floor. No Vancouver bridge is allowed to have 8 lanes. Only some of the newest Skytrains have 5 cars, but certainty not 8-10. That would go against the congestive transportation mentality of BC.
The VMV and the BC Mind Virus are so firmly entrenched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlJHHuLdOj0
Unlike backwards Vancouver, Seattle, WA has longer underground stations, just like Edmonton has. Longer stations make it easier to have longer trains.
The Narrows Bridge in Perth, WA, Australia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6mVXcX-4h4 It has 5 lanes each way and 2 commuter train tracks. The Homer_M._Hadley_Memorial_Bridge is part of an 8 lane I-5 crossing with 2 LRT tracks. The Samuel-De_Champlain_Bridge has 8 lanes, plus 2 REM commuter train tracks. These 3 fantastic bridges were all possible, because they aren't in heavily restrictive Vancouver. Plus, WA and Que. never wanted to adopt the BC-B$ approach to things.
Unfortunately, in backwards BC, the 1st two Skytrain lines only have 80m stations and the YVR-Canada Line has 50m joke stations. Some of the stations on the first 2 lines might have enough level clearance to only have an extra car at either end of a lengthened platform.
However, the shortsighted Canada Line wasn't designed to eventually accommodate 5 car trains, just a 2.5 car joke of a train, someday. It was as if someone thought that there was no need to have enough level clearance so that the very short stations could be double or tripled in length eventually.
At least by 2025, the first SkyTrain line was running some 5 car trains. Unfortunately in 2026, the 2nd Line and the 3rd Line are still only running 2 car joke trains. Every Skytrain line should have had stations designed to eventually accommodate 8-10 cars trains, but that's what a proper big city would do. Backwards Vancouver wants to hold out for as long as possible, by symbolically building small.
Vancouver has been so slow and lacking in having a proper regional ferry service. Just like there isn't a series of regional rapid bus bridges.
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/travel/vancouver-ferry-service-bowen-island-gibsons-12153260
How can a city have such a multigenerational problem with providing proper big city transportation infrastructure? If its not part of a conscious agenda through the decades, then its like there is something like a Vancouver Mind Virus (VMV) which prevents the city from thinking and building on a big scale.
Fortunately, nothing like a VMV even made it from backwards BC to NSW.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Sydney_Harbour_ferries#2010s_and_2020s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Sydney_Harbour_ferries#1990s_and_2000s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Sydney_Harbour_ferries#1980s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Sydney_Harbour_ferries#1970s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Ferries#Network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parramatta_River_ferry_service
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-mark-v-trains-incoming-arrivals-april-2026
While the Montreal Metro can run 9 car trains and Auckland is planning to eventually have 9 car trains, the 1st Skytrain line can only run 5 car trains. The 2nd and 3rd Skytrain lines are still only running 2 car joke trains.
Combine that with mostly narrow regional bridges, and BC is clearly maintaining its congestive transportation agenda.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Expo_88 This city was able to do so much after their expo, because they didn't have the same restrictions imposed upon them like what Vancouver has.
https://www.bie-paris.org/site/en/1988-brisbane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane#Tourism_and_recreation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane#Transport
It would be disastrous if Brisbane took the Vancouver approach to things.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busways_in_Brisbane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Schonell_Bridge Unfortunatly, such a nice bus and bike doesn't exist in backwards Vancouver. The whole region could greatly benefit from a proper bus and bike network. Most of the bridges in Greater Vancouver are so narrow, there isn't enough room for separate bus lanes. Most of the sidewalks and bike lanes are also too narrow.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translink_(Queensland)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridges_over_the_Brisbane_River#Major_bridges
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Brisbane#Tallest_buildings
