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

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

Friday, December 12, 2025

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

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Boston’s Forgotten Streetcar Tunnels

The Secret Subway Beneath the City https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUMWXOUfJf4 

 Exploring the MBTA Green Line in Boston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vscyJqFong

The History of Boston’s Iconic Mattapan High-Speed Line | Making the Mattapan Line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSDfF-xWuwk

What Happened To Boston's Streetcars: A Brief History of the Boston Trolley Network https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CJR3xaK8vY  


Boston's Commuter Rail Network Evolution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uZnmaMVA-s

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

City of Vancouver exploring Olympic Line streetcar test revival after the 2026 FIFA World Cup

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-olympic-line-streetcar-demonstration-revival-proposal 

The city and greater urban region should have never gotten rid of the streetcars and interurban tram-trains. Now, its extremely difficult to bring them back. Fortunately, backwards Vancouver was unable to get Toronto, Melbourne and SF to get rid of their street railways. Those cities and many others just never had anything like a Vancouver Mind Virus or BCMV to thwart them. 

Of course Seattle & Portland would bring back some of their streetcar lines long before slow-moving Vancouver can.

Monday, November 3, 2025

Vancouver's Next Generation Streetcar Network Plan

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqDGu8Elysg 

Ironically, Vancouver should have been one of the first cities in the 1950s to state that streetcars & tram trains will still be essential in the far future. Especially, when most of the roads & bridges are so damn narrow, now it's difficult to have proper bus lanes. 



Canada Line SkyTrain Ride Richmond–Brighouse to Waterfront Station https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNQxWYtyoQY

Thursday, October 16, 2025

The VTA BART extension to San Jose is a mess

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZrrtF8Iy8k 

Is San Francisco's New Transit Center a Waste? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o3YX9SS2MU 

San Francisco's New 2 BILLION DOLLAR Subway! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zpRyg7zF10 

How San Francisco's Hills Saved its Streetcars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QIR_QRv3OA  

San Francisco's Muni Metro: Things You Didn't Need To Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S35ILOitdh4

SF Bay Area

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.

https://globalnews.ca/news/1946543/government-says-lions-gate-bridge-will-not-close-to-cars-come-2030 

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.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Pacific National Exhibition (PNE)

The Pacific_National_Exhibition, which is in Hastings+Park, should have been much bigger and better by now, but this is watered down Vancouver. https://www.pne.ca/hastings-park-access , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Park

https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pacific-national-exhibition-pne

https://www.pne.ca/about-us/history-legacy 

Generations ago, one could take a streetcar to the PNE. Of course it's still possible at the CNE.

https://vancouversun.com/news/this-week-in-history-1890-vancouver-gets-cutting-edge-with-an-electric-streetcar-and-light-system 

https://montecristomagazine.com/community/vancouvers-forgotten-streetcars#gsc.tab=0

https://kumtuks.ca/streetcars-and-metro-vancouver/

https://macleans.ca/culture/i-started-working-at-the-pacific-national-exhibition-when-i-was-12-it-was-a-wild-ride/

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/history/brief-history-of-pne-playland-1935285 

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pne-history-photos-vancouver  

https://604now.com/history-pne-vancouver-bc/ 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/heres-how-many-people-attended-the-pne-this-year (2024)

https://vancouversun.com/news/pne-draws-nearly-638000-people-the-highest-since-the-pandemic

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pne-fair-attendance-2024

https://www.chronicallyvintage.com/2014/08/a-vintage-photo-filled-look-at-history.html

https://evelazarus.com/the-pne-then-and-now 

https://www.echostories.com/backstory/pne-anniversary-book/


Unfortunatly, it hasn't always been a fun place.

https://hastingspark1942.ca/

https://hastingspark1942.ca/buildings-overview/

https://hastingspark1942.ca/history/momiji-gardens/



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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Hastings+Community+Park+and+Hastings+Park

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Vancouver used to have special electric sightseeing streetcars

 https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/history/photos-vancouver-electric-sightseeing-streetcars-11079520

The city and greater region have made damn sure that it's almost impossible to ever bring them back. It's all part of the PAY MORE & GET LE$$ mentality.


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

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

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Vancouver's forgotten streetcars and interurban trams

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/transportation-old/interurban-streetcar-hydrogen-rail-line-fraser-valley-bc-1942783

Fortunately, Toronto, NO, SF and Melbourne never got rid of all their streetcar and tram lines.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/downtown-vancouver-false-creek-streetcar-route-map

While backwards Vancouver wanted to be among the first cities to get rid of them, Vancouver will likely be one of the last cities to bring them back.

https://viewpointvancouver.ca/2021/04/06/a-bump-in-the-road-kits-points-hidden-streetcar-line/

Atlanta, SD, LA, Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle & Portland brought back some of their trollies in the form of modern LRT or tram-trains.

https://montecristomagazine.com/community/vancouvers-forgotten-streetcars

The sad irony is that Vancouver, Burnaby & NW really could have benefitted from following the Toronto, SF and Melbourne examples. 

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/history/last-ride-oak-streetcar-vancouver-1937040

https://www.facebook.com/groups/128486813979056/posts/1968090176685368

 https://maps.nicholsonroad.com/bcer/

https://humantransit.org/2010/02/vancouver-the-almost-perfect-grid.html

There used too be a streetcar route along Robson St., Denman St. & Davie St. A revived version of this could provide a nice downtown transit loop. However, that would go against the backwards mentality of Vancouver. Fortunately, the Vancouver mentality never made it to Atlanta & Dallas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Streetcar#Downtown_Loop_route_funded

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

Unfortunatly, Vancouver & BC are all about congestive planning.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/2026-fifa-world-cup-vancouver-1.7559067

With less than a year to go, its impossible to revive any streetcar lines, because that can take 5-10 years. There isn't even a network of regional bus bridges. Such inept transportation planning means that busses have to squeeze onto bridges that are mostly just 2 lanes each way. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-rising-costs-fifa-2026-world-cup-1.7573669

Despite the first SkyTrain line opening in 1985, it took until 2025 to start having5 car trains. The 2nd & 3rd lines are still only running 2 car trains.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/vancouver-short-on-hotel-rooms-silent-on-safety-costs-for-2026-world-cup/

Of course the city is decades behind in keeping up with having enough hotel rooms.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-hotel-shortage-2026-world-cup-1.7117696

https://vancouverfwc26.ca 

https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/vancouver-host-seven-matches-canada-stadium-bc-place


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Trams-Trains+and+Streetcars

Friday, July 11, 2025

How Bike Lanes have affected Vancouver's urban infrastructure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvkifuIjq9I The BSB was a 6 lane crossing that even had a provision for a lower deck intended for streetcars. Eventually, 2 lanes were removed & the lower deck was never completed. However, Vancouver was unable to prevent Seattle & Portland from reviving some of their streetcar routes.

The problem isn't bike lanes, it's the lack of interest to build a proper regional network of bus & bike bridges. Thus, if a proper bike bridge was built next to the Burrard+Street+Bridge, then 2 of its 6 lanes could have been for buses or at least HOV lanes. The lower deck could have still been for streetcars or tram-trains going between Vancouver & Richmond. The irony of backwards Vancouver is that it was one of the first cities to get rid of its streetcars & will likely be one of the last to bring them back.

The Fraser River Tunnel Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWhHJWKa6CQ Unfortunatly, this will still be a chokepoint or congested crossing.

Of course the new Richmond-Delta+Tunnel wasn't designed to be part of a rail link between the airport and the ferry terminal. There should have been 2 HOV lanes, as well as 2 bus lanes, but that would be a big-city 10 lane crossing. Instead, just an 8 lane tunnel with no train component. Eventually, a train and HOV bridge or tunnel will have to be built next to it. 

At least the first SkyTrain line can now have 5 car trains. However, the 2 car joke of a train still exists between Vancouver & Coquitlam, as well as between Vancouver & Richmond. The Montreal Metro can have 9 car trains and BART in SF can have 10 car trains. Such things are possible because they don't have a congestive BC panning mentality.


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Bike+Lanes

Saturday, May 17, 2025

The TTC streetcar to the CNE

 https://www.ttc.ca/news/2022/August/Take-the-TTC-to-the-CNE

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

https://www.ttc.ca/news/2024/August/TTC-increasing-service-to-The-Ex-for-CNE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhibition_Loop#Future

https://www.theex.com/getting-here/#public-transit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfront_West_LRT#Route_layout

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfront_West_LRT#Exhibition_Place%E2%80%93Dufferin_Gate_Loop_streetcar_connection

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

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

It would have been devastating if Vancouver's backwards mentality had convinced Toronto, SF & Melbourn to get rid of their streetcars & trams.

https://transittoronto.ca/archives/weblog/2024/08/14-lets_go_--.shtml

Playland and the PNE

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/playland-weekend-opening-wild-mouse

https://kumtuks.ca/streetcars-and-metro-vancouver/

https://scoutmagazine.ca/how-to-find-the-old-streetcar-scars-of-east-van/

https://buzzer.translink.ca/2017/04/from-rails-to-rubber-a-look-back-at-the-regions-transition-from-streetcars-to-buses/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/256850977796478/posts/3032980890183459/

https://montecristomagazine.com/community/vancouvers-forgotten-streetcars

https://stephenrees.blog/2008/03/11/vancouver-to-rebuild-granville-island-streetcar-route/

https://stephenrees.blog/2010/01/15/sneak-preview-inside-the-olympic-line-%E2%80%93-vancouver%E2%80%99s-2010-streetcar/

https://stephenrees.blog/2010/03/22/vancouver-says-goodbye-to-olympic-streetcar/

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-olympic-line-streetcar-future

https://buzzer.translink.ca/2015/08/a-history-of-the-14-hastings-in-vancouver-an-interview-with-planner-peter-klitz-about-the-iconic-bus-route/

While backwards Vancouver was so quick to get rid of its streetcars & tram-trains, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, New Orleans, SF, Portland, Seattle & especially Melbourne, retained or revived some of their lines.

https://transittoronto.ca/archives/weblog/2024/08/14-lets_go_--.shtml 


Friday, May 16, 2025

Edmonton's high level bridge streetcar

https://exploreedmonton.com/attractions-and-experiences/high-level-bridge-streetcar

Even though it's a small attempt, Edmonton was able to reactivate a portion of its old streetcar system.

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

https://www.edmontonstreetcars.ca/about/history

 https://www.edmontonstreetcars.ca/highlevelbridge

"It was designed from the outset to accommodate rail, streetcar, two-way automobile, and pedestrian traffic.[2] The original bridge design included three tracks on the upper deck: The middle track was for CPR trains, and the two outer tracks were for streetcars." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Level_Bridge_(Edmonton)

The High_Level_Bridge opened in 1913 & had 1 heavy rail track in the middle & a streetcar track on either side. Even by 2013, backwards Vancouver didn't have a triple track railway bridge within its city limits. Indeed, by 2025, its been tough enough to have a double track freight train bridge & a double track commuter rail bridge within the Greater Vancouver Region. Fortunately, the SkyTrain is at least double tracked, except for the end of the line in Richmond.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Level_Bridge_(Edmonton)#Modifications

https://globalnews.ca/news/3335890/wider-sidewalks-lrt-tracks-and-shared-use-paths-on-edmontons-high-level-bridge-to-be-studied/

Vancouver was one of the first cities to get rid of them and will likely be one of the last cities to bring them back. Things are more possible in Alberta, simply because its a separate jurisdiction & mentality than backwater BC.

The Streetcars of New Orleans

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_New_Orleans#Historic_lines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_New_Orleans#Current_lines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_New_Orleans#Current_rolling_stock

Friday, April 25, 2025

First Nation could buy Central 1 Credit Union office building next to Senakw

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/central-1-credit-union-headquarters-building-1441-creekside-drive-vancouver-senawk-squamish-nation

It should be replace with a big black, blue or sandy tower, becoming the tallest in the city. Unfortunatly, the lower deck of the BB, which was intended for streetcars, was never completed. Of course backwards Vancouver would be one of the first cities to get rid of its streetcars & tram-trains & will likely be one of the last to ever bring them back.

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

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Lions_Gate.jpg 

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