Saturday, March 16, 2024

BC Highway 1 - Colquitz River Bridges Widening

 https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation-projects/other-transportation-projects/colquitz-river-bridges

Finally, some bus lanes.

Bus Rapid Transit, Cushing Bridge, Calgary

Vancouver needs bus-bridges as much as Calgary, but of course Vancouver is slow to the party, once again. The 4 lane bottleneck, AKA the Cushing+Bridge in Calgary could have gotten the Vancouver Chokepoint Award. There aren't any HOV lanes or even emergency lanes, just 2 lanes each way. However, what transformed this BC type bottleneck in Calgary into a semi-decent crossing, was the simple addition of a bus & bike bridge. The Greater Vancouver Area should have had bus & bike bridges built next to all of the regional crossings decades ago. However, that would go against the congestive planning approach, which is so intertwined within backwards BC, but not in Alberta & Washington State.

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/city-says-theyll-try-to-minimize-deerfoot-disruption-during-brt-bridge-work

The Pattullo Bridge replacement shouldn't require a bus & train bridge to be built next to it, but it might eventually. If only it could have been properly designed in the first place to not just have 2 lanes each way, but 2 bus & 2 HOV lanes as well. Plus, built high & strong enough with a provision to allow for LRT and trucks on a lower deck. 

Unfortunately, no one seriously planned to have an express bus and an LRT line between NW & Surrey, because the Skytrain isn't a 24hr system. Overnight buses can't go on the Skybridge, because no one allowed for a provision to have a couple of bus lanes on it. Thus, the Pattullo Bridge replacement wont have any bus or emergency lanes. Even if someday the Pattullo Bridge replacement is widened from 4 to 6 lanes, there still won't be any emergency lanes and probably no bus and HOV lanes.

Light_rail_in_Sydney, NSW. Once again, BC falls so far behind. BC was so quick to get rid of its streetcars before the 1960s. Where as NSW has been gradually reinstating a modern version of their old tram lines.

New Tramways_in_Paris have been gradually added, but not in backwater BC. 


Unlike NW & Surrey, Portland_has_Streetcars & the MAX train which cross the river. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JvGTx4ufFo

https://www.travelportland.com/plan/portland-streetcar

MAX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpfRKqy96_E

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

There is just something backwards in the way that BC does things.

32-storey West End rental housing tower approved by Vancouver City Council

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/1065-pacific-street-vancouver-rental-housing-wall-financial-corporation

So many rental towers could be much taller, but the, keep Vancouver short & small mentality remains so firmly entrenched. A mixed income tower approach can offer more floors & suites for various income levels. However, curtailed buildings will simply just be more limited as to what they can offer.

BC is mostly mountainous, yet Vancouver is continually held back, due to the extreme building height restrictions. 


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Vancouver

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Surrey, BC

https://vancouversun.com/news/metro-vancouver-projected-to-hit-three-million-residents-this-year

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey,_British_Columbia

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-population-growth-immigration-2024-report

https://www.surreynowleader.com/local-news/surreys-population-1054376-by-2046-7312331

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-suburb-in-the-Metro-Vancouver-area-the-City-of-Surrey-is-one-of-the-fastest-growing_fig1_350529878

https://www.straight.com/news/future-lives-here-surrey-population-growth-rate-outstrips-vancouver-by-almost-double

 https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/surreys-population-grows-to-568000-with-certain-communities-seeing-10-growth-2985167

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-population-forecast

https://www.westerninvestor.com/where-to-invest/surrey-fastest-growing-bc-city-to-become-future-core-of-the-lower-mainland-3829729

https://www.biv.com/news/economy-law-politics/swift-growth-surrey-drives-citys-economic-engine-8265448

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220209/mc-a002-eng.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey,_British_Columbia#Current_transportation_network


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

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=BC

B.C.'s city planner shortage could slow housing progress

 https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/real-estate/bcs-city-planner-shortage-could-slow-housing-progress-8435105

Almost 2 dozen Switzerland areas can fit into BC. Yet, BC hasn't reached the population of one Switzerland.


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

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=BC


Thursday, February 29, 2024

Future-plans of-Burnaby-forests-tree-urban-forest-management-strategy

 https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/future-of-burnaby-forests-tree-urban-forest-management-strategy-8379402

Most of BC remains as a wilderness. Indeed, there are only a handful of major urban areas, so the wilderness isn't going away. Almost 2 dozen Switzerland's can fit inside of BC, yet BC has yet to reach the population of one CH.


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

Monday, February 26, 2024

Vancouver's Arthur Erickson Place achieves zero-carbon building certification

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/arthur-erickson-place-vancouver-zero-carbon-building

This could have been the first office tower in Vancouver to have at least 40 stories, but it wasn't even permitted to have 30 floors, due to imposed height limits. Calgary & Seattle never have had to endure such restrictions.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Vancouver Auto Show is returning after a four-year hiatus

 https://www.straight.com/just-announced/vancouver-auto-show-2024

Well, the cancel (car) culture hasn't been able to ban such vehicles from Vancouver & BC in general, so far.

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Sunday, December 31, 2023

No fireworks in Vancouver for New Year's Eve 2023

 https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/events-and-entertainment/no-fireworks-in-vancouver-for-new-years-eve-2023-8043481 Another fine example of the backward, watered down citie's mentality. Just because Vancouver gets a lot of rain, that shouldn't mean Vancouver has to water almost everything down, but it does. Throughout its existence, Vancouver has had a force or momentum to keep it as a provincial backwater. All through the decades & generations, Vancouver & BC keep adding red tape & so many regulations, which continue to stunt or truncate the place.

The City of Seattle unlike Vancouver, started to have a big city mindset in the early 1900s, especially by 1915. The Seattle_metropolitan_area is the largest in the Pacific_Northwest.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Seattle+space+needle+on+new+years+eve

While the Metro_Vancouver_Regional_District is the most populous in Western_Canada, the City of Calgary is still the largest in Western_Canada. Like Seattle, Calgary has a proper big city mentality. That mentality started to kick in during the 1960s.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Calgary+tower+on+new+years+eve

Unfortunatly, the No Fun Vancouver mind virus still occasionally reemerges. 


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=New+Year's+Eve

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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=BC , https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Canada

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Vancouver

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

The Tilikum Crossing in Portland vs. others

The Tilikum_Crossing is such a great bridge, that's why it's in Oregon and not in BC.

Portland's Tilikum Crossing: A Bridge for People, Not For Cars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIYPA7jyELs Its a fine example of a transit bridge that Portland, OR really needed, but might never be built in Vancouver, or anywhere else in BC.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Tilikum_Crossing_from_Ross_Island_Bridge_with_MAX.jpg

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


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Tilikum+Crossing+in+Portland

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Nippon Steel-US Steel deal to boost Japan's growth potential

 https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231219_33 This is big.

https://japantoday.com/category/business/storied-us-steel-to-be-acquired-for-more-than-14-billion-by-nippon-steel

https://investors.ussteel.com/news-events/news-releases/detail/659/nippon-steel-corporation-nsc-to-acquire-u-s-steel


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Nippon+Steel-US+Steel+deal

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Nippon+Steel+to+acquire+U.S.+Steel

The Tokyo Blade Runner Question

 https://thegaijinghost.com/blog/omoide-yokocho-tokyo-blade-runner-question

Japanese Aesthetics in Blade Runner Movie - NOT in the Original Philip K. Dick Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUeo2X72kJc

https://japanposter.co.uk/products/blade-runner-original-release-japanese-movie-poster-1982-b3-size

https://filmschoolrejects.com/blade-runner-anxieties-today

https://slate.com/culture/2017/09/blade-runner-s-influence-on-neo-yokio-and-other-anime.html

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2017-10-06/blade-runner-unbelievable-influence-on-anime/.122391

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/02/blade-runner-the-final-cut-review

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2021/11/05/tv/blade-runner-black-lotus

https://cdsvinyljapan.com/products/4548967465433


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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Nippon+Steel-US+Steel+deal

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Nippon+Steel+to+acquire+U.S.+Steel


Canada's passenger trains on shared tracks with freight trains

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-federal-bill-passenger-train-prioritization

By now, Canada should have had all of its major cities connected by new passenger lines so that there would be no conflict with freight trains. All the major urban areas should already have had transit+bridges wherever there was a reluctance to expand road or highway bridges.

Over 1,500 homes and a hotel in Surrey City Centre

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/13044-10392-king-george-boulevard-oviedo-towers-surrey

Since Surrey doesn't have the extreme control measures that Vancouver has, it will eventually become the largest city in BC.


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

Monday, December 18, 2023

Washington Avenue Bridge and the Tilikum Crossing vs...

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Avenue_Bridge_(Minneapolis) 2 lanes & 2 tram-train tracks, bike & walkways.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilikum_Crossing 2 tram train tracks & 2 for streetcars & buses. It's just so far beyond what's allowed in BC, especially in Greater Vancouver.


Both of these bridges should have been designed to have 2 bus & 2 bike lanes each, but that actually might help to relieve some of the congestion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skybridge_(TransLink) In spite of the regional congestion, no bus & bike lanes became part of the design. It's a fine example of inept planning in BC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Arm_Bridge No bus lanes & only 1 bike lane. 


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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Tilikum+Crossing

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Portland

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=transit+bridges 

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

Boston and SF

Boston is such a ridiculously small city with an area of 48.4 sq mi (125 km2) & less than 700,000 people.

"Boston is the second smallest major U.S. city in terms of land area after San Francisco that has 47 square miles." https://www.bostonplans.org/getattachment/86dd4b02-a7f3-499e-874e-53b7e8be4770#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20With%20a%20land%20area%20of,up%20the%20Commonwealth%20of%20Massachusetts.

However, the Greater_Boston Area has around 8.5 million people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Area#Boundaries

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-12844541/Just-cup-tea-Boston-celebrates-250-years-taxes-brew-sparked-revolution-JANE-KNIGHT-seeks-citys-best-cuppa-digesting-nuggets-history-way.html


San_Francisco is slightly smaller than Boston in land area, but it has around 81% of a million people. However, the San_Francisco_Bay_Area has around 9 million people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Area#Boundaries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tallest_buildings_in_San_Francisco , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tallest_buildings_in_Boston

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco#Transportation , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston#Transportation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco-Oakland_Bay_Bridge 10 lanes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_P._Zakim_Bunker_Hill_Memorial_Bridge 10 lanes

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Transit Malls

The transit_mall is a great concept, but there is always the potential for improvement.

Nicollet_Avenue in Minneapolis, was never wide like Woodward_Ave_in_Detroithttps://www.mlive.com/entertainment/erry-2018/04/57da31c03d/woodward_avenue_detroit.html

Back in the day, there just wasn't any reason to have Nicollet_Avenue to be as wide as Canal_Street,_New_Orleans or Market_Street_(San_Francisco).

However, Nicollet_Mall should have had 2 passing lanes, instead of only two lanes. Whenever a bus breaks down or there is some emergency, half of the Nicollet_Mall can easily get blocked up.

Fortunately, Portland,_Oregon decided not to follow the Minneapolis and Vancouver, BC examples. MAX_and_bus_side-by-side_on_Portland_Mall, this is so much better than funneling everything into just 2 lanes. The Portland_Transit_Mall remains as one of the best transit corridor examples. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Transit_Mall#Renovation_and_rebuilding

Granville_Street in downtown Vancouver used to be 6 lanes wide. While the initial concept of the Granville_Mall was a good idea, cramming everything into only 2 lanes became another quintessential Vancouver example of bottleneck & congestive planning. It's all part of the narrow-minded BC mentality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Mall,_Vancouver Of course right at some crucial blocks, the 2 lane segments provide great spots for congestion, all by design. Whenever a bus breaks down or there is some emergency, there isn't a passing lane. Thus, one side of the street remains blocked until the bus can be towed away. Of course it was considered to be a wise decision to have so many bus routes funneled through such a narrow corridor & then remain stubborn about improving the situation.

Reducing the downtown section of Granville_Street from 6 lanes to 4 would have allowed passing lanes for busses & the sidewalks could have still been widened. Plus, it would have been so much easier for emergency vehicles to get through as well. Unfortunately, Metro_Vancouver is all about creating congestion & inefficiency.

If one side of the street has a bus breakdown & the other side has some emergency requiring a bus to remain parked, there isn't an extra couple of lanes for emergency vehicles to pass on some blocks of Granville_Street. Again, it was deemed essential & appropriate to have such a bottleneck on what is suppose to be a high volume bus corridor.


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Transit+Mall

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Montreal bike lanes

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM5NmJyXEeM

Montreal BRT vs. Vancouver

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie-IX_BRT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie-IX_BRT#Future_plans

https://www.stm.info/en/about/major_projects/major-bus-projects/pie-ix-brt

An express bus route is already good, but BRT is even better.

https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/new-design-puts-rem-bus-rapid-transit-corridor-on-montreal-transit-map

https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal/montreals-new-pie-ix-rapid-transit-route-is-finally-opening-heres-where-you-can-go Slow to being implamented, but not as slow as Vancouver, BC. 

https://www.masstransitmag.com/bus/article/21286422/greater-montreals-pieix-brt-begins-operations

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/pieix-rapid-bus-transit-inaugurated-1.6639291 Unlike Montreal, the Vancouver approach is quite a sad joke. Unless Vancouver improves its bridges or at least allows some bus bridges to be built, it will remain as the quintessential example of what not to do.

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


bus 

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

The new ÃŽle aux Tourtes Bridge in Montreal

"The new two-span bridge, with three lanes in each direction, a shoulder wide enough for buses and a multipurpose path for pedestrians and cyclists, will be built just to the north of the current bridge..." https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/construction-is-underway-on-the-new-ile-aux-tourtes-bridge

It's always nice to see when another city doesn't Vancouverize its bridges. 

https://globalnews.ca/news/10163545/construction-new-ile-aux-tourtes-bridge-ahead-of-schedule/

At least the old ...Tourtes_Bridge was designed to have 6 lanes, but the new bridge will be able to accomodate 8 lanes. Thus, the 4th lane each way will be for buses & potentially other HOV.  Unlike in Vancouver, no 4th lane each way is allowed, even though that would allow for better efficiency with express bus & BRT. Apparently in Vancouver, its better to cram everything into inept & narrow bridges. Indeed, Vancouver is the epitome of bottleneck planning.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/off-island-residents-fed-up-as-work-on-ile-aux-tourtes-continues-1.6681316


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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=old+and+new+narrow+bridges

Shoreline, Washington

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoreline,_Washington , https://www.shorelinewa.gov

A lot of places are experiencing growing pains, because some regions are more popular than others.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_County,_Washington


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Shoreline

tesla's-new-facility-in vancouver bc

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/tesla-vancouver-new-facility-950-raymur-avenue

translink-r6-scott-road-rapidbus-launch-date-2024

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-r6-scott-road-rapidbus-launch-date-2024


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

Monday, December 4, 2023

Urban Data intersection

UDi is a counterpart to UTP.  

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/2023/12/urban-tech-portal.html

The BC part of Canada has so much potential, but there is all sorts of red tape, B$ & various restrictions. These restrictions & limitations haven't been adopted in Alberta, Ontario & Quebec. Thus, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto & Montreal are able to operate on a much larger scale than what is permitted in Vancouver & Victoria or BC in general. 

SFU-Burnaby-gondola-pushback-from neighbourhood

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/12/04/sfu-burnaby-gondola-pushback-neighbourhood/

The Portland_Aerial_Tram goes over some houses, but no one from BC could stop it. Of course not, because Portland is part of Oregon, not BC.

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

It has left some people with a bad taste in their mouth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Aerial_Tram#Objections_from_underlying_neighborhoods

What if you are on the toilet when the_Tram passes over? So while Oregon has been able to do some things that BC wont allow, the urban gondola-tram remains as a point of contention.


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

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

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=SFU+gondola

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Portland

us-federal-government-vancouver-seattle-high-speed-rail-funding-proposal

  https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/us-federal-government-vancouver-seattle-high-speed-rail-funding-proposal

Sunday, December 3, 2023

BC transit-oriented-development-legislation-and Vancouver-view-cones

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-transit-oriented-development-legislation-vancouver-view-cones

There has been a multigenerational plan to hold BC back in almost every way possible. Some just don't want more people moving into BC, so the infrastructure is symbolically kept small when compared to what's allowed in Alberta, Ontario & Québec.

There is also a general half-assed slow approach in BC, which hasn't caught on with Alberta, Ontario & Québec.

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/us-federal-government-vancouver-seattle-high-speed-rail-funding-proposal


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

surrey-langley-skytrain-station-names

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-langley-skytrain-expo-line-station-names

Saturday, November 18, 2023

To FIX the I-10 in LA

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEvQSq6fQUQ

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles#Infrastructure

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=LA%2C+CA

desperate-metro-vancouver-renews-35b-infrastructure-plea-to-feds

 https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/desperate-metro-vancouver-renews-35b-infrastructure-plea-to-feds-7848918

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/megathrust-earthquake-could-decimate-metro-vancouvers-water-system-says-report-5249363

The Lions Gate Bridge and a First Narrows Tunnel

 https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/5-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-lions-gate-bridge-6614814

The LGB is a crossing so narrow that it should have only been a foot & bike bridge by now.

The inept Lions+Gate+Bridge should have had an 8 lane tunnel under it several decades ago.

Georgia_Street through most of the downtown is 6 lanes wide, but as you get closer to Stanley Park, its 7 lanes wide. Thus, an 8 lane First_Narrows tunnel could have easily been constructed. 

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/west-georgia-complete-street.aspx 

While the likelihood of Georgia_Street feeding into the Georgia_Viaduct & then connecting East Vancouver & Burnaby with a freeway is not possible, Georgia_Street could still feed into a Stanley Park tunnel.

There would be no need for a freeway through the downtown, as a tunnel would simply provide a high capacity crossing. 3 lanes each way, plus a bus & HOV lane each way & even a provision for rapid rail transit. Essentially, an extension of the Canada (embassament) Line. 

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

The stubborn city & region chooses to continually do nothing with the First Narrows LION crossing. However, at least some serious planning has started for the Second_Narrows IRON Bridge upgrade or replacement. 

The Lion & the Iron bridges have been quintessential BC bottlenecks for generations. There really should have been bus & train tunnels and bridges built next to them several decades ago. Despite the region having 2 ferry terminals, there seems to be a reluctance with having the Canada (embarrassment) Line linking both of the ferry terminals. To do so would actually help to reduce congestion, bus backwater BC seems to be against relieving urban transportation congestion.


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Lion+Bridge+and+The+Iron+Bridge

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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Georgia+Street

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

vancouver translink-rapid-transit-brt-corridors-route-planning-finalized

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-rapid-transit-brt-corridors-route-planning-finalized

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Vancouver's west-end-waterfront-plan-english-bay-sunset-beach-draft-design

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/west-end-waterfront-plan-english-bay-sunset-beach-draft-design

vancouver broadway-subway-tunnel-opening timeline

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/broadway-subway-tunnel-boring-progress-opening-timeline

A Horseshoe Bay SkyTrain line to North Vancouver and Downtown Vancouver?

"A SkyTrain from downtown to Horseshoe Bay would provide a solution to the North Shore’s traffic crisis,..." https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/letter-horseshoe-bay-skytrain-north-vancouver-7753960

When the decision and implementation to put a major ferry terminal at Horseshoe_Bay in West_Vancouver was done, there didn't seem to be any sense of proper long-range urban transportation planning. It didn't matter if it was 2010 or 2020, there still seemed to be no need to build or at least an official plan for a rail rapid transit connection between the Horseshoe+Bay+ferry+terminal, Park Royal, downtown Vancouver and YVR.

https://www.vancouversnorthshore.com/neighbourhood/horseshoe-bay

https://www.bcferries.com/routes-fares/schedules/daily/HSB-NAN

The lack of an official plan to eventually link the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal and the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal to YVR might as well be just another science fiction story.

The Greater Victoria, Swartz_Bay_ferry_terminal should also have a long-term plan for an intercity rail link to Downtown_Victoria and connect with the Duke_Point_ferry_terminal and the Departure_Bay_ferry_terminal in Nanaimo.

For some reason, Vancouver, Victoria and BC in general, doesn't seem to want to be a leader in transportation planning & development.


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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Horseshoe+Bay

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Victoria's West Gate Tunnel project in Melbourne

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


Melbourne's Landscape https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJZaEbmlzRs

Montreal Metro

 https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/montreal-metro

It would have been total chaos if the Montreal_Metro (MM) only had 80m stations, just like on the first 2 SkyTrain lines. An absolute disaster if it only had 50m stations like on the very underbuilt Canada Line. Unfortunatly, Vancouver took the watered down approach, decades after what Montreal did right.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro#Rolling_stock

When starting in the 1960s, the MM could have 3 & 6 car trains and a 9 car train during busy times, in recent decades, it's just 6 and 9 car trains.

Streetcars and trams, along with buses, can help any Metro train or Subway system. Unlike Montreal and Vancouver, cities like Melbourne, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, SF and New Orleans, retained some of their tram or streetcar lines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPM-10 

articulated cars per train

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPM-10#Specifications

Of course a good urban transportation network keeps evolving and the REM trains are a nice addition. The REM trains should eventually be at least as long as those on the Sydney Subway.



https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Montreal+Metro

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

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

king-george-boulevard-brt-surrey-city-centre-newton-white-rock

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/king-george-boulevard-brt-surrey-city-centre-newton-white-rock-translink

Burnaby Metrotown Park Royal BRT route

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/burnaby-metrotown-park-royal-brt-route-translink

https://www.vancouversnorthshore.com/park-royal , https://parkroyal.ca/

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/new-westminster-marine-drive-marine-way-brt-22nd-street-station

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

There still should have been a Canada+Line extension from Vancouver to West Vancouver.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Subways, old and new trains

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7adaFZDPuw

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_transit_in_Germany#U-Bahn


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BVG_Class_H 6 per train set


Train length51.64 m (169 ft 5+116 in)

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

roberts-bank-terminal-2-project-bc-government-approval

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/roberts-bank-terminal-2-project-bc-government-approval

The Biggest Untapped Transit Opportunity in the USA?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oJXMyaNkDU trains

George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Massey_Tunnel#Replacement

https://www.highway99tunnel.ca/

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022TRAN0012-000176

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/george-massey-tunnel-new-replacement-bidding 


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Massey+Tunnel+replacement

Delta, BC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta,_British_Columbia

 https://letstalk.delta.ca/lu009522 , https://letstalk.delta.ca/lu009043

https://letstalk.delta.ca/72-ave

https://letstalk.delta.ca/highway91-17upgrades

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Burnaby,+BC/@49.1483018,-122.9455513,1517m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x548677a8219c8373:0xdd0a72738752b169!8m2!3d49.2488091!4d-122.9805104!16zL20vMDFkMjZ5?entry=ttu

bc-government-digital-permitting-tool-launch

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-government-digital-permitting-tool-launch

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Vancouver view cone review questioned

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/10/05/vancouver-view-cone-review-questioned/

Just put in more Vancouver stumps. The stump agenda is a clever way to hold back Vancouver, it's been that way for generations.


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

Saturday, September 30, 2023

SkyTrain-Canada Line rebuilding

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-canada-line-rebuilding

The YVR Canada+Line should have been called, the Financial Drainage Line. However, the Catheter Line seems more appropriate. That's because it would cost a lot just to attempt to bring the C+Line up to a proper big city airport+line standard.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/short-platforms-and-trains-is-the-skytrain-canada-line-under-built-and-nearing-capacity

Nevermind designing it to ultimately have 8-10 car trains, starting out with at least 5 car trains. A 2 car train is such a sad joke, but it all fits in with the reluctance to think & build big in BC. 

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-skytrain

Wow, someday the YVR-Canada-Line will be able to accomodate a 2.5 car train, but not a 5 car train. Apparently, a full length 3 car train & especially a 4 car train might actually look like an attempt to have a proper urban train. Even with all the construction budget cuts, the stations could have been built with at least a 152.5 m provision, instead of a 40-50 m, 2 car train of a joke.

This approach goes so well with the regions narrow bridges & its reluctance to build a network of bus & HOV bridges. 

Unfortunatly, it's not possible to take a train from the YVR-Airport_station to the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal or the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal. There doesn't even seem to be any official long-range plan to link to the YVR-Canada-Line.

https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/public-transportation

https://thecanadaline.com/station-guides/yvr-airport

https://www.translink.ca/schedules-and-maps/station/yvr-airport/schedule


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

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

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



. 


Thursday, September 28, 2023

How Vancouver’s skyline limits the construction of affordable housing

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuh3kwBjVqQ

TransLink ridership recovery reaches 90% of pre-pandemic volumes

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-ridership-recovery-vancouver-public-transit-september-2023

While the recovery is great, the Skytrain network should have been designed to have 152m stations like Montreal & Toronto, but that would mean big city thinking. So the 50m to 80m stations provide a constant reminder of the refusal to think big.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-transit-ridership-recovery-record

Just like the region should have a proper big city train, there should have also been a proper express bus & HOV system by now. However, with such a refusal to have wider bridges or parallel crossings, it's almost impossible to have a proper rapid bus network.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ironworkers-memorial-bridge-replacement There should be a couple of HOV lanes, as well as 2 bus lanes. Thus, any replacement for the Ironworkers+Memorial+Bridge should have 10 lanes. 

However, congestive planning always wins out & who know where all the money has gone over the past several decades?

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-vancouver-demand-extensions

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/commercial-broadway-station-broadway-grandview-woodland-plan-skytrain Brentwood Station, no problem. However, allowing such a crossroads station at a similar scale is too upsetting for the backwater Vancouver mentality.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/city-of-vancouver-car-vehicle-traffic-reductions-broadway Another fine example of the conjestive mentality. Since the train isn't allowed to run 24/7, it's a good idea to still have a wide street for express buses & 24hr traffic, which is common for most major cities.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-metro-vancouver-expansion

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-public-transit-system-comparison

List of North American cities by population

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_census_metropolitan_areas_and_agglomerations_in_Canada#List

While Vancouver is part of the 3rd largest urban area in Canada, it's one of the smaller cities reaching only 8th place. That helps to maintain its backwater mentality & extremely restrictive approach to planning & development.

U2 ZOO Station

 https://www.u2zoostation.com

While lush Vancouver can't seem to get enough hotel rooms built, LV just keeps on building more entertainment facilities in the desert.

Is the Stack, a tower or a stump?

 https://storeys.com/james-cheng-the-stack-vancouver

In Seattle, Toronto, Calgary & even Montreal, this would almost be just another average stump building. Those cities & so many more around the planet, have long since allowed office towers to have more than 40 floors. However, in the BC part of Canada, there is no office tower that has reached 40 stories, just a few residential towers are taller. Yet, sometimes the land value in Vancouver is more than in Toronto.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-view-cone-restrictions-policies

Of course Seattle, Toronto, Calgary & Montreal have been allowed to be proper big cities, simple because they aren't under any Vancouver type restrictions or limitations.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouvers-shrinking-skyline

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/larwill-park-office-towers-vancouver-concept

Nevermind Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, LA, SF, Seattle, Toronto, Calgary & Montreal, Vancouver isn't even allowed to build as tall as the tallest buildings in Vaughan, Mississauga, Edmonton & Belleview, WA. 

https://storeys.com/cities/mississauga

https://storeys.com/cities/toronto/

https://storeys.com/cities/calgary/


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne-Toronto-SF

Immigrants and students fueled Canada's population jump in 2023

 https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/immigrants-students-fueled-canadas-population-jump-2023-statscan-2023-09-27/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/immigrants-to-thank-for-canada-s-record-population-growth-this-year-statcan-report-1.6579745

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230927/dq230927a-eng.htm And to think that Canada is nowhere close to containing even 1% of the worlds population, it's been tough enough just to reach 0.5%.

https://moving2canada.com/news-and-features/news/immigration/canadian-population-experiences-record-breaking-growth-thanks-to-international-migration/

https://globalnews.ca/news/9989962/canada-population-boom-immigration-2023 Various forces and mindsets have prevented Halifax from becoming as big as Montreal or Boston. Greater Seattle & the Greater Montreal area each have over 4 million people. However, Greater Vancouver has done its damnedest to be continually stunted when compared to them.