https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-metro-vancouver-fare-evasion-crackdown-statistics
Monday, June 23, 2025
Saturday, June 21, 2025
The Pattullo Bridge replacement project
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pattullo-bridge-new-indigenous-renaming-art
While it's great to have a new name for the new bridge, there should have been a few more bridges between Surrey, NW, Coquitlam & Port Coquitlam.
https://604now.com/pattullo-bridge-new-indigenous-name
Another lost opportunity for backwards BC. This new bridge should have opened with 6 lanes, plus have at least 2 wide shoulders for future capacity. Then there could have been 2 HOV lanes, as well as 4 general lanes. There also should have been a lower deck for something similar to what the Tilikum_Crossing has. https://trimet.org/tilikum
Such a lower deck not only could have provided 2 sidewalks & 2 bike paths, but a provision for 2 streetcar or tram-train tracks and even 2 separated SkyTrain tracks. Instead, all the traffic will be crammed into just 2 lanes each way with no bus & no HOV lanes & especially no breakdown lanes. In the future, the existing 2 track Skybridge between Surrey & NW might not be adequate. People from all over the world should study the BC bottleneck planning mentality & avoid such bad planning at all costs.
It is foolish for the most urban part of BC to not have wide or double deck bridges. Unfortunatly, this new 4 lane bridge wasn't designed to have 2 bus & 2 HOV lanes & no provision for at least 2 train tracks. At least it will have more than 1 sidewalk & 1 more lane than the LGB and even a safety divider.
Despite Surrey eventually becoming the most populous city in backwater BC, no 2 track train bridge like the Tilikum has been allowed to be built in backwards BC. https://trimet.org/tilikum/#about
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Pattullo+Bridge+replacement
Friday, June 20, 2025
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Capilano Mall redevelopment
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/capilano-mall-redevelopment-concept-proposal-north-vancouver-ocp
https://www.realestatenorthshore.com/news/market-minute/capilano-malls-big-makeover/
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/capilano-mall-north-vancouver-redevelopment-concept-quadreal
Sunday, June 15, 2025
The new, smaller Vancouver Aquatic Centre
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-aquatic-centre-redeveloping-city-council-funding-vote
Why have a big city pool when a half-sized, half-assed pool is in sync with the smallminded Vancouver mentality. It's all so fitting for a city going backwards.
Friday, June 13, 2025
Seattle's annual Seafair Kickoff Celebration is back at a brand-new location
https://www.seafair.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafair
Vancouver, BC used to have a Sea Festival, but it got watered down & drained away. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sea-festival-files-for-bankruptcy-protection-1.545832
Fortunately, the Seattle version is still going strong.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafair#Events
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/seafair-return-bigger-events
Danielle Smith pitches B.C. on pipeline project, saying it benefits ‘all Canadians’
https://globalnews.ca/news/11240745/danielle-smith-pitches-bc-pipeline-project/
BC has been very reluctant to bend over to receive a big pipe from Alberta.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11231011/eby-pipeline-proposals-alberta-bc/
https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/private-company-oil-pipeline-tidewater-smith
A New grocery store slated to be on West Broadway in Vancouver
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/sobeys-toys-r-us-1154-west-brodway-vancouver-new-grocery-store
Given the planned population density increase, there needs to be more stores & other services.
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Vancouver never properly planned for High Density Mass Transit like Toronto and Montreal did
1950s Toronto and 1960s Montreal were able to have 152.5m or 500 foot long TTC subway and STM metro stations. The 1970s underground Edmonton LRT stations were built to be 120m-130m long, because unlike backwards Vancouver, Edmonton planned for significant future capacity, just like Seattle would also do. Unfortunatly, backwards Vancouver only has 80m stations for the first 2 Skytrain stations. The 3rd line or the Canada (embasement) Line, only has 50m short stations. Vancouver has had generations of watered down infrastructure. Who knows where so much of the money went, because it sure didn't go towards proper big city trains & express bus bridges.
Vancouver short on hotel rooms, silent on safety costs for 2026 World Cup
https://corporatemeetingsnetwork.ca/2025/05/01/tackling-vancouvers-hotel-shortage-crisis/
https://www.staymagazine.ca/articles/vancouvers-make-or-break-moment-for-future-events-and-tourism
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-hotel-shortage-2026-world-cup-1.7117696
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-hotel-supply-shortage-demand
https://council.vancouver.ca/20250415/documents/r1.pdf
Why Vancouver City Council Approved The Commercial-Broadway Safeway Project
https://storeys.com/vancouver-approves-commercial-broadway-safeway-redevelopment/
The big dispute is not having a reasonable amount of below market level housing. Of course if the towers were at least 20-30 stories taller, provided that there were several affordable units included, then the developer would have more incentive for affordable units.
https://storeys.com/broadway-commercial-safeway-may-2024/
It's stupid to only have luxury high rises or even comfortable yuppie high-end housing, when there is a lot of demand for real affordable housing. Thus, if a high-rise developer could be allowed to build higher as long as a reasonable amount of affordable housing was included in the lower floors, it could work.
However, despite being a major transportation intersection, many people are uncomfortable of Oakridge size building, especially Brentwood size towers.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
501-595 West Georgia Street in Vancouver
https://henriquezpartners.com/projects/501-595-w-georgia_388-abbott
For several decades, Vancouver was only allowed to have tall buildings that were impressive by Victoria-Kelowna-Kamloops-Prince+George standards.
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=1&status=15 V
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?stateID=1&status=15 BC
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?countryID=1&status=15 Can
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Sunday, June 8, 2025
Metro Vancouver releases salary information for 2024. Vancouver Councillors received additional salary for serving on Metro Boards and Committees
https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2025/06/08/metro-vancouver-releases-politician-salaries-in-2024/
Why have a proper big city scale of transportation infrastructure, when so much $ can go to the managers instead? Greater Vancouver has become so inept in functioning like a proper big urban area. The region is decades behind from where several cities are at.
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Friday, June 6, 2025
More Overnight lane closures planned for Pattullo Bridge
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pattullo-bridge-overnight-closures-june
Perhaps the Pattullo+Bridge isn't the worst bridge in Canada, but it is one of the worst bridges in North America.
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Vancouver to offer up land in bid to move SROs from Granville Entertainment District
https://globalnews.ca/news/11213829/granville-sros An Entertainment District shouldn't be an excrete district.
Originally, it's like it was considered to be a good idea to have an open toilet and drug-den around there. Then after after several years, perhaps enough people have started to realize that one drug-den and open toilet in Vancouver is enough. Perhaps the Main & Hastings area will also eventually be cleaned up. So many people need help with getting away from the substance abuse trap & pattern and helped to find safe, adequate housing.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11211786/club-owners-howard-johnson-compensation/
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/vancouver-city-council-approves-20-043051703.html
Critics question Surrey mayor’s plan for 10,000-seat area
A new arena in Surrey might not be an urgent concern today. However, whenever Surrey exceeds a million residents the arena project might be more appropriate. In the meantime, the best potential site should be set aside for when that time arrives.
Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mveblgvwRg
HRBT Expansion Project Corridor Concept https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4rNYsSJxhM
Sydney Metro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Metro Perhaps its because of the warmer climate, but this Sydney Metro train will be longer than any metro or subway rain in Canada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Metro#Capacity "...6-car trains running on 4-minute headways. After the addition of the Stage 2 extension to Bankstown, the stations' platforms will be configured to allow for future use of 8-car trains and the signalling system designed to allow for 2-minute headways..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Metro#Rolling_stock
| Train length | 121.5 m (398 ft 715⁄32 in) |
|---|---|
| Car length | 20.25 m (66 ft 51⁄4 in) |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Metro_Metropolis_Stock#Design_and_construction Eventually, an 8 car train could be 532 feet long. That's longer than a 500 foot or 152.5m 9 car Montreal Metro train. So far, the max on the Toronto subway are 6 car trains.
If you are from NSW & visit the BC part of Canada, you won't believe how short the train between the airport & Downtown_Vancouver is. Its a 2 car joke of a train & is a fine example of inept transportation infrastructure planning in backwards BC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Airport#Rail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Sydney_International_Airport#Rail
Some tunnels in Australia and Canada...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tunnels_in_Australia
Despite having a smaller population than Canada, Australia seems to have more urban highway tunnels than Canada has.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/highway-401-tunnel-study-1.7523029#
HOV lanes & express bus tunnels would help to relieve the surface route.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/401-tunnel-cost-1.7464404
A truck lane system could also speed up shipping & efficiency.
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ford-carney-highway-401-tunnel
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2024/09/25/ontario-highway-401-doug-ford-tunnel-proposal/
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Granville Street faces 30% vacancy rate as city pushes revitalization plan
It's sad that the city let this part of town go to $HIT! Apparently, there was an unofficial need to have another crappy area, in addition to Main & Hastings.
Court turfs Metro Vancouver attempt to delay sewage plant legal battle
https://globalnews.ca/news/11211588/metro-vancouver-wastewater-acciona/
So much inept excrete infrastructure planning. Some of that wasted money could have gone towards a train, rapid-bus & HOV tunnel between Downtown_Vancouver & the North_Shore. Fortunately, most cities around the world aren't interested in following the inept Vancouver & backwards BC approach to urban transportation planning.
Monday, June 2, 2025
Sunday, June 1, 2025
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodland_Park_Zoo
https://www.citypass.com/articles/seattle/guide-woodland-park-zoo
https://www.zoo.org Since 1899. https://www.zoo.org/about
Seattle just like Calgary, has a nice Zoo within its city limits.
Dinotown was a prehistoric theme park in the BC part of Canada
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/remembering-dinotown-bc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinotown
While the BC facility faded away, the Alberta version is still thriving.
https://www.calgaryzoo.com/plan-your-visit/animal-zones/prehistoric-park , https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=lWXtrftSBWE&t=70s
https://newsroom.calgary.ca/dinosaurs-dancing-and-the-birth-of-a-prehistoric-park/
https://calgaryheritage.org/wp/the-calgary-zoo-past-and-present/
Then there is the Greater+Vancouver+Mezosoic+Adventure (Park), but it's quite a way east of Vancouver.
Cold and Rainy Vancouver, BC
While the winter Climate_of_Vancouver is mild when compared to Edmonton, Winnipeg & Montreal, it's still cold & damp for at least half of the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Vancouver#Temperatures
Some people do build private swimming+pools in Vancouver & SW BC, but unless they are heated & covered, it's pointless. That's because there are only a few months of the year when it's warm enough to be in an outdoor, unheated pool.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Vancouver#Rain
Summer is the best 3 months out of the 12, but even during the summer the crappy, cold & damp weather can still drop by.
The Greater Vancouver Zoo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Vancouver_Zoo
While the Greater+Vancouver+Zoo seems to have a lot of space for future growth, there doesn't seem to be that much there now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Vancouver_Zoo#21st_century
Unlike Perth, Seattle, Calgary & Edmonton, the Greater+Vancouver+Zoo is quite far away from the city of Vancouver.
https://604now.com/stanley-park-zoo-vancouver-british-columbia-history/
https://vancouverguardian.com/old-photographs-stanley-park-zoo/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Park#Zoo_and_Children's_Farmyard
Friday, May 30, 2025
Metro Vancouver weather: A Rainstorm before a long streak of sunny days
Just another cold, crappy rainy Saturday for Vancouver.
https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/swimming-pools.aspx
While there are some outside pools, there are only a few months of the year when it's warm enough to be swilling outside.
https://activifinder.com/blog/69/best-swimming-pools-in-vancouver
While summer could and should be at least 90, or even 100 days, sometimes a quarter to a 3rd of the summer can be like autumn.
https://healthyfamilyliving.com/outdoor-pools-metro-vancouver/
https://www.yelp.ca/search?cflt=swimmingpools&find_loc=Vancouver%2C+BC
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Why Nobody Wants To Live In Upstate New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtlGzVZjf2k
There just isn't enough bricks, steel & concrete upstate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upstate_New_York
Most of New_York_State is wilderness.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_New_York_(state)
Most of the population prefers to live in NYC or the New_York_metropolitan_area, because that's where most of the people, employment, bricks, steel & concrete is.
Downstate Illinois
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downstate_Illinois
Most of Illinois isnt urban.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois#Geography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_metropolitan_area
Most of the population prefers to reside in Chicagoland, because that's where most of the people, employment, bricks, steel & concrete are.
Saturday, May 24, 2025
The future of Hudson's Bay
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/hudsons-bay-central-walk-store-leases-acquisition-agreement
If The Bay can only live on through a new owner, so be it.
Is the Tsawwassen Mills (mall) set for an expansion?
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/tsawwassen-mills-expansion-dining-entertainment-upgrades
https://www.destinationvancouver.com/things-to-do/tsawwassen-mills-central-walk-tsawwassen-mills-inc
https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-billionaire-mall-owner-seeks-hudsons-bay-leases
https://centralwalk.com/tsawwassen-mills/
https://www.stantec.com/en/projects/canada-projects/t/tsawwassen-mills
https://www.tsawwassenmills.com/
Its mindboggeling that there doesn't seem to be a proper regional rail transportation plan to connect Tsawwassen+Mills with the Tsawwassen+ferry+terminal, Richmond and YVR. Of course there doesn't seem to be a proper regional rail plan to connect Vancouver with the Park_Royal_Shopping_Centre and the Horseshoe+Bay+ferry+terminal, as well.
The lack of vision to link both ferry terminals with the airport is a fine example of inept planning in BC.
Friday, May 23, 2025
Metro Vancouver Regional District to pursue major governance reforms
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-regional-district-governance-reform-deloitte-report
Why put an adequate amount of funds towards the regional transportation infrastructure, when it can be wasted on other things? That's what inept regional planning is suppose to do. Fortunately, most urban areas around the world try to avoid such a foolish approach.
There should be a 40-60 year audit to determine why Metro Vancouver doesn't have long, high capacity trains that real proper cities have.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11194788/metro-vancouver-board-changes-report/
There would also have to be an audit of the mismanagement over the past several decades to determine why Metro Vancouver doesn't have a regional network of bus & HOV bridges.
https://vancouversun.com/news/metro-vancouver-vows-change-consultants-report
https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/editorial-metro-vancouver-is-more-than-the-wastewater-boondoggle-10176971 So much extra money went towards a shit-box & a shit-pipe, that should have gone towards an express bus & high capacity train tunnel between Vancouver & Park Royal & the ferry terminal.
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/consultant-releases-damning-report-on-metro-vancouver-governance This is shit-box planning & funding at its best. Apparently, all this regional B$ was to just keep going on until enough people started to realize that something is wrong in Vancouver & BC.
Metrotown to Park Royal
Of course an express bus route from Metrotown+to+Park+Royal should have been established before the 1990s. Unfortunatly, Vancouver & BC mover very slowly towards getting various things done.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RapidBus_(TransLink)#Metrotown_to_North_Shore
Metro Vancouver weather: Record-breaking heat, highs up to 28 C soon
https://www.nsnews.com/weatherhood-local/metro-vancouver-weather-record-breaking-heat-may-2025-10702418 I almost thought that this article was a joke at first.
After a cold, rainy & gloomy spring, there might be a chance of a nice, warm summer. Hardly hot though, when Vancouver usually has a tough time breaking 30C. Most of the spring days never even reached, let alone exceeded 20C.
Canada's cost of living is so damn high!
https://dailyhive.com/canada/canada-cost-of-living-inheritance
https://blueprintfinancial.ca/why-no-one-can-afford-to-live-in-canada/
https://www.cannettel.com/blog/Why-living-in-Canada-is-so-expensive
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240815/dq240815b-eng.htm
UBC tower in Kelowna, BC
https://ok.ubc.ca/about/ubco-downtown , https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=147739
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=48&status=15
https://ok.ubc.ca/about/ubco-downtown/why-ubco-downtown/
https://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/news/article_2957e4e0-d7f1-11ee-84d4-fb12b9ae9269.html
There should be a UBC tower in or around Vancouver that's at least 65 stories.
https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?stateID=1&status=15
401 West Georgia Street
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/vancouver/401-west-georgia/25079 This could have been a nice slender 50 story tower, but instead its just a 22 story stump.
https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/institutions-flirt-with-premium-offices-in-vancouver-10691979
BC Government orders West Vancouver to expand community plans for more housing
There should have been an official plan to extend the Canada embarrassment Line to the Park+Royal+Shopping+Centre and the Horseshoe+Bay ferry terminal. Unfortunatly, Vancouver and the metropolitan region isn't a normal city with proper urban transportation planning.
While a rapid bus line connecting Metrotown+to+Park+Royal is a good idea, a rapid rail transit line between the Horseshoe+Bay+ferry+terminal and downtown Vancouver must be considered an essential link, someday.
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Does Metro Vancouver’s bloated bureaucracy need a reality check?
The region has been ineptly managed for decades. Instead of planning for proper long trains, short SkyTrain stations were built instead. Too many narrow bridges that make it difficult, if not impossible to have an efficient network of bus & HOV lanes.
While a half-assed, BC version of RapidBus can sort of work, but there needs to be a system of bus-bridges for it to be a very efficient system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RapidBus_(TransLink)#RapidBus_routes
The Proposed complex at 501-595 W. Georgia St, which would be 315m / 1,033 ft. on the Skyline of Vancouver
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F55x0wipoy72f1.jpeg
Due to the multigenerational strict height limits in Vancouver, the city has been prevented from having anything as tall as the Sky_Tower_in_Auckland, which is 328 metres (1,076 ft) tall. It would only be slightly taller than the Sydney_Tower, which is 309 m (1,014 ft). Both of these cities are just as scenic, if not more so than damp Vancouver. Plus, they are in warmer climates.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Metro Vancouver's public transit ridership growth
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-ridership-statistics-2024
A longer train helps to reduce the under capacity issue. SkyTrain should be called, SHORT-TRAIN.
No matter how many bus routes, unless there is a series of bus-bridges for the region, everything gets funneled on-to mostly narrow, inadequate bridges.
SkyTrain is overwhelmingly used
Just because it's an LRT train, there still should have been a proper provision to have at least 152.5m or 500 foot long trains, like the Montreal Metro. However, a 500 ft. long train goes against the backwards, KEEP IT SMALL symbolism & mentality that permeates throughout Vancouver & backwater BC. Allowing for a proper big-city train isn't just symbolically BIG, but necessary for any city that tries to reduce congestion. Unfortunatly, Vancouver & BC keeps opting for the reduced capacity option, because it fits in with the congestive planning agenda.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
TransLink to extend North Shore RapidBus route to Metrotown starting in 2027
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/r2-rapidbus-north-shore-metrotown-burnaby-route-extension
https://aquilinidevelopment.com/community/kwasen-village
The Kwasen Village & BCIT area is becoming a new intersection of housing & shopping, as well as education. So, hopefully starting in 2027, there will be an express bus from Metrotown_to_West-
Perth, WA built a 10 lane bridge with double train tracks in the middle of it.
https://www.skyperth.com/
Seattle, WA did something similar, but their 3 section bridge or crossing has 4 lanes each way & a double track middle section.
https://www.mi-reporter.com/
Montreal also did something similar to Seattle & Perth.
https://rem.info/en/albums/
Being from backwards Vancouver & backwater BC, it's always amazing to see what other places can do, simply because they aren't in BC.
Fortunately, Perth, Seattle & Montreal don't have to contend with anything like the inept Vancouver & BC transportation mentality. It's mindboggeling that in 2025, Vancouver is still only running 4 car trains to Surrey & only 2 car trains to Coquitlam & Richmond. This, combined with several narrow bridges, makes it one of the most congested cities in the world. It's a sad & pathetic situation, because things in BC should be designed for proper future capacity expansion.
A ‘Bus priority system’ at traffic signals reduces delays in Dubai, but not in Vancouver
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai Unlike Vancouver, when there are extra lanes, it's so much easier to have proper bus lanes & even HOV lanes. It's just a matter of efficiently using that wider road-space. The backwards Vancouver & backwater BC approach is to try to funnel everything into 2 lanes each way whenever possible.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Dubai Whether its a hot climate or a cold climate, people aren't going to be walking or biking around in 40 to 45C or in -30 to -40C weather.
https://www.dubai.ae/web/dubai.ae/city-of-future
Unless backwards Vancouver & backwater BC build a proper system of bus & HOV bridges & have longer SkyTrain station, it all remains a sad joke. The Iron Bridge replacement, if it ever happens, must not only have 3 general lanes each way, but an extra 2 lanes each way for Rapid Bus Transit & HOV. A 10 lane bridge with a provision for a lower deck, is what a proper big city would do, but Vancouver only wants to be a toy city or a movie set full of fake props.
Could the Site C dam’s massive worker camp end up in a B.C. landfill?
https://globalnews.ca/news/11188195/site-c-dam-housing-landfill/
More backwards BC foolishness! These housing units could be relocated & reassemble into an affordable housing facility. If someone has been living on the street for several months or years, they would be happy to have their own safe living unit.
Long waits a ‘defining aspect’ of Vancouver byelection, report finds
https://globalnews.ca/news/11188313/vancouver-council-byelection-long-waits/
Not properly preparing for the amount of people voting is all part of the multigenerational backwards Vancouver & BC mentality.
With so many narrow bridges in Greater Vancouver, there should have been a system of bus & HOV bridges built, instead of funneling everything into such narrow crossings.
Proper long-range urban planning would have allowed for easy future clearance to double the length of the first 2 skytrain stations & triple the length of the Canada (embasesment) Line. The first 2 lines only have about 80m for platform length & the 3rd line only has absurd 50m stations. In contrast, the high capacity Montreal Metro has 152.5m long stations, as does the TTC Subway.
Thinking big & building big has always been a problem for backwards Vancouver & backwater BC.
Toronto could experience coldest May stretch this week since 1967
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/05/20/toronto-weather-this-week-may-forecast/
This is totally depressing. Apparently, as more places get hotter around the world, Canada has a colder spring. If the summers start to become truncated, some people just might give up and move to Australia.
There already have been some Australian cities that are warmer during their winters than some Canadian cities during their summers.
Burnaby’s municipal government is looking to put a greater emphasis on catalyzing economic and business growth
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/burnaby-task-force-economic-growth
Burnaby might eventually have a taller office tower than what's allowed in stumpy Vancouver. In the meantime, taller residential towers exist in Burnaby, because Burnaby isn't under the the extrem Vancouver restrictions.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/concord-metrotown-metropolis-at-metrotown-construction-redevelopment
Stumpy Vancouver wont permit any residential tower to have 65 stories. No office tower in Vancouver has been allowed to have a 40th floor.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-new-tallest-building-bc-gilmore-place
New hotels in Montreal
https://blog.mtl.org/en/new-hotels
https://www.newhotelsopening.com/new-hotels-in-montreal.html
Unlike Montreal, Vancouver keeps falling behind, because of its provincial backwater mentality.
https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/vancouver-needs-10k-more-hotel-rooms-says-report-10508458
Vancouver’s Tiniest Movie Theatre?
https://scoutmagazine.ca/you-should-know-about-vancouvers-tiniest-movie-theatre/
So many things are kept small and backwards in Vancouver & backwater BC. Hower, a nice small theater prop in this case, is very quaint & interesting.
The Mount Royal Tunnel in Montreal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Royal_Tunnel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Royal_Tunnel#REM
https://rem.info/en/news/first-passage-rem-through-mount-royal-tunnel-and-start-dynamic-testing-area
https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article144286.html
Even the REM train stations should be expandable to eventually accomodate 6-8 car trains.
The Dunsmuir_Tunnel was rebuilt to become a double deck tunnel providing a split_platform station configuration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_platform#North_America
Unfortunatly, the Burrard_station & Granville_station platforms were only built to be 80m, when they should have been 155m-160m. This would have helped to eventually have 9 car SkyTrains, just like 9 car Montreal Metro trains.
With proper long-range planning in mind, the SkyTrain should have been planned to eventually be a double length LRT system. Instead, its been challenging enough just to establish 5 car trains on the first 2 lines.
Unfortunatly, the 3rd line or Canada_Line was built to only have 50m, whereas the Montreal Metro has 152.5m long stations.
The Canada_Line_Stations have platforms that are only 50 metres (160 ft) long, when all the stations should have been built with a future clearance of 160m. That would have allowed for a future provision to eventually accommodate at least 8 car trains at each station.
The Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Seattle_Transit_Tunnel
Unlike in backwards Vancouver, a bus tunnel, a bus bridge, or a HOV crossing that is designed to eventually become part of a LRT conduit, makes sense.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Seattle_Transit_Tunnel#Bus_tunnel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Seattle_Transit_Tunnel#Opening_and_bus-only_operation
An express bus tunnel from downtown Vancouver to W. Vancouver & H. Bay would make sense. Especially, if it was designed to eventually be for a LRT crossing. Unfortunatly, backwards Vancouver & BC usually opt for the congestive planning choice.
Monday, May 19, 2025
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson’s appointment as housing minister
"The one thing, from this corner anyway, that it feels fair to rake him over the coals for, is using ending homelessness by 2015 as an election campaign item in 2008.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course. But not only didn’t happen and the problem got a whole lot worse—it seems, at least now, like an incredibly irresponsible thing to put in the pamphlets of an election campaign. It was a callous, cheap promise to make and one that showed a lack of understanding of the complexity of the issues at play. The other levels of government didn’t force Robertson to make that promise." https://www.straight.com/city-culture/5-ways-of-looking-at-former-vancouver-mayor-gregor-robertsons-appointment-as-housing
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/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
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