https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqNF7hF5u3E
Is our 'addiction' to cheap foreign labour hurting young people? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV11Z437758
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Toronto and Freeway Widening: The Gift That Keeps on Giving (More Traffic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBESmfpB3vw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto#Transportation
The Real Reason Hwy 401 is the Busiest in North America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFBQDIY3V74
More Lanes are (Still) a Bad Thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHZwOAIect4
How Toronto Got Addicted to Cars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkO-DttA9ew
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Toronto_Area#Transportation
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Bus Lanes and Bus Rapid Transit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_lane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport_bus_service#Express_bus_service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit
Unfortunately, Greater_Vancouver is one of the worst examples of Regional_Transportation_Planning. With so many narrow bridges and a refusal to build a proper network of bus-bridges, things remain chaotic on the existing inept bridges.
The SkyTrain_(Vancouver) should have been designed to be a little like a light rail version of the Chicago_L Trains. However, instead of designing the stations to eventually accomodate 8 car trains, like the Chicago_L, the Vancouver maximum was a 6 car train of the Mark_I_fleet. Shorter railcars & shorter trains, that's the name of the congestion planning game in backward BC.
As of late 2024, the first 2 SkyTrain lines are still only running 4 & 2 car trains, not counting the original smaller coaches. The 3rd line or Canada_Line, is only running 2 car trains. All 3 lines should have been designed to eventually have 8-10 car trains, but that would be properly planning for future capacity on a multi-billion dollar system.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Vancouver House Condominiums and Apartments
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-apartment-1480-howe-st
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/condo-vs-apartment-whats-the-difference
https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/condo-vs-apartment/
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/ca/mortgages/difference-between-condo-and-apartment/
Monday, October 28, 2024
Why "Nobody" Lives In Upstate New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLs4hLIuHVY
The New York Nobody Knows About https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5rnrX5ZFYo
BC and Canada
The BC part of Canada has been engrossed by a backwater and backward mentality since its inception.
Victoria,_British_Columbia is still a sleepy backwater, while Melbourne is a mighty city in Victoria_(state), Australia. Sidney,_British_Columbia is another classic BC backwater, while Sydney is the mighty capital of NSW. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_central_business_district
Due to an extremely slow growth mandate & agenda, Greater_Victoria is a far cry from reaching the scale of Sydney and Montreal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Montreal
Victoria and SW BC are the mildest parts of Canada during the horrible winter. It just so happens that a series of various overlapping restrictions were imposed so as to hold back the scale & progress of backwater BC. Most of BC remains as a wilderness, but it's been very difficult to establish a half-dozen major cities in BC.
While Montreal is big by small Vancouver's standards, Montreal is small when compared to the scale of Melbourne. Despite bing in Canada, Toronto was gradually allowed to become a proper big city. Toronto has some taller buildings than Sydney, NSW, but no 100 story towers like Melbourn & Chicago have. However, Toronto was eventually allowed to have its own 100+ story building.
Why "Nobody" Lives In The VAST MAJORITY Of British Columbia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdeZV_caT78
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Saudi Arabia’s Neom megaproject
https://www.the-sun.com/news/12762755/saudi-arabia-neom-workers-dying-slaves/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neom#Controversies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neom#Abusive_work_culture
Neom is a huge project with big problems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neom , https://www.neom.com/en-us
Damp, grey week ahead for Greater Vancouver
There are always several people who look forward to the cold & crappy fall & winter Canadian weather.
Of course, BC gets its share of cold & crappy fall & winter weather.
Australian Migration Program planning levels
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels
In several ways Australia will always win out over Canada, simply because Australia doesn't have to endure the carappy, cold Canadian winters.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/21/migration-numbers-australia-2023-rise
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Australia#Current_immigration_programs
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-67609963
Food of the GNAW
The_Food_of_the_Gods_(1976) is a standard GIANT mutant animals on a rampage movie.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Food_of_the_Gods_(film)#Plot
GNAW: Food_of_the_Gods_II (1989) has even larger enraged animals running rampant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_of_the_Gods_II#Plot
R42 (New York City Subway car)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R42_(New_York_City_Subway_car)
| Train length | 2 car train: 120.4 feet (36.7 m) 4 car train: 240.8 feet (73.4 m) 6 car train: 361.2 feet (110.1 m) 8 car train: 481.6 feet (146.8 m) 10 car train: 602 feet (183 m) |
|---|---|
| Car length | 60 ft (18.29 m) |
| Width | 10 ft (3,048 mm) |
| Height | 12.08 ft (3,682 mm) |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R42_(New_York_City_Subway_car)#History
Friday, October 25, 2024
320 Granville Street, Vancouver
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/320-granville-bosa-faria-flooding-dispute
It's a nice looking building, but once again, it's only a half-size figurine, or a stump.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bosa-waterfront-centre-320-granville-street-vancouver-office-tower
Unlike scenic Auckland, NZ & especially Sydney, Australia or SF, California, Vancouver continues to cut off the top 15-30 floors of any office tower development.
https://bosadevelopment.com/project/320-granville , https://320granville.com/
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/320-Granville-St-Vancouver-BC/27653032/
https://storeys.com/vancouver-bosa-waterfront-office-complete/
Even no residential tower within little Vancouver has been allowed to be as high as the tallest condo tower in Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton & Toronto. Especially, Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne-Toronto-SF
Thursday, October 24, 2024
17-Building Development Proposed In Vaughan, Ontario
https://storeys.com/behemoth-17-building-development-vaughan/
No building within the city limits of Vancouver has been allowed to rival what Vaughan & Mississauga are permitting.
Van https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=9790 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=1&status=15
Vau https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=2797&status=15
Mis https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=306&status=15
New pro soccer team Vancouver Rise pitch Burnaby on stadium partnership
The new women’s professional soccer team wants Swangard Stadium as its home venue, but the facility would need improvements to meet league standards. https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/new-pro-soccer-team-vancouver-rise-pitch-burnaby-on-stadium-partnership-9699516
It's always been difficult for backwater BC to get things up to a league standard, or especially international standards.
Appreciative transit culture in BC, etc.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canadian-transit-shout-out-reaction
People are happy whenever public transit is working reasonably well and running at an appropriate level of capacity. Unfortunatly, that's not always the case and its not the fault of the transit operators and attendants. It's the inept planning that refuses to improve bottleneck water crossings and other chokepoints. Various BC governments providing limited construction budgets and or not providing structures with built-in higher capacity capabilities.
Fortunately unlike in BC, most real cities around the world have longer trains & wide enough roads & bridges to accommodate proper bus & HOV lanes.
The goal to build one of Metro Vancouver's new tallest buildings
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/citizen-tower-anthem-properties-burnaby-metrotown-ipo
Unlike Calgary and Seattle, Vancouver won't permit any residential building to be this tall within its strictly controlled city limits. Fortunately, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Surrey will allow taller buildings.
https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/vancouver-developer-seeks-to-raise-82m-for-metrotown-project-via-ipo-9508936 This is Business Outside of Vancouver.
https://storeys.com/anthem-properties-burnaby-66-storey-citizen-metro-king-metrotown This is like an average semi-tall building in Toronto and the GTA.
https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/real-estate/two-more-towers-up-to-80-storeys-tall-more-rental-housing-could-be-coming-to-burnabys-brentwood-8461795 There has been an unwretten ruel in Greater Vancouver for several decades. As long as something is impressive by PG, Kamloops, Kelowna & especially Victoria standards, that's good enough for backwater BC.
https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/burnaby-councillor-opposes-plan-for-80-storey-tower-in-burnaby-5509305 No buildings taller than 40 stories & no roads wider than 4 lanes is very symbolic of the, KEEP IT SMALL mentality of BC. Even the newer SkyTran cars still only form 4 car trains. The Canada Line only has 2 car trains.
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?p=9875630 When the scale of things in BC have been kept back for several decades, its difficult for some people to fathom an attempt to have a taller or larger scale of developments and infrastructure.
Even the mountains just north of LA are allowed to be taller than those of (Greater_Vancouver).
Some treetop walks and viewing platforms
https://www.tremblant.ca/things-to-do/activities-products/treetop-walk
https://www.tremblantactivities.com/activities/treetop-walk/
https://www.nodestinations.com/blog/vancouver-capilano-suspension-bridge-park
https://botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/visit/greenheart-treewalk/
https://www.tourismvictoria.com/sport-tourism/sport-attraction/malahat-skywalk
https://www.attractionsvictoria.com/explore/activities/malahat-skywalk/
https://aspectengineers.com/portfolio/malahat-skywalk/
https://destinationlesstravel.com/malahat-skywalk-vancouver-island/
Queen Elizabeth Park, BC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_Park,_British_Columbia
https://vancouversbestplaces.com/city-of-vancouver/queen-elizabeth-park/
Unfortunatly, Vancouver won't permit a viewing tower there.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/queen-elizabeth-park-master-plan-vancouver-park-board
Apparently, it's much better to have the view obscured by trees. Most of BC is full of trees & mountains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Mountain_(British_Columbia)
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Vancouver council passes motion to allow police access to traffic cameras
This is nothing new, several cities already have integrated cameras. There should be better visual data coordination between the outside & the inside of store theft & assault incidents.
Homeless campers in CRAB Park face abrupt eviction process
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/homeless-campers-in-crab-park-face-abrupt-eviction-process-1.7085156
Why wait until the spring when they can all be pushed away even before the winter?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-park-board-crab-park-closure-1.7361518
The timing of this seems rather odd and cruel.
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/10/23/vancouvers-crab-park-encampment-to-close/
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/crab-park-homeless-encampment-vancouver-closing
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Best mate of man killed in Harbour Bridge crash calls for safety improvements
The Sydney+Harbour+Bridge (SHB) is a nice wide structurer with high traffic volume, but there are some safety issues.
All & all, the SHB is a much larger & better structure than the very narrow, dangerous & inept Pattullo+Bridge in BC.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Sydney+Harbour+Bridge
Ash-scattering pier near fishing bar gets Surrey council nod
Perhaps it's only fitting that its in clear view of the dangerous, decerped & inept Pattullo_Bridge. The very narrow PB never had enough room for a steel or proper concrete central barrier, no emergency lanes & only 1 narrow sidewalk. Of course there was no provision for a lower train & truck deck, as will also be the case with the new bridge.
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/pattullo-bridge-history
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pattullo-bridge-5-things-you-didn-t-know-1.3564197
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/pattullo-bridge-a-loaded-gun/article700812
The old PB might not quite be the worst bridge in BC, but it sure became a fine example of inept backwater BC planning.
"Approximately 15 people have died in traffic accidents mainly due to head-on crashes on Pattullo since 1990." https://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/insurance/bc-bridge-scene-for-another-fatal-crash-1000047689/
The Pattullo_Bridge opened on November 15, 1937 and was designed without any future capacity considerations. Instead of 2 wide sidewalks, there was only 1 narrow sidepath. The bridge should have been designed to be widened in a few decades. Plus, a provision for a lower truck & LRT deck as transportation needs increased.
The incredible Sydney_Harbour_Bridge opened on 19_March_1932. Unfortunatly, the old & the new PB are classic BC bottlenecks, by design.
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Pattullo+Bridge
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Sydney+Harbour+Bridge
Monday, October 21, 2024
Plan for new office building in Surrey pivots into 20-storey rental housing tower
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/century-city-holland-park-surrey-office-rental-housing-tower
Some residential towers can have some office floors and some office towers might have some residential floors. It's all about trying to be prepared for local market demand. No office tower in BC has ever been permitted to have a 40th floor, especially no 50 or 60.
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Harbor Island, Seattle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor_Island,_Seattle
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Aerial_view_of_Harbor_Island_in_Seattle.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Aerial_view_of_Elliot_Bay%2C_Seattle.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/West_Seattle_aerial.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Port_of_Seattle_from_Columbia_Center%2C_2022.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Seattle#Containerization
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Seattle#Into_the_21st_Century
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Seattle#Alliance_with_Tacoma
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Seattle#Seattle%E2%80%93Tacoma_International_Airport
Spanish Banks and Point Grey were nearly turned into a gigantic industrial port in the 1920s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Point_Grey
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Lifeguard_Spanish_Banks.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Banks
https://www.airporthistory.org/blue-concourse/the-never-built-alternative-to-yvr
Friday, October 18, 2024
Canada's Highway 1 through the BC Interior is an Embarrassment
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-highway-1-bc-interior-embarassment Back in the day, just to have a waggon road there was quite an achievement. Then with the dawn of the motorcar & trucks, having 1 wagon-road each way was amazing. A minimum of 2 lanes each way with 2 emergency lanes on all main highways in BC would be an improvement. Unfortunatly, the backwater BC mentality persists through the decades & generations.
There should have already been a 6 lane Hope bypass with 2 wide shoulders & a provision for 2 Bus & HOV lanes. Another classic three lane BC bottleneck. The inept 2 lane Hope-Fraser+Bridge chokepoint is one of the best examples of BC and Canada's refusal to build proper size infrastructure where its really needed. This 3 lane joke should have been part of the 6 lane Hope bypass.
Since there is a reluctance to have a proper intercity passenger rail network in BC, there should at least be a proper intercity bus network. All the main highways should have 2 dedicated bus & HOV lanes.
A 6 lane elevated section could go right there. A nice 2 lane bridge that should have been twinned or duplicated decades ago. The same for the rail line as well. A single track and a 2 lane bridge are indicative or symbolic of the antigrowth mentality or agenda.
There is nothing wrong with higher levels of immigration for such a vast country, if the infrastructure is allowed to keep up. However, decades of an antigrowth agenda is forced to collide with immigration.
This 2 lane 1963 highway tunnel should have been twinned by the early 1990s. Now the 1960s highway infrastructure is even farther away from being adequate.
Spences+Bridge is another 2 lane wonder, with no emergency lanes and no divider.
Savona+Bridge also meets the backwater BC standard by only having 2 lanes, with no wide emergency lanes and no divider.
Metro Vancouver Housing Deficit Grows To Over 45,000 Homes
https://storeys.com/metro-vancouver-housing-deficit-fall-2024/
For several decades, multi-unit 4-5 story houses just weren't permitted to be built in Vancouver. Even the shoebox like, Vancouver special should have been allowed to have at least 3-4 levels. Plus, there should have been several 6-10 story block size apartment buildings or flats like in Paris & London. There was quite an emphasis on Vancouver stumps, especially, no 65 to 85 floor buildings like in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane & Toronto.
Very narrow bridges, which make it almost impossible to have a proper & efficient express bus & HOV network for the region. Fortunately, the backward BC mentality was never able to make it over to Australia to prevent bridge expansion or duplication.
Then even by late 2024, the first 2 SkyTrain lines only have 4 car trains of the newer coaches. The joke that is the Canada Line, still only runs 2 car trains. All 3 lines should have been designed to eventually have stations that could accommodate 8-10 car trains, but that would actually enable more people to efficiently travel around the region.
Fortunately again, this inept & horrible BC planning mentality was never able to infest & stop the Toronto Subway from having 6 car trains. However, by now, the TTC should have been running 8-10 car trains. It would have been chaos if the Montreal Metro was only running 3 car trains for the past several decades. Such an absurdity would be indicative of a, WHY EVEN BOTHER TO BUILD IT, mentality? Thats been the ongoing problem in BC since plumbing & electricity was first implemented.
Just to allow backwater BC to catch up to Alberta & Washington State would be challenging enough. Then to gradually think & plan on a scale of a Quebec & even an Ontario, might as well be just another Sci-Fi pipedream.
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Cancelled 10-lane George Massey Bridge plan was designed to enable future new SkyTrain line
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/george-massey-tunnel-bridge-replacement-skytrain-option
The tunnel option should have still included an additional section for at least something like the Edmonton_LRT.
Via Rail says trips in Ontario, Quebec may take longer after CN rule change
https://globalnews.ca/news/10817048/via-rail-ontario-quebec-corridor-slowdown-cn-rule-change
It's strange that over the past few decades, a new passenger rail corridor wasn't built.
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
South of the Fraser
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024MOTI0112-001305
https://www.sfprhighway17.com/
The Fraser_Valley of BC is so lacking of infrastructure.
Highway 1 Keith Road and Mt Seymour Parkway
https://www.mcelhanney.com/project/highway-1-keith-road-mt-seymour-parkway/
The North_Shore_(Greater_Vancouver) is designed to be heavily congested.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ironworkers-on-ramp-traffic-north-shore
The North+Shore should have at least 2 rapid transit train crossings.
There should have been a train, bus & HOV tunnel by the First Narrows generations ago.
There should have been a train, bus & HOV bridge beside the Iron Bridge decades ago.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/provincial-federal-municipal-governments-launch-north-bowinn-ma
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=214205&page=13
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=North+Shore+of+Greater+Vancouver
Rainier Square, Seattle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_Square_Tower 850-foot (260 m) tall, 58-story tower
https://www.nbbj.com/work/rainier-square
https://www.supremesteel.com/projects/rainier-square-tower/
https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/rainier-square/16751
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier_Tower 41-story, 156.67 m (514.0 ft)
LRT remains the best option for North Shore rapid transit
https://www.nsnews.com/opinion-lrt-remains-the-best-option-for-north-shore-rapid-transit-9643033
Ambleside,_West_Vancouver should certainly be a SkyTrain stop along the way. N. Vancouver has always had very limited transportation options. Several decades ago when the decision was made to put a BC ferry terminal in W. Vancouver, there didn't seem to be a proper long-term bus & truck bridge or tunnel & even a rail rapid transit crossing. The 3 lane Lion Bridge is too narrow for any express bus lanes & the region foolishly refused to build a bus & truck tunnel for what is supposed to be a major port city. The Iron Bridge should have been designed to be wide enough to accomodate 2 bus-lanes & 2 truck lanes. Instead, everything is funneled into 3 lanes each way with no emergency lanes. Thus, if there is a stall or a crash, the busses & trucks get jammed up with all the other traffic.
Living on the North_Shore_of_Greater_Vancouver can be nice, but you are punished when you go into the City of Vancouver or visa-versa. A train crossing would certainly improve things.
Cost of Living in Vancouver (UPDATED) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWRTM1TY58A
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Surrey transit-plan-east-west-bus-routes
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-surrey-transit-plan-east-west-bus-routes
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-conservatives-childrens-hospital-surrey
Surrey will eventually become the most populated city in BC, but for the foreseeable future, it's still Vancouver.
Cost of Living in Vancouver (UPDATED) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWRTM1TY58A
Monday, October 14, 2024
Mississauga Votes Against Allowing Fourplexes
https://storeys.com/mississauga-votes-against-fourplexes/
There can be both & even all of the above. Single family homes, duplexes, multiplex, low-rise apartment blocks & mid to high-rise towers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M_City_Condominiums This is the start of taller buildings in Mississauga than what is allowed in very restrictive Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Mississauga
Thursday, October 10, 2024
ASEAN and Canada
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASEAN
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASEAN#Economy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASEAN#Free_trade
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/asia-population/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Asia
https://globalnews.ca/news/10386750/canada-41-million-population/
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2018005-eng.htm
https://www.canadianaffair.com/blog/how-big-is-canada
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/
Neom - The Line - The Rise and Fall of Saudi Arabia's Linear City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak4on5uTaTg
Saudi Arabia is Building Neom, a Two-Kilometer Skyscraper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhU4nA3i_IQ
Saudi Arabia’s giant money pit: NEOM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XNK55tc3x8
The Egyptians are Building a Huge New Capital City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auowZtMw0uQ
Why Egypt is selling a city to UAE for $35 billion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9SGlBUMbeA
The Future Of Australian Cities
https://scenariojournal.com/article/made-in-australia/
https://theconversation.com/new-cities-its-an-idea-worth-thinking-about-for-australia-92990
https://www.indaily.com.au/opinion/2019/05/02/why-isnt-australia-planning-new-cities
Will Australia cope with the rise of mega cities? Australia 2050 (part 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4BBpqpXRCM
Australia’s insane plan to green the Outback https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGrDOR7lBQ4
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Monday, October 7, 2024
A-second-okanagan-lake-bridge-for kelowna?
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-conservatives-second-okanagan-lake-bridge-kelowna
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Kelowna
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=K-V-PG-K
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Kelowna-Victoria-Prince+George-Kamloops
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Friday, October 4, 2024
First Nations could build Vancouver's new tallest towers at Rupert SkyTrain station
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/3200-east-broadway-vancouver-rupert-station-mst-aquilini
High density by a train station is always a good idea.
Thursday, October 3, 2024
How Skyscrapers are Ranked is Absurd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kLx9pXVJlw
When Chicago built the Tallest Building in the World | The story of Sears Tower https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm0dzhFeArw
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
A Bus Rapid Transit route between Park Royal and Metrotown
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-ndp-bus-rapit-transit-route-west-vancouver
Either a new bus, HOV & train bridge has to be built, or a new much wider Iron Bridge is essential.
However, there should also be a train between Horseshoe+Bay and the Park_Royal_Shopping_Centre with a link to downtown Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel-De_Champlain_Bridge A nice 8 lane bridge with 2 train tracks was possible in Montreal, because its far away from the stunted infrastructure agenda of Vancouver & the backwater BC mentality. Any new Iron Bridge should be at least as wide as the New_Champlain_Bridge_in_Montreal.
Of course people from Vancouver are allowed to visit Montreal, but the backward BC mentality just isn't allowed to take over Quebec, Ontario or Alberta.
Monday, September 30, 2024
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1631130192216/1631130220404
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_for_Truth_and_Reconciliation
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-national-truth-reconciliation-day-1.7336497
Saturday, September 28, 2024
North Vancouver lane realignment on pause following public outcry
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/28/north-vancouver-lane-realignment-iron-workers-bridge/
Unfortunatly, the Iron Bridge wasn't designed with future capacity in mind. No emergency lanes, no bus-lanes and no provision for rail rapid transit.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/north-vancouver-lane-change-1.7336664
https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Ironworkers-Bridge
Transit service cuts could lead to 200 more hours stuck in traffic a year
This lack of funding just conveniently fits in with the multigenerational mentality or agenda to perpetually implement congestive urban planning in BC.
In the 1950s & 60s, there just wasn't any concept in Greater Vancouver to have wide emergency lanes & a provision for future express bus lanes. Thus, all the bridges & the D. Island Tunnel were instant bottlenecks or chokepoints.
Then in the 1970s & 80s, instead of admitting that all of the regional crossings are inadequate for providing express bus & HOV lanes, things just kept on going the wrong way. There was no incentive to build proper bus & HOV bridges to help the congested crossings. That's because such new infrastructure would actually improve the regional transportation system.
In the 1980s, the first SkyTrain line should have been designed to eventually allow for 152.5m long stations, just like the high capacity Montreal Metro stations. Instead, the first 2 SkyTrain lines were designed to only have 80m short stations.
Then the 3rd line, the C Line or the embarrassing Canada Line, was designed to only have 50m stations. If the argument to have half size or one 3rd size trains was due to construction budget limitations, the stations could have still been designed to eventually allow for 153m long trains. However, that would go against the backward congestive BC approach to infrastructure.
Why allow for a 10 car train that could someday link YVR to both of the ferry terminals? Apparently, it was much better to just have a 2 car joke of a train between Vancouver & Richmond. Why build a bus & HOV tunnel next to the LG Bridge, when everything can just be squeezed into an inept 3 lane crossing? Why build a bus & HOV bridge next to the Oak & Knight Bridges, when they can remain as 4 lane chokepoints?
The multigenerational symbolism of congestive planning seems to be imperative for backward BC. That's the best way to continually demonstrate a reluctance to have a proper express or rapid bus network & trains that are as long as those on the Montreal Metro & the Toronto Subway. A proper HOV network would also enable more people to get around more efficiently, but that would conflict with the narrow bridges.
Things are so backwards & inept in BC, but building proper infrastructure means to properly plan for growth & future transportation demands.
Friday, September 27, 2024
West Vancouver opens door to deferring wastewater plant cost overruns
Apparently, some people thought that no public oversight was a good idea.
That way, there could be tremendous cost overruns, which can cause Metro Vancouver infrastructure to continually fall further behind.
This is total $HIT BOX and $HIT PIPE mismanagement and excrement!
Thursday, September 26, 2024
A Vancouver-penthouse-at 838-west-Hastings
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-penthouse-838-west-hastings
This building doesn't even have 40 floors, so it's not that tall by today's standards.
https://bosaproperties.com/residential-portfolio/jameson-house
For most of the history of BC, stunted or thwarted Vancouver was where the tallest buildings, widest bridges & roads would be.
Now Burnaby, NW, Coquitlam & especially Surrey will be building taller & wider than what restrictive Vancouver allows.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/opinion-bc-real-estate-association-housing
If it were possible, Vancouver would block out the sun & just have perpetual rain throughout the year.
East Vancouver tenants living with no power, refuse to leave
When a building becomes uninhabitable, the residents should be helped to find adequate temporary housing. Then whenever the building problems are fixed, they should be allowed to move back in. If the building is going to be torn down for a new residential structure, they should be allowed to reside there for the same rental rate until they ever want to move out.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
BC NDP voters rethinking carbon tax
If the carbon tax actually went into properly building up the BC infrastructure, then it might have been worth it. However, the farce of Vancouver and BC in general, is still such a lagging mess. Greater Vancouver is facing transit cuts & most of the bridges in the region are still in need of parallel bus & bike bridges.
The first 2 SkyTrain lines only have 80m stations when the Montreal Metro has almost 153m stations. The line between Vancouver, YVR & Richmond only has a clearance for 50m stations. Longer stations like in Montreal & Toronto, can move a lot more people. Unfortunatly, BC keeps taking the congestive planning option.
Monday, September 23, 2024
Restaurants in Canada are predicting severe consequences following changes to foreign workers policy
Once again the issues aren't being properly addressed. The restaurants need more long-term employes.
Sunday, September 22, 2024
The Alex Fraser Bridge (1986)
The Alex_Fraser_Bridge was opened as a 4 lane chokepoint, right from the start. No need for any express_bus_lanes or rail rapid transit, as that would conflict with the congestion planning agenda.
"Upon opening in 1986, only four of the six available lanes were open. Cyclists and pedestrians share two narrow sidewalks one on each side. All six lanes opened in 1987 after traffic demand justified the need." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Fraser_Bridge#Overview
Eventually, the AFB would have 7 lanes, when it should have been designed to have 8-10 lanes. A provision for a lower transit deck would have been nice, but there isn't a vision for an efficient transportation network.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Mann_Bridge#History It opened with only 4 lanes & no emergency lanes. No provision for a lower deck, but a 5th lane was eventually added. So many times, an inept 4 lane BC bridge that is supposed to be a major crossing, is subjected to the congestive planning agenda.
By the 1980s & especially the 1990s, many people wished that the bridge had a lower bus & train deck.
When the first Port_Mann_Bridge opened in 1964, it was very symbolic of the antigrowth & chokpoint planning agenda of BC. Despite being a BC_Highway_1 bridge in Greater Vancouver, there was no serious consideration for 2 truck & 2 bus-HOV lanes. Just have all the traffic crammed into a 4 lane bottleneck.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Mann_Bridge#Dismantling_of_original_bridge
Friday, September 20, 2024
Climate protesters march through downtown Vancouver
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6516296
They marched over the Cambie_Bridge, which used to have 6 lanes. Unfortunately, the bridge wasn't designed to have wide sidewalks & bike lanes on both sides.
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/climate-protesters-to-march-through-downtown-vancouver-on-friday-1.7045835
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/climate-protest-shut-down-cambie-bridge
West Vancouver bike lane planters lead to confusion
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/weest-vancouver-bike-lane-planters
Of course with proper planning and coordination this wouldn't be a problem.
North Shore sewage debacle has Metro Vancouver rethinking approach to Iona replacement project
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/north-shore-sewage-metro-vancouver-iona-replacement-project
So much financial waste, mismanagement & excrement!
Miami's Signature Bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbEjBsfhLcs
It's amazing what can be done when people from Vancouver or just about anywhere from the BC part of Canada can't stop it.
https://www.i395-miami.com/the-project/
It doesn't matter if it's the Greater Miami Area or Brisbane, Queensland, these places can think big & build big because they are so far away from the cold, rainy backwater BC mentality.
https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2024/04/02/i-395-signature-bridge-taking-shape/
https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2023/08/01/massive-signature-bridge-project-builds-to-2027-opening/
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Busy traffic weekend expected in North Vancouver for massive festival
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/north-vancouver-music-festival-traffic-impacts-2024
It's so sad and pathetic how the North_Shore_(Greater_Vancouver) has become such a fine example of inept transportation planning.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Shore_(Greater_Vancouver)#Access
The extremely narrow Lions_Gate_Bridge should have had an 8 lane tunnel built near it several decades ago. Then the Lions_Gate_Bridge could have become a nice bike and foot bridge. The inept Lions-Gate-Bridge is so narrow that several houses are wider than it. Even some home garages and swimming pools are wider than it. Thus, the Lions_Gate_Bridge is one of the best examples of congestive planning in backward BC. The bridge should have been designed to eventually become a few meters wider on each side. There also should have been a provision for a lower deck which could have allowed for a rail rapid transit line and rapid bus lanes.
The Ironworkers_Memorial_Second_Narrows_Crossing should have been designed with a provision to be widened a few meters on each side. After its collapse in 1958, the bridge should have been redesigned to have a wider main deck and a lower deck for trains and busses. The top deck should have been designed to have 4 lanes each way, with 2 wide shoulders and 2 wide sidewalks. Unfortunately, despite being the main connection to the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal, the rebuilt Ironworkers_Memorial_Bridge wasn't designed to have a lower transit deck and no emergency lanes. Thus, it remains as another one of the best examples of congestive planning in Vancouver.
The Canada_Line should have been planned as a long term, high capacity route between Horseshoe_Bay,_West_Vancouver, Vancouver_International_Airport and the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal. Again, the congestion planning mentality took priority.
How a megathrust earthquake could hit the Pacific Northwest and SW BC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP-vyAwiXCM
Why ‘The Big One’ could be worse than we thought https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1qr9qnWR7E
Cascadia: The Earthquake that will Destroy Westcoast America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR-8PZ_nCvE
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Vancouver Lime e-scooter launch leads to some sour reactions
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/lime-e-scooter-vancouver-launch-reaction?
Each neighborhood should have been properly consulted about this.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-residents-shocked-e-scooter-rider-george-massey-tunnel Such an inept tunnel with no emergency lanes.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Metro Vancouver transit facing 'drastic cuts'
After decades of imposing narrow streets, roads, highways & bridges, it's still difficult for the region to have a proper express bus network. Most of the bridges in the region need to have a bus & bike bridge built right next to them.
The first 2 SkyTrain lines still only have 80m stations & the 3rd line, the C-Line, only has 50m stations. In contrast, the Montreal Metro was designed to have almost 153m long stations. Thus, a 500 foot long station can accommodate a 9 car train. Unfortunately, the first 2 SkyTrain lines can only accommodate the newer 4 car trains with a potential for a 5 car train, someday. The 3rd line or the C-Line, can only accomodate a 2 car joke of a train, but it has the potential to become a 2.5 car joke of a train.
This absurdity of congestive planning must be challenged & stopped in backward BC. Unfortunately, there are some influential people that continually like to maintain the symbolism of short trains and narrow bridges. They don't want the Greater Vancouver Region to become a proper urban area. That mentality apparently justifies the inadequate or underbuilt infrastructure in the region.
So now with looming transit cuts, the narrow roads & bridges will become even more congested.
https://www.rtands.com/tag/translink
The $2BN Megaproject Under Vancouver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4YFFtTEUQc
What Greater Vancouver Needs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZavPFZ9H1E
Whether its a bridge or a tunnel, Perth and Seattle have excellent wide crossings which allow for rail rapid transit. Fortunately, the congestive Vancouver mentality never reached into those cities.
https://www.highway99tunnel.ca/tunnel-construction Unfortunatly, BC missed another opportunity to have rapid rail transit through the tunnel.
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/17/highway-91-spun-out-richmond Even back in the 1980s, BC_Highway_91 should have been designed to be at least 4 lanes each way. 3 general lanes each way with the 4th as a bus & HOV lane. There also should have been 2 wide shoulders or emergency lanes. The Alex_Fraser_Bridge should have been designed to be at least 10 lanes wide. 3 general lanes each way & a bus-HOV lane & a truck lane each way. Plus, 2 emergency lanes & a provision for a lower rail transit deck. Unfortunatly, bottleneck or chokepoint planning won out. Plus, the symbolism for BC is to not properly plan for large, efficient infrastructure.
How can the Greater Vancouver Region have an efficient express bus & rapid bus network, when the highways & bridges are kept narrow? Why wasn't the SkyTrain designed to eventually have 153m or 500 foot long stations like the Montreal Metro? That would be symbolic of a proper big thinking city wanting to have high capacity transportation corridors. BC is about taking the congestive planning approach instead.
Perth+and+Seattle have been able to do so much more, because they aren't under anything like the imposed Vancouver restrictions and the overall backward BC mentality.
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