Is Tsawwassen Mills is one of Metro Vancouver's worst urban planning mistakes?

http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/tsawwassen-mills-worst-urban-planning-metro-vancouver

Instead of having a train between the ferry terminal, the mall and YVR, Delta remains underserved by public transit, as well as inadequate roads. Had there been better urban transportation planning, Tsawwassen+Mills could have been an easy stop in-between the Delta ferry terminal and Richmond and the airport (YVR). 

Greater Vancouver & BC continually opt for under capacity transportation choices. It's like there has been an unofficial, multi decade agenda to encourage congestive planning. Fortunately, most urban regions around the world refuse to follow the backwards BC approach to things. 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Richmond+and+Delta 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Delta+Transportation

The Tsawwassen, Delta Dilemma

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/tsawwassen-town-centre-redevelopment-delta-housing-supply-rejection 

Unfortunatly, there are some serious examples of poor transportation planning in backwards BC. There never seemed to be a multistage plan to gradually have at least 5 car trains running between YVR and the BC Ferry terminal. Indeed, the YVR-Canada Line has stations that are only designed to eventually accomodate a 2.5 car train, not 5 cars. Plus, no train tunnel or bridge into Delta. 

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

https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/competing-proposals-for-deltaport-expansion-still-not-over-11215614 

https://www.portvancouver.com/project/deltaport-truck-staging-facility 

Despite being on the same ocean, but half a world away, the Port_of_Brisbane has much better highway and freight railway infrastructure in place. 

While the YVR Line or the Canada (Embarrassment) Line only runs trains that are a 2 car joke, Brisbane actually has a proper big city Airport_railway_line with longer trains. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_railway_line,_Brisbane#Criticism While long trains are better for capacity, a frequent number of trains per hour is also important.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_Airport_railway_station,_Brisbane  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_Airport#Rail  

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Airtrain_NGR_Indigenous.jpg

Fortunately, Queensland was never stunted by anything like a BC Mind Virus (BCMV).  

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Delta+Transportation

Skytrain-Canada Line maximum frequency and capacity issues

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

A limited construction budget doesn't have to prevent an airport+line from eventually becoming a regional high capacity corridor. That is as long as it's designed with significant future capacity in mind. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with the little YVR-Canada-Line.

Transportation infrastructure such as the Canada+Line, could have easily been designed to be expandable over the decades. However, its as if someone with a strong antigrowth & anti big city infrastructure agenda was able to make sure that this line was poorly designed.

There really should have been a long term plan to not only connect the Vancouver_International_Airport's, YVR_station to the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal and to the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal. Again, it was as if someone never wanted such a line to ever become a high volume transportation corridor linking West_Vancouver and Delta to the airport.

Such absurd 50 m stations, especially the underground ones, should have been designed with at least an extra 50 m of level clearance at each end. Instead, the joke that is the Canada Line was only designed to have two 20 m coaches with just enough space for an additional half-length coach. Wow, so this 2 car train can eventually become a 2.5 car train, but not a 5.

This joke of a 2 car train should have immediately opened with 3-5 car trains. Then ultimately, 8-10 car trains as needed. 

Its difficult to understand why so much infrastructure in BC has to always be so underbuilt. 
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-peak-hour-service-new-trains

There has been a multi-generational agenda to stunt or thwart the scale of infrastructure in BC. Long trains & wide bridges go against the congestive BC agenda. Allowing big & high capacity infrastructure in BC would be symbolic as well as indicative of properly planning for & efficiently managing growth. Why do that when you can just keep on implementing chokepoints & bottleneck planning overall?

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-line-yvr-airport-station-wayfinding

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Delta+Transportation

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

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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=C+Line

The Regional George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

Of course someday, the Massey+Tunnel+replacement should have a regional rail crossing with extra bus or HOV lanes. 

While it's important to have a train to Coquitlam, it's also important to have a train to the Delta ferry terminal.

https://sfb.nathanpachal.com/2015/08/what-evergreen-line-will-do-to-bus.html 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-Cities_(British_Columbia) 

https://sfb.nathanpachal.com/2015/08/amtrak-service-improvement-coming-to.html The New_Westminster_Rail_Bridge is a single track joke that shoud be replace with at least a 3, if not a 4 track bridge. https://cib-bic.ca/en/projects/trade-and-transport/new-westminster-rail-bridge/

Its pitiful that there is no rail bridge between Richmond and Delta to provide an efficient link between YVR and the ferry terminal. 

https://sfb.nathanpachal.com/search/label/Transportation Its very strange that there doesn't seem to a plan to link YVR with the 2 regional ferry terminals.

https://sfb.nathanpachal.com/search/label/Interurban%20Maps Its sad that instead of improving regional rail tranportaion during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, backwards BC went the other way. Then the 1980s Skytrain had stations that were barely more than half the length of a 152.4 m Montreal Metro station. The YVR Line opened in 2009 and wasn't even built with 80m stations, only enough level clearance for 50m stations.  

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Richmond+and+Delta 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Delta+Transportation

George Massey tunnel-new-replacement-contractor-selected

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/george-massey-tunnel-new-replacement-contractor-selected-bc 

This new 8 lane tunnel should be the first phase of a regional transportation crossing. There should be a followup YVR-ferry terminal link between Richmond and Delta, someday.

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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Delta+Transportation

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Richmond+and+Delta

HWY 99 northbound offramp to Steveston HWY in Richmond reopens

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/07/29/steveston-nb-offramp-closed-hwy-99-richmond

The H-99 corridor is such a transportation joke. No bus and train tunnels were ever built next to the LGB. The narrow tunnel between Richmond & Delta won't have any bus lanes until 2030 & still no train bridge or tunnel between YVR & the ferry terminal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia_Highway_99#Route_description

https://www.richmond-news.com/local-news/province-considering-filling-george-massey-tunnel-with-sand-8777369

https://www.richmond-news.com/search?search=on&q=George+Massey+Tunnel  

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Richmond+and+Delta 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Delta+Transportation

Delta coal export terminal shuttered for 10 weeks after fire

 https://globalnews.ca/news/11341719/westshore-terminals-fire/ 

https://www.biv.com/news/transportation/westshore-terminals-to-close-berth-for-10-weeks-after-weekend-fire-11097922

https://www.portvancouver.com/permit/westshore-terminals-new-potash-export-westshore 

https://business.deltachamber.ca/directory/Details/westshore-terminals-limited-partnership-1469725 

https://shippingmatters.ca/westshore-terminals-to-support-potash-exports/ 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Delta+Transportation 

LRT, Semi-metro and Heavy Rail Rapid Transit...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail#Types , 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail#Comparison_to_other_rail_transit_modes

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-metro 

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

Of course when Vancouver & the greater urban region became obsessed with keeping the roads & bridges narrow, it was as if there wasn't a proper concept of having express bus lanes & dedicated rapid bus lanes.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-funding-issues-impacts-traffic-congestion

The 1959 George_Massey_Tunnel should have opened with 3 lanes each way. Plus, 2 wide emergency lanes. Then over the course of its first 2 decades, it could have become a 6 lane crossing with 2 bus & HOV lanes. 

By the 1980s, the inept 4 lane George_Massey_Tunnel should have had a parallel higher & wider bus & HOV tunnel consisting of at least another 4 lanes & at least 2 emergency lanes. Thus making it more capable as an eventual replacement to the old tunnel. Then by around 2000, there should have been a bike, truck & train bridge or tunnel as well. 

A George_Massey_Tunnel#Replacement by 2030? The first phase of this really should have been started by the 1980s. Of course the new tunnel with 8 lanes & 2 bike lanes, won't have 2 truck lanes & there won't be 2 HOV lanes. Plus, in accordance with a perpetual congestive planning mentality, there is no provision for an extension of the Canada Line to Delta.

The new tunnel should not only have had 3 general lanes each way & 1 bus lane each way, there should be 1 truck lane each way as well. Plus, 2 wide emergency lanes which could eventually be repurpose for a north & southbound rapid bus transit corridor. That's because, even if there is ever a YVR-Canada-Line to the ferry terminal, it won't be open 24 hours.

Someday the YVR-Canada-Line should not only have 2.5 car trains, but an actual 5 car train consisting of five, 20m coaches. Selective_door_operation technology would make this possible. Of course it would have simply been much better to have designed all the stations to already be at least 100m, instead of the inept 50m. Unfortunately, backward BC thinking keeps getting in the way.

https://www.richmond-news.com/local-news/province-considering-filling-george-massey-tunnel-with-sand-8777369 Despite the old tunnels height restrictions, a slightly smaller version of the Road_Train could have been ideal for it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_train#Trailer_arrangements

Keeping the old tunnel as a freight corridor between Delta & Richmond would be of tremendous benefit. Delta has the Roberts_Bank_Superport & the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal.

Richmond has the Vancouver_International_Airport & the inept Canada_Line. 

Despite budget limits at the time, the Canada_Line should have been designed to eventually have 5 car trains & ultimately, 10 car trains. It should have been envisioned as a high capacity rail link between downtown Vancouver, YVR, Richmond & Delta. With an ultimate connection between the Tsawwassen_ferry_terminal and the Horseshoe_Bay_ferry_terminal. 

For some reason Vancouver & BC never seemed to really take off in the 1980s like Calgary, Seattle & Perth. Indeed, while Vancouver seemed to continue on its sleepwalking path after Expo_86, Brisbane really started to boom after its World_Expo_88. 

Unlike SW BC, the Brisbane Airport & seaport are much closer to each other. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org If you are from Brisbane & visiting Vancouver, you will be shocked to see such a short airport train. Being from Vancouver, its difficult to grasp how Brisbane was able to build such nice long trains. This is something to be very proud of, as it can move a lot of people in both directions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Airport_railway_station,_Brisbane This opened in 2001 & Vancouver's inept version had to be ready by 2010 with just 2 car trains. Yet, Brisbane designed their train to be high capacity capable as soon as it open for service. From a backwards BC perspective, it's amazing how Queensland is able to think & function on such a grand scale & to properly allocate the necessary funds. Who knows where so much of the funds went in BC? That's because not enough of it seems to have gone into the infrastructure. 

https:://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_International_Airport#Rapid_transit_(SkyTrain) 

Unfortunately, this is an embarrassment line because, that's not a 4 car train, its only two, 2 car trains on a single track. How can Vancouver ever rank as a proper city & metropolitan area, when the trains are so short & most of the bridges are so narrow?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YVR-Airport_station Why have a double track station allowing for at least 155m - 200m long trains? Do it the backwards BC way with only a single track & a 50m station. This isn't just an example of extreme cost-cutting. Its not properly designing crucial transportation infrastructure for eventual high capacity. Fortunately, most proper big urban areas are able to think & build big right from the start. Case in point is Queensland.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sir+Leo+Hielscher+Bridges,+Queensland,+Australia

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/Gateway_Bridge This 6 lane & then a 12 lane crossing was possible, because Queensland isn't under anything like the backwater BC restrictions. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges This has the potential to still have 4 lanes each way. Plus, 1 bus lane & 1 HOV lane each way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Brisbane , https://www.portbris.com.au , 

https://www.portbris.com.au/portbris-2060

Unlike backwater BC, Queensland is able to properly think, plan, invest & build for the future. Queensland just isn't hindered by anything like the BC Mind Virus (BCMV).

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=YVR-Canada+Line This is almost the worlds shortest train, because it only has 2 cars.

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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Brisbane+Airport+Railway+Line

YVR-Canada Line and REM

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ouk0VifwM&t=42s Even if the YVR-Canada Line had to initially be built as a symbolically small city train, urban transportation infrastructure can be designed in ways that can double or even triple capacity to meet future demand. Unfortunately, its very difficult to build anything in BC with significant future capacity in mind.

Ultimately, the YVR-Canada Line should have had level station clearances to eventually be able to accommodate 10 car trains. Unfortunately, in typical backwards BC planning the stations weren't even designed with enough level clearance to accommodate 5 car trains. The joke that is the Canada Line only has a level station clearance of 50m to eventually accommodate just a 2.5 car train. 

Most other cities actually build long stations to accommodate long trains right in the first place. Or, at least allow for enough level clearance so that the stations can eventually be doubled or tripled in length. 

The YVR-Canada Line should have started with the Vancouver & Richmond segment, then the Vancouver and Horseshoe+Bay+ferry+terminal segment. Then finally, the YVR to Delta and the Tsawwassen+ferry+terminal. 

The SkyTrain Stations in Greater Vancouver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qg78Bmf1fk

Unfortunately, proper big city transportation planning is very difficult to achieve in backwards BC. So much is watered down in Vancouver.

Montreal’s Biggest REM Expansion Yet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G1oeIAfxDU&t=106s 

The Montreal REM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9O6RzsXIqQ

Why the Widest Freeway on Earth still Made Traffic Worse in Houston

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMwKgT4ZUvQ It is utterly foolish to not have enough space for a commuter train to run above, or in the middle or underneath the widest highways. 

https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/houstons-15-year-growth-three-charts Simply building wide roads like in Houston, L.A. and Toronto is just as bad as having mostly narrow bridges in Greater Vancouver.  

Whether its 10 lanes or 20 lanes wide, there should always be 2 dedicated bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes. While the highway will get clogged up during the day, at least the buses and trains can still get through quickly. 

The Pattullo+Bridge+replacement is only 2 lanes each way with narrow shoulders. It should have opened with enough space for 2 bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes, but that would go against the congestive urban planning mentality of BC.

The Samuel-De+Champlain+Bridge in Montreal is just as good as similar wide highway and train bridges in Seattle+and+Perth. All were possible, simply because they aren't limited by anything like the Vancouver and BC Mind Virus.

The narrow-minded Vancouver and BC approach is to try to funnel everything into just 2 or 3 lanes each way. Then there just isn't enough space to have 2 bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes. Greater Vancouver has certainly gone in the extreme opposite direction of Houston, L.A. and Toronto...

A wide Greater Houston highway has lots of space, but without 2 bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes, everything gets plugged up. In contrast, Greater Vancouver has most of its bridges and highways so damn narrow, there isn't enough space to accomodate a proper express bus and HOV network. 

This deliberate backwards BC bottleneck-chokepoint planning approach is totally absurd. 

There is no commuter train tunnel near the Lions+Gate+Bridge or even for the Massey+Tunnel+replacement. Thus, they are the best examples of BC choke-point urban planning. Despite having twice the lanes as the inept 3 lane LGB, the newer Iron+Bridge never had any emergency lanes. A bus and HOV bridge was never built next to it. Plus, no commuter train bridge. It's another fine example of BC choke-point, bottleneck planning. 

A north and south Boundary+Road bridge system would provide direct access between the North+Shore, Richmond+and+Delta, but that's what a proper big city would do. Backwards BC has quite a problem with thinking and building big. The 2 car Canada+Line is another example. Don't build it to at least have a 5 car train, just design it to only have 2.5 car trains, someday.

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_610_(Texas)#Lane_configurations There is a point when simply adding more lanes won't provide long-term improvement. However, when combined with dedicated bus and HOV lanes, other options become available. Especially, if there is rail rapid transit and commuter rail as well. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/METRORail While not as extentise as DART_rail, it still works like a tram-train. 

Of course longer streetcars or tram-trains are still slow on the actual surface street segments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Melbourne#System_upgrades 

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muni_Metro SF

The Dunsmuir Tunnel in Downtown Vancouver, SkyTrain service to be reduced on weekends until June

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/downtown-vancouver-skytrain-service-delays-weekends Had the old railway tunnel been originally designed to be double tracked, it could have been converted into a double level, 4 track LRT tunnel, instead of a 2 track LRT tunnel.

Ideally, if a subway or metro line doesn't have 4 tracks, 3 would be the next best thing. Then, 2 tracks could always remain operational while the 3rd is being repaired. For the most part, Skytrain is just a double track system. Unfortunately, the YVR-Canada Line is even single tracked at the end of the line in YVR and in downtown Richmond. 

The Canada Line should have been the 1st phase of an eventual south extension to Delta and the BC ferry terminal. Plus, a north extension from Waterfront_station_in Vancouver to Lonsdale_Quay and the ferry terminal. This would be a vital link between Canada_Line and the two regional ferry terminals. Unfortunately, Vancouver and BC are about maintaining congestion and transportation inefficiency.

Perhaps someday, if Vancouver is ever allowed to function like a proper big city, the Dunsmuir_Tunnel could be extended under Stanley Park and the 1st Narrows to Park Royal and to the ferry terminal. However, what's more likely to happen is that after the Dunsmuir_Tunnel reaches Waterfront_station, the line will continue east. 

https://evelazarus.com/the-dunsmuir-tunnel 

https://buzzer.translink.ca/2022/04/new-tunnel-technology-will-transform-your-skytrain-trip/ 

https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/construction-progress-photo-of-cpr-dunsmuir-tunnel-10 

https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/construction-progress-photo-of-cpr-dunsmuir-tunnel-9

Granville Bridge, Vancouver, etc.

 https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/granville-bridge.aspx 

Even after 3 tries, Vancouver still couldn't quite get the Granville_Street_Bridge correct. Of course the 3rd bridge wasn't designed to have a lower deck for streetcars or tram-trains. Even though it was generally designed to be a car, truck and bus bridge, the sidewalks should have been double width and have an inner railing. If the city couldn't wait until late March, it should have had the official dedication in early March, not in crappy February 1954.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Street_Bridge#Third_bridge_(1954) "On February 4, 1954, the current Granville Street Bridge opened to traffic after five years of planning and construction; its dedication ceremony was attended by 5,000 spectators after it had been delayed a week due to heavy snow." 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Street_Bridge#21st_century Unfortunatly, new bike lanes and extra sidewalks couldn't be installed below the 8 lane deck. Thus, Vancouver went for strike 3 and removed 2 lanes from the bridge. The Burrard+Street+Bridge lost 2 lanes and the Cambie+Bridge lost 1 lane. A bike and foot bridge could have been built on the west side of the Burrard Bridge, then no lanes would have been removed. The Cambie Bridge already had a wide sidewalk on its east side. The west sidewalk should have been widened, then no lane would have been removed. 

The Granville+Bridge could have had 6 lanes and 2 bus lanes. Now, if there are ever 2 bus lanes, there will only be 2 general lanes each way.

Several cities around the world have bike & foot bridges and don't have to remove lanes from the existing bridges.

For such a congested city to have removed 5 lanes from 3 bridges, could there even be more of a reduction of lanes Well, there are some who would like to have the LGB just for bike and foot traffic.

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

That would be OK if an 8 lane tunnel could be built near it. Such a First Narrows Tunnel could have 3 lanes each way, plus a bus lane each way. A parallel triple track commuter train tunnel should be built close to it as well.

The new & improved tunnel between Richmond and Delta won't be ready until 2030. Since things move so slow in constipated, backwards BC, perhaps a First_Narrows_Tunnel might not be completed until 2040, or even 2050.