Skybridge and The North Arm (Train) Bridge

Officially, there isn't suppose to be a backwards BC agenda. However, the Skybridge between NW & Surrey and the North_Arm_Bridge between Vancouver & Richmond, were designed too narrow. Unfortunately, both of these SkyTrain+bridges weren't designed to have 2 bus lanes, or even HOV lanes. Key people knew that the SkyTrain wasn't going to be running 24hrs a day. Thus, there would have to be late-night busses when the trains shut down for the night. The 4 lane Pattullo+Bridge and the 4 lane Oak+Street+Bridge don't have enough space for 2 bus lanes, let alone any HOV lanes. Therefore, if there is any traffic disruption on such narrow bridges, a bus will be blocked.

What's the+missing+element? Both the Skybridge and The North Arm (Train) Bridge should have at least a provision for 2 bus lanes, 2 bike lanes & 2 sidewalks. But BC continually lacks having a proper transportation infrastructure vision. 

It's amazing that there wasn't enough interested people to make sure that the Skybridge between NW & Surrey would have at least 1 bike lane & 1 sidewalk. It has neither, because the public was expected to just take their bikes on a single sidewalk that is narrower than some people's bathtubs on the old, inept Pattullo Bridge.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/british-columbia/north-arm-bridge-bikeway There should have been a sidewalk & a bike-path on both sides of this bridge. Plus, 2 bus lanes & 2 HOV lanes, since the SkyTrain doesn't run 24 hours a day.

https://www.canadianconsultingengineer.com/features/north-arm-bridge There just doesn't seem to be a proper level of input from the public to make sure that both rapid transit bridges & others, are designed for future capacity.

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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=The+North+Arm+Bridge

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

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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=the+missing+element

Several narrow Vancouver bridge issues

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-bridge-cyclist-wire-allegations

Someone might have been very angry with bike people and not with car, bus & truck people. The real problem is that so much of the older BC infrastructure just wasn't designed to be more of a multi-modal crossing. The+Lion+Bridge+and+The+Iron+Bridge have no rail rapid transit crossings next them.

The Ironworkers-Bridge is so narrow for a highway bridge in that location & wasn't designed for substantial future capacity. When it was initially designed in the 1950s, there was no concept to have 2 bus lanes, 2 HOV lanes, 2 truck lanes & 2 emergency lanes for a port city. Plus, at least 2 general traffic lanes each way & a provision for 2 train tracks. Thus, the 6 lane bridge is so overwhelmed, because it just can't do the job of an 8-10 lane wide bridge. While the Iron Bridge has 2 improved bike+lanes, they are part of the sidewalks.  

The former 8 lane Granville+Street will have 6 lanes, while the  & Oak+Street only has 4 lanes. The inadequate Oak+Street+Bridge (OSB) should have opened with at least 8 lanes, instead of only 4. Plus, 2 wide emergency lanes & 2 wide sidewalks. There still should be a new southbound OS Bridge, but the city would be against it. A narrow 4 lane bridge just doesn't have the space & capacity for 2 express bus lanes, 2 HOV & 2 truck lanes. Apparently, it's better to just funnel everything into only 2 lanes each way.  

The OSB should be twinned or replace with something like the Samuel-De_Champlain_Bridge in Montreal. The largest city in Quebec is allowed to have a nice wide bridge & long metro trains, because Quebec isn't bound by anything like the backwards BC mentality. 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-montreals-new-44-billion-champlain-bridge-opens-to-traffic-for Fortunatly, the Vancouver mentality wasn't able to ever reach back to Montreal & prevent such a nice modern bridge from being built there. https://www.flatironcorp.com/project/champlain-bridge If you are from Montreal & have visited Vancouver, you will be surprise to see how much shorter an underground Vancouver train station is than what is allowed underground in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Seattle, SF & LA...

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/granville-bridge-connector.aspx A bike & foot bridge should have been built next to it decades ago. Then the Granville+Bridge could have 3 general lanes each way, plus a bus & HOV lane each way. Instead, if 2 bus & HOV lanes are designated, there will only be 2 general lanes each way in the downtown core.

The Burrard Bridge should have had a bike & foot bride next to it. Instead, it was reduced from a 6 lane crossing to a 4 lane bridge.

The very narrow Oak+Street+Bridge & the Knight Street Bridge, should have had bus+and+bike+bridges built next to them decades ago. 

Most bridges in Vancouver & the metropolitan region just weren't designed with that much future capacity in mind, especially for buses & HOV lanes. Thus, it's a travesty that by now, almost every crossing should have had bus & bike bridges built next to them. 

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/walk-bike-and-transit.aspx Unfortunatly, provisions for bus & bike lanes just weren't the thing to do several decades ago in BC.  

A truck lane is just as important as a bus & HOV lane. That's because freight should be efficiently & easily be transported in any major urban region.

https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/trucks-commercial-and-oversize-vehicles.aspx 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Oak+Street+and+Granville+Street

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

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

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

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

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

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=the+missing+element

Its Not Just About Bus and Bike Bridges

Bike bridges might not be able to totally solve the transportation mess that is Vancouver. However, its quite odd how Vancouver Cycling_Infrastructure is missing a crucial bit of transportation infrastructure. Indeed, many cities will build least 1 proper bike bridge. The Vancouver approach is to take traffic lanes away from existing bridges, or not even bother to build a bike bridge next to a congested bridge. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crossings_of_the_Fraser_River#North_Arm There should have been several bus and bike bridges in just this section alone. 

 https://bicyclenetwork.com.au/newsroom/2024/08/08/striking-perth-bridge-crosses-key-construction-milestone Unfortunatly, such a nice bike bridge in Perth isn't allowed in backwards Vancouver. 

https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/projects-initiatives/all-projects/metropolitan/causeway-path/

https://www.wsp.com/en-ca/projects/perths-boorloo-bridge If you are visiting Perth from Vancouver, you might cry when you realize what WA can do, simply because its not influenced or limited by the backwards BC mentality or mind virus.

https://www.destinationperth.com.au/listing/boorloo-bridge/3706 Unlike in backwards Vancouver, many cities build bike bridges so that they don't have to remove traffic lanes.

https://dissingweitling.com/en/project/swan-river-causeway-bridge 

https://www.buildingfortomorrow.wa.gov.au/projects/boorloo-bridge Unfortunatly, properly building-for-tomorrow is much more difficult in backwards BC than it is in WA. 

A bike+bridge in the right spot can make a huge difference. A bus+and+bike+bridge can be a huge improvement, especially in the case of Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Region. 

The Arthur_Laing_Bridge, Oak_Street_Bridge, Knight_Street_Bridge and the Queensborough_Bridge all could be improved simply by building a bus+and+bike+bridge next to them. These bridges are simply too narrow to accommodate 2 bus lanes, 2 wide bike lanes and 2 wide footpaths.

The narrow North_Arm_Bridge for the very short Canada Line trains, is another lost opportunity. There should have been 2 express bus lanes, since the little train doesn't run 24 hours. There should have been 2 wide bike lanes as well as 2 sidewalks. 

Perhaps it was designed to be in the tradition of the narrow SkyBridge between NW and Surrey. Unfortunately, the SkyBridge wasn't designed to help the old Pattullo Bridge by accommodating 2 bus lanes, 2 bike lanes and 2 sidewalks.

While the Pattullo_Bridge_replacement opened with 2 nice bike lanes and 2 footpaths, there was a deliberate decision not to open it with 2 bus lanes and 2 HOV lanes. Especially, no wide emergency lanes or wide shoulders. Its another instant classic BC bottleneck-chokepoint. 

Somehow the Metro_Vancouver_Regional_District still hasn't realized that a regional network of bus and bike bridges can really help the region's mostly narrow bridges. Plus, proper big city long trains. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_Line_(SkyTrain) Only started to run some 5 car trains in 2025.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Line Still usually only 2 car train with the option to run 4 and the potential to eventually run 5 car trains.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#Canada_Line Despite a building cost cutting measure, this joke of a train and its short stations still could have been designed with enough level clearance to allow for 5 car trains eventually. Unfortunately, this line was designed to ultimately just have 2.5 car, 50m trains. Since 2009, this line is still only running 2 car trains. 

Multigenerational congestion planning is all by design in backwards BC.

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=the+missing+element

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=bus-bridge

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

SkyTrain-Canada Line rebuilding

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

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

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

Never mind designing it to ultimately have 8-10 car trains, starting out with at least 5 car trains. A 2 car train is such a sad joke, but it all fits in with the reluctance to think & build big in BC. 

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_door_operation#International_variations

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

The+Missing+Element

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

. 

The missing element in urban infrastructure

If a bridge or tunnel is too narrow to accommodate bus and bike lanes, then a separate crossing should be built near it. Many bridges and highway tunnels don't have a provision for LRT or commuter rail, so then a rail crossing should be built near it.

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=the+missing+element

Story Bridge and Clem Jones Tunnel vs the inadequat LGB

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_Bridge 3 lanes each way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clem_Jones_Tunnel (CJT) 2 lanes each way. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clem_Jones_Tunnel#Public_transport

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Story+Bridge 

The+Missing+Element in backwards BC.

In contrast, Vancouver is stuck with a 3 lane LGB, with no parallel bus, truck and train tunnels. If visiting Vancouver from Brisbane, or almost any Australian city or town, you will be shocked. While Australia is allowed to have 3 big port cities on the Pacific Rim (Mel Syd & Bris), Canada has taken a Half-A$$ED approach.

While the Port_of_Prince_Rupert has a lot of potential, most of it remains as a watered down front. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Prince_Rupert#Conversion_to_an_intermodal_terminal 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Harbour_(British_Columbia)#Facilities

https://gvha.ca/deep-water-terminal/terminal-information/ V-BC has potential, but its also so scaled back or watered down. 

Despite Victoria wanting to remain as a quaint provincial backwater, it should eventually become a proper port city like Wellington. https://www.centreport.co.nz/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CentrePort_Wellington#Containers 

Port of Vancouver, BC.

Victoria Bus and Bike Bridge in Brisbane

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Victoria+Bridge

Of course a bus and bike bridge makes sense in Brisbane & Calgary. That's why they aren't allowed in backwards Vancouver. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/brisbane/comments/1e98dkr/the_busway_victoria_bridge_living_up_to_its_name/ 

Vancouver is so lacking with bus and bike bridges. Its an ongoing part of the+missing+element in transportation planning in BC.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eleanor+Schonell+Bridge

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kurilpa+Bridge

https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Neville+Bonner+Bridge

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Goodwill+Bridge 

While Queensland is on the same planet as backwards BC, it might as well be on a different world. 

Missed Connections in Transportation Infrastructure

https://infrastructureinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Missed-Connections-Final-Report-2025-02-11.pdf

https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/comments/1m2eav7/what_is_that_one_piece_of_infrastructure_that/ 

https://thecmigroup.ca/press-room/what-lurks-beneath-the-hidden-infrastructure-crisis/

 https://www.mammoet.com/resources/urban-plannings-top-three-challenges-and-how-to-beat-them/

https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2017/11/the-five-is-of-failed-urban-planning/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275125003075 

https://metropolismag.com/viewpoints/scott-burnham-infrastructure-reprogramming/  

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=the+missing+element