Bringing Back the Interurban Line (by John Vissers and Alexandria Mitchell)

Bringing Back the Interurban Line: Key to our Transportation Future Lies in the Past (By John Vissers and Alexandria Mitchell, for The Common Sense Canadian) [click here to view the full article on The Canadian] The BC provincial transportation plan is running out of political fuel, dollars and sense. How long can we continue to […]

Transit News Around The World October 19, 2010

Phoenix METRO Playing With A Full House http://raillife.com/blog/ Los Angeles LAX rail line is early stop in plan to expedite transit work http://www.dailybreeze.com/opinions/ci_16357591 Tampa Bay Hillsborough rail plan is still taking shape http://tinyurl.com/35egf4g Wellington, NZ Councillors signal light rail battle lines http://tinyurl.com/2udcyql Norfolk, VA Light rail may be up & running by Dec. http://tinyurl.com/2es7phc Ottawa […]

Trains get streetwise

The following link from the Professional Engineering Magazine ….. http://www.profeng.com/archive/2010/2311/23110053.htm ….. is well worth the read as it neatly sums up the German city of Karlsruhe’s success in integrating transit. Karlsruhe, it must be remembered, pioneered the TramTrain concept andAi??Ai??with stunning results. When the firstAi??Ai??TramTrain line (which replaced a commuter train & one transfer) opened […]

More Transit News A?ai??i??ai??? October 15, 2010

From the Victoria Times Colonist http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Think+rail+only+rail+future+transportation/3649005/story.html Ai??Ai??http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/Maclean+Cars+here+stay/3651236/story.html Ai??Ai??http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Public+input+sought+last+route/3613881/story.html Ai??Ai??http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/rail+line+along+Johnson+Street/3613919/story.html Ai??Ai??http://www.timescolonist.com/ahead+interchange/3532824/story.html Ai??Ai??Vancouver Courier October 13, 2010 http://www.vancourier.com/technology/case+free+transit+downtown+core/3663446/story.html Ai??Ai??Public transit debate can get messy, murkyAi?? Vancouver Courier Wednesday, November 04, 2009 Vancouver bus routes dwarf Surrey grid http://www.vancourier.com/life/Public+transit+debate+messy+murky/2900233/story.html The Tyee Ai??Ai??Get Rolling on Streetcars, Say Gathered Experts They reduce carbon, promote healthy development, and tourists love them, […]

The Fruit of the Poisonous Tree – TransLink’s Regional Transit Planning

Fruit of the poisonous tree is a legal metaphor in the United States used to describe evidence that is obtained illegally.The logic of the terminology is that if the source of the evidence (the “tree”) is tainted, then anything gained from it (the “fruit”) is as well. TransLink’s planning officials still maintain that modern light […]

News Round-up – October 12, 2010

It seems Russian tram operators know how to conduct a tram emergency test.Ai??Ai?? The ultimate annual tram emergency exercise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4OwPSI5eJQ&feature=related From the Langley Times http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/langleytimes/opinion/104350994.html The Vancouver Province http://www.theprovince.com/opinion/Premier+transit+pitch+hard+swallow/3635873/story.html The North Shore News http://www.nsnews.com/news/Railroading/3643583/story.html Queensland First contracts awarded for Gold Coast Light Rail http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/07/3032028.htm or http://tinyurl.com/32w8j3e Green light for GC rail tenderers http://tinyurl.com/27gzfrs Avignon The […]

World Cities – population, population density, transport including Light Rail/Trams – Round 2

The following is a revised account of city population and the type of transit used; metro or light rail. With Vancouver’s low population density, makes one wonder why the transportation authority and politicians only look at light-metro for transit solutions. World City Rankings – 2 – Asia – view The top 31 No Asian cities, […]

From the New York Times Opinion Page – Transit Economics

What is true in New York, is true for Vancouver’s METRO Region. Very sad! Transit Economics Paul Krugman October 7, 2010 New York times The usual suspects on the comment board are, inevitably, arguing that rail transit should pay for itself. The obvious response is that road transit doesnA?ai??i??ai???t; why should only public transit have […]

If One Build Metro On Routes That Do Not Have The Ridership That Would Justify Contruction……

…..Then One Will Have To Pay Large Subsidies To Build And Operate It! Large Subsidies Translates Into Higher Taxes! Of course those high subsidies will have to be borne by the taxpayer, either in gas taxes, car levies, or road pricing (or all three), and or increased property taxes. The current belief by TransLink’s highly […]

BRT to Chilliwack & SkyTrain to Langley? Just Business as Usual in BC!

The following article by Brian Lewis should forewarn us that the transit decision for the Fraser Valley has been already made. Like all transit studies done in the region in the past 30 years, the decision on transit mode is made beforehand and thenAi??Ai??a study is commissioned to confirm the decision. This is howAi??Ai??transit planning […]