TransLink Whinges for More Money

TransLink’s gold-plated transit planning needs funding and the the question is, which politicians are foolish enough to let Translink squander billions more taxpayer’s dollars?

A Broadway subway costing $3 billion?

Well if the proposed subway goes to UBC, the cost would be more like $4 billion.

LRT can’t operate on Broadway?

A LRT line on Broadway is certainly feasible an probably would have more capacity than a SkyTrain subway unless the subway, unlike the Canada line which has less capacity than a streetcar, has stations designed to handle 10 or 12 car trains. As well, a Broadway LRT would coat about one tenth to build than a Skytrain subway.

So Mr. Paddon, here is something to think about; ” for the cost of a $4 billion Broadway subway to UBC, one could build a BCIT to Broadway LRT/streetcar; a new combined road/rail bridge replacing both the Patullo and Fraser river Rail bridge; the ‘full build’ RftV/Leewood Chilliwack interurban and a White rock to Surrey Central and Vancouver LRT.

Which plan would attract more ridership?

Which plan would attract the taxpayers attention?

Which plan would be a better transit investment in the region?

Alas, TransLink Executive vice president Bob Paddon is an accountant and does not have any clue modern public transit, as universities tend not to include “Urban Transit” in the accountancy curriculum.

Translink and Metro Vancouver’s transit bureaucrats are little more than bookworms in the library, hiding their ineptitude with dated precedents. They have made the planning process a giant machine where the ossified central central bureaucracy reigns amid mountains of paper and woe to the taxpayer who will be forced to pay for their extravagance.

Jason Howe June 22, 2013

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130 Radio) ai??i?? As the region considers how to pay for transit expansion, TransLink says provincial and federal governments are going to have to chip in.

The transportation authority says the money is needed to handle growth.

TransLink continues to make the rounds to debate a $23 billion wish list to cover the next three decades.

Executive Vice President Bob Paddon says there are all kinds of possible projects on the horizon.

ai???Broadway corridor, the estimate there is about $3 billion. You look south of the Fraser, probably $2 billion or more. Expo Line is going to have to have a lot of work on it. We got a Pattullo bridge thatai??i??s going to be at least $1 billion if we replace it.ai???

Paddon says it all adds up.

ai???We canai??i??t support that with the amount of revenue we have today. We also recognize weai??i??re going to need senior government partners. Weai??i??re going to need provincial and federal governments to invest.ai???

While thereai??i??s talk about introducing new revenue like road pricing, Paddon says governments will also need to invest.