Sound Transit to invest $2.1M in rail, bus ridership research

Seattle's LRT is grossly overbuilt for what it does.

Seattle has built a grossly over-engineered light rail line which has more in common with Vancouver's SkyTrain light metro than LRT and ridership is flagging. Having failed to meet forecast ridership comes as no surprise as the hybrid light rail/metro is trying to be all things to all people and in the end pleasing none.

What Seattle transit planners probably do not wish to recognize is that what they planned, was doomed for failure and now ($2 billion too late) hiring market research companies to find what the public really wants and how to grow ridership.

In Vancouver, our three light-metro lines just carry enough ridership to fool the mainstream media which spins the story about our 'successful transit system' to the public. Our transit planners just sit back and let high priced spin doctors feed local TV and radio stations with news release after news release, singing hosannas about how successful our SkyTrain and Canada line light-metros are. What is quietly forgotten is the massive subsidies to pay for our three metro lines have truncated the rest of the transit system.

Funny, no one has copied Vancouver's light metro transit model, except Seattle and the city and its transit system are ignored by the international transit community at large.

Back to Seattle; I could save Sound Transit $2.1 million and simply tell them the truth; "Your $2 billion hybrid light rail/metro system is not customer friendly and thus will not attract much new custom".

"You must completely rethink how and why you build LRT!"

I think fixing the problem will mean that Sound Transit must to get rid of a few sacred cows, starting with that $2 billion, three mile subway to the University District , instead plan for classic on-street/at-grade LRT, with stops every 500 to 600 metres (about 1500 feet) apart, what has proven to attract ridership. Transit authorities must completely rethink how and why they build LRT and how they provide transit and it is not going to be easy, for like Vancouver, they keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different and more successful results each time.

I'm afraid the transit clock has run out in Vancouver, with an out of control planning bureaucracy for ever coming up with more expensive subway schemes, but not in Seattle where a usable and customer friendly LRT can be planned for still, instead of politically and bureaucratically prestigious metros and subways. But is there the political will to make change happen?

---

Sound Transit to invest $2.1M in rail, bus ridership research

Sound Transit will spend as much as $2.1 million for consultants to conduct market research, in hopes of boosting its rail and bus ridership.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015100696_soundtransit20m1.html

Sound Transit will spend as much as $2.1 million for consultants to conduct market research, in hopes of boosting its rail and bus ridership.

"Finding out what will get people out of their cars and into our services is going to require some deep research and talking to a lot of people in our region," said communications Director Ron Klein.

The board's operating committee voted unanimously Thursday to pay EMC Research up to $1.5 million over five years, and Resource Systems Group up to $630,000 over three years. EMC will analyze public and customer attitudes, while Resource Systems will measure the effects of fares, fuel prices, tolls, congestion and parking on traveler choices.

Meanwhile, neighboring Pierce Transit and Community Transit are cutting buses. King County Metro is considering a $20 car-tab fee to preserve bus service plus the roomier, more frequent RapidRide buses voters approved five years ago.

Sound Transit has announced a long-term $3.9 billion shortfall in its $18 billion, 15-year expansion plan, and the possible scrapping of a future station in Federal Way, but it has ample cash for now.

"If the economy weren't so bad, our partner agencies would want this information as badly as we do," Klein said.

Community Transit Chairman Dave Gossett said there's no way his agency could find $2 million for market research. But it has paid consultants to examine who rides which bus lines — data now being used to make tough decisions, he said.

"Any transit agency is a business, and it's a business that needs to attract customers, just like GM or any other business," Gossett said.

Ridership on Seattle-area Link light rail increased in March to 21,341 average weekday trips, 18 percent above March 2010. That's still below an original goal of more than 26,000 trips. Recession is one factor, and a decision to charge fares downtown likely dissuaded some, a spokesman said.

Sounder commuter trains in March carried an average 8,799 riders a weekday, down more than 4 percent from a year earlier, as mudslides closed the Everett line for a week.

EMC already does annual customer-satisfaction surveys for Sound Transit, but officials say they lack a clear picture of people who don't ride.

That knowledge could help target advertising dollars more effectively, Klein said.

After the Roads and Transit plan lost a regional vote in 2007, an EMC poll indicated a transit-only package might pass. That influenced the agency's decision to try again in 2008 and win.

Sound Transit won't dwell on certain bus lines, such as the 590 from Tacoma to Seattle, that are full, Klein said.

But there's plenty of room on Sounder and Link. "We have trains that are going to run whether they are full or half full," Klein said. "We want them completely full."

Operations-committee members voting yes Thursday were Dave Enslow, mayor of Sumner; Claudia Thomas, of Lakewood; John Marchione, of Redmond; and Paul Roberts, of Everett, who each hold local elected office.

Mike Lindblom:

Aging Pattullo Bridge needs to be replaced – Why Not Build A New Combined Road/Rail Bridge Instead?

Taxpayers Beware – Seattle’s Newest Subway Is Costing $400 Million A Kilometre

This story should be sounding alarm bells everywhere, Seattle's newest subway, a mere 4.8 km long, is set to cost a massive USD $2 billion or about USD $400 million per km to build, making this insane project one of the worlds more expensive subway projects!

'Zwei' never supported Seattle's so-called LRT line because it is really a very expensive hybrid light rail/metro line with many kilometres of route on elevated viaduct or in deep tunnels. It is not classic light rail and only small portions of the line can be considered true light rail. It's paltry daily ridership supports 'Zwei's' contention that the entire line has been over built and built in the wrong location.

What is being built is not light rail at all, rather a super expensive subway operating light rail vehicles instead of heavy rail subway cars. It is LRT in name only.

This new Seattle subway poses several questions; including; "Is the costs for the completed Canada line accurate?"

More importantly: "Is TransLink's estimates for subway construction under Broadway accurate?"

Seattle's hybrid light metro/rail system makes a mockery out of fiscally sound transit planning and this multi billion dollar 5 km. subway looks more like civic penis envy on steroids than sound transit planning.

---

Boring to begin Monday on light-rail link to UW

This week, Sound Transit will start drilling a $2 billion, three-mile light-rail tunnel to connect the University of Washington, Capitol Hill and Westlake Center.

By Mike Lindblom

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015064449_railtunnel16m.html

This week, Sound Transit will start drilling a $2 billion, three-mile light-rail tunnel to connect the University of Washington, Capitol Hill and Westlake Center.

Boring machines will work around the clock for more than a year. Trucks will carry away dirt, while others will deliver arc-shaped segments to build the tunnel walls. Then rails will be installed, and stations constructed.

The fruit of all that labor and noise is a direct line joining three of the premier transit hubs in Washington state.

The first machine will be christened Monday in a ceremony outside Husky Stadium by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff and other dignitaries.

That machine will bore the southbound tunnel south toward Capitol Hill.

A second machine will start the parallel northbound tube in June. Also in June, a third machine will start at Capitol Hill and go one mile toward Westlake Center, be retracted from a pit next to the Paramount Theatre, then return and dig the parallel tube.

The route is scheduled to open by September 2016. The new First Hill Streetcar, due in 2013, will link Capitol Hill Station to the existing International District/Chinatown Station.

Voters approved a UW line in a 1996 regional plan, but cost estimates were off by more than $1 billion, forcing delays and alignment changes.

The long-awaited route is estimated to attract 70,000 daily passengers by 2030 — even more if the agency completes three suburban lines to Lynnwood, Overlake and Highline Community College.

"As the system is completed, this is going to be a big deal," said Josh Kavanagh, UW transportation director.

Ridership estimates can go awry, as illustrated by the existing downtown-to-airport line, currently drawing 21,000 boardings a day instead of the targeted 26,000.

On the other hand, the UW campus, Seattle University and Seattle Central Community College are proven transit markets with a combined enrollment of 56,000. Two of every five UW students and employees take transit already, another two-fifths carpool, bike or walk, and only a fifth drive alone.

Coast Mountain buses passed by stops more than 200,000 times in 2010

The following story, “Coast Mountain buses passed by stops more than 200,000 times in 2010“, is one of bad management rather than anything else. What we see is TransLink’s policy of “to hell with the customer“.

What is sad is that there areAi??many politically inspired bus routes, designed specifically to placate civic politicians in the region, that carry very few customers a day and one would question why they are being operated at all.

In South Delta, the 609, C-84Ai??& C-89 buses, which operate an hourly service or better seven days a week, barely altogether carry 20 customers a day! The 620, Bridgeport station to Tsawwassen Ferry terminal, via Ladner exchange, operates almostAi??empty articulated buses, during the slack weekdays, where standard buses should be used instead, freeing up the artics. for more congested routes in Vancouver. If South Delta isAi??indicative of marginal bus operation, then marginal bus operationAi??elsewhere in the region must be rampant.Ai??If we had competent management thenAi??there should be ampleAi??transit resources to eliminate passenger congestion and pass-ups elsewhere on the transit system.

The question is: “Is TransLink and West coast Mountain Bus competently managed?”

Zweisytem is a perfect example on how bad bus service drives customers back to the car.Ai??’Zwei’ used to commute every day from South Delta to downtown Vancouver, but the reliability of the bus service, plus constant pass-ups was such that IAi??began takingAi??the car. What I found was that I was spending about 20% more, byAi??commuting byAi??car, with the commute time being shortened by almost 30 to 45 minutes a day, plusAi??I had the ability to alter my commute to shop or meet the wife.

What this all means is that West Coast Mountain Bus and TransLink do not give a damn about the transit customer and the public without aAi??vehicle to compel TransLink to provide a better transit service, the TransLink’s ossified central bureaucracy will not lift a finger to improve bus services on over crowded routes.

 

---

Documents reveal Coast Mountain buses passed by stops more than 200,000 times in 2010

Company says thereai??i??s little they can do to help frustrated riders

By CHAD SKELTON, Vancouver Sun – May 14, 2011

If you want to get Rob Planckeai??i??s blood boiling, just ask him about the #49 bus.

ai???Iai??i??ve run out of adjectives for how bad it is,ai??? he said. ai???Iai??i??m ready to rip up my bus pass.ai???

The 49 has been part of Planckeai??i??s daily commute since he moved to south Vancouver from Kelowna in 2008.

He takes the bus down 49th Avenue to the Canada Line, the Canada Line down to Broadway, and then the 99 B-Line to his job repairing computers in Kitsilano.

When everything runs smoothly, said Plancke, the trip only takes about half an hour.

Unfortunately, things often donai??i??t run smoothly.

Plancke has lost count of the number of times the 49, chock full of passengers, has passed right by his bus stop at Elgin and 49th. He gets passed up at least once a week, he said, and sometimes has bus after bus run right by him.

ai???One day I was standing there for an hour and watched five buses go by,ai??? he said. ai???It became so bad I was getting reprimanded at work for being late three or four times a week.ai???

Unfortunately, Plancke isnai??i??t alone.

Data obtained by The Vancouver Sun reveals the 49 is the worst route in Metro Vancouver for pass-ups, with bus drivers leaving passengers stranded at stops along the route more than 16,000 times last year alone.

And thatai??i??s just a fraction of the more than 200,000 pass-ups that occurred across the region in 2010.

Officials with Coast Mountain Bus Co. say theyai??i??re aware of the pass-up problem and realize the inconvenience it causes customers.

But they also say a combination of factors ai??i?? from financial pressures to route layouts ai??i?? means thereai??i??s very little they can do about it.

ai???For all intents and purposes, we canai??i??t address pass-ups,ai??? said Tom Fink, director of transit service design for Coast Mountain. ai???We would love for everyone who gets to a bus stop to get on a bus. But thatai??i??s just not going to happen.ai???Until recently, the true scale of the pass-up problem in Metro Vancouver was something of a mystery. Bus drivers would occasionally radio in that they were leaving passengers behind, but a precise tally of pass-ups didnai??i??t exist.

Then, in 2008, Coast Mountain began outfitting each of its nearly 1,500 buses with GPS technology.

In addition to keeping track of all the buses in its fleet, and whether theyai??i??re on schedule, the new technology also allowed the company to begin collecting detailed pass-up data for the first time.

A touch-screen device at the front of each bus shows a red ai???Pass Upai??? button that drivers are instructed to press whenever they are full and leave passengers behind at a stop.

Each time the button is pressed, the pass-up is recorded in Coast Mountainai??i??s central computers, detailing the exact time and location it occurred. At the request of The Sun, Coast Mountain released its data for all pass-ups in 2010.

Using that data, The Sun created a series of interactive graphics ai??i?? available at vancouversun.com/passup ai??i?? that illustrates which routes and stops have the biggest problems with pass-ups.

Not surprisingly, the data shows pass-ups are primarily a rush-hour issue. And they are most severe during the height of the morning rush between 8 and 9 a.m., what Coast Mountain calls the ai???peak of the peak.ai???

Another smaller spike occurs during the afternoon rush between 3 and 6 p.m.

September, when students are still figuring out their schedules, is the busiest month of the year for pass-ups. December is the quietest.

Pass-ups are also concentrated among a surprisingly small number of routes. Fully one-quarter of all pass-ups on the entire bus system occur on just four routes: the 49, 99 B-Line, 22 (Knight-MacDonald) and 25 (Brentwood Station-UBC).

Why those four?

You might think routes with the most pass-ups would also be those with the most passengers. But of the four worst pass-up routes, only one ai??i?? the 99 ai??i?? is among Coast Mountainai??i??s five busiest routes.

And route 20 (Victoria-Downtown), the second-busiest route on the whole system after the 99, doesnai??i??t even crack the Top 10 for pass-ups.

Rather than sheer passenger volume, transit officials say what causes pass-ups is actually uneven demand: huge spikes in traffic either at particular times of day or in particular locations.

Katherine McCune, manager of service planning for Coast Mountain, said routes that serve post-secondary institutions are a particular challenge. Thatai??i??s because students who need to get to campus for the start of class all pile on buses within the same half-hour window and then cram on again when the last class ends for the day.

Other routes are busy in certain sections but not others, making it difficult for Coast Mountain to determine how many buses to put on the route. For example, the data shows that while the 49 is extremely crowded between Victoria and Cambie, it experiences virtually no pass-ups west of Cambie on its way to the Dunbar Loop and the University of B.C.

Ray Hamilton, supervisor of service analysis for Coast Mountain, said another problem is bus routes that serve rapid-transit stations.

Because so many passengers get on and off at such stops, drivers often have to wait several minutes to ensure everyone has a chance to get off and on. That can cause the next bus in line to catch up.

This bunching of buses can throw the routeai??i??s schedule badly out of whack, create large gaps between buses, and make the problem of pass-ups even worse.

Hamilton said Coast Mountain is working with bus drivers to address the issue, encouraging them to maintain consistent spacing along their route.

Coast Mountain says pass-ups affect only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands of people who use its buses every day. And it notes pass-ups are most common on routes in Vancouver, where the next bus is usually no more than five or 10 minutes away.

However, Plancke, who usually commutes in the late morning, said it doesnai??i??t take many pass-ups to play havoc with a commuterai??i??s life.

ai???When I get passed up, thereai??i??s 10 minutes out of my day,ai??? he said. ai???If I get passed up by another [bus], Iai??i??ll get to work by the skin of my teeth. I have to double my trip time just to make sure Iai??i??m not late.ai???

Don MacLeod, president of the bus driverai??i??s union, said his members tell him the problem of pass-ups and overcrowding has been getting worse each year.

And itai??i??s making driversai??i?? jobs increasingly unpleasant, as they bear the brunt of passenger complaints.

He also suspects Coast Mountainai??i??s figures likely understate the problem, since many drivers he knows have simply given up recording pass-ups.

ai???A lot of drivers donai??i??t use that button because, month after month … nothing changes,ai??? he said.Solving the problem of pass-ups would seem to be relatively straightforward: add more buses.

But Coast Mountain insists itai??i??s not that simple.

The companyai??i??s budget is dictated by TransLink, which funds a set number of ai???service hoursai??? each year.

Those hours went up about 20 per cent between 2005 and 2009, but havenai??i??t risen since.

That means bus service in Metro is essentially a zero-sum game.

ai???Weai??i??re not holding anything back,ai??? said McCune. ai???If weai??i??re putting more service out, there will be less scheduled service [somewhere else], because the pot stays fixed.ai???

And even if TransLink increased its bus budget tomorrow, Coast Mountain says, there are a series of infrastructure issues that make a quick fix for the problem almost impossible.

For example, one of the easiest ways to increase capacity on a bus route without hiring more drivers is to buy long, articulated buses that can hold many more passengers than a standard bus.

Unfortunately, the approach to many bus stops is too short to handle such buses without sticking out into the road and blocking traffic. And many routes, designed decades ago, have bus loops so tight the long buses canai??i??t make it through.

Coast Mountain said its bus depots are also nearly full, meaning thereai??i??s literally nowhere to park more buses, even if they could afford them.

Given those infrastructure challenges, said Fink, addressing the pass-up problem would require major investments right across the system ai??i?? like building brand-new bus depots ai??i?? and take anywhere from two to five years to roll out.

ai???I donai??i??t think weai??i??ll ever fix routes like the 49 and 99,ai??? he said. ai???Itai??i??s physically impossible. And if it was physically possible it would be hugely expensive.ai???

One glimmer of hope on the horizon is TransLinkai??i??s new Compass smart card, launching in 2013.

The card will make it possible to vary fares throughout the day, such as offering discounts for people who commute in the late morning, after the worst of the rush hour is over.

If those incentives encourage some passengers to leave for work a little bit later, or a little bit earlier, that could help smooth out the peaks in demand on the bus system, thereby reducing pass-ups.

ai???The great thing about the new system is that it provides much greater flexibility for us to make these kinds of changes,ai??? Mike Madill, TransLinkai??i??s vice-president in charge of Compass, explained in an email.

In the meantime, Coast Mountain says itai??i??s doing what it can to address pass-ups.

It has a tiny contingent of reserve buses, called ai???trippers,ai??? that it can deploy in extreme circumstances, such as when an unexpectedly large group of foot passengers arrives at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal.

The company is engaged in a long-term ai???service optimizationai??? program designed to, over time, shift buses from low-performing routes to more popular ones.

And, occasionally, it finds a few extra buses to spare.

After the Olympics, Coast Mountain had 20 surplus articulated buses left over from when the Canada Line replaced the 98 B-Line.

Last fall, it put those buses on routes where it thought theyai??i??d do the most good, said Fink, including eight on the 49, ai???the sorest point of the system.ai???

Plancke said the new buses have made a noticeable difference to his daily commute.

As has his decision to walk an extra few blocks to Knight Street, where, since so many people get on and off, buses donai??i??t seem to pass by quite as often.

ai???Itai??i??s still a crush load. Iai??i??m right in everyoneai??i??s face when I get on that bus,ai??? said Plancke. ai???But I havenai??i??t been late to work in almost a month now.ai???

To Simon Fraser University by funicular!

Last year there was much talk of an aerial tramway, linking theAi??Millennium Line to Simon Fraser University, but like all transit projects in the region, it has stalled for lack of funding. The SFU aerial tramway project is projected to cost nearly $70 million, which breaks down into $38.2 million for manufacturing the actual lift and $30.7 million for construction of terminal buildings, purchase of land, and other related costs. Annual operation expenditures are estimated to be just over $3 million.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/news/121532939.html

http://www.the-peak.ca/article/21838

Is there a cheaper way to connect SFU, on its mountain top location?

The answer couldAi??be yes,Ai??by building a funicular.

A funicular, also known as aAi??Ai??inclined railway, is a cable railway in which a cable is attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other. Being cable hauled means that it can operate in all weathers.

Cairn Gorm funicular at the passing point.

The Cairn Gorm funicular in Scotland, which opened in 2001 had an estimated to have cost of around A?19.6 million (Approx. Cad $31 million) for the two kilometre line. The funicular costs about $15 million/km to build, which makes it cheaper than the estimated $70 million for the proposed SFU aerial cable car.

http://www.funimag.com/funimag22/CairnGorm01.htm

The recently rebuilt Sierre-Montana-Crans funicularAi?? is the worlds longest funicular at 4.1 kilometresAi??(or just over 2.6 miles) and links the city of Sierre, in the Rhone valley, to the Crans-Montana-Vermala resortAi??with a 12 minute ride.

The Sierre-Montana-Crans funicular stopping atAi??one of four intermediaryAi??stations along its route

It is realisticAi??proposition that a 3 kilometre SFU Funicular connecting to the Millennium LineAi??would costAi??between $45 million to $50 million and with modern funiculars being automatic (driverless), it would have cheaper operating costs. The trip time, which would be unimpeded by snow and freezing rain, would be about 8 toAi??9 minutes or slightlyAi??longer if there was an intermediary stop.

The two cabins (what funicularAi??vehicles are called) can accommodate as many as 120 persons apiece and with aboutAi??6 trips an hour, the SFU funicular could carry as many asAi??720 persons per hour per direction. With a station at the midway point, the SFU funicular could also provide a local transit service for residents who live in the Forest Grove residential area, something that the aerial tramway would not do.

It is always wise to consider many Ai??transit option for a proposed new transit line and with the SFU funicular, it may have less capacity than an aerial tramway, but it would be able to service residents along its route guaranteeing high ridership in all seasons.

A SFU funicular would not only be cheaper to build, it would also cheaper to operate and maintain, with the bonus of providing a transit option to local residents. A funicular, connectin SFU with the Millennium Line certainly makes the grade!

Trams are good for your health – 3

postedAi??from:

The Regional Transport Strategy role of Tramways & Light Rail

http://www.applrguk.co.uk/files/lruk%20v.1%20role%20of%20light%20rail%20&%20tramways%20v.%20150610.pdf

Health Impact of Airborne Pollutants

Evidence has now emerged which confirms that the long-term effects of particle air pollution are considerably more significant in damaging Public Health than heart disease.

The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants Report published May 2001, considers that the total effect of long-term exposure on life expectancy for the whole population is about 10 times greater than that estimated for the short-term effects of Air Pollution.

The Committee emphasised that although long-term health effects were larger than the short-term effects, there were more uncertainties in these calculations.

More people die from respiratory disease in the UK than from coronary heart disease or cancer. In fact the UK has one of the highest death rates from respiratory disease in Europe. Death rates are nearly twice the EU average and well above the European average.

ai???A significant number of deaths can now without doubt be attributed to transport; mainly tail-pipe emissions, road, brake & tyre wear related air born pollutants.ai??? British Thoracic Society Report 2001

The relative burden of respiratory illness & death in the UK is increasing as the burden of heart disease decreases. Respiratory diseases are now killing one in four.

The health impacts of pollutants are not just only restricted to individuals afflicted by respiratory disease but contribute to a whole range of other illnesses such as heart problems, liver disorder etc.

The benefits of the tram in this arena alone, to the wider community and the nation are tremendous and should be included by Government when calculating the Cost Benefit Ratio (CBR). Currently they are excluded as is clearly demonstrated in the latest Light Rail Guidance Dec 2006 from DfT.

A year-on-year reduction of demands on the National Health Service, by reducing the major respiratory demands on beds will reduce in simple terms the cost to the community. A case could be argued for allocating funds from NHS budgets towards tram schemes. This pump priming would free up NHS resources at a local and national level over the cumulative generational lifecycle of the tramway for the overall benefit of the community.Ai??

Health Consequences of Pollution and Congestion

The health evidence now available when the present Air Quality Strategy Objective for particles was set focused primarily on acute health effects. Medical evidence is now emerging which suggests that the long-term effects of particle air pollution (PM 2.5 to PM 1 0s) are considerably more significant. In simple terms PMs are products of combustion soot etc.

In its report published in May 2001, the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants considers that the total effect of long-term exposure on life expectancy for the whole population is about 10 times greater than that estimated for the short-term effects.

The Committee emphasised that although long-term effects were larger than those in the short-term, there were more uncertainties in these calculations.

A significant number of deaths (between 25% – 40% (depending on which government figures are used) can now, without the slightest doubt, be attributed to transport related pollution.

The relative burden of respiratory in the UK is increasing as the burden of heart disease decreases.

Health Impacts ai??i?? Costs to the Community

It is not just individuals afflicted by respiratory disease who are impacted by this kind of pollution.

There is a whole range of other related illnesses such as heart problems, liver disorder that are also caused by this kind of pollution.

The rising level of stress (that can be seen every day in road-rage incidents) is contributing to the lowering of the quality of life for everyone.

Direct annual health costs to the UK are enormous. UK health consultations in respiratory disease by

General Practice (Local doctors) was over 38 million. Three quarters (76%) are consultations with a GP at the practice-base, around one fifth (22%) are with a GP at the patientai??i??s home, the remaining 2% are with a nurse (either at home or at a practice). Overall Inpatient hospital treatment exceeded 740, 000 inpatient cases treated for respiratory disease in National Health Service hospitals in 1999/2000.

These represent 9% of all inpatient cases in men and 5% in women.

In children aged 0ai??i?? 14 years there were over 210,000 inpatient cases for respiratory disease. Indeed, 12% of all NHS hospital admissions are in this age group in 1 999/2000

Around two thirds (67%) of respiratory inpatients are emergency admissions and one-tenth (9%) day cases.

In 1999, drug treatment in England alone comprised around 49 million prescriptions dispensed for the prevention and treatment of respiratory disease. Just under half of these prescriptions were for

bronchodi lators used in the treatment of asthma. The volume of respiratory prescript ion has increased in recent years. Between 1994 and 1998 the prescription rate from GPai??i??s rose by 13%. Is it a coincidence that this was a similar figure to the rise in car usage?

Trams are good for your health – 2

Public transport is good for your health and your wallet, according to scientists

Switching to public transport could help you lose nearly half a stone a year in weight, new research suggests.

Daily Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7861343/Public-transport-is-good-for-your-health-and-your-wallet-according-to-scientists.html

 Nantes Light Rail

Taking the train, tram or bus instead of your car increases physical activity so much that the average person drops more than six pounds in as little as a year.

The findings suggests that increasing the use of public transport could improve health and lower obesity levels.

"The built environment can constrain or facilitate physical activity. Understanding ways to encourage greater use of local environments for physical activity offers some hope for reducing the growth in the prevalence of obesity," said lead author Dr John MacDonald, at the University of Pennsylvania.

In a study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and the RAND Corporation found that construction of a light-rail system (LRT) resulted in increased physical activity (walking) and subsequent weight loss by people served by the LRT.

In a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that construction of a light-rail system (LRT) resulted in increased walking and subsequent weight loss by people served by the LRT.

An added benefit of public policy investments in LRT, on top of the general transportation benefits accrued, is the potential reductions in obesity in the population, " said Dr MacDonald.

Using two surveys, one collecting data prior to the completion of an LRT in Charlotte, North Carolina, the second after completion, investigators found that using light rail for commuting was associated with reductions in body mass index (BMI) over time.

LRT reduced BMI by an average of 1.18 kg/m2 compared to non-LRT users in the same area over a 12-18 month follow-up period.

This is equivalent to a relative weight loss of 6.45 lbs for a person who is 5'5. LRT users were also 81 per cent less likely to become obese over time.

Survey questions assessed level of physical activity, BMI, perception of the neighborhood environment, public transit use before and after LRT construction, any plans to use LRT when available, and actual LRT usage. http://www.cptdb.ca/index.php?showtopic=13192

 

 

Trams are good for your health

Woman gives up car to avoid buying gas

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Woman-gives-up-car-to-avoid-buying-gas-121424504.html

PHOENIX – Two months ago, Nicole Underwood had an epiphany.

ai???When gas prices hit $3.50 I was like, thatai??i??s it!ai??? she said.

She realized that at $3.50, gas stations were charging the same for one gallon of gas as it costs for an all day pass on the Light Rail.

So, she ditched the car and started taking mass transit everywhere.

ai???It really wasnai??i??t that hard to do,ai??? she smiled.

Work at the Red Cross, different charity events, social engagements, etc., with the exception of the occasional carpool, she went everywhere only by Light Rail.

ai???Sometimes I had to talk friends into go to hip or trendy restaurants that just happened to be near the Light Rail tracks,ai??? she said.

The average American family now spends close to 9 percent of their household income on gas. And sure, there are financial implications, but Nicole took her foot off the gas pedal to save more than just the money in her wallet. She is saving the environment and helping the local economy.

ai???I would rather give my money to mass transit, the local economy, than big oil,ai??? she said.

The transition to mass transit wasnai??i??t that rough. Because of the traffic, the commute time is about the same. And, because she doesnai??i??t have to watch the road anymore, she can catch up on her reading.

“Its fun. I can talk to people. I am not stuck in that box alone going from point A to point B,ai??? she said.

For more information on the Light Rail, check out:Ai??http://www.valleymetro.org/metro_light_rail/

Ai??Ai??

Ai??

It would be too much to hope, that the obese population of BC might just give up their cars and take transit?

---

Ai??Surfboards allowed on Coast light rail

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2011/05/07/313075_gold-coast-lead-story.html

Ai??

NSW, Australia. IN an Australian first surfboard racks have been specially designed to cater to Gold Coast surfers wanting to ride the city’s new Rapid Transit system.

Premier Anna Bligh told the Bulletin exclusively yesterday that a group of Gold Coast localsAi?? who are part of GoldLinQ, the new company announced to build and run the systemAi?? had felt the rare design was needed to cater to the city’s large surfing culture.

The news has been given the ultimate tick of approval by the surfing industry, who believe it will attract more people to our beaches and relieve parking congestion.

Premier Bligh also revealed yesterday that the 13km ride, from Griffth University to Broadbeach, would cost $3.11.

Travelling one zone, approximately half the system’s line, will be $2.65.

The light rail will open in 2014 and construction will create more than 6300 jobs.

Ai??

Good to see a new transport facility being responsive to particular local sport-related needs!

For a moment I had a vivid image of surfers riding the wave behind the trams (you might manage it with a skateboard or a bicycle if you did not fall foul of the authorities) – but actually this is a great story of a transport facility being designed with specifically local needs in mind.

At least they’re considering it

The `it' is Light Rail, the `they' include:

•  Nashville

http://www.nashvilleledger.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=52855

• Ottawa

http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/csedc/2011/05-12/03%20-%20ACS2011-ICS-RIO-0001%20-%20LRT.htm

• Minnesota

 http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2011/04/FTA-awards-Minnesota-474M-for-light-rail.aspx

which is more than you can say about Vancouver British Columbia,

Covered in Price Tags

http://pricetags.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/transportation-transformation/

This Policy Study is published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives CCPA

http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/BC%20Office/2011/04/CCPA-BC_Transportation.pdf

http://www.policyalternatives.ca/transportationtransformation

  

All about funiculars!

FlA?ibanen

The FlA?ibanen in Bergen Norway

 

Zwiesystem has always been interested in alternative transit modes and this web site on Funiculars has peeked Zwei’s interest.

http://www.funimag.com/index.htm

I can think of two or three locations in the lower mainland where Funicular operation could be an asset …… how about SFU for a start?