UBC Transit A?ai??i??ai??? Rapid transit for UBC has priority over SurreyA?ai??i??ai???s, students and university say

Well now, someone should instruct the UBC Alma Matter Society on the economics of subway/light-metro and light rail, because there is no way that a $4 billion subway can be funded by $1.00 a day U-Pass ticket holders. That Translink still wastes the taxpayer’s money planning for yet more SkyTrain for the region only confirms that this ponderous bureaucracy is completely out of touch with reality.

The problem with transit planning in the region is that TransLink, abetted by the province and the city of Vancouver, have convinced themselves that building subways is the only way to go and have forgotten that SkyTrain (Read SKY train) was so designed to be elevated to mitigate the high cost of subway construction. The notion failed, but Translink carries on with this SkyTrain nonsense and have created a rosy little world of the SkyTrain myth. Reality check boys and girls, because there is absolutely no way one can fund a $4 billion subway, while letting other regions in METRO Vancouver go wanting.

To put the estimated $4 billion cost for a subway under Broadway to UBC in perspective, this is what $4 billion will buy you if we build with light rail.

1. A BCIT to UBC/Stanley Park LRT.
2. A full build, Vancouver/Richmond to Rosedale TramTrain.
3. A new Fraser River Rail Bridge.
4. TramTrain from Vancouver to Whiterock/Maple Ridge/Queensbourgh/Annicis Island.
5. 40 to 50 km of LRT in Surrey and Langley.

Yet Translink still thinks in the terms of truncated subway lines that will not attract the motorist from the car!

One can see the concern with the UBC Alma Matter Society, but demanding rapid transit (a.k.a. SkyTrain) instead of light rail, shows contempt for the already over burdened taxpayer and instead should hire a out of province consultant to give an independent view on improving transit along Broadway.

Rail for the Valley did and now has a bona fide plan for LRT or TramTrain, from a respected consultant, at an affordable cost.

http://railforthevalley.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/groundbreaking-report-on-interurban-light-rail-released-today/

Rapid transit for UBC has priority over SurreyA?ai??i??ai???s, students and university say

By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun

October 24, 2010 10:04 PM

Centenarian ready to roll

Centenarian ready to roll

The Times October 8, 2010

On Oct. 3, 1910, the first Interurban train rolled down the track from New Westminster to Chilliwack.

Over the next four decades, it was the main transportation link for people in the new rural communities.

The service rattled back and forth across the Fraser Valley several times a day, taking rural residents to the urban centre and delivering their fresh produce and meats to hungry urban markets.

The commuter service was discontinued in 1950, but the track, owned by B.C. Hydro, is in working condition and in use by Southern Railway.

Now, a century later, Fraser Valley commuters stuck on freeways due to accidents or congestion are again looking longingly at the train.

The Rail for the Valley group argues that the rail service should be a key part of B.C.’s transportation plan.

In 2008, the province agreed to do a feasibility study for light rail as part of its ambitious $3-billion-plus Gateway plan.

When the rail proponents tired of waiting for the transportation ministry to complete its study, they hired their own consultant. Leewood Projects Ltd., of London, England, made a detailed study, determining the endeavour would cost B.C. taxpayers about $500 million for a 98-kilometre route. (The Canada Line cost $100 million per km).

Public transit is generally not a money-making venture, but the West Coast Express has a remarkable record. According to Translink, the WCE recovers more than 90 per cent of its operating costs, even though it pays hefty fees to Canadian Pacific Rail for the use of its track.

Rail proponents argue since B.C. Hydro owns the track, there would be no lease fee. They note the population served by the Interurban line is three times that served by the WCE, which just added seven cars due to increasing demand.

Surely there is enough merit in the rail study for Transportation Minister Shirley Bond to stop ignoring this option and to take an honest look at reinstating light rail in the Fraser Valley.

All the pieces seem to be there – all that’s missing is the political will.

Ai??Ai?? Copyright (c) Abbotsford Times

via Centenarian ready to roll.

Surrey Leader – COLUMN: Paying for poor service

COLUMN: Paying for poor service

By Frank Bucholtz – Surrey North Delta Leader

Published: October 22, 2010 11:00 AM

Updated: October 22, 2010 11:26 AM

Despite millions of dollars spent in the past decade to improve transit service in the Metro Vancouver region, Surrey, Delta and White Rock continue to get shafted.

TransLink has added bus routes, boosted the fleet and vigorously promoted transit. After a shaky start from its beginnings in the late 1990s, it has done a good job on the whole, and service during the 2010 Winter Olympics was its high-water mark.

However, most of the improvements have happened north of the Fraser, where the transit system has been long-established. There was no public transit to speak of in Surrey until the 1970s, and expansion here has been at a snailA?ai??i??ai???s pace. It is always a lower priority than expansion in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, the City of Surrey has spent millions of dollars on roads. Surrey has taken on the challenge of making many major roads four-lane thoroughfares, and has improved traffic signal co-ordination in many places as well to keep traffic moving. Traffic circles are becoming far more common as well.

But traffic flow is barely improving.

ThatA?ai??i??ai???s because there are thousands of people moving into Surrey each year, and many have vehicles. If they have jobs, they have to have vehicles, because the transit service in Surrey remains substandard.

IA?ai??i??ai???ve had more of an up-close opportunity to observe this trend in recent months. A member of my household is attending Simon Fraser University, with most classes at the Surrey campus. SheA?ai??i??ai???s been using the transit system, taking full advantage of the U-Pass that all SFU students get (and pay for through student fees).

While bus service is direct and frequent, it is slow. Traffic along Fraser Highway, most of which has been four-laned in the past decade, moves at a crawl through much of Fleetwood and west of Green Timbers.

The 502 bus is frequently overflowing with passengers. Another household member tried to catch the bus at Surrey Central station this week, at the tail end of the evening rush hour. She had to wait for the third bus before she could board A?ai??i??ai??? the others were too full to handle any more passengers.

The 502 and other bus routes that connect to SkyTrain tend to be well-used, but people trying to go from place to place in Surrey along many major streets have infrequent bus service, with poor connections. Thus taking the bus isnA?ai??i??ai???t a realistic option if your time is valuable.

At present, there are no concrete plans to improve Surrey bus service. TransLink canA?ai??i??ai???t even find the money to build the Evergreen rapid transit line in Coquitlam, and is looking at a property tax increase to do so A?ai??i??ai??? despite opposition from mayors.

While TransLink has recently unveiled a study looking at rapid transit expansion in Surrey, which could include SkyTrain expansion and fast buses, it really doesnA?ai??i??ai???t mean much. It clearly has no money for any addition to SkyTrain, which is very expensive to build, and the study didnA?ai??i??ai???t even consider the old Interurban rail line as an option.

Unless TransLink gets a major and ongoing infusion of funds from the federal and provincial governments, it will be fortunate to maintain the service levels it has today.

Meanwhile, Surrey keeps paying, and being asked to pay far more, even though no improvements are likely.

via Surrey Leader – COLUMN: Paying for poor service.

Abbotsford News – Transit will work

Transit will work

Published: September 28, 2010 2:00 PM

Updated: September 28, 2010 2:56 PM

0 Comments

Would we make use of a light rail transit system in the Fraser Valley? Yes.

All members of my family would use it, as well as my friends and many of my fellow teachers. A light rail system is the most environmentally friendly option. Commuter traffic will continue to be a problem no matter how many more roads and bridges we build. A light rail system in the Fraser Valley will make Abbotsford a more desirable place to live.

Amy Watkins

via Abbotsford News – Transit will work.

Build Murray-Clarke A?ai??i??ai??? or Evergreen support goes: PM council

An interesting little spat is taking place in Port Moody, where the city council want TransLink to chip in with the Murray-Clarke Connector project and if they don’t, they will pull their support for the Evergreen (Nevergreen) Line. This confirms two of Zwei’s opinions about the $1.4 billion light-metro project:

1. The Evergreen Line is front for more road and highway construction and for massive up-zoning of residential and light-industrial lands for high density, shoe box style of apartments.
2. The Evergreen Line will not take cars off the road.

The artist’s rendering says it all, SkyTrain and the West Coast Express are almost hidden away by a massive new highway interchange, designed to handle large volumes of traffic.

Zweis thinks it is time for a moratorium on all transit (highway and rail) contraction and planning and the provincial government hold a Royal Commission on regional transit to getAi??Ai?? a proper foundation for the implantation of an affordable regional transit system.

Build Murray-Clarke A?ai??i??ai??? or Evergreen support goes: PM council

By Sarah Payne – The Tri-City News

Port Moody council may pull its support for the Evergreen Line if the Murray-Clarke Connector isn’t built.

At a special meeting Tuesday, council again discussed the 32 requirements it says are critical to its support for Evergreen. Among them is building the connector before construction of the rapid transit line.

But with TransLink struggling to cover the funding gap just to get Evergreen built A?ai??i??ai??? and pay for other needed transportation projects throughout the region A?ai??i??ai??? Murray-Clarke has fallen off the radar once again.

“It’s one of the prerequisites of us going along with the Evergreen Line,” said PoMo Mayor Joe Trasolini of the connector. “We’re very concerned that now it seems the Murray-Clarke Connector is being orphaned again. It’s nowhere on the priority list of TransLink” even though the previous board not only approved the project in 2008 but also allocated $50 million for its construction.

Costs for the connector, which will have to be extended to reach over the SkyTrain line, are now estimated at more than $70 million. PoMo has set aside $4 million for the project.

“Today, when we’re expecting it to be completed, all of a sudden TransLink doesn’t have it on its priority list,” Trasolini added. “It’s a great concern to us and should be to everyone east of us. It throws doubts on our support for construction of the Evergreen Line.”

TransLink must come up with $400 million for its share of the $1.4-billion Evergreen Line and Metro mayors have recently balked at suggestions to hike property taxes to pay for Evergreen and part of the North Fraser Perimeter Road (Option A: $465 million) or a handful of regional projects including expanded bus service and station upgrades (Option B: $338 million).

Trasolini says Murray-Clarke must be built regardless of those funding issues.

“With the narrow corridor in Port Moody, if the Murray-Clarke Connector remains undelivered when construction for the Evergreen Line starts, you can see the disruption we’ll have. This is not just a Port Moody problem, it’s a northeast sector problem.”

Trasolini maintains the connector is not a new TransLink expansion project but the completion of an existing project A?ai??i??ai??? the Barnet Highway A?ai??i??ai??? that was promised by the province more than 20 years ago.

But TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis sees it differently, noting earlier this month that the original justification for the connector was to protect Moody Centre businesses when the Evergreen Line was planned as an at-grade LRT system down St. Johns Street. With the switch to an elevated SkyTrain system, the Murray-Clarke Connector is no longer an urgent priority, Jarvis said.

Trasolini said it’s “absurd” that a one-lane overpass that causes rush-hour back-ups stretching for several kilometres is part of the inter-municipal corridor, echoing an earlier council discussion that suggested PoMo may withdraw the Murray-Clarke from TransLink’s major road network A?ai??i??ai??? and block access to it for commuters coming from outside Port Moody.

He also wants to know whether the new, provincially appointed TransLink board, whose meetings are closed to the public, rescinded approval and funding for Murray-Clarke.

Trasolini and city manager Gaetan Royer were to meet with TransLink executives today (Friday) to discuss the issue. Royer said it’s unclear what effect Port Moody’s withdrawal of support for Evergreen would have on the project or who will cover the increased cost of the Murray-Clarke Connector.

“We have a tougher job getting support for the Murray-Clarke Connector because now it’s going to cost more, it’s going to have to be a longer bridge,” Royer said. “We want the province, which is the lead of the Evergreen Line, to pay for the longer bridge… because it would be a smaller project were it not for the Evergreen Line.”

spayne@tricitynews.com

A?ai??i??ai??? with files from Jeff Nagel

http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/news/105477778.html

Pivotal transit study still stalled at provincial level

Pivotal transit study still stalled at provincial level

Further delays could impact local budgets

By Rochelle Baker, The Times October 22, 2010 8:05 AM

Fraser Valley politicians are growing increasingly impatient as they wait on the provincial government to release a comprehensive study around the future of transit services in the Fraser Valley.

Abbotsford Coun. Patricia Ross and Chair of the Fraser Valley Regional District said the delay of the Fraser Valley Transit Study is raising concerns at both the regional and municipal levels.

“It’s a very important piece of information we need so we can all move forward,” said Ross. “It’s somewhat frustrating.”

The Fraser Valley Transit Study, which includes the FVRD communities of Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Kent, Harrison Hot Springs, and Hope, was initiated by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in November 2008.

It set out to determine the best options for transit services within the region and to link up with Metro Vancouver.

The anticipated completion date was late 2009 and municipalities had expected to have it in hand by February, said Ross.

Community planning and detailed regional and local transit plans by municipalities and BC Transit are being held up by the study’s delay.

“We need to plan our communities around transit routes,” said Ross.

Additionally, Abbotsford and other municipalities in the region are planning their budgets for 2011.

If the study is delayed much longer, it won’t be able to shape budgets until 2012, said Ross.

Local governments and the FVRD need the study to help meet their commitment to become carbon neutral by 2012 as part of the province’s Climate Action Charter, she said.

The FVRD also intends to use the study to help establish green house gas reduction targets and strategies for its Regional Growth Strategy due in May 2011.

The FVRD has contacted via letter the ministry twice – in June and September – and hasn’t received any reply about when to expect the study.

At Monday’s council meeting Abbotsford Mayor George Peary said he’s seen the draft document, and cannot imagine what is causing the delay.

Peary and Mission Mayor James Atebe met briefly with the Minister of Transport Shirley Bond in the early fall and raised their concerns, but were not given any indication as to when to expect the report.

“It might well be that the provincial government doesn’t have the resources at this time to come to the table and help us achieve the vision (outlined in the study),” Peary said.

Ministry spokesman Dave Kreb said the report is undergoing an internal review and should be available to the municipalities and public sometime this fall.

“It’s just due diligence. It’s a pretty comprehensive document,” Kreb said.

The study – largely funded by the province and developed with the FVRD, BC Transit and TransLink – will address future demand in the region and also examine the viability of using the Southern Rail Corridor or Interurban Line from Chilliwack to Surrey for commuter rail.

Ai??Ai?? Copyright (c) Abbotsford Times

via Pivotal transit study still stalled at provincial level.

Abbotsford Today Doesn’t Like the Rail for the Valley/Leewood Report

A new valley magazine and web site, Abbotsford Today doesn’t like the RftV/Leewood report and one wonders why? What do they want, more new highways or a SkyTrain that will never come?

Issues: Costs Still Make Light Rail A Pipe Dream

http://www.abbotsfordtoday.ca/?p=46791

AsAi??Ai??stated before, the report was a feasibility study for the implantation of a TramTrain service using the old BC Electric (now Southern Railway of BC), route. Using existing railway rights-of-ways, greatly reduces the cost of providing rail transit for a region. Unlike the West Coast Express, which must purchase pathways from the CPR at onerous costs, the valley TramTrain has a statutory rightAi??Ai??to providing passenger rail service on the existing route.

It is hard to take the article seriously, when the author compares the report with the “………feasibility of an underground subway to Whistler……..”.

The issues of fares is important, butAi??Ai??I don’t think the $25, quoted is correct;Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??one way fares on a full build (Vancouver/Richmond to Rosedale) should be in the $5.00 to $10.00 range depending on distance traveled.Ai??Ai??

A comparison with the $2.5 billion Canada line is in order.

The standard fare on the Canada line is $2.50 forAi??Ai??one zone and $3.75 for two zones; there is a $5.00 supplement for customers leaving from YVR, but the numbers using the $8.75 fare leaving YVR is very small. About 80% of the fares are also apportioned between RAV/Canada line, the SkyTrain line, Seabus and the buses and many customers are using the heavily subsidized U-Pass,Ai??Ai??thus the real revenue for the Canada line is much less than the actual fares paid.

TransLink was/is singing hosannas about how theAi??Ai??Canada Line’s ridership was near 100,000 boarding a day and soon the metro was to be able to pay its operating costs; so lets compare fares and ridership on the Canada Line with the prosed RftV TramTrain.

The full build, 138 km. Ai??Ai??RftV/Leewood TramTrainAi??Ai??is saidAi??Ai??cost about $1 billion or aboutAi??Ai??$1.5 billionAi??Ai??less than the 19.2 km., $2.5 billionAi??Ai??Canada line, meaning that the RftV TramTrain wouldAi??Ai??only less thanAi??Ai??40,000 boardings (remember those apportioned TransLink fares & deep discounted U-Pass), charging the same fares as the Canada LineAi??Ai??a day to obtain the same ratio ofAi??Ai??incomeAi??Ai??that TransLink is presently cheeringAi??Ai??about onAi??Ai??the Canada Line. If the TramTrain aims for only 20,000 boardings a day, then fares should be in the $5.00 to $10 dollar range, depending on the distance traveled, a far cry from the $25.00 quoted in the article.

It also should be noted that a new Vancouver to Chilliwack rail service will open the door to a host of new tourist and travel opportunities, where people who would not otherwise travel via car would take the train.

Yes there is a lot of questions remaining about the RftV/Leewood report, yet on the basis of the report, the taxpayer will get more than 10 times more rail transit per km.Ai??Ai??compared with SkyTrain, providing ample new travel opportunities for potential transit customers at affordable costsAi??Ai??and maybe even be the catalyst for improvement of local bus services in Chilliwack and Abbotsford.

Vancouver Commuting Habits

Ai??Ai??

The following information from the Out-of-home Marketing Research Association of Canada or OMAC is certainly contrary to the SkyTrain lobby claims that SkyTrain takes a large share of Vancouver’s commuters. But Zwei knew that already as if any claims made by Translink about SkyTrain being a wunder system are quickly dispelled by the lack of overseas recognition of any claims made about SkyTrain. The statistics also backs up Zwei’s claim that despite being in operation in the Vancouver area for over 25 years and over $8 billion invested,Ai??Ai??SkyTrain has failed to show a modal shift from car to transit.

The question is: “Why does Translink continually force SkyTrain planning on the region, when it has failed miserably to alleviate auto congestion and gridlock?”

The answer my friends is blowing in the windsAi??Ai??around thoseAi??Ai??the Ivory Towers on Kingsway.

Commuting Habits

Mode of Transportation to Work

Driving to work is the dominant mode of transportation.

Driver or passenger in Vehicle A?ai??i??ai??? 79.2%
Public Transportation A?ai??i??ai??? 11.5%
Walk A?ai??i??ai??? 6.5%
Bicycle A?ai??i??ai??? 1.9%

Length of Commute to Work

There has been a consistent growth in vehicle kilometers travelled on a typical weekday in Vancouver. The population growth, the increased size of the city and the improving economic conditions all contribute to the growth in vehicle kilometers travelled.

41% of Vancouver workers commuted between 5 km. and 15 km. Only 8% commuted more than 25 km.

Ai??Ai?? 34.8% travel < 5 kms.
Ai??Ai?? 41.2% travel 5 A?ai??i??ai??? 14.9kms.
Ai??Ai?? 16.2% travel 15 A?ai??i??ai??? 24.9 kms.
Ai??Ai?? 7.7% travel 25 kms. +

Time Spent By Car Commuting To Work

Vancouverites spend a average of 70 minutes traveling by car to work. This has increased from 58 minutes in 1986.

Source: Stats Can 2001 Census: Where Canadians Work and How They Get There

http://www.omaccanada.ca/en/market/vancouver/default.omac

Transit News From Here and There

Chilliwack Times

http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/Uninformed+about+transit/3693739/story.html

Nick Wimpney Ai??Ai??open letter to Sharon Gaetz in the Times needs following up

North Shore News

http://www.burnabynow.com/story.html?id=3699636

Hamilton

Most Candidates Support LRT, Mayoral Candidates Split

http://www.raisethehammer.org/article/1207/most_candidates_support_lrt_mayoral_candidates_split

Winnipeg

Bus rapid transit has edge in poll

Winnipeg Free Press

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/bus-rapid-transit-has-edge-in-poll-105418328.html

Cambridge, Ontario

Light rail transit dominates regional debate

Cambridge Times

http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news/local/article/891078–light-rail-transit-dominates-regional-debate

Los Angeles – Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor light-rail project

L.A. Metro lands TIFIA loan for Crenshaw/LAX light-rail project

Progressive Railroading

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=24827

Engineering to begin on Crenshaw/LAX light rail

South California Public Radio

http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/10/20/engineering-begin-crenshawlax-light-rail/

Premier’s transit pitch hard to swallow

Premier’s transit pitch hard to swallow

By Brian Lewis, The Province October 7, 2010 Comments (6)

A mother shoving cod liver oil down her child’s throat in the belief it’s a good health remedy A?ai??i??ai??? even though it tastes bad A?ai??i??ai??? is one thing, but unilaterally shoving public transit policy down taxpayer throats is positively unpalatable.

That’s precisely what Premier Gordon Campbell did last week at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Whistler when he announced Victoria’s intention to extend SkyTrain through Surrey to Langley. The tasteless tactic was repeated in the same speech when he proclaimed that Rapid Bus service would link Chilliwack with the rest of the Fraser Valley.

On both counts reaction throughout the transit-challenged region was predictable: “Oh, really?”

Regarding the SkyTrain extension, TransLink, the region’s mayors and all other stakeholders are a long, long way from agreeing on what type of rapid transit technology should be used in building the 17-kilometre link between SkyTrain’s current terminus in north Surrey and Langley district. By far the most expensive option is SkyTrain’s elevated guideway, which in current dollars is estimated to cost a whopping $2.5 billion, or more.

Campbell’s announcement took mayors such as Dianne Watts of Surrey by total surprise. As she has said many times, a ground-level system between Surrey and Langley makes more sense because it’s far cheaper, easier and quicker to build.

Langley Township Mayor Rick Green’s response was blunt : “SkyTrain to Langley is simply pie-in-the-sky,” he tells me.

“There’s no question the premier is jumping the gun here.”

Green notes that TransLink, its Mayor’s Council and the B.C. government only several weeks ago signed a Memorandum of Understanding to conduct long-term transit planning throughout the region.

Yet, here comes Campbell with an announcement that the extension to Langley will be the SkyTrain technology. “He does this even though the ink on the MOU isn’t even dry,” Green adds.

As for establishing a Rapid Bus system to serve as far east as Chilliwack, those advocating that the old Inter Urban rail line be utilized to re-establish light rail transit from Chilliwack to Surrey are more than a little miffed.

Green, who also heads the South of the Fraser Community Rail Task Force, points out that unlike Vancouver, Richmond or Burnaby, population densities in the valley tend to form in pockets, which makes an Inter Urban light rail system much more efficient and cost-effective than SkyTrain, which works best in areas where high density is uniform.

The premier announcing that Rapid Bus is the choice for service to Chilliwack also reinforces suspicions that a $400,000 study of transit options for the valley, undertaken by Victoria almost two years ago, which still hasn’t been released, will kill the Inter Urban light rail option.

Despite Campbell’s announcements, Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender says all transit options for the region will remain on the table.

He also chairs the Mayor’s Council and acknowledges that this places him in a consensus-building role to keep peace between the region and Victoria and to move the issue forward.

“We all have to work together for the south of Fraser solutions,” Fassbender says.

But a premier dispensing policy like spoonfuls of cod liver oil makes that job tougher.

blewis@theprovince.com

Ai??Ai?? Copyright (c) The Province

via Premier’s transit pitch hard to swallow.