Much Ado About Nothing

Photo-op’s are a politician’s best friend, so now we have all three levels of government glad handing for the camera’s on the transit issue. The key sentence is; “…….that would allow the three levels of government to at least get started on parts of the mayorai??i??s ten year plan.“ So no discussion of the $3 […]

Zwei Told You So! Few Fare Cheats On SkyTrain!

So, where is the massive fare evasion that warranted over $200 million spent on the Compass Card and Fare Gates for the SkyTrain light-metro system? No massive amounts of fare evasion you say? Maybe it was all those U-Pass holding students that confused everyone? Who was the lobbyist for Cubit Industries again? So, $63,000 more […]

Honolulu light metro now $1.1 billion (CAD $1.41 billion) over budget

Attention Metro Vancouver transit planners, it seems the Honolulu light-metro is now $1.1 billion (CAD $1.41 billion)over budget. As TransLink aggressively pursues light metro for regional transit planning, alarm bells are sounding in Honolulu. The trouble is, Factbender and the regional Mayors are not listening,Ai?? wanting prestigious transportation vanity projects, in the guise of SkyTrain […]

If Broadway’s Transit Ridership Doesn’t Improve, Cancel the Subway

Memo to TransLink, the city of Vancouver, the Mayor’s Council, and Mr. Factbender, subways need a large mass of ridership to justify construction. Quote: “This is way less than the 15,000 riders used as the benchmark for justifying subway service, and about half the ridership projected when Toronto City Council approved the subway in 2013.” […]

A Subway To Nowhere

For a $5 billion, 12 km subway to UBC, under Broadway…. …..one could build a tram network in Vancouver and North Vancouver! Zwei been advocating for trams on Broadway since the 80’s, well more and more people are now seeing that instead of a $5 billion plus subway to UBC, one gets way more bang […]

Counting the Chickens

Bob Rennie is a developer. He makes his money by assembling properties, having the municipal council up-zone the assembled properties to allow higher densities to build his condo’s. Bob Rennie is not a transit expert. Bob Rennie loves expensive rapid transit because he can use it as a selling point for his expensive condos. As […]

The Rapid Transit Density Con Game Exposed

Vancouver’s unique rapid transit/density debate is now fully exposed as a con game and nothing more. TOD or transit oriented development has been the philosophers stone for so many academics, transit, and planning pundits that they remain oblivious to the real reasons to build transit: to move people. TOD has been around for a millennia, […]

The TransLink Debacle – Brought To You In Part, By Mr. Factbender

Nothing new here. TransLink was conceivedAi?? by the NDP to get then GVRD Chair, George Puil on board to support the now renamed (ALRT to ART) Millennium Line. No one in the NDP at the time had any thought of making TransLink independent as control of major transit projects would remain in the Premier’s office. […]

Sorry David Suzuki, You Are Wrong

Sorry David, you are wrong. TransLink does not have a income problem, it has a spendingAi?? problem as it spends about three times more to build with the now obsolete light-metro instead of light rail. Our proprietary light-metro system also costs about 60% more to operate than comparable light rail lines. David, you and your […]

Is Factbender Going To Announce SkyTrain To Langley On Canada Day?

“You are going to get SkyTrain whether you like it or not”, has been the popular refrain from notable BC politicians including Bill Bennett, Bill Van der Zalm, Grace McCarthy, Glen Clark, Joy McPhail, Gordon Campbell, Kevin Falcon and now, Factbender and Premier photo-Op! Only seven built in 40 years!   Is the Minister responsible […]