Adios, the Shopping Mall?

The shape of things to come? Transportation planners in Metro Vancouver should take note that when planning very expensive fixed transit infrastructure to shopping malls, if the mall closes in 15 years, the transit system will have very expensive infrastructure to nowhere. This is very true for SkyTrain and its $80 million/km elevated structure is […]

TramTrain for the E&N?

The Talk of TramTrain from other than Zwei is good news, especially from Vancouver Island. A Diesel powered TramTrain service, both for Victoria and Naniamo is doable and would be affordable. A 18 km. Diesel TramTrain line from Langford to Victoria, plus a single track 5 km.Ai?? loop in the downtown, should cost no more […]

Whatever happened to the future? From the BBC

An interesting item from the BBC. Whatever happened to the future? By Matthew Wall Business reporter, BBC News Whatever happened to interplanetary travel, hover cars, and hypersonic jets? Once it seemed as if there were no limits to how far or fast we could travel, such were the leaps in technological development in the 19th […]

I Told You so Department.

Old Zwei told you so that the Compass Card was old kit as are the fare gates! The Compass Card and the fare gates deserve a criminal investigation but that will never happen, not in BC, where the police and courts shy away from political interference. Fare evasion was not a problem, yet the mainstream […]

What is a plan “B”? TransLink Will Spend $4 Million To Find Out

One has to laugh at the imperious TransLink and the gullible mayors trying to sell this dud to the public and the old adage seems to be true: “Those who do not read history, are doomed to repeat the same mistakes”. Trust us says TransLink. Trust us say the regional mayors. Sorry no, Zwei would […]

TransLink’s Ridership – An Independant Calculation

Eric Chris has done some calculations ascertaining TransLink’s ridership numbers, independent of what the many pundits and instant experts that are pontificating on the YES side of the TransLink congestion plebiscite. A well known pundit stated on the radio that one million people took transit last year, but recanted on Facebook when faced with overwhelming […]

Liz James Gets It Right!

Liz James, who pens op-ed pieces in the North Shore news has a very good grasp of our local transit ills. Liz’s Jan. 7th article is well worth a read as she has a full grasp of the transit situation, which is more than I can say about the Vancouver Sun and many other reporters. […]

April First Comes Early In Vancouver

I just do not know whether to laugh or cry at this one. Business in Vancouver (who’s co-founder is one Peter Ladner, noted Vancouver politician) has printed the puff piece of puff pieces, regarding TransLink. In Zwei’s timid way and not wanting to get TransLink’s higher purposes persons in a tissy, I have made a […]

Transit Problems Across The Pond

The metro Vancouver region is not alone with financial problems with public transit. Buses are very expensive to operate and U.K. planners and politicians have been very reluctant to fund modern trams which have proven to mitigate the high cost of public transport. Like Metro Vancouver, the transit authorities are finding it very difficult to […]

A Light (Rail) In The Piazza

A very welcomed editorial in the Delta Optimist. Slowly, ever slowly, people are beginning to realize that modern LRT is just not a transit mode, but a transit philosophy! Here lies the difference between LRT and SkyTrain; as SkyTrain or light metro is designed to give fast service between transit hubs forcing transit customers to […]