New Year Game On

In March & April 2011, the Cardinal wrote two articles for the Blog; `The Emperor has no Clothes and no Transitai??i??Ai?? http://www.railforthevalley.com/news-articles/the-emperor-has-no-clothes-and-no-transit/ Ai??Ai??and `Pushing a wooden stake through the heart of darknessai??i?? http://www.railforthevalley.com/latest-news/cardinal-fang/pushing-a-wooden-stake-through-the-heart-of-darkness/ In the intervening 18 months, little has changed; the Vancouver City Council and Translink have learnt little except that the opposition and […]

Streetcars belong: Even in the U.S.

They’re coming. They’re actually now being built, not just planned, not just proposed. Streetcar lines are back. From Railway Age; http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/blogs/doug-bowen/streetcars-belong-part-2-even-in-the-us.htmlAi?? Streetcars are still under the radar for most railroad folks, perhaps understandably, given the fledgling nature of the mode in the U.S. The lines established and under construction, are small in scope and distance. […]

Translink plays dead at the first lick of snow, but all over the world street level Light Rail & Tramways take the weather in their stride

In other words a few inches of snow doesn’t stop @ grade LRT/street level Tramways; a foot and so long as the snow sweaping is effective the LRV/Trams keep on operating. Croydon Tramlink TransLinkai??i??s bus company is expensive, inefficient and dysfunctional in inclement weather; US & European Tramways operate without a doubt in snow conditions. […]

Challenge Richard

SkyTrainai??i??s Expo Line was built in 1985 and opened in time for Expo 86 with 20 stations connecting Waterfront Station in Vancouver and King George Station in Surrey. Between 1985 & 2012; One Hundred & Fifty One full service tramways have been built & opened worldwide, with another 56 under construction or approval. The full […]

What have the Romans ever done for us?

Apart from the Aqueduct, Sanitation, the Roads, Irrigation, Medicine, Education, Public Health, Wine, Public Baths andAi??Law & Order. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSELOCMmw4A Taking the contemporary view; What have Translink ever done for us? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DtVyH801FM Apart from: The U-Pass Fraud Fare Evasion The Evergreen Line Increased Transit ticket fees The Canada Line Express Bus Lines and the Broadway subway […]

Sleeping with the Enemy

All too often public transit advocates are refused access to politicians, in Britain the Light Rail Transit Association LRTA has been instrumental inAi??the setting up of a forumAi??where ministers and their advisors can meet with the industry leaders, campaigners & Light Rail advocates. – the All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group [APPLRG] http://www.applrguk.co.uk/ APPLRG stands […]

Light Rail Fits in

Light Rail Fits in, that is unless you live in Vancouver where corruption, Canadian Transit Politics and incompetence threatens logic and commonsense Of all the modes of transport electric railways have proven to be the most successful in providing an alternative choice that entices people to leave their cars at home. With light rail it […]

Broadway needs SkyTrain rather than light rail, Vancouver city staff & Translink trot out the same old, same old.

Broadway needs SkyTrain rather than light rail, Vancouver city staff say http://www.straight.com/article-843831/vancouver/broadway-needs-skytrain-rather-light-rail-vancouver-city-staff-say By Yolande Cole, November 27, 2012 Vancouver city staff believe a subway SkyTrain line to UBC is the best way to meet the growing demand along the Broadway corridor, outweighing the option of a light-rail system that they say would not accommodate the […]

Why Is TransLink’s Price for Light Rail Triple What Other Cities Pay?

Arguments for spending billions on SkyTrain along Broadway rest on oddly high estimates for the alternative: light rail. ByAi??Kathryn Mandell and Patrick M. Condon, Today, TheTyee.ca http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/11/28/TransLink-Light-Rail/ Future interrupted? Why is Vancouver light rail assumed to be three times more expensive than elsewhere? Image source: Steer Davies Gleave.Ai??Ai??Ai?? An extremely expensive decision for taxpayers looms […]

People love their cars or do they?

Portland sometimes struggles to find the right balance between car use and alternative modes of transportation. Striking the balance will require tough choices as population and housing density increase. Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/10/people_like_their_cars_a_fact.html Funny, people love cars. That may be why data released last week by researchers at Metro, the regional government, showed as much. […]