A day in gridlocked Richmond
Zwei had business to conduct in Richmond yesterday and it was my first time I have driven around the municipality in many years. Yes, ‘Zwei‘ ventures to Landsdown Mall to rescue his wife from TransLink when she works late in Vancouver several times a week, but that is late at night and traffic is light.
The first thing I noticed in Richmond is that everyone drives, and bus passengers are either students (most with $1 a day U-Passes) and the elderly. The roads are choked with cars and parking is both expensive and scarce. Even Richmond Centre Mall’s parking lot was almost filled by noon. During breaks in meetings,Ai??I ventured to two Canada Line stations to observe passenger flows and like the buses, ridership wasAi??mostly students (with $1 a day U-Passes) and the elderly.
It seems the RAV/Canada Line has not attracted the motorist from the car and the metro just doesn’t serve the needs of Richmond’s transit customers, except if one holds a cheap ticket or if one is going to downtown Vancouver. What is very noticeable is a small land boom near the RAV/Canada Line as assembled properties are being turned into highrise (well ten stories or so) apartments and condos.Ai?? If the Canada Line’s object was to aide land speculators and developers, it has succeeded, but as a transit mode, the Canada Line has failed miserably.
What is so sad is the the Canada Line highlights TransLink’s failure in transit planning, that after spending over $2.5 billion for the world’s only mini-heavy-rail metro, it has done little to alleviate traffic congestion and gridlock in Richmond, in fact with all the new housing being built near the Canada line, it seems the metro has exacerbated traffic congestion!
Except, for the very few who are lucky enough to live near a Canada Line station, the best transit option is to drive and drive Richmond residents do and in large numbers, with the Canada Line metro and the rest of the transit system being reserved mainly for the students, the elderly, and the poor.
Still ranting about the same old crap. No wonder no one ever puts much credence to your biased propaganda.
Zweisystem replies:
Strangely enough, a lot of people put a lot of credence to Zwei’s comments. In fact, much of what Zwei has predicted has come true.
Taken a bus in Richmond lately, or did you drive?
I have taken the CAnadaline serveral times now with my family at non peak times, ridership seems good and riders seem to be a cross section of society. Cant speak to the bus. Roads and rapid transit do not reduce congestion per say because as congestion drops more trips are generated. However even without reducing congestion rapid transit has lots of benifits. Ps why didnt you take transit to avoid the parking hassels?
Transit from South Delta to Richmond is dreadful and taking transit from one meeting to another was near impossible.