More Porkies – The Port Mann Bridge
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousands words………………………..
……………..but this picture of a cross section of the new ten lane Port Mann Bridge says it all – there is no rail transit being planned for the bridge!
Even Zweisystem, with his rudimentary knowledge of engineering knows if that a bridge is to carry "rail" traffic, it must be designed do at the very beginning, to allow for the stresses imposed by rail operation; one just doesn't add rails at a later date. There is no indication at all of any provision for rail at all.
So much for those pretty 'artists impressions' of the new bridge showing LRT crossing the span, it's not going to happen. It seems we have been fooled again by a government hell bent to blacktop the Fraser Valley.
And please do not say BRT or bus rapid transit is rapid transit, it is a bus and yes, there may be bus lanes on the new bridge, but buses are not seen by the customer as good transit. With the current government, BRT is just an excuse to build new highways!
What is interesting is that with no provision for rail transit on the new Port Mann Bridge, gives a great viability to the RftV/Leewood Richmond/Vancouver to Rosedale tramtrain.
It never ceases to amaze me that this Liberal Government and Translink are intent on ‘Reinventing The Wheel’.
This Government and Translink display an astounding lack of respect and intelligence for the taxpayers of BC by trying to shove their biased agendas ‘down the publics throat ‘.
BC Government and Translink WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR ” BAD INNOVATIVE IDEAS ” and COSTS”
It is not only infuriating,its insulting to BC taxpayers intelligence,and finally we financially cannot afford any more commuter disasters.
Throughout the world ,and over the years there are many proven LRT systems that not only function very successfully,by moving millions of people daily,quickly,with low fares,and with little pollution,in comparison to the number of vehicles that would be needed to provide the equivalent number of commuters.
Buses are not the answer,they are noisy polluting,with continual high maintenance costs,services and staff.
Buses add to the bottlenecks in commuter highways with special lanes that must be provided for faster service.
Bus commuter fees would be higher,the number of commuters on ea.bus is minimal compared to a Ground LRT System.
Look at the West Coast Express to day.
It is daily full to capacity and if expanded more riders would utilise this service.
The original Interurban system worked very well was quick and cheap,because ‘wait for it ‘ highways were minimal,residents lived close to their jobs,therefore fewer cars were needed,and passengers could travel from Richmond,LULU Island and other areas quickly and cheaply.But still the Interurban system was a proven efficient system that could have been redisigned and modified,to todays standards.
But no the governments over past years have spent billions of taxpayer dollars for highways,bridges and with astronomical maintenance fees.True BC does need highways and bridges but not to the extent that exists today.
Interurbans were a proven system,but then with increasing population,high and limited real estate values,population expanded to areas with more reasonable housing in the eastern cities and communities.
When it comes to commuter services that will be utilised daily throughout all communities and cities east of the Fraser River,A ground LRT system is the only service that will operate for years to come with no pollution,millions of dollars saved by taxpayers,in commuting car insurance premiums,drastically reduced vehicle fuel,no high monthly car parlking fees.
Finally the the air in the Fraser Valley and communities will be cleaner and less polluted due to reduced vehicle traffic and emissions.
There must be a realignment of thinking and if necessary the disolution of Translink,with new inovative LRT systems built ASAP.
Light rapid Transit is the only way to provide rapid,efficient,non polluting transportation for citizens in the lower mainland.Using highways as a mode of moving hundreds of thousands of commuters daily is not only inefficient,its slow,highly polluting due to slow moving vehicles emitting volumes of vehicle exhaust,with bottlenecks continuing from start to finish.The Liberal government is committed to support the Golden Ears Bridge(as per Vancouver Sun in todays paper taxpayers are on the hook for 33 million dollars additional fees due to low bridge users).
So what is really comming to light is a daily commuter bridge fee and a Campbell guarranteed 33 million dollars from taxpayers pockets whether we use the bridge or not.
If an a LRT system was put into effect the Golden Ears Bridge ownership would be a financial disaster with minimal bridge users not paying daily tolls,but using the LRT instead.
More egg on Liberal and Translink faces,with their incompitence.
We in BC are paying a Campbell imposed ‘ Carbon Tax ‘ when all monies collected should be directly provided to build a LRT system (but BC does not even know where the Carbon Tax dollars are spent.)
for Surrey,Langley,Abbotsfored,and Chilliwack.
BC does not even know where the Carbon Tax dollars are spent.
Then the Patella Brrige would not have to be replaced as daily traffic would be substantially reduced.
The same applies to the Port Mann Bridge,with adjoining exists,entrances,and increased number of highway lanes.
Footnote to the above comment
Ken Hardie with TransLink and the boeard need to be fired,and taxpayers (especially east of the Fraser River must tell BC’s new premier,(who promised last night in her speech that she will listen to the taxpayers of BC) that anything less than a ground rail LRT system is not acceptable.The polution reduction,the drastically reduced costs to commuters is so great,the province owns the right of ways for just a system,that I fail to see why Government has turned a deaf ear to the taxpayer.
No I am not nieve,and I know that if every homeowner,and voter east of the River went to their mayors and counsel,Victoria would get the message very quickly.