Vancouver’s anti-LRT media and blogs. Don’t diss Portland’s light rail

I don’t like doing this, but the following has struck a nerve.

The statement from Frances Bula’s blog, “The famous streetcar and light-rail transit? Iai??i??ve concluded that that is the only option the city has, since it has about 60,000 fewer people than Vancouver does but spread out over three times the land. They canai??i??t afford anything else.”, is very condescending about light rail. But then Frances Bula has been always anti-LRT and pro-SkyTrain and is how she earned her nickname BS Bula with the Cambie St. crowd during the Canada Line fiasco.

She doesn’t mention that for about a $3 billion investmentAi??with LRT, Portland has four LRT lines, with a total length of 84.3 km and two streetcar lines. By comparison, the Vancouver region has invested over $8 billion in three metro lines with a total length of 68.7 km.

Portland has 85 transit stations versus a meager 47 for SkyTrain. This means there are more stations, serving more potential customers in Portland. Though SkyTrain ridership is almost three times that of Portland’s LRT, 80% of SkyTrain’s ridership are forced to transfer from bus to SkyTrain, as no regional bus now connects to Vancouver’s downtown. Forced transfers certainly increases ridership, but deters many people from using transit.Ai??Portland’s transit officials point to a 20% modal shiftAi?? (or more) from car to LRT, while TransLink, who operate SkyTrain, sidesteps that question completely.

Also quietly ignored with SkyTrain’s ridership figures is the massive use (over 100,000 issued) of the $1.00 a day U-Pass to all post secondary students in the regionAi??and howAi??it effects SkyTrain’s ridership numbers.

Also what is even more laughable isAi??the claimAi??that Vancouver region can afford SkyTrain; well excuse me, isn’t the Evergreen Line debate one of the inability to fund SkyTrain?

So in reality, the Vancouver region has spent almost three as much as Portland for ‘rail’ transit,Ai??for a smaller and less efficient light-metro line.

Yes Ms. Bula, I conclude that you never really have done any research on LRT and anything you write about transit should be read with great caution. Your Cambie Street nick says it all.

Portland’s LRT now and what is planned for the future.