The Current Vacuum In Regional Transit Planning

Where’s the transit? This question is being asked more and more and despite the hype an hoopla from Translink in their quest for more money, there is absolutely no concept of a regional transit strategy. Oh yes, we have SkyTrain for Vancouver; light rail for Surrey; and express buses (BRT is somewhat a fraudulent term) […]

Does the Provincial government Want TransLink To Fail?

Like a death dirge, the TransLink referendum drags on and on, yet the provincial Premier is steadfast on the question of a funding referendum for TransLink. The regional mayors are more and more making fools of themselves wanting one of many tax proposals to fund the TransLink behemoth, yet abhor a “none of the above” […]

Is The Canada Line A Classic White Elephant?

From Wiki: A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep) is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth. The term derives from the story that the kings of Siam (now Thailand) were accustomed to make a present […]

A comparison of Canadian Rail Transit Systems

Please note station platform lengths, SkyTrain and the Canada Line’s station platforms, as well as the vehicles are smaller than most, which means TransLink’s claimed high capacity for Metro Vancouver’s rail system maybe more of a fairy tale than reality. Pixie dust planning and operation seems to be TransLink’s forte.  

A Letter To South Fraser Mayors And Councils

A letter sent this week to South Fraser mayors and councils and to the media. One wonders how TransLink and its surrogates will respond? Zwei The following email was sent out to South Fraser mayors and councils, warning of Translink hyperbole in overstating the success of SkyTrain and the Canada Line. This letter contains a […]

The Bateman Strategy: Killing TransLink and the regional vision – NOT!

Gordon Price has entered the TransLink fray and with gusto, blaming Jordan Bate of having the audacity to ask for “none of the above” on the ballot in the upcoming election. Without a “none of the above” on the ballot means the much ballyhooed TransLink referendum would be nothing more than a wet squib, in […]

Eric Chris’s Study – Not having transit is more environmentally sustainable than having transit in Vancouver

Eric Chris, sent the following to all local newspapers and municipal governments. It seems, TransLink and our regional transit planners may have it all wrong. To view the study in its entirety, please click on the link below. Transit in Metro Vancouver, Canada recently won the gold award from APTA (American Public Transportation Association) for […]

Another “Malcolm Letter”, As TransLink Grinds Its Teeth.

The letter in the Surrey Leader says it all………….. Sales tax wonai??i??t resolve transit ills Published: August 28, 2013 The notion that a $0.5-per-cent sales tax increase will solve TransLinkai??i??s financial ills is naive in the extreme; spending more money on unsustainable transit projects will only exacerbate TransLinkai??i??s money woes. TransLink faces many problems, including […]

A John Buker Re-Post From 2009 – Prendergastai??i??s parting words on Rail for the Valley

A re-post from 2009. Tom Prendergast, who was briefly CEO at TransLink, left (or was forced out) after just over a year at the post because of the Skytrain lobby. The SkyTrain Lobby still holds great sway with transit planning in Metro Vancouver, which is very bad news for the taxpayer. Too bad that the […]

A 0.5 per cent TransLink sales tax?

In an obvious headline grabbing event, a near dormant transit group, proposes a 0.5% sales tax to fund TransLink. Big mistake. The problem with transit in the Vancouver Metro region is TransLink itself and its firm belief that the more money one spends on transit the better it is. It is a recipe for financial […]