Five reasons Why Gordo and his ‘Falcon’ don’t want the "Return of the Interurban".

It is all too simple, the tracks are there from Vancouver to Chilliwack, the diesel light-rail vehicles areAi??Ai??available from many manufacturers and have been proven in revenue operation, and the precedent of the Karlsruhe two-system or zweisystem LRT with almost 20 years of safe operation track-sharing with mainline railways, makes the return of the interurban […]

10 Quick notes on light rail – for quick letters to the Editor.

Light rail is a mode that can deal economically with traffic flows between 2,000 and 20,000 persons per hour per direction. LRT can be uses on-street, on elevated guide-ways (light-metro), in tunnel (subway), or track-share with existing railways. Calgary’s LRT (C-Train) carries over 250,000 passengers a day, more than SkyTrain. Capacity is a function of […]

Premier Campbell & Kevin Falcon ‘flips the bird’ to the valley

Gordon Campbell, like all politicians, likes to monument build and with good ‘polling’ numbers has promised a ‘monumental’ 10 lane bridge with all the whistles and bangs to target the car driver in May’s provincial election.Ai??Ai?? The $3 billion plus mega bridge and highways project has nothing to do about good transportation or planning, rather […]

The new Port Mann Bridge – A bridge too big!

The provincial governments announcement of a new 10 lane bridge, replacing the Port Mann bodes ill for implementingAi??Ai??good transportation planning for the Fraser Valley. The real winners are the ‘roads lobby’, the trucking industry, and the land developers, as the announced bridge caters directly to their demands. What theAi??Ai??new bridge does show, is the utter […]

Catenary-Free LRT!

The following item was sent to the Light Rail Committee and maybe of interest to those promoting modern LRT for the ‘Valley’. One of the main complaints against light-rail is that itAi??Ai??collects electricity from an overhead wire using span wires connected to lamp posts (Vancouver’s trolleybuses) or from a Catenary.Ai??Ai??The most common method is by […]

Calgary’s C-Train is carrying over 250,000 passengers a day!

The following should give some food for thought. “In the past 25 years, The City of Calgary has invested approximately $1 billion (Canadian dollars) in developing a three leg, radial LRT system that is closely integrated with an extensive bus network.” While in Vancouver over $6 billion ($8.5 billion if RAV/Canada LineAi??Ai??is included) has been […]

Skytrain has run its course; LRT is the way to go.

Langara debate Wednesday: Skytrain has run its course; LRT is the way to go. Wednesday, Jan. 21, 7:30 A?ai??i??ai??? 9:00pm (Doors open at 7:15pm, seating for the first 300 only) The Alice Mackay Room, Lower level Vancouver Public Library, Downtown, Homer & Robson Arguing the AFFIRMATIVE: PATRICK CONDON, Senior Researcher, UBC Design Centre for Sustainability […]

LRT – safer than buses and cars.

From the Light Rail Now Project Team Ai??Ai?? September 2007 US injuries + Fatalities per Passenger-Mile (2002-2004) Motor VehiclesAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??LRTAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? Bus 2002 647.4Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??390.0Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 552.8 2003 697.2Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??376.7Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??544.6 2004 597.1Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 415.6Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 560.2 Sources: National Safety Council, Report on injuries in America, Selected Measures of Unintentional injuries, U.S., 2001-2005 http://www.nsc.org/library/report_table_2.htm US Federal Transit Administration, Transit Safety and Security Statistics […]

Why it is important that SkyTrain not be built on the Evergreen Line

A letter in todays Vancouver Sun ~ SkyTrain extension not an astute investment Vancouver Sun January 8, 2009 The case for SkyTrain’s $1.4-billion Evergreen Line is terribly weak. Despite the hype and hoopla from local politicians, this version of a public-private partnership is more like a Ponzi scheme than an astute investment. David Gillen, director […]

Does light-rail make the grade?

There is a common misconception, especially with loal transit planners, that light-rail can’t climb steep grades. The industry standard (crush capacity or all seats taken and 8 persons per square metre standing) for the maximum gradient that modern LRT can climb is 8%. Sheffield’s trams (streetcars) because all axles are motorized, can climb 10% grades […]