Cycling and Light Rail – They Do Get Along

A comment on the previous post about the ability of trams and bicycles to ‘get along’, clearly illustrates the bicycle/tram myth, that bicyclists and trams or streetcars can not cohabit on the same road. The small flange-way does not pose a risk, except for the mostAi?? blind cyclist and the safety claims being made against […]

Calgary may look to streetcar history for future of transit

The city of Vancouver should take note, there are streetcars on tap for Calgary. What is old is new again and planners in North America are beginning to grasp the importance of simple streetcar. Streetcars or trams are derided by the SkyTrain lobby who would rather close schools and hospitals to fund kilometres of aerial […]

Letters in the Tri City News

A sampling ofAi??letters printed in the Tri city News. Mayors must stop being sucked in on TransLink funding Published: February 12, 2013 1:00 PM The Editor, Re. ai???Polak undecided on proposed taxai??? (The Tri-City News, Feb. 8). As P.T. Barnum said, ai???There is a sucker born every minute.ai??? And it seems Metro Vancouver mayors are […]

From the North Shore News – TransLink’s budget woes tied to SkyTrain

Liz James is one of the few media scribes that has actually taken the time to study and understand our “tricky dickey” regional transit, as brought to you by TransLink. With most of the mainstream media in Translink’s pocket, little real news and views are offered and instead a pablum of regurgitated “tax and spend” […]

Can TransLink’s business cases be trusted? A Repost from 2008

As construction on the Evergreen Line is now under way, it would be interesting to once again see how a real transit expert views TransLink’s Business Case for the metro line.   Since last spring, the Light Rail Committee has circulated an E-Mail sent by American transit and transportation expert, Gerald Fox to a Victoria […]

A Question of Capacity ai??i?? A LRTA Topic Sheet

Contrary to the COV and TransLink, modern LRT can obtain high capacities, on transit routes, by being able to operate at close headways.Ai??Today, the main tram route through the city is being relocated in a subway because the line was seeing 45 second headways during peak hours, giving an nominal capacity exceeding 40,000 persons per […]

Metro Vancouver mayors call for new fees, taxes to fund transit

Well they areAi??back at it, the regional mayors (I should say well paid regional mayors) are asking for more of our money to fund SkyTrain. Yes, that what it boils down to, more money to fund SkyTrain. Our regional mayors tend to think they are transit experts, but with the exception of Burnaby’s Derrek Corrigan […]

The Cost of Transporting People in the British Columbia Lower Mainland – Revisited

In 1993 the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), now known as metro Vancouver,Ai??and the province of British Columbia released a report entitled “Transport 2021“, part of the 2021 study was the study, “The Cost of Transporting People in the British Columbia Lower Mainland“. On page 15 of the “The Cost of Transporting People in the […]

The Noviceai??i??s Guide to ai???Railai??? Transit Orai??i??ai??i??ai??i??ai??i?? (Updated)

ai??i??ai??i??ai??i??ai??i??..cutting through the BS about light rail, SkyTrain and BRT. The following is a guide plus definitions about “rail” transit for this coming May’s provincial election. ALM: Automatic Light Metro, the fourth marketing name given for the SkyTrain family of light-metros, when Lavalin briefly owned SkyTrain before gong bankrupt. ALRT (1): Advanced Light Rail Transit, […]

Liz James UpsetsThe SkyTrain Lobby

It seems North Shore News weekly columnist, Liz James has upset the SkyTrain Lobby with her most recent article, “No shortage of projects for the new AGLG“.Ai??Ai??So much so, that an email to Ms. James, from a SkyTrain lobbiest comes very close inAi??libeling her good name.” The fact that Ms. James has been on the […]