TransLink Is Playing “Financial Chicken” With The Taxpayer.

TransLink is a one trick pony and Bob Paddon, TransLink’sAi??executive vice-president of strategic planning is the ringleader, trundling out the same old tired routine to con the public for more money. One tires of TransLink’s brinkmanship, but throwing more tax money at this ponderous bureaucracy will do nothing to alleviate the problem and the problem […]

Subway Blunders in Europe – Can TransLink Learn From Other’s Mistakes?

More from the LRPPro. Herr K. is a German transit specialist from Germany and gives wonderful insight to the pitfalls of building new subways for the sake of building new subways. The following post shows theAi??problems and counter productiveAi??resultsAi??of building subways and metros, where ordinary trams would do just fine. There are lessons to be […]

New Port Mann Bridge toll for cars is $1.50 – A Pre-election Goody?

In a deliberate attempt to pander for votes in next spring’s election the BC Liberal government has offered a ‘pre full toll special’ for a few months and if you register for a decal, you get a full year at the discounted price – yippee! Zwei is not against tolling, but the new Port Mann […]

Another View on the High Cost of Expensive Grade Separated Infrastructure

The following post comes from the LRPPro Transit blog and the comments from Herr Wolfgang are extremely pertinent to the situation evolving with Metro Vancouver’s light metro network. Simply, no one; not oneAi??politicianAi??or current transit planner has factored in the high cost of maintenance that will be needed in the coming years for SkyTrain’s and […]

Eric Chris’s letter to New Transportation Minister, Mary Pollack

Dear Mary Polak, Langley MLA, Congratulations on being appointed to Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure ai??i?? first order of business ai??i?? a moratorium on any further B-line (rapid bus transit) and SkyTrain expansions along with the sacking of everyone associated with the current SkyTrain and B-Lines not only at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure […]

U.S. (And Canada) Taxpayers Are Gouged on Mass Transit Costs

With BC Transit quoting silly prices for LRT in Victoria and TransLink doing the same in Vancouver and Surrey, the following article from Bloomberg should be essential reading. As the previous post has shown, modern LRT/streetcar can be built cheaply, if there is the political and bureaucratic will to do so. With thank to Justin […]

As Predicted – TransLink’s Gas Tax is Faltering – Higher Taxes Predicted!

As predicted, gas tax revenue has failed to meet expectations as thousands of lower mainland residents fill up their family chariots east of Aldergrove or in the US, where gas is much cheaper. This was predicted by Zwei some years ago (the wife fills up her belch-fire in Point Roberts) and was roundly criticized by […]

A Blast From the Past – Zwei Was Advocating the Stadler GTW in 2009!

I seems Zwei has had it right all along with the Stadler GTW! Here is a repost from October 2009! The Stadler GTW ai??i?? A new generation of Diesel light rail. Posted by zweisystem on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 The Stadler GTW Diesel light Rail car The Stadler GTW, sold by Stadler Rail, Switzerland, is […]

SkyTrain Obsolete!

One can predict the wailing and gnashing of teeth by the SkyTrain lobby with long time transit advocate, Malcolm Johnston’s recent letter published in the Surrey Now. One wonders why TransLink, civic and provincial politicians almost worship SkyTrain in Metro Vancouver, as some sort of transit miracle, when the rest of world views it as […]

Myth Busting!

It seems that the same tall tales about modern LRT are being told is Sydney Australia, that are being told in Vancouver and Surrey. Like always. a lie often repeated soon becomes truth, well the following sets the record straight, but will the public remain deaf to the truth all depends on the amount of […]