Premier Horgan, Can You Change Metro Vancouver’s “SkyTrain” Culture?

Ah yes, our honest and hard working and sole supplier of ART cars (SkyTrain) and ALRT/ART parts, Bombardier is back in the news. One wonders why Metro Vancouver and TransLink keeps planning building with the obsolete proprietary ART mini-metro system, complete with steam roller planning and mock (possibly illegal) bidding? One wonders why real public […]

Achy Breaky SkyTrain Cars!

Seems some serious corrosion problems are plaguing the TTC’s ICTS cars, which are the same as our SkyTrain Mk.1’s and I hope TransLink will take some time and investigate! The Mk.1’s do have a history of corrosion, so I would think it would be expedient to check and see.   Ai??Scarborough RT vehicles need repairs […]

Regional Transportation Conundrum – We Need A Royal Commission On Regional Transportation

The following article demonstrates our current problem in metro Vancouver, a complete and utter lack of understanding public transit and the role of public transit. Again, for public transit to be successful, it must be user friendly, if not, people will avoid it and they do in droves in Metro Vancouver. Buses are a hard […]

Is The Car Winning The Commuter War?

Another news story which tends to confirm Zweis observation that; “despite a now over $11 billion investment in rapid transit, congestion is getting worse.” The article doesn’t touch on the real problem, which is the user-unfriendly SkyTrain light-metro system. It also continues the myth that the Canada line is successful, despite the fact its station […]

And Light Rail Transit – Premier Horgan, Are You Listening?

What this story does not mention is that Portland has an extensive LRT/streetcar network, a transit network designed to meet the needs of the transit customer. Unlike Metro Vancouver where transit is built to meet the needs of land developers and land speculators, Bombardier and SNC Lavalin, all political friends with sitting councils. Building with […]

TransLink’s Bamboozle Begins.

  It is to be expected, TransLink wants more of your money so out rolls the propaganda machine claimingAi?? increased ridership, Howrah! Translation; “We want to bamboozle the NDP to give us more money for our two vanity projects, the Broadway subway and the Surrey LRT. The late Carl Sagan had something to say about […]

Rail for the Valley: A Letter to Premier Horgan

Dear Premier Horgan, Congratulations on your recent electoral success and now fresh winds will sweeps across British Columbia. My name is Malcolm Johnston and I have been an advocate for better public transit in the Metro Vancouver region for over 30 years. Transit in Metro Vancouver is in a precarious position and funding is not […]

Road Pricing – One More Slurp At The Trough

From Bob Mackin and the Breaker. Zwei has studied “Road Pricing” and “Congestion Charging” for over 20 years and the very first rule for a successful road pricing scheme is that the region have a user friendly and affordable public transit alternative. With TransLink we don’t…….. not even close and TransLink is so incompetent at […]

Should We Convert The Canada Line to Light Rail? Updated.

First posted by zweisystem on Thursday, October 11, 2012 Subways & metros cost a lot of money to build and operate. The proposed new mega bridge that will replace the George Massey Tunnel is back in the news, as there is a good chance that incoming Premier John Horgan will cancel the the hugely expensive […]

Transportation Gridlock is Endemic in Metro Vancouver

After driving into Vancouver yesterday, it has hit home that despite a now over $10 billion spent on SkyTrain light-metro and the Canada line, congestion is getting worse. After being an advocate for better transportation in the region for now over thirty years, I am still amazed by the “SkyTrain ennui” that prevails in most […]