New Year Game On

In March & April 2011, the Cardinal wrote two articles for the Blog; `The Emperor has no Clothes and no Transitai??i??Ai?? http://www.railforthevalley.com/news-articles/the-emperor-has-no-clothes-and-no-transit/ Ai??Ai??and `Pushing a wooden stake through the heart of darknessai??i?? http://www.railforthevalley.com/latest-news/cardinal-fang/pushing-a-wooden-stake-through-the-heart-of-darkness/ In the intervening 18 months, little has changed; the Vancouver City Council and Translink have learnt little except that the opposition and […]

Streetcars belong. Even on the street

Much like any group, passenger rail advocates split into subsections or specialties of interest or belief, such as high speed rail, Amtrak, regional/commuter, rapid transit, LRTai??i??and streetcars. Railway Age http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/blogs/doug-bowen/streetcars-belong-even-on-the-street.html Add to that the human element of being interested primarily in one’s home turf first (you can get yours later, thank you very much), and […]

Streetcars belong: Even in the U.S.

They’re coming. They’re actually now being built, not just planned, not just proposed. Streetcar lines are back. From Railway Age; http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/blogs/doug-bowen/streetcars-belong-part-2-even-in-the-us.htmlAi?? Streetcars are still under the radar for most railroad folks, perhaps understandably, given the fledgling nature of the mode in the U.S. The lines established and under construction, are small in scope and distance. […]

What have the Romans ever done for us?

Apart from the Aqueduct, Sanitation, the Roads, Irrigation, Medicine, Education, Public Health, Wine, Public Baths andAi??Law & Order. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSELOCMmw4A Taking the contemporary view; What have Translink ever done for us? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DtVyH801FM Apart from: The U-Pass Fraud Fare Evasion The Evergreen Line Increased Transit ticket fees The Canada Line Express Bus Lines and the Broadway subway […]

Sleeping with the Enemy

All too often public transit advocates are refused access to politicians, in Britain the Light Rail Transit Association LRTA has been instrumental inAi??the setting up of a forumAi??where ministers and their advisors can meet with the industry leaders, campaigners & Light Rail advocates. – the All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group [APPLRG] http://www.applrguk.co.uk/ APPLRG stands […]

Why Is TransLink’s Price for Light Rail Triple What Other Cities Pay?

Arguments for spending billions on SkyTrain along Broadway rest on oddly high estimates for the alternative: light rail. ByAi??Kathryn Mandell and Patrick M. Condon, Today, TheTyee.ca http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/11/28/TransLink-Light-Rail/ Future interrupted? Why is Vancouver light rail assumed to be three times more expensive than elsewhere? Image source: Steer Davies Gleave.Ai??Ai??Ai?? An extremely expensive decision for taxpayers looms […]

Rob Ford fails to derail light rail lines

Mayor Rob Ford wend down swinging, saying again that people want subways, not LRT. However, Toronto City Council endorsed the $8.4 million master plan to build four LRT lines by a 30 to 11 margin. Toronto Sun story at: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/11/01/ford-defied-more-toronto-light-rail By Don Peat ,City Hall Bureau Chief First posted:Thursday, November 01, 2012 08:20 The Crosstown […]

The Guru’s of Tax & Spend Are Grooming the Public for Road Pricing

Like a pervert on the Internet grooming children for lewd encounters, the powers that be in METRO Vancouver are grooming the public for “road pricing” for a very rude tax grab. What is road pricing anyways? Road pricingAi??and congestion charging are direct charges levied for the use of roads, including road tolls, distance or time […]

Should We Convert the Canada Line metro to LRT?

The George Massey Tunnel is back in the news, as Premier Christie Clark is using the tunnel as an election gimmick, promising to replace the tunnel within 10 years. http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Christy+Clark+announces+plan+replace+Massey+Tunnel/7315511/story.html Replacing the tunnel with a larger structure, bridge or tunnel will only send the gridlock to the next choke point, the Oak Street & Knight […]

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 […]