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 […]

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 […]

The UBCLiner: Chilliwack to UBC ai??i?? the 6 am through service.

December 2021 ai??i?? The UBCLiner: Chilliwack to UBC ai??i?? the 6 am through service. First posted by zweisystem on Monday, October 12, 2009 Ai?? Updated July 17, 2017 The following is a short tome on a studentai??i??s Monday morning commute from Chilliwack to UBC, via the interurban and the Broadway streetcar line and illustrates what […]

“The Idea Of Creating A Liveable City At This Density Is Crazy.”

A comment about land development along the proposed $3 billion Broadway Subway? No, it is a comment about over densification from high rise flats in Melbourne, Australia. So how is Melbourne going to cope, transit wise? Build a subway? No subway for Melbourne, as lawned tram track will do. The hoary old density question, where […]

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 […]

Freight Tram Trials in St. Etienne France

The concept of freight trams has been around for a while, in fact the concept is quite old. The success of Dresden’s freight tram was based on moving car components, via container, from one factory to another across the city. In St. Etienne, it’s the concept of moving smaller loads from one central distribution point […]

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 […]

The Second letter Sent To Surrey Council

April 18, 2017 The second letter sent by Malcolm Johnston to Surrey council and a possible solution for South of the Fraser transportation woes. Mayor and council; Two weeks ago I sent a letter to Mayor and Council about modern light rail and this letter is a follow up. Our urban transit planning is an […]

UK Developer Must Help pay for Rail Connection

The UK is reopening once abandoned rail lines to cope with congestion and increased population. A UK developer must pay A?13.2m (CAD $23.25m) towards the restoration of the Bere Alston Tavistock railway route before building 750 new homes. This works out to CAD $31,000 per home. When one looks at the massive developments happening in […]

A Novice’s Guide To Transit…………..

ai??i??ai??i??ai??i?? or cutting through the BS about light rail, SkyTrain and BRT. The following is a guide plus definitions about ai???railai??? transit. ALM: Automatic Light metro, the fourthAi??marketing name given for the SkyTrain family of light-metros, when Lavalin briefly ownedAi??SkyTrain before going bankrupt. ALRT (1): Advanced Light Rail Transit, the secondAi??marketing name for SkyTrain. ALRT […]