TransLink’s Executives Slurpin’ At The Public Trough

I don’t know why Transportation Minister BlairAi??Leckstrom is so upset aboutAi??TransLink executives getting expensive bonusesAi??as it was his own government thatAi??laid the foundation forAi??TransLink as it is today. The TransLink of old had mediocre public oversight at best with regional mayors, many of whom with little or no knowledge of public transit, running the show. […]

B.C. premier orders audit of TransLink. Two important questions

B.C. premier orders audit of TransLink, but will it be the right sort of audit? Will the BC Auditor General do the Audit? Will it be a value for money audit? Two important questions that must be answered before anyAi??credenceAi??is given to Premier Clark’s call for an audit of TransLink. TransLink is auditedAi??on an annual […]

How the TTC sullied the reputation of LRT (Part II)

How the TTC sullied the reputation of LRT (PartAi?? II) Ai??March 16,Ai?? 2012 In Part I of my look at howAi?? the TTC has sullied the reputation of LRT, I focused on the TTC’s communicationsAi?? on surface rail, where “LRT” somehow meant “Streetcar Rapid Transit” but “SRT”Ai?? meant “Scarborough… RT”? Plus, while there were 75 […]

Cleaning a subway – Does TransLink get it?

A London Underground Vacuum train Subways are an expensive proposition, not only are they expensive to build and operate, they are expensive to maintain. A little known fact is that subways needAi??regular cleaning as the dust and debris from daily operation is very corrosive to important signaling installations. The constant piston like action of trains […]

Surrey’s mayor renews call for light rail

Surrey mayor, Dianne Watts is renewing her call for LRT and well she should as the province is now leaning towards a SkyTrain subway under Broadway. Surrey and the south Fraser region is grossly shortchanged by TransLink and public transit is just a few steps up the ladder from dismal. The real problem is TransLink’s […]

The Karlsruhe model of a dual-mode railway system

Karlsruhe: The Karlsruhe model of a dual-mode railway system Country: Germany Type: Policies Area: Entire City, Region Actors: Local Gov. Funding: Local Gov., Regional Gov., National Gov., Private Topics: Built environment Consultancy Mobility Objectives: Increase non-motorised mobility Increase use of public transport Reduce car mobility Reduce energy consumption Instruments: A coupled set of GT-8’s in […]

Subways dreams for dreamers

Interesting article from Toronto. I doAi??take issue with is the claim “that subways attract more riders than any other form of transit.”whichAi??is not supported by studies elsewhere, instead it isAi??modern LRT actually attracts more new ridership than other modes. That Toronto doesn’t have modern LRT and instead operates with the light rail variant streetcars (mostly […]

The Real Question: What are You Willing To Pay For A Subway?

Here is the question taxpayers inAi??Metro Vancouver have not been asked; “What are you willing to pay for SkyTrain/RAV/Canada line?”Ai?? The regional taxpayer has never been asked: Do you wish light rail at a cost of $20 million/km. (streetcar) up to $35 mil/km. (LRT)? SkyTrain at a cost of $90 mil/km to $100 mil/km. Subway, […]

Onetime Toronto subway lover transfers support to LRT

Interesting article from Toronto. When there is honest and truthful debate about modern light rail, the public willAi??generally support the mode, leaving the die hard metro/subway lobby with a very hard debate to counter, but not in Metro Vancouver. BC Transit and TransLink have always and continue to do so, deliberately misinform the public about […]

The Toronto Transit Fiasco, Brought To You By Rob “The Edsel” Ford

The following article aptly describes the Toronto transit fiasco, which has been unfoldingAi??for the past sixAi??months. The fiasco was created, when a politician, who had absolutely no knowledge of urban transportation, forced legally and illegally, aAi??hugely expensive subway solution for regional transit needs. Subways cost a lot of money to build and even more money […]