Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion II

[MIPS]

I want a job that lets me afford living in Vancouver and still go on strike if I want. c:

(there's a lot of mumblings up here in the mountains about how entitled this strike is)

[logicbomb]

Fully on the side of the bus operators, and glad Unifor was able to get them a modest raise last year. Still some concerns with regards to breaks and workloads, along with working conditions for less senior workers that will hopefully get addressed in the future.

I think CUPE's demands are unreasonable and the job action was totally unnecessary. Having seen how Transit Supervisors work first hand....there's no way they should be making as much as they do. It's a total BS strike where I suspect CUPE also wants to flex their arms and get some media attention.

[Spr0ckets]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Thankfully that doesn't look like it's going to be happening

Originally Posted by chowhou

Yes, unfortunately this strike is probably going to set back public opinion on the reliability of public transport for a little while. (But maybe it will boost public willingness to fund Skytrain expansion? After all the busses are down but Skytrain, the driverless system, is still running!)

The Labour Board has scheduled a hearing for CUPE 4500 for Monday.

Which means Skytrain could join the strike and shutdown as soon as Monday if the Board sides with the Union and enables them to picket Skytrain stations and facilities.

That's assuming no progress in talks between CMBC and CUPE 4500 before then - although it's worth noting there's no scheduled return to the bargaining table despite the service resuming temporarily tomorrow.

[officedweller]

Strange how none of the TV news stories I've seen on the strike have talked about whether people switched to biking to work.
Have the bike lanes been busier during the strike?

[Vantage]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Strange how none of the TV news stories I've seen on the strike have talked about whether people switched to biking to work.
Have the bike lanes been busier during the strike?

Anecdotally, I noticed far more cyclists on the roads in the TriCities the past two days than normal for this time of year.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Strange how none of the TV news stories I've seen on the strike have talked about whether people switched to biking to work.
Have the bike lanes been busier during the strike?

I guess the weather probably didn't help with people wanting to ride to work.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

I guess the weather probably didn't help with people wanting to ride to work.

My experience is that fear of the weather is worse than the weather itself. If you get good waterproof covering then the biggest drag is just getting into and out it. Once you set out I found it to be actually a bit pleasant to be able to ride in a downpour while feeling warm and dry. It was sort a weird, unexpected vibe for me.

I still dreaded riding in inclement weather, but once I got out there it was never anywhere close to being as bad as I had anticipated to be. And with the current strike I'm sure that cycling past queues of stopped cars is its own kind of reward.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

My experience is that fear of the weather is worse than the weather itself. If you get good waterproof covering then the biggest drag is just getting into and out it. Once you set out I found it to be actually a bit pleasant to be able to ride in a downpour while feeling warm and dry. It was sort a weird, unexpected vibe for me.

I still dreaded riding in inclement weather, but once I got out there it was never anywhere close to being as bad as I had anticipated to be. And with the current strike I'm sure that cycling past queues of stopped cars is its own kind of reward.

I think it's more about the facilities at the end. I had a job with a full locker/shower setup and cycled year round. But that's not the case for most.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I think it's more about the facilities at the end. I had a job with a full locker/shower setup and cycled year round. But that's not the case for most.

Yeah something tells me that the workers at the Burger King on Granville aren't going to be biking to work any time soon regardless of the weather. An ironic fact is that jobs with good cycling facilities tend to be jobs with good driving facilities too (i.e. office parks).

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I think it's more about the facilities at the end. I had a job with a full locker/shower setup and cycled year round. But that's not the case for most.

I think there's probably a lot less need for a locker and a shower with today's electric bikes. You can make the trip without having to break into a sweat, even when wearing rain gear.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I think there's probably a lot less need for a locker and a shower with today's electric bikes. You can make the trip without having to break into a sweat, even when wearing rain gear.

You still need a place to store a bike for an 8 hour shift where you're confident it will still be when you return. I don't think that's the reality for many (most?) people.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I think there's probably a lot less need for a locker and a shower with today's electric bikes. You can make the trip without having to break into a sweat, even when wearing rain gear.

Ok but now we're talking about a subset of bike riders. You arguably need a place to change depending on the job, and more secure storage for a bike like that.

[jollyburger]

I'm just waiting for electric bikes to get banned from bicycle lanes.

[MIPS]

"You see Billy, the only way to splinter The Bike Lobby is to make them co-exist with other cyclists. The truth is they hate eachother, naturally."

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

I'm just waiting for electric bikes to get banned from bicycle lanes.

Just keeping them off the sidewalk would be an improvement.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

I'm just waiting for electric bikes to get banned from bicycle lanes.

No need for a ban, just a need for enforcement and better regulations. After all, if no e-biker gets a ticket for riding on the sidewalk currently, why would the threat of a ticket prevent them from riding in the bike lanes in your idealist future?

I think the BC e-bike regulations are too lax. Currently they allow Class 1 (pedal-assisted e-bikes) and Class 2 (throttle-activated e-bikes) e-bikes to utilize the lanes, but I think only Class 1 e-bikes should be allowed in protected lanes.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by Alex Mackinnon

Just keeping them off the sidewalk would be an improvement.

If anyone, not just those on e-bikes, were ticketed for a) riding on the sidewalk, b) riding the wrong way on roads or cycle paths, and c) running red lights and stop signs, 99% of the frustrations with "dosh darn cyclists" would be addressed.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by FarmerHaight

If anyone, not just those on e-bikes, were ticketed for a) riding on the sidewalk, b) riding the wrong way on roads or cycle paths, and c) running red lights and stop signs, 99% of the frustrations with "dosh darn cyclists" would be addressed.

For that, you'll need to get City Hall to stop listening to HUB (who basically want to be able to ride anywhere, anytime).

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

For that, you'll need to get City Hall to stop listening to HUB (who basically want to be able to ride anywhere, anytime).

No, they don't. Could the conversation about bike move from the transit thread?

[WarrenC12]

The only thing VPD ever tickets cyclists for is helmets. Because it's easy and they are lazy.