Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by officedweller

It's better for the system to have passengers board the correct train at the station of origin rather than transferring at the last station before the lines diverge. This reduces platform crowding at that last station.

Well yes, but i think that announcement would be mainly for people who don't know the system and boarded the wrong train.

[officedweller]

Ahh, I thought he was referring to the platform message, not an onboard message. Agreed that the on board messge should just be a final warning.

[dreambrother808]

These pics are fairly tiny but they're all I could find of the new stations for the Olympic subway line built in Beijing. Quite striking, modern, impressive stuff.

[mr.x]

Our new "Olympic" Line on the other hand....a handful of treehouses and bomb shelters.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Ahh, I thought he was referring to the platform message, not an onboard message. Agreed that the on board messge should just be a final warning.

yes that's what I meant. Sorry for not being clear.

They are striking... Hope they can keep it so clean.

[officedweller]

No problem - should have realized from the wording.

*****

Off topic except for the fact it was published in the Vancouver Sun - article on the expropriations required for the C-Train extension in Calgary (at least 49 properties -including 28 homes and two churches and possibly a high school):

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/...?id=54c90c79-afb1-43dc-9304-5929cc19f4c5

[Overground]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i don't recall any on train announcements in london - except i think once of the lines had them

other than that you have to watch the map and pay close attention

You probably forget but trains have announcements all the time similar to this, "This is a Jubilee Line train calling all stations to Stratford." or "This is a Jubilee Line train to Stratford, calling at London Bridge, Bermondsey, Canada Water, and then all stations to Stratford." The driver says this.

There is also the female-voiced onboard 'digital voice announcer'. It says, "This is Westminster. Change here for District and Circle Lines. This is a Jubilee Line service to Stratford." or "Change here for Metropolitan Line. This is a Jubilee Line train to Stratford. Stand clear of the closing doors. Stand clear of the closing doors."

[deasine]

I heard some people find that really annoying... I'm trying to find the YouTube video for it.

[SpongeG]

oh someone somewhere on here wanted red lines or whatvere for bikes

i just noticed at victoria and broadway they have red pavement for bikes

[zilfondel]

Don't forget...

'Mind the Gap'

[SpongeG]

yeah i remember those but i don't remember them saying the next station is earls court or whatever

though the one line was pretty obvious

[Overground]

For some reason the digital announcement comes on right as you arrive, or when the doors open, at the station telling you where you are and what lines to switch to etc., which could entail a mad rush for the doors if your not observant. They really should announce the stop much before hand I think.

[cc85]

The first station of the Expo Line extension will be at the Surrey Out-Patient Facility and the RCMP E Division Headquarters.

[paradigm4]

Originally Posted by cc85

The first station of the Expo Line extension will be at the Surrey Out-Patient Facility and the RCMP E Division Headquarters.

That is if it is extended from King George and goes down Fraser. Otherwise, there won't be a station there. Besides, it's far too early to be guesstimating about this stuff. Nothing is set in stone until the thing is under construction.

[cc85]

Originally Posted by paradigm4

That is if it is extended from King George and goes down Fraser. Otherwise, there won't be a station there. Besides, it's far too early to be guesstimating about this stuff. Nothing is set in stone until the thing is under construction.

who said anything about guessing?

[officedweller]

Based on the address for the RCMP facility posted by JLousa - seems plausible (it's half a block from the hydro ROW that could be a route for the guideway). Hard to tell from the online aerial map where the actual building site will be though.

[deasine]

This is what our RapidBus transit system SHOULD look like. Maybe Kevin Falcon should visit Bogata.

Watch this video and experience art in reality/
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/bus-rapid-transit-bogota/

I was really scared (in a good way) when I saw HOW MANY buses were running... *shivers* (in a good way)

[mr.x]

^ and to add to that, today was car-free day in Bogota (of course, commercial vehicles are still allowed). This road is normally packed with cars, but today it wasn't:





Anyway:


TransLink board gets $1,000 pay raise per meeting

Linda Nguyen, Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, February 08, 2008

Members of a newly-established TransLink board of directors will be paid $1,200 per meeting -- a whopping $1,000 more than what directors were paid last year.

But Mike Harcourt, a former B.C. premier who chaired the independent advisory committee that decided on the pay hike, said the new wage reflects the calibre of the new board.

Harcourt said a structural change at TransLink -- the transportation authority for southern B.C. that looks after Metro Vancouver's public buses and SkyTrains -- justified the increase.

The outgoing 12 members on the board were mayors and councillors from throughout the Lower Mainland.

The new board, which came into effect Jan. 1, is now made up of executives and experts from the fields of transportation, engineering, construction, and finance.

"You can't really compare the two salaries," Harcourt said today. "The old board was made up of mayors and council members whose responsibility was to be on the board. Now, we have people whose sole responsibility is to make sure that they can provide the best transit advice possible."

The nine members of the board will sit at least six times this year in an effort to kick-start an aggressive billion-dollar transportation plan the province announced last month.

Harcourt said the new meeting pay structure was determined by comparing the board members' salaries to other similar boards like the one at the Vancouver Airport Authority.

"The compensation we're giving the members is similar and suitable to what the airport authority is giving," he said.

Harcourt added that one can argue the salary might even be low because the TransLink board is responsible for a $1-billion operation whereas the airport authority only has a spending budget of $100 million.

Ken Hardie, a spokesman for TransLink, said the authority had no control over the pay increase.

"The members did not vote on a pay increase themselves," he said. "The province determines the new structure and pay."





I could understand a raise of a couple hundred dollars per meeting for each director, but $1,000 seems a bit steep.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

The nine members of the board will sit at least six times this year in an effort to kick-start an aggressive billion-dollar transportation plan the province announced last month.

$7200/year/member doesn't sound like very much to me. These people are obviously assuming responsiblities, plus having their time and energies expended to some degree outside of the actual meetings.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

$7200/year/member doesn't sound like very much to me. These people are obviously assuming responsiblities, plus having their time and energies expended to some degree outside of the actual meetings.

they only earn what they get from meetings? i never knew that....in that case, i'm all for it.