Part of the revitalization of Pacific Boulevard with the multi-ways etc. (already completed from Homer to Richards).
It's also in preparation for the eventual streetcar tracks down the middle, but that seems a bit distant to me. It's just going to perpetuate the bottleneck that has existed there during Canada Line construction, although there shouldn't be as many cars going straight through to Drake, since Davie reopened.
People have been driving into the middle to turn left so it hasn't been too bad - don't know why they can't put in the left turn lanes until the street car goes in. Way more cars turn at Davie than Drake.
at last check Hwy #1 seems to run the length of Metro Vancouver even divides it in half
But it stops at Vancouver. Once again the end of the line. You can't go further west and going east you run into mountains before long. I-5 through Washington runs north south along a coastal lowland all the way through the length of Oregon. You don't hit a major impediment until you reach southern Oregon.
People have been driving into the middle to turn left so it hasn't been too bad - don't know why they can't put in the left turn lanes until the street car goes in. Way more cars turn at Davie than Drake.
Never mind that the streetcar system is still in a planning/viability study at best...
The plan in Appendix B even looks like it has a left turn lane - but it's not - you can see the sidewalk ramps at the crosswalk. I think the side of the median without the trees could just be raised concrete median.
Just an aside, Seattle Link light-rail ridership seems to be have some life, approximately 20% increase over the initial week ridership
Quote:
Light rail's passenger counting system not working
By SCOTT GUTIERREZ
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
A technical glitch is hindering Sound Transit's ability to count riders on the month-old Link light rail line.
Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick said Tuesday the system began malfunctioning in the last few weeks and shouldn't affect the accuracy of previous reports on ridership numbers.
Through Aug. 14, weekday boardings averaged 14,784 on the 14-mile line between downtown's Westlake Center and Tukwila, according to Sound Transit. That shows a gradual increase from the last two weeks of July, when weekday ridership averaged about 12,357 boardings. The light rail line opened July 18.
"There is no evidence suggesting we'll need to revise those (numbers)," Patrick said.
Ten light rail vehicles are equipped with an Automatic Passenger Counter -- an infrared sensor that counts passengers boarding on and off at stations. Once per day, the system is supposed to wirelessly download the data to Sound Transit's operations center. Recently, it hasn't been working properly, he said.
"There has been a deterioration in performance for reasons that we haven't figured out yet," he said.
The system is missing days on some vehicles and downloading the same day's figures twice in a row on others, forcing Sound Transit employees to manually sort it out, Patrick said.
The system isn't functioning properly on less than half of the cars equipped with it, he said. Sound Transit is working with the vendor, Kinkisharyo Boca Raton, (formerly GeoFocus until they were purchased by light rail vehicle manufacturer Kinkisharyo International) to fix the problem.
Sound Transit is required to report monthly ridership numbers to the Federal Transit Administration because federal funding is involved in the $2.3 billion project. July's numbers will be included in a report to the FTA in September. August's data will be submitted in October, Patrick said.
Sound Transit hopes to resolve the problem quickly, or the agency may need to send out employees to manually count passengers on the light rail vehicles.
"We're hoping that we're not going to need to do that," he said.
If Canada Line also sees 20% increase after a month from aug 17, it will be right around the magic number 100,000
I took the second-last train out of airport last night to kill off some time while waiting for my flight. I saw about 40 people taking the train, most with luggage too. When I arrive back in the airport, there were about 20 people waiting at the platform and it was still 8 min until the last departure. I'm actually quite surprised at the number of people riding train this late (I thought they would be all empty after like 11:30pm...)
Have any of you seen the renderings for Seattle's underground 3.15-mile LINK rail extension to the University of Washington? The underground stations look AMAZING. The extension also requires 3 tunnel boring machines.
With all that said, the extension is going to cost US$1.9-billion....more than what we spent on our 19-km/~12-mile Canada Line.
^ i certainly would too, their system is way, way, way overbuilt. While ours is underbuilt. It would have been nice if we could have met them halfway with platform lengths, space, and aesthetics.
Overbuilt is not that bad... if the lands around the stations get redeveloped then there will be thousands more using the system... and then that extra capacity will be eaten up.
However, to underbuild in a place where ridership is expected to grow is bad practice. The Canada Line will not do well if the redevelopment plans proposed along the route corridors (No 3 Rd + Oakridge + Southeast False Creek - Cambie North) go ahead... all that extra traffic will seriously strain the system to the max.
^ agreed. Though i suppose we should remember they use drivers, whereas we use automated so that enables us to use shorter platforms....BUT what we have is just ridiculous. Like I said, meet them halfway with our platforms (and perhaps aesthetics too)...which brings us to maybe 80-metre platforms.
and remember, the C-line is fully grade separated, no street level portions such as Seattle's Line.
Again, given the pros and cons of both lines, the C-line comes out on top for me. I will take the small stations with automation & full grade separation over having large stations with drivers and street level portions.
And honestly, 1.9 billion for 3.15 miles? That is insane!
^ lol yes, i'd prefer our Canada Line as well. I've been spoiled with automation's high frequencies and grade separation.
Looking back, the Canada Line could have used another $500-million.
I had the opportunity to ride the line again today. I think it would have been an absolutely perfect line if it had 80-metre platforms, or at least the capability for that length in the future.
I wonder how much ridership this 5-km, US$1.9-billion extension will bring.
Prev
even divides it in half 
and remember, the C-line is fully grade separated, no street level portions such as Seattle's Line. 
Linear Mode
