Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[DKaz]

Metro, they didn't have the new ticket machines in yet did they? Maple Meadows Station was first in line for the new machines.

[Metro-One]

Yes they did, but they are not operational yet (yesterday they were still in their delivery boxes, but today (friday) they were plugged in.)

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by cabotp

As for commercial vehicles. I'd setup a system where they pay full toll price during the day but in the late evening get a discount. Give them the incentive to work during the night.

For a while I lived a block from Clark. The last thing I would have wanted was trucks driving around at night. I could hardly have the windows open because I would be awaken early in the morning by the trucks driving up and down the road from the Port. If they were running all night, I would not have been able to get any sleep. The only saving grace was that they would go away after 7pm.

There is more to this world than travel concerns. For instance people who drive trucks have lives too, and it's not nice to try and force them to have some crazy late night schedule to make our lives in rush hour traffic a bit better.

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by cabotp

I do support the idea of increasing the gas tax has it directly punishes those who drive the most. The only down fall I see to it is in the future when there a more and more electrical cars. How are you supposed to tax that. Of course if they are hydrogen than that is easy just tax the hydrogen.

And while yes if we are all driving electric cars it would be great for the air quality. It still means we would be stuck in traffic.



I think a modest toll of $0.50 would be good to start off with. Has for the downtown bridges. While I don't particularly think they should be tolled I'm not against the idea either.

As for commercial vehicles. I'd setup a system where they pay full toll price during the day but in the late evening get a discount. Give them the incentive to work during the night.

A $.50 toll would be a pointless waste of time. You'd spend about as much actually instituting the toll and collecting it as you would gain from it. All in all you'd just end up with more bureaucratic bloat and no end gain. (/drunk writing).

[Whalleyboy]

so i just came across this
its nice to see how well the tranit police are doing for the system

Crime on and near the SkyTrain system has fallen sharply in the past year due to increased high-visibility enforcement, according to the Transit Police Service.

It calculates a 33 per cent decline in crimes against the person across the system between May 2008 and April 2009 compared to the previous 12 months.

The force says criminal activity has dropped most notably at Surrey Central station, often considered an epicentre for crime and counted by passengers as the system's "scariest" station.

The crime rate there fell 46 per cent during the 2008-09 period versus the year before.

But passengers may not want to let down their guard.

Despite the gains, Surrey Central and nearby Gateway station both rank as the worst stations on the SkyTrain system for crimes against the person that occur within 100 metres.

Gateway has the dubious distinction of being the worst at 2.73 incidents per 100,000 passengers using the station. That's down 20 per cent from 3.43 in the 2007/08 period.

Surrey Central recorded 2.68 nearby person crimes per 100,000 passengers, compared to 4.96 previously.

The next stations ranked by crime rate are 22nd Street in New Westminster at 1.38 (down 12 per cent), Waterfront at 1.24 (down by half), Nanaimo at 1.08 (unchanged), Broadway/Commercial at 1.06 (down 19 per cent) and Royal Oak at 1.04 (down 36 per cent).

In other words, passengers are still more than twice as likely to be victims of crime if they use Surrey Central or Gateway stations in Surrey than at any other station in the system, with the exception of 22nd Street.

Surrey passengers who are able to instead use King George station, a few blocks to the south, are more than ten times safer, the statistics show.

King George's passenger-adjusted crime rate fell 80 per cent to 0.20 incidents per 100,000.

The safest stations on the line?

Holdom and VCC-Clark saw their crime rates fall to zero and Renfrew, Rupert, Brentwood, Sperling, Granville and Burrard stations measured 0.25 or less.

"This is a vast improvement from the last few years," Transit Police spokesman Sgt. Tom Seaman said of the gains.

"It can only be attributed to the growing presence of Transit Police on the transit system and the ridership's confidence in us to deal with the problem."

Under the help of Chief Ward Clapham, the force has taken a high-visibility approach to enforcement that aims to deter criminals and make passengers feel safer.

That means lots of walkarounds near stations, less focus on fare checks and more effort making serious criminals unwelcome.

The force now has 10 bike-equipped officers (soon to rise to 20) who can quickly cruise through trouble spots in neighbourhoods near stations and under the guideways.

Their two-wheeled speed gives the impression of officers being in more places, more often.

"The higher the visibility the more confidence the public has in us," Seamam said.

Focused blitzes over the past year have helped also oust entrenched nests of drug dealers, he said, notably at Surrey Central and in apartments just outside Patterson station.

Other tools include TransLink's upgrade to an improved digital video surveillance system at SkyTrain stations.

But boots on the ground are perhaps the biggest factor of all.

The force now has 170 officers – twice as many as three years ago – and its strength is rising to more than 200 to handle requirements of policing the Canada Line as well.

The total arrests by Transit Police climbed 40 per cent in 2008-09 and "on-view arrests" where enforcement is publicly visible rose 62 per cent.

The actual number of incidents reported to the force, meanwhile, fell 16 per cent.

Running the Transit Police cost TransLink $22 million last year.

That's the equivalent of about eight cents per trip on the system.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/surreyleader/news/59074427.html

[mr.x]

Metro Vancouver bus driver assaulted by urinating passenger


Vancouver Sun
September 13, 2009 5:59 PM

A Coast Mountain Bus driver was punched in the face and suffered other scrapes and bruises while trying to eject a disruptive passenger in Burnaby early Saturday morning.

Derek Zabel, spokesman for Coast Mountain, said the man and two women got on the 123 bus, which runs between New Westminster and Brentwood stations, at about 1 a.m.

The bus driver allowed the man to ride for free when he didn’t have any fare. But as he headed toward the back of the bus, the man became disruptive, Zabel said.

The driver warned the man to calm down but a little while later noticed in his rear-view mirror that the man had exposed him and was urinating on the bus.

The driver pulled the bus over at the next stop at Canada Way and Stanley and told the man to get off. The man then allegedly started smashing windows and punched the driver several times in the face, Zabel said.

The driver, whose glasses were broken, suffered a minor bruise below his eye and a few scrapes.

His assailant is described as a short stocky Caucasian, five feet six inches tall and 160 pounds. A search by Burnaby RCMP failed to locate him Sunday morning.

The assault comes as TransLink is in the midst of installing cameras on all Coast Mountain buses. It’s also investigating whether to install safety shields around drivers.
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

[NetMapel]

I feel bad that a bus driver like that who allowed you to ride the bus for free because it's late at night got assaulted like this. Such kindness are rare among bus drivers

[Metro-One]

What a 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 🞵🞵 🞵🞵🞵🞵. This is a big reason why I believe bus drivers deserve the wages they get because they have to deal with such low life scum.

What I have found is most bus drivers are nice if you are nice to them, such as smiling and not being a 🞵🞵🞵🞵!

In fact I often have conversations with bus drivers if the bus is not to full or they are driving in a difficult area.

[deasine]

Disgusting.

[mr.x]

lol did i tell the story of going to my doctor and seeing a man peeing in the elevator when the door opened?

[Metro-One]

I caught a Chinese woman telling her son to pee behind the garbage can inside Metrotown last year, despite the fact there is a bathroom in the mall only about 100 meters away.

Imagine teaching your kid that? It was disgusting.

[zivan56]

Originally Posted by mr.x

lol did i tell the story of going to my doctor and seeing a man peeing in the elevator when the door opened?

Must have been from Singapore...tons of elevators have signs telling people not to urinate in them.

[mr.x]

^ Mainlanders?

I recall a similar problem when Disneyland Hong Kong opened. Tons of mainlanders came, and they did their business right in public outdoors...both number 1 and 2. There were also reports of cr@p in the restroom washing sinks.

[ambaUp]

Originally Posted by mr.x

Metro Vancouver bus driver assaulted by urinating passenger

I think it's the same driver as from this article in the Vancouver Sun from a few pages back. Global news was mentioning his quote about never having a problem in 10 years of driving. http://www.vancouversun.com/night+shift+...ing+while+city+sleeps/1951442/story.html

[argon007]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I caught a Chinese woman telling her son to pee behind the garbage can inside Metrotown last year, despite the fact there is a bathroom in the mall only about 100 meters away.

Imagine teaching your kid that? It was disgusting.

i caught the Chinese woman bringing her son to urinate behind the traffic lights in the outside of Aberdeen Shopping Centre last year... i can tell you that is Chinese personality.

I saw that action and want to puke... but endure.......

[DKaz]

I know a bunch of us are of Chinese/Asian descent but can we please tone down the racial profiling here? It's getting a bit much...

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by DKaz

I know a bunch of us are of Chinese/Asian descent but can we please tone down the racial profiling here? It's getting a bit much...

I quite agree with you, and I am surprised and disappointed.

However, here in the Western world, there is a time honoured proverb:

"WHEN IN ROME, DO AS THE ROMANS DO."

Until people of other cultures, Asian or otherwise, learn to conform to Western habits of personal hygiene, and more imprtantly, teach it to their children, there will be this type of unfortunate racial stereotyping, and biased, often hostile, reactions. Urinating and defecating in the streets is considered totally unacceptable in most Western countries and will usually elicit a reaction of shock and disgust. Whether this is the case in Asia and other cultures, I do not know.

[The_Henry_Man]

At least in HK, urinating/defacating outdoors in a public place is totally unacceptable. I'm pretty sure a lot in mainland China living in the bigger cities who are MORE educated also accept this fact too. Perhaps some who recently came out from the rural areas are displaying these disgusting acts.

[nova9]

It is just the rural immigrants - which is why there is a large amount of tension and prejudice against rural Chinese in urban China. It's almost like a caste system and a source of tension in the country where the new upper class just cannot stand the invasion of rural chinese into their cities.

Anyways, the Buzzer Blog posted this so I thought I'd share http://vimeo.com/2867680 It's an amazing video of our SkyTrain. It's called 'My City Moves Me' by Kristopher Grunert.

Video Link

[mr.x]

great video!!!


now, if only they moved that fast. :p