Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion - Page 231

metroXpress · #**4601** Posted **Dec 16, 2009, 6:17 PM**

San Francisco's plan for a new Central Subway.

THE tunnel boring machines:

Take a look at the video....what a typical underground station should be like:

http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/ASX.php?publish_id=534&sn=sanfrancisco.granicus.com

http://www.sfcta.org/content/view/273/92/

WBC · #**4602** Posted **Dec 16, 2009, 6:46 PM**

I don't know where this should go but this is an interesting site listing all the rail/subway/tram projects in NA. Vancouver is there too...Maybe somebody could move this into more appropriate location

http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/

Gordon · #**4603** Posted **Dec 16, 2009, 7:51 PM**

Interesting link

it lists The Evergreen Line as being funded. I don't think it is fully funded.

red-paladin · #**4604** Posted **Dec 16, 2009, 8:39 PM**

http://urbanrail.net is good too.

trofirhen · #**4605** Posted **Dec 16, 2009, 8:57 PM**

Those tunnel-boring machines in San Fran look like something out of Star Trek. Perhaps the local geology there is such that the earth is easier to dig through, without the granite outcroppings we have, but if it's anything like here in Vancouver, think what we could do with those bazoobies!! (er. . . at a more-than-handsome $ price, of course).

Interesting also to see how many American cities are getting into rail transit big-time. It's a hopeful sign that people are tending to move toward public transit and away from cars, at least a little bit, and that the idea of subways and LRT are firmly planted in the North American conscious.

Hmm. Perhaps we could get under the West Pont Grey escarpment and out to UBC using those . . . Well, it's an an idea. Better than LRT or subway trains grinding up the 10th avenue hill, and screeching their brakes coming back down. . .

Overground · #**4606** Posted **Dec 16, 2009, 11:01 PM**

I really the new T brand. It's simple and clean and even though the blue/yellow roundel may have been promising I think they've done a good job with this. It follows other simple metro logos around the world like U bahn in Germany.

Jhenifer at Buzzer blog posted some answers to questions -

Map errors: Have been passed along to our planning staff and any corrections will be made.

Illumination
The T beacons and monoliths (the Ts with embedded maps) are designed to be illuminated. I understand they are still working out some last details with electrical connection in Richmond/Marine Drive, but we expect this will be resolved soon. For the hardware that will be installed at in downtown Vancouver later this month, the new station entrance name signs (at Expo/Millennium Line stations) will be lit.
Most of the T beacons in downtown Vancouver, however, will not be illuminated at first because we have yet to secure agreement on where we’ll be allowed to draw the power from in most cases, and there are some issues with conversion of voltage to be resolved depending on the power source. It’s more complicated than a person might think. We’re working towards resolution, but didn’t want these issues to hold up the installation in the meantime.

Infocubes.
At Richmond-Brighouse, two new bus bays (6 & 7) were added
Dec 14th, and bus bay assignments rearranged. The infocubes were taken down so the incorrect information would not still be posted. Infocubes will be reinstalled shortly with the updated information.

Location — why not downtown Vancouver first?
New wayfinding was installed first at these three Canada Line stations just because we had the opportunity as they were new bus exchanges connected to stations (the other Canada Line stations don’t have the same level of bus activity, so weren’t strong candidates). The maps, map furniture and the infocubes were installed in the bus exchanges when the CL opened, but the design and manufacture of the T beacons and monolith had a longer lead time. As for downtown, you should be seeing some new T beacons, entrance name signs, maps and platform signage at Expo/Millennium Line stations downtown starting later this month.

http://buzzer.translink.ca/index.php/200...nsit-station-markers-are-here/#more-6880

NetMapel · #**4607** Posted **Dec 16, 2009, 11:22 PM**

I saw the big T at the Richmond Centre station yesterday all lit up. Looks good.

DKaz · #**4608** Posted **Dec 17, 2009, 3:33 AM**

I'm staying with family in Mary Hill area in PoCo... man talk about transit black hole. Did the residents there overwhelmingly vote against transit??

nname · #**4609** Posted **Dec 17, 2009, 3:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKaz

I'm staying with family in Mary Hill area in PoCo... man talk about transit black hole. Did the residents there overwhelmingly vote against transit??

Umm.. there are the 159 and C36, both should be less than 10min walk... Mary Hill actually got better transit service than here in Poco North.. at least the 159 gets you to SkyTrain!

DKaz · #**4610** Posted **Dec 17, 2009, 3:58 AM**

500m walk, not bad.

40m climb according to Google Earth, dang.

David · #**4611** Posted **Dec 17, 2009, 6:06 AM**

Poco in general is a massive transit black hole. It's impossible to get to or around the city in general, unless you have an extra half hour to spare. The shuttle situation is atrocious. But yes, at least south side gets a direct Skytrain connection

GeeCee · #**4612** Posted **Dec 17, 2009, 6:42 AM**

Transit in PoCo should improve somewhat once the new overpass opens, I'd imagine.

lightrail · #**4613** Posted **Dec 19, 2009, 8:45 PM**

Montreal Rapid Bus to operate 24 hours per day on a dedicated right-of-way in the centre of the road.

Quote:

About 40,000 people travel by bus along Pie-IX every day. Labrecque estimates that, in a few years, the number of people using the route on a daily basis could rise to 70,000.
Source: CBC News Montreal

Okay - so Broadway handles around double that on a b-line that is stuck in traffic and other buses. Really, we should be so embarassed that nothing has been done to give transit priory on Broadway. That route alone could handle 200,000 people a day if it was done right (underground skytrain or LRT).

twoNeurons · #**4614** Posted **Dec 19, 2009, 10:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lightrail

Montreal Rapid Bus to operate 24 hours per day on a dedicated right-of-way in the centre of the road.

Okay - so Broadway handles around double that on a b-line that is stuck in traffic and other buses. Really, we should be so embarassed that nothing has been done to give transit priory on Broadway. That route alone could handle 200,000 people a day if it was done right (underground skytrain or LRT).

West of Burrard... can't we give the bus a dedicated lane? Or create an HOV lane? There's far less traffic west of Burrard. Just looking at Google Maps satellite view and counting the cars at the intersections will tell you that.

We only need SkyTrain to the Broadway corridor.

Alex Mackinnon · #**4615** Posted **Dec 20, 2009, 12:13 AM**

West of Burrard doesn't really matter all that much as far as bus lanes go.

The traffic flows as fast as all the ped lights let it. There's a lot of lights on that corridor. Putting the bus in its own lane wouldn't get it anywhere faster, plus if you still had trolleys mixed in with the general traffic, every time they'd stop they'd block off then entire road unless all the bus stops were all widened to bring them completely out of the traffic flow.

It's still a mess, but the bulk of the slow downs on the Bline happen between Main and Burrard, so you may as well aim for the big targets first if you want to get ride time down and cap up.

Metro-One · #**4616** Posted **Dec 20, 2009, 12:40 AM**

The only proper solution for Broadway is grade separated rail (AKA the Millennium Line skytrain extension)

Please see the "I support Skytrain to UBC" thread.

CLC · #**4617** Posted **Dec 20, 2009, 2:21 AM**

Sound Transit opens new light-rail link with Sea-Tac Airport

Quote:

Sound Transit opened its latest light-rail segment today, bringing riders to its new Airport Station at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

By Mike Lindblom

Seattle Times transportation reporter

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Light rail's first run between Tukwila and the new Airport Station was crowded with those who helped build it, the politicians who supported it, and travelers like Punchet Sangnil, (left, seated) and his friend Hao Cheng Cheng, University of Washington students headed to Shanghai, China.

Sound Transit opened its latest light-rail segment today, bringing riders to its new Airport Station at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Late-morning trains brought about 75 holiday travelers the 1.7 miles from the Tukwila station to the towering airport train stop with its spine-like truss roof, located between airport's parking garage and Highway 99, a quarter-mile walk from the terminal.

Elizabeth Kao, 72, and younger sister Losa Kuo rode from the Chinatown International District to scout out the new station for their upcoming trip to Taiwan for the Chinese New Year.

"It will be more convenient than a bus," Kao said.

There's scant room for luggage on a bus, but trains are fairly roomy, she said. They weren't concerned about the walk.

Anthony and Becca Aue and daughters Audrey, 6 and Leila, 5, rolled bags through the skybridge and passageway from the station to the terminal. The girls complained of the cold, but their mother said "that was not that bad of a walk." Her only gripe was with the escalator, so close to the train that a bottleneck happened as people brought luggage onto the escalator.

Timing the trip, Becca Aue found the train took 18 minutes, compared to 20 minutes in ideal driving. "You factor in a few more minutes waiting for the train, it's about the same." Then they saw the line of cars slowly arriving at the terminal curbside, and felt even better about their choice to ride rail.

About 500 people, mostly government officials, the station's contractors, workers, transit fans and their families, filled the station for opening ceremonies that included music from the Highline High School band. U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, compared the difficulty of establishing Seattle light rail to the challenge of fixing health care.

"Getting something started is the hard part," he said. "My intention is to live long enough to ride this to Tacoma."

Fares are $2.50 for an adult to go from downtown to the airport, a 16-mile distance. There are no free rides today, and fare inspectors are actively working the trains.

btw, Seattle Link suffered huge slip of ridership in November, about 10% down from October
http://seattletransitblog.com/wp-content...eSummary_20091208_PDAforNovember2009.pdf

SFUVancouver · #**4618** Posted **Dec 20, 2009, 5:13 AM**

^ Those LINK numbers are unreal. It has not even broken 19,000 passengers per day in regular service, and that includes Black Friday and the Macy's Christmas parade on the same day!

I hope that the airport link helps their numbers and they cannot complete the University Link fast enough.

Comparing their numbers to the Canada Line is remarkable, considering on paper they accomplish basically the same thing. That is the power of a rapid transit network for you. Can anyone imagine the Millennium Line extension to UBC would not be a staggering success??

GeeCee · #**4619** Posted **Dec 20, 2009, 6:44 AM**

According to some Seattle locals that I know, the main problem with the LINK thusfar has been that it doesn't actually go anywhere important as of yet. I'd think that now that it goes to the airport the numbers should improve.. obviously not as much as fully grade separated rail like ALRT, though.

Zassk · #**4620** Posted **Dec 20, 2009, 8:14 AM**

The airport station is 1/4 mile walk from the terminal? That's around 400 meters... yikes. Imagine if the Canada Line ended 400m short of its actual terminus.

The ridership numbers are really bad. Can you imagine how Canada Line or M-Line would look with numbers like that. I wonder if the wrong route was chosen. Can a university station really save it?