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Posted Feb 18, 2010, 10:06 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2008
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From Straight: TransLink caters to Olympic “guests” while locals miss the bus
Quote:
By Martin Dunphy
No matter your feelings about the Olympics in Vancouver, if you are honest you have to admit that some inconvenience for Vancouver residents is inevitable. For drivers, this could mean restricted on-street parking, closed streets and bridges, and no-go lanes on major thoroughfares. For transit users, the most common are crushingly packed SkyTrain cars and buses flying past stops with their "Sorry Bus Full" or "Sorry Out Of Service" messages flashing. But TransLink officials seem to have dropped the ball when it comes to Vancouver's citizens.
Transit executives have had several years to plan for the crowds of Olympic "guests", and to develop strategies to lessen the impact of that horde on Vancouverites. They knew approximately how many to expect and how many tickets have been sold for various events, in order to lay on extra buses as they do with the PNE. for example. They announced that mothballed or just unused buses were being serviced and put into operation. They were bringing hundreds of buses up from the U.S. Everything was taken care of.
But try getting a bus downtown from Hastings and Nanaimo streets, as I recently attempted. If there is anything going on at the Pacific Coliseum, every transit bus that comes by is packed with Olympic guests riding free. After the seventh pass-up, i was forced to go in almost the opposite direction, to a SkyTrain station. From there, I rode the sardine can down to Broadway and Commercial Drive, where I waited in line with about 200 others to catch a 99-B bus heading west.
Delays are common, and that is to be expected, but often when your bus arrives you are told that it isn't going as far as it normally does. It has been "short-turned" to put it back into service downtown or on an artery feeding a Games venue, like UBC or the Pacific Coliseum. Once again, the resident is pushed aside in favour of the guests--and has to endure another wait for a bus that might fly past or get short-turned. Or you have, perhaps, a long walk.
We can alter our habits somewhat to try and cope with this--like trying to change working hours and avoiding the downtown core and areas around venues--but we have every right to join the party too. And we have appointments to keep and family and friends to visit.
A recent incident illustrates the unthinking thoughtlessness of transit officials. I was taking my son to his regular tutor appointment near Oakridge Centre. Because of the long waits for the Canada Line downtown--which would have taken us directly across the street from his tutor--we planned a three-bus route away from guest-frequented attractions and Games venues. We had to catch our third bus southbound at the intersection of King Edwards Avenue and Cambie Street. I knew this was close to the curling arena near Queen Elizabeth Park, but the Canada Line stop at King Edward was the guests' disenbarkation point, so there should have been no bus problems. Outside the station I counted no less than 14 blue-coated volunteers--including one sitting atop a lifeguard-style chair and bellowing through a megaphone--holding signs that pointed guests in the direction of the curling venue.
We crossed King Edward and walked up to the bus shelter. And waited. And waited. I had allowed for an extre half-hour travel time even though I had already added more time for the circuitous route. Still no bus. Finally, the #15 Cambie hove into view. And flew right by, only half full, with the driver looking right at me as I attempted to flag him down. Now we were going to be late, despite my planning. Another wait and another bus went by, again half full. Then I happened to notice, among the plethora of new parking- and stopping-restriction signs and the Olympic lane placards, a small notice on a lamppost that said "Transit Alert". With a sinking heart I walked up to read the fine print, which advised that this stop was closed for the Games and to backtrack across King Edward and board one block farther north.
All that had to be done was to post this notice, in a larger size, at the connecting-bus stops and the Canada Line exit for Vancouverites to not waste their time and lose their patience.
Back across the street, I approached a volunteer with a large card around her neck that identified her as a "Transit Volunteer". I told her that what had happened to me would happen to many other people, every day, until the Games were over, and that it could be rectified by simply moving the sign. She asked me if the buses that didn't stop were full. I said no, and she promptly flashed me a weak smile and turned away from me. I thought, "Well, she's not here to help me; after all, I'm not a guest." So we went around the corner just in time to see our bus pull away from the new stop. We were officially late, and after setting out an hour-and-a-half ago.
While waiting on the bench, I counted 17 empty passenger coaches cruise by, all for the guests. Finally a #15 pulled up--and kept going, Its "Sorry Out Of Service" message mocking us. When our bus did come, I was too exasperated to even feel any gratitude.
As we went by the original stop, I saw three or four people furiously trying to flag down the driver, who merely glanced at them and drove on.
If you are hosting a party, you expect your guests' needs to come first. You feed them and serve them drinks, and you know you will have to clean up when they finally go home. But you should be able to expect to be treated thoughtfully for your trouble.
And TransLink is not doing that.
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http://www.straight.com/article-291976/v...rts-olympic-guests-while-locals-miss-bus
Last edited by CLC; Feb 18, 2010 at 10:55 PM.
Reason: added link to article
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