Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[bardak]

That means students in Maple Ridge and Squamish, for instance, are paying into the program when they don't even have easy access to transit to travel to their classes. And at least one University of B.C. student is paying for her U-Pass while on an exchange program in Australia.

Um I'm pretty sure that people that live outside translinks coverage can opt-out of the U-Pass.

"Why can't it be voluntary?" said Ernie Payne, whose daughter in on an exchange program in Brisbane, Australia. "You're charging them all for something some of them won't use. There are benefits to the program, but make it optional."

It can't be voluntary because the whole point is to subsidize the students that do take transit by making everone pay. If you have a problem with get the student association to hold a referendum to get rid of the u-pass.

I don't know if exchange programs are currently eligible for exemption but in the new u-pass agreement(section 3.3.b) it is.

[nname]

Originally Posted by bardak

I don't know if exchange programs are currently eligible for exemption but in the new u-pass agreement(section 3.3.b) it is.

It is, but you need to apply for it.

Lorna Allen, a part-time student at Capilano University and mother of three, pays about $400 a year for her U-Pass even though she lives close to the North Vancouver university and it takes her just seven minutes to drive there.

If she took a bus, she would have to transfer at the Phibbs Exchange and catch another bus, taking her more than an hour to get there.

"I could probably walk there faster," she said, adding: "Being a mom I don't have time to take a bus everywhere. It's not very cost-effective.

There is no way she would need more than an hour to get to Cap Univ from her home, unless she fell asleep in Phibb Exchange and miss her connection at least twice, or she need to go to school at midnight or 4 AM in the morning. This is how far transit can get you at 9 PM on Sunday:



15min Green
30min Yellow
45min Red
60min Purple

The worse you can do for a distance of 7 min drive is in the 30-45 minute range, late in the evening on Sunday (And even Google put the area as 10-14 minutes drive, so she must be speeding to make it under 7 minutes)... During other time, its in the 15-30 minute range.

[BCPhil]

Complaining about paying for the U-Pass because you haven't used transit is like me complaining about paying MSP because I didn't spend a day in hospital last year. Sometimes costs are spread out over large groups of people so that those in need can afford to survive.

[Mac Write]

I refuse to pay for the U-Pass because I already have a bus-pass through the C.N.I.B. That's $45/month of money I am litterly through in the trash because I already have a bus pass.

[bardak]

Originally Posted by Mac Write

I refuse to pay for the U-Pass because I already have a bus-pass through the C.N.I.B. That's $45/month of money I am litterly through in the trash because I already have a bus pass.

And you can get an exemption for that.

http://www.upass.ubc.ca/exemptions-and-subsidies/

[Mac Write]

Nice, but what about the other U-Pass schools (purely curiosity).

[twoNeurons]

Comparing Vancouver:

Something I've been thinking about lately. What would Vancouver look like if you transposed Toronto's Subway onto Vancouver, putting the lines into Vancouver perspective.

My thoughts:

I think you'd have the Broadway Line from Rupert to Arbutus (maybe to UBC?) (Danforth-Bloor Line)

The Expo Line would still go to Surrey, except there would be a spur (Sheppard) to Lougheed from New West and a separate LRT line to Coquitlam.

We'd have trams where we currently have trolleybuses.

The Canada Line perhaps would be part of the TTC "U"

The M-Line would be a future line and be along Hastings to Boundary instead of along Lougheed Highway. and would be a future line (The Downtown Relief Line)

I'm not completely familiar with Toronto's system, but what are your thoughts?

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by nname

15min Green
30min Yellow
45min Red
60min Purple

Cool. How do you get that image?

[DKaz]

I'm wondering the same. Seems like a web app? Mapnificent seems most likely.

http://www.mapnificent.net/

[Waders]

Translink has issued a RFP for the Metrotown Exchange Functional Plan.

http://www.translink.ca/en/About-TransLi...ing-Opportunities/Open-Bids/Q11-045.aspx

[CLC]

I didn't notice if the following article has been posted:

Commissioner vows to watch TransLink's hoarded money

TransLink Commissioner Martin rilly will keep a close eye on Transink's future spending after it raised as taxes and fares in 2009 for $400 illion in capital yet only spent half hat amount on projects last year.

BY VANCOUVER SUN MAY 28, 2011 BE THE FIRST TO POST A COMMENT


TransLink Commissioner Martin rilly will keep a close eye on Transink's future spending after it raised as taxes and fares in 2009 for $400 illion in capital yet only spent half hat amount on projects last year.

Crilly said while the situation may be a "blip," he will watch TransLink to ensure it doesn't become a trend.

"The bottom line is the rate of capital spending is only half of what you said you would do," he told chief executive officer Ian Jarvis, chief financial officer Cathy McLay and TransLink chairwoman Nancy Olewier during TransLink's annual general meeting Friday.

Crilly was referring to a Trans-Link "stabilization plan" in 2009, in which TransLink asked the mayors' council on regional transportation for approval to raise the gas tax by three cents a litre, boost transit fares at roughly twice the expected rate of inflation, and triple the parking sales tax rate to 21 per cent to raise capital. The plan followed several years of expansion in transit service, with operations subsidized by drawing down on TransLink's accumulated surplus from previous years.

"Is this a blip or a hiccup? We'll be watching in the future to ensure TransLink follows through," Crilly said after the meeting. "You wouldn't want that pattern repeating year on year or you would have to question whether they need that revenue."

McLay said while TransLink estimated it would need $400 million for capital, many of those projects were delayed or came in under budget. TransLink was also focused last year on restructuring and putting its energy into the 2010 Olympic Games, she said.

Among those projects delayed were the UBC Trolley Loop at $1.9 million, and design work for the Pattullo Bridge replacement project at $9 million.

But McLay noted TransLink made "every dollar count" in 2010. Some 47 capital projects were started last year and 54 were finished, totalling $2.05 billion and forecast to come in $73 million under budget, according to TransLink.

Yet transit officials acknowledged the transportation authority still faces challenges in meeting the needs of the growing population, especially as rising gas prices are expected to hit TransLink's bottom line by drawing more passengers to the transit system.

Some areas -such as the Broadway corridor and 49th Avenue in Vancouver -are already clogged with buses, yet transit users on those routes often get passed by buses already at capacity. And in the next 30 years, Trans-Link will have to consider making transit more accessible to a growing crowd of senior passengers.

"If we do not keep up by expanding those kinds of services and increasing frequency on already crowded buses and trains, we won't be keeping up, we won't have a sustainable quality of life," TransLink chief executive officer Ian Jarvis said.

TransLink is in the midst of discussions with the mayors' council and the province to find long-term funding for projects, including the Evergreen Line linking Burnaby and Coquitlam, rapid transit lines in Surrey and along Broadway to the University of B.C., as well as a proposed gondola up Burnaby Mountain to Simon Fraser University.

A bus running from White Rock to Langley and a rapid bus along the King George Boulevard are also in the works.

Jarvis said one of the best "takeaways from the Olympics was the glimpse the event gave [TransLink] of what transportation in Metro Vancouver can look like 30 years down the road." He noted 50 per cent of all trips during the Olympics were made by non-single-occupancy vehicles.

"When the time comes to expand our service we'll be ready," Jarvis said.

[email protected]

[Millennium2002]

... what the hell.

That's very poor media spin that'll surely get people just more angry at TransLink for a damn money shortage that isn't their fault!

I also guess that the commissioner doesn't get the fact that TransLink is trying to save enough money to pay for the Evergreen Line or any other demanded rapid transit project out there since it doesn't have any extra funds at this point.

What else is TransLink supposed to do, build more roads (since they are the fastest and cheapest projects)?

[GeeCee]

Metro Vancouver may be hit with a second carbon tax
Any move to fund TransLink expansion with carbon tax revenue would be by creating a new "regional carbon tax" that would be charged in addition to the existing one, according to Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom.

He was responding to NDP questions in the legislature last week after Premier Christy Clark indicated the government would consider using a share of carbon tax revenues - a longstanding request from the regional mayors council.

Lekstrom, however, said the province won't share revenue now collected through the current carbon tax but would instead consider creating a second Metro Vancouver-only version.

"This would be on top of the existing one," Lekstrom said, adding the "regional carbon tax levy" could be one of a bundle of funding options the mayors may propose for TransLink to avoid raising property taxes further.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/news/122912488.html

Must we pay for EVERYTHING with gas taxes?

[Alex Mackinnon]

Makes the most sense to me. Time to sell that 4x4. I'd rather have them replace bridge tolls as well.

If you're really desperate or are an early adopter there's always EVs.

[GeeCee]

We already have the highest gas prices in Canada. We should use something other than increasing them yet again, like a car insurance levy or something along those lines rather than punish those who have been pushed out of the city by skyrocketing property prices.

[Alex Mackinnon]

It's pretty reasonable to assume the reason why the price suburban housing is cheaper is because a) people value their time commuting and b) commuting isn't cheap.

The more expensive gas gets, the cheaper the perimeter burbs should get relative to the inner burbs. If you're already locked in, then the fact that gas will probably keep going up in cost means that the outer burbs are in pretty crap position until EVs are common place.

Like I said though, if its that big of a deal, pony up the capital for a Chevy Volt when they come to Canada next year. You should have saved more than enough capital buying in an out of the way location to make it feasible. If you're commuting more than 56km/day then you again, you may have pick an untenable position. If the capital is still too much, then buy a scooter/small motorcycle for the summer.

Transportation GHG emissions aren't going to be effectively addressed by any other means than economics despite what hippies may say. Gas and diesel will get more expensive, so if you're commuting from Anmore to UBC or Richmond every day, I'd start looking for new transportation options or closer living accomodations. Fail that, you may just need a new job.

While it is a big paradigm shift for suburbanites, but the trend has been there for quite a while. A bunch of people will definitely have to adjust their lifestyles, but at this point it's basically inevitable. Upping that gas prices may screw the dependent heavy users, but entire point of this is to discourage inefficient lifestyles rather than have the efficient lifestyles subsidize the inefficient ones.

[twoNeurons]

One of the big problems with EVs in Vancouver is the charging infrastructure. Lots and lots of basement suites. Lots of people parking in front of their homes.

[nname]

June schedule changes by comparing the schedules.. seems to be much less change than I thought...

#2: Gained 2 to 3 AM and PM peak direction trips
#28: Gained 1 weekday early morning NB trip
#49: Lost 2 Langara trips
#99: Gained 1 weekend morning round-trip (12->10min)
#160: All AM peak hour trip now go through Guildford, which means Barnet Hwy will have no service during morning peak
#210: Lost 1 short-turned trip
#211: Gained 6 PM northbound trips on weekdays
#228: 1 late night Mon-Sat trip extended to Lonsdale
#232: Lost 0.5 weekday, 3.5 Saturday, 1 Sunday early morning round-trips, 1 Saturday morning trip extended to Grouse
#236: 1 Saturday morning trip extended to Grouse
#239: Gained 6-7 round-trips in Mon-Sun Evening (30->15min), all trip extended to Cap Univ on weekends, Now part of FTN for the entire length of the route
#242: Late night trips renumbered to N24
#246: All trip goes to Vancouver, lost 6-7 evening round-trips (30->60min), later service end time to Vancouver
#290: Route cancelled
#292: Route cancelled
#321: 2 Saturday trips extended to White Rock South
#401: Lost 1 early morning round-trip on weekends
#403: Lost 2 early morning northbound trips Mon-Sun
#407: Lost 1 northbound trip during midday weekday
#480: Gain 1 northbound trip during midday weekday
#601: 2 PM trips extended to South Delta
#602: Extended hour, reduced frequency (total trip remains the same)
#603: Extended hour, reduced frequency (total trip remains the same)
#604: Extended hour, reduced frequency, Lost 1 trip to #601
#N24: New trips from #242

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

One of the big problems with EVs in Vancouver is the charging infrastructure. Lots and lots of basement suites. Lots of people parking in front of their homes.

Not nearly as big of a problem in the suburbs though or in new condos though. That being said, if I could get a Volt right now, I couldn't charge it due to that factor.

[Spork]

Extension cord?