Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[mezzanine]

i understand the need for 'not maiming someone for life bc they vandalized a bus' but i take a very dim view of jerks using transit, b/c i use transit a lot. I do want to see repercussions for ppl that make transit crappy for the rest of us.

I felt really bad when this happened a few months ago:

Police say Jamie Kehoe was stabbed in the neck during an altercation on a bus at the corner of 72nd Avenue and 128th Street just after midnight. He died later in hospital.
....
While reports initially indicated Kehoe was a Good Samaritan who was stabbed while trying to intervene in a fight between two women on the bus, his parents say it was Kehoe's friend who stepped in.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/10/09/bc-good-samaritan-bus-stabbing.html

let due process take its course, if there was a fault with the way they used the dog, make changes. but i have no pity for this guy.

[cc85]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Arguably, that's hard at the municipal level since that's where many policitians start out.

That's very true. Often times, it seems to be a popularity contest to boot.

[Built Form]

This is an incredible CBC vid from 1965 about the #60 Richmond Express back when BC Hydro operated the transit system. Didn't know Hwy 99 was the 499 until 1973. Look for some great shots of Seymour as the bus pulls up to the Bay parkade stop.

http://vimeo.com/21883140

[officedweller]

I think all the freeways were 400 series highways (parts of the TCH were once called the 401) - following Ontario's lead, but that ended at some point.

[whiteshadow]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I think all the freeways were 400 series highways (parts of the TCH were once called the 401) - following Ontario's lead, but that ended at some point.

Well we only have 2 freeways, but yeah they were both 400s (Remnant of the TCH being 401 is the "401 Motor Inn" at Boundary and Grandview Hwy). There are some old maps from the 60s that show this, I have seen them in the "Historical Atlas of Vancouver" http://www.amazon.ca/Historical-Atlas-Vancouver-Derek-Hayes/dp/1553651073.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by racc

Your last comment was pretty clear in that you think that it is the police's role to punish people. It is not. It is to arrest people with the minimum amount of force required. Lets let the courts decide on whether it was too much force or not. They have much better information than you or I do.

i never said its the polices role to punish people i never said the guy deserved to be punished i said i felt sorry for the guy - i think the police did what they had to - the guy ran away from the police while they persude him - should they have shot him? or let him get away?

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Built Form

This is an incredible CBC vid from 1965 about the #60 Richmond Express back when BC Hydro operated the transit system. Didn't know Hwy 99 was the 499 until 1973. Look for some great shots of Seymour as the bus pulls up to the Bay parkade stop.

http://vimeo.com/21883140

Those BC Hydro buses were still in service in the early 80s. I used to take one to elementary school. I remember how the interior lights of the trolley buses would flicker, due, I suppose, to momentary breaks in the flow of electricity.

[TransitSupporter]

Originally Posted by Built Form

This is an incredible CBC vid from 1965 about the #60 Richmond Express back when BC Hydro operated the transit system. Didn't know Hwy 99 was the 499 until 1973. Look for some great shots of Seymour as the bus pulls up to the Bay parkade stop.

http://vimeo.com/21883140

That is an awesome video. Although I grew up in TO in the 60's they had some of those same buses that this operator was driving (Faegels). The vid also reminded me of the time when drivers gave change and sold tickets (hard to believe nowadays). Yes you'd put your money in that little dish and he (there were never any female drivers - apparently women were not 'strong enough' to drive a large bus) would give you change from that little coin dispenser and your tickets. Times have changed in lots of ways. Ergonomically though it must have sucked big time for the drivers back then.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by TransitSupporter

... (there were never any female drivers - apparently women were not 'strong enough' to drive a large bus) ...

Actually, there were two lady operators at BC Hydro who had been hired on during WWII and continued to drive buses at least into the 70s.

[Prometheus]

Also, back then, the bell rang as many times as the cord was pulled, so the bell sometimes could ring 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or more times for before each stop, depending on how full the bus was or how unattentive people were.

[Zassk]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Also, back then, the bell rang as many times as the cord was pulled, so the bell sometimes could ring 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or more times for before each stop, depending on how full the bus was or how unattentive people were.

That was still true in the late 80's.... The "ring-limited" cords did not become commonplace until the 90's. How quickly we forget...

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Zassk

That was still true in the late 80's.... The "ring-limited" cords did not become commonplace until the 90's. How quickly we forget...

It must have driven the bus drivers mad.

[SpongeG]

a video put together for a bid for conference in 2015!

• Video Link

[officedweller]

Came across this list of Linear Motor rapid transit lines (Bombardier ones, plus Kawaski Heavy Industry projects in Japan and China (could be the same at the Hitachi system):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_motor

Also cam across this paper on LIMs from Japan:

Adoption of Linear Motor Propulsion System for Subway
http://ss7.inet-osaka.or.jp/~teraoka/old/tera98/ml98edit.htm

[Vonny]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Here you go:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Thanks, it is exactly what I was looking for.

[Xrayal]

Quotes direct from the Plan - with emphasis added by me.

"Canada Line concession payments have increased from 80 per cent of the base at inception, to 100 per cent in September 2011, making 2012 the first year of payments at the full rate."

"The 20-year operations service agreement with Canadian Pacific Railroad expires in 2015; negotiations for renewal of the contract will be initiated in 2012."

"Review feasibility to install Wi-Fi at SkyTrain stations and on WCE trains."

"Main Street Station Upgrade ($27.3 million)
This project was on hold until November 2011 when TransLink funding was approved under the Moving Forward Supplement. The original design is now being updated to include faregates infrastructure and additional design priorities. The revised scheduled end date is December 2013 contingent on property acquisitions."

"SkyTrain Mark I Vehicle Refurbishment and Modernization ($55.4 million)
The original fleet of 114 SkyTrain MK-I cars was built in 1983-1985. After 25 years of service, each car has now accumulated nearly 4 million kilometres of revenue service and the fleet has reached its expected useful life of 25 years. The project involves refurbishing vehicle floors, LIM motors, electrical systems, and enhancing the interior of cars to emulate the 1300/1400 series MK-II interior. The modernization component will include smart signs from the latest MK-II, animated route maps over two of the car interior doorways, and an amber LED external destination sign on the car front. It is anticipated that the relatively poor ride quality and noise attenuation cannot be fundamentally changed when revamping the MK-I cars. Though some areas may improve slightly with better diagnosis, other significant unchanged areas of the car (trucks for example) will continue to require high maintenance. The upgraded cars will reduce capital investment requirements by extending the life of the aging MK-I fleet by 15 years (withdrawal in 2026)."

[quobobo]

Interesting. So I guess Translink would be buying out the Starbucks on the corner for the new entrance at Main St. Station?

[SpongeG]

starbucks will move to where the current entrance is - they will switch spots - it was shown in the renders i think

had an idea a dream really - could the canada line be branched off at yaletown roundhouse to go underground up davie to about denman?

[deasine]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

starbucks will move to where the current entrance is - they will switch spots - it was shown in the renders i think

had an idea a dream really - could the canada line be branched off at yaletown roundhouse to go underground up davie to about denman?

For what? To serve the West End? Think of the implications of doing this: splitting the frequencies of one of the most critical portions of the Canada Line.

One also has to realize that transportation to and from the West End is predominantly local traffic, with the current system able to handle and serve those users.

[SpongeG]

yah and english bay, it wouldn't have to splinter the service just thinking how much the cactus club there looks like a canada line station...