Do you think that means they are gradually and quietly dropping the idea of using the median for a future light rail route? I thought it was mandated for that use
Putting down grass is hardly an irrevocable change.
The city has decided to lay down sod on the portion of the west 1st median in front of James. It was previously paved and the city had a problem with people parking there all the time but I was still surprised (pleasantly) to see grass. It looks quite nice. I'll grab a photo today or tomorrow.
The city had a real racket going on with that whole debacle. Every day dozens of cars would get towed from there because they allowed parking near the village for the sales centre. The rest of the area would get towed because it frankly looked like a parking area because it was unfinished (the city kept saying they were going to landscape it and that was 2+ years ago).
Finally the city had the foresight to put up signage. They probably had a enough angry phone calls from residents. The other thing in that area that makes absolutely zero sense down first and in the village is the 2 hour parking limit seven days a week from 9am-8pm. Almost every car using that on street parking are residents and people would get ticketed and typically there would be the same one or two meter maids going down there and hitting pay dirt with the center rock patches and the timed parking a few times a day.
As far as I can remember there hasn't been a peep from city hall regarding a streetcar since the election (and before that it was Anton and the NPA anyways). Translink wants nothing to do with it right now as they have much bigger and expensive problems. I honestly don't see streetcar happening until after a decision is made on the Broadway line. So probably it's 7-10 years off.
The city had a real racket going on with that whole debacle. Every day dozens of cars would get towed from there because they allowed parking near the village for the sales centre. The rest of the area would get towed because it frankly looked like a parking area because it was unfinished (the city kept saying they were going to landscape it and that was 2+ years ago).
Maybe the parking enforcement office is located near there..
Do you think that means they are gradually and quietly dropping the idea of using the median for a future light rail route? I thought it was mandated for that use
If they wanted to kill the Streetcar idea, they would just make it official parking. Businesses get pretty upset when you remove parking. So removing some grass and replacing it with rails will upset noone in the future.
Now if they really wanted to kill the possibility of the streetcar, they should plant some trees. It's easier to get away with murdering a homeless person than cut down a tree in the city.
yes i wonder why people on here keeping saying translink blah blah blah since it has nothing to do with translink
Because TransLink has the Combo option on the shortlist for the Broadway Corridor consultations - the LRT portion of which is essentially identical to the Arbutus-Main Street portion of the streetcar project (perhaps with longer trains...) If that option went forward it would pretty much be TransLink taking over part of the streetcar project, including operation / OMC.
Streetcar makes no sense until a) development fronting West 1st is complete and b) the city has MONEY! Until then... medians.
As far as the medians are concerned it's kind of odd with the James median parking fiasco --> grass park. Every other section of median has been without problem when the city has used signs. Yes, signs. The median in question had one 'No Stopping' sign at the extreme opposite end of where people were parking, and getting towed. As far as the grass is concerned, the placement is directly in front of a completed building, 'James'. Yet the median in front of Foundry / Exchange is gravel since forever.
But I guess this serves me right for trying to understand the logic of a city.
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Maybe the parking enforcement office is located near there..
No but Busters is pretty close and I am sure everytime they drive by and see cars they can tow they phone up their buddies at parking enforcement to get right down there and give them the green light to tow them. I am only partially joking to tell you the truth. I have no idea how the Busters contract is structured with the city, but I will assume that its a very nice and inflated flat fee per tow, and that means the closer the tow the more money Busters makes.
Great shots Jimbo! What a perfect day for it. I got a few more to complement the set.
Wall Centre
I was also trying to get some shots similar to SFUVancouver's old bi-weekly updates, but only a couple turned out well. The iPhone does a decent job, but it's not a pro camera.
And here's a Panorama from Cambie Bridge at 1st.
And for a little bonus, here's a nice shot I got from by Edgewater, of the construction along Main.
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"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish
South side of West 1st, mid-block between Columbia & Manitoba.
Was to be the home of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre (no defunct) 260-seat 4,000-square-foot studio theatre. Last I heard 3 other theatre companies had responded to a CoV RFP, though the finished shell will require, IIRC, an additional $8M to complete the interior space!
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Last edited by sacrifice333; Apr 17, 2013 at 7:15 PM.
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I am only partially joking to tell you the truth. I have no idea how the Busters contract is structured with the city, but I will assume that its a very nice and inflated flat fee per tow, and that means the closer the tow the more money Busters makes.
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