Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Kisai

Take a closer look at the chart where they included refurbishing the Mark I's. ...
They have to retire all the MKI's by 2026 based on those projections.

That report discusses Expo line capacity - there's no reason they can't continue to use Mark I's on the Millennium/Evergreen line.

[gillty]

So new Seabus:

Seating layout is great, similar to the original seabuses; however the seats are terrible, super rigid and unergonomic compared to the 2009 Pacific Breeze ferry.

Horribly annoying infotainment system with directional loud speaker setup; monitor in the corner which is tiny and unreadable due to the super glossy finish. Furthermore it kept going and going for about 10 minutes of the trip, playing the most generic and unappealing stock music you can imagine.

[dpogue]

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

I heard from the gentlemen in the orange vests at main street station that that Train2Main will end on Friday December 5th.

Does anyone have any official information?

Confirmed, regular 4-car (and 6-car) service resumes starting Saturday December 6th.

http://www.translink.ca/en/Schedules-and-Maps/Alerts.aspx?tab=1

[Pinion]

Here's a video of the new seabus that debuted yesterday

• Video Link

Looks like they corrected the inexplicably small view windows from the Pacific Breeze design.

Now if only they can get the funding to run three at a time...

[Kisai]

Anyone feel like speaking up/speaking out?

Mayors Council Meeting
Dec 11, 2014 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

http://www.translink.ca/en/About-Us/Even...s-Council-Meeting-December.aspx?filter=1

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Looks like they corrected the inexplicably small view windows from the Pacific Breeze design.

It would be so nice if they'd go back and retrofit the Pacific Breeze to have the same windows, but alas I can't imagine them doing it...

[ninjakafi_81]

Thought I'll share this video of B8072 on the 130 Phibbs Exch that I recorded over this summer.

• Video Link

[Large Cat]

Changing the topic, but I have some questions about specific investments in the Mayors Council plan which I hope somebody knows the answer to:

-On the proposed Metrotown-Richmond/Brighouse B-Line, will the bus be stopping at Bridgeport in order to serve Metrotowners wanting to go to (or home from) the airport? How similar will it be in terms of routing to the current 430 bus? Will there be modifications to the Knight St. bridge in order to help it get across faster when there are backups?

-Will the Commercial/Victoria B-Line just drop passengers off at Marine SE, or will it continue a little bit into the new Fraser Lands developments in order to better accommodate passengers who live there?

-What is the precise routing of the Metrotown-Willingdon-Phibbs B-Line through North Burnaby? (i.e. when does it leave Willingdon?)

-Are there any plans for better bus service to Steveston in Richmond?



Thanks!!

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Large Cat

Changing the topic, but I have some questions about specific investments in the Mayors Council plan which I hope somebody knows the answer to:

-On the proposed Metrotown-Richmond/Brighouse B-Line, will the bus be stopping at Bridgeport in order to serve Metrotowners wanting to go to (or home from) the airport? How similar will it be in terms of routing to the current 430 bus? Will there be modifications to the Knight St. bridge in order to help it get across faster when there are backups?

-Will the Commercial/Victoria B-Line just drop passengers off at Marine SE, or will it continue a little bit into the new Fraser Lands developments in order to better accommodate passengers who live there?

-What is the precise routing of the Metrotown-Willingdon-Phibbs B-Line through North Burnaby? (i.e. when does it leave Willingdon?)

-Are there any plans for better bus service to Steveston in Richmond?



Thanks!!

I can only guess from the maps they've provided.

-I would assume the Richmond-Metrotown B-Line would stop at Bridgeport. I hadn't even thought about the airport, living in Ladner I always saw it as a South Delta connection

-The B-Line along Willingdon turns west on Hastings.

-How much better bus service do you need?? I've always been so jealous of Steveston's bus service, being the terminus for so many routes as well as having the FTN 410. But to answer your question, yes, the plan says it will make the 410 even more frequent.

[ninjakafi_81]

Originally Posted by Large Cat

Changing the topic, but I have some questions about specific investments in the Mayors Council plan which I hope somebody knows the answer to:

-On the proposed Metrotown-Richmond/Brighouse B-Line, will the bus be stopping at Bridgeport in order to serve Metrotowners wanting to go to (or home from) the airport? How similar will it be in terms of routing to the current 430 bus? Will there be modifications to the Knight St. bridge in order to help it get across faster when there are backups?

-Will the Commercial/Victoria B-Line just drop passengers off at Marine SE, or will it continue a little bit into the new Fraser Lands developments in order to better accommodate passengers who live there?

-What is the precise routing of the Metrotown-Willingdon-Phibbs B-Line through North Burnaby? (i.e. when does it leave Willingdon?)

-Are there any plans for better bus service to Steveston in Richmond?



Thanks!!

- I believe that B-Line service will just mimic the current 430 but with better service.

- I think the Commercial Drive B-Line will turn W/B on SE Marine Drive towards Marine Drive Station where it'll terminate.

- The Willingdon Avenue B-Line will also just mimic the current 130, as seen in the video I just posted ^ .

- I'm not sure but I did hear stuff about the 401 becoming an FTN route and better frequencies on the 410 as well.

==========================================

I'm just waiting for the Scott Road B-Line, I just can't stand the 319 anymore. I ride the 319 every single day and I can tell you that it's pretty busy, it may not be that busy compared to other routes in the system but it's still fairly busy. I would usually see more people lined up for the 319 than the 96 B-Line at Newton Exchange every morning. Anyways, if they can't implant a B-Line up along Scott Road then maybe having articulated buses introduced into the route with better service would be perfect for now.

[Millennium2002]

Metrotown to Richmond B-Line? Seriously? I cannot tell if that is fiction/fluff or not... the traffic between the two places isn't really that big to begin with, and they haven't even expanded the existing service yet.

In comparison, it's way easier to justify the southern east-west corridor BRT from UBC to Metrotown, along with the Victoria north-south B-Line.

(from a local resident that often sees the 430 pass by every day)


Also, I think they left out one really good route for a B-Line:
from Dundarave and via Park Royal to Downtown.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by allan_kuan

Metrotown to Richmond B-Line? Seriously? I cannot tell if that is fiction/fluff or not... the traffic between the two places isn't really that big to begin with, and they haven't even expanded the existing service yet.

In comparison, it's way easier to justify the southern east-west corridor BRT from UBC to Metrotown, along with the Victoria north-south B-Line.

(from a local resident that often sees the 430 pass by every day)


Also, I think they left out one really good route for a B-Line:
from Dundarave and via Park Royal to Downtown.

Consider that Metrotown is essentially the dead center of Metro Vancouver. That said, It would be faster to take the Expo line and transfer to the Canada Line anyway when you take into account the transfer time. The 430 is 37 minutes (every 30 minutes), the Expo (every 4 min)->Canada Line is 41 minutes.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by allan_kuan

Metrotown to Richmond B-Line? Seriously? I cannot tell if that is fiction/fluff or not... the traffic between the two places isn't really that big to begin with, and they haven't even expanded the existing service yet.

In comparison, it's way easier to justify the southern east-west corridor BRT from UBC to Metrotown, along with the Victoria north-south B-Line.

(from a local resident that often sees the 430 pass by every day)


Also, I think they left out one really good route for a B-Line:
from Dundarave and via Park Royal to Downtown.

It's part of their plan to connect all the city centres within the region. I was surprised myself, considering the 430 only comes every half an hour right now.

[WBC]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

It's part of their plan to connect all the city centres within the region. I was surprised myself, considering the 430 only comes every half an hour right now.

When I had to go from Metrotown to WorkSafeBC (on business) I used 430 a few times before Canada Line opened. However, with Canada Line this route is completely pointless. It is much better (due to frequency) and nicer (ride) to use SkyTrains then to be bumped around in a bus for 40 minutes.

One thing that I completely dislike with the new mayors plan is emphasis on the new express routes and buses. They should be focusing on extending the SkyTrain network and building gondola to SFU. The buses are the crappiest form of transport being slow and unpredictable with horrible ride experience. Yes they are cheap in terms of capital cost, but are expensive to operate.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by WBC

When I had to go from Metrotown to WorkSafeBC (on business) I used 430 a few times before Canada Line opened. However, with Canada Line this route is completely pointless. It is much better (due to frequency) and nicer (ride) to use SkyTrains then to be bumped around in a bus for 40 minutes.

One thing that I completely dislike with the new mayors plan is emphasis on the new express routes and buses. They should be focusing on extending the SkyTrain network and building gondola to SFU. The buses are the crappiest form of transport being slow and unpredictable with horrible ride experience. Yes they are cheap in terms of capital cost, but are expensive to operate.

I really don't understand people's hostility towards bussing. I didn't even know they were considered uncomfortable before people started saying it here. To me it feels like just riding in a car. Not sure how they're slow either, they go at the same speed as any other automobile on the road.

While the Mayor's Plan would be great if every B-Line that was introduced in it was built as SkyTrain, that's just not feasible. I mean, what are we going to do, never expand bus service because rapid transit is better? B-Lines provide a convenient and fast way to get around, and they become a precursor to eventual SkyTrain.

[Tetsuo]

I think 22ND - Richmond Centre would have been a better route for a Bline. The 410 is always busy

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

I think 22ND - Richmond Centre would have been a better route for a Bline. The 410 is always busy

I agree. The 410 already comes pretty often during rush hours, but it bunches up all over the place. It could use longer buses or more controlled timing.

[VivaPhysicality]

Originally Posted by WBC

When I had to go from Metrotown to WorkSafeBC (on business) I used 430 a few times before Canada Line opened. However, with Canada Line this route is completely pointless. It is much better (due to frequency) and nicer (ride) to use SkyTrains then to be bumped around in a bus for 40 minutes.

Except the Canada Line can't take you to Southeast Vancouver or Northeast Richmond like the 430 can.

[xd_1771]

I haven't really been too pleased with the Mayors' Council plan for several reasons, and the idea of a 430 B-Line service is one of them. This is coming from a person who at one point selectively used the 430 to head from the Metrotown area to Kwantlen University.

A 430 B-Line wouldn't really benefit a lot of people or introduce much measure of useful connectivity, whereas a 49 B-Line to at least Langara College - combined maybe with a new express segment of the 410 taking the 91 - would. If they want a B-Line to connect the industrial on Bridgeport, it could be done by extending the Victoria/Commercial B-Line down 57th and Knight to terminate at Bridgeport Station - which might also save some costs on having to build a B-Line loop somewhere on south Victoria.

Heck, I generally got the fastest commute time to Kwantlen from Metrotown by backtracking the SkyTrain to 22nd St, taking the 410, then taking the 301 from 91 & Westminster.

At the end of the day it's really all about making a presentation to regional voters. The 430 is a route that people already know, so it's more visible on the map than some sort of route change that creates better Vancouver -> Richmond connectivity. It's hopefully not taken seriously in the same manner as the 2008 Provincial Transit Plan was only "politically correct".

[SOSS]

Todd Stone firm on tax limits for transit referendum

by Jeff Nagel - Surrey North Delta Leader
posted Dec 3, 2014 at 7:00 PM

Transportation Minister Todd Stone is holding firm that the province won't contribute as much money as Metro Vancouver mayors want for their $7.5-billion transit expansion plan.

And while he is prepared to approve a new TransLink tax subject to a spring referendum, he won't sign off on the extra $300 million a year the mayors want, calling it unaffordable.

That leaves the mayors with a difficult choice – chop projects out of their vision and risk rupturing their consensus; extend the timeline from 10 to 15 years; or raise property taxes, which can be done without a referendum.

"One of the key principles to government is the challenge of affordability," Stone said in an interview. "We want to do everything we possibly can to set this referendum up for success."

He said there will be a new revenue source allowed by the province, conditional on referendum approval, but added it will have to be "far less than the $300 million they want."

RELATED: Analysis: Referendum is challenge like no other in TransLink's tortured history

Metro mayors are meeting behind closed doors Friday ahead of another mayors' council meeting Dec. 11, where the final decision is expected to be made on the transit referendum question and requested tax.

Stone would not say exactly how much in new tax money he would approve if not $300 million a year, but said mayors could raise property taxes to make up the gap.

"If they want to stick to their original plan they'll have to make up the difference with existing levers, and the lever that affords them the most flexibility obviously is the property tax."

He said it's a "fair assumption" that the mayors will propose either a regional sales tax or a vehicle levy as the new revenue source after the province previously ruled out sharing its carbon tax and the creation of a new regional carbon tax appears problematic.

The mayors' vision, concluded last June after whirlwind negotiations, assumes $1.6 billion each would come from the provincial and federal governments to help fund the package of improvements, including a Broadway subway, three light rail lines in Surrey, new B-Line express bus routes, more frequent Seabuses and a general 25 per cent lift in bus service.

Stone said he understands the mayors' desire to put "a chicken in the pot for everyone" so each part of the region gets something.

But he said mayors should expect much less from senior governments over the 10 years.

"The $1.6 billion they have earmarked in their plan for capital contributions from the province is simply not going to happen," he said. "They might be wiser to count on or ask for half that amount."

The amount requested is far more than has been extended in the region in previous 10-year periods, he added.

Despite ongoing criticism of the referendum – Metro Vancouver's board as recently as last week urged the province to reconsider it – Stone vowed the province will not change course.

"Our government is very proud to stand on the side of taxpayers here," he said. "There will be no U-turn on this. There will be no going back and changing our minds."

Stone was also pressed to respond to former transportation minister Kevin Falcon, who last month expressed concern about the referendum strategy, calling referenda a "cop-out" that allows politicians to avoid making and defending hard decisions.

"Mr. Falcon is certainly entitled to his opinion," Stone said, adding the referendum was an election campaign promise that must be honoured.

He also insisted it has moved the process forward and broken a long-running log jam on efforts to finance expansion of TransLink by galvanizing mayors to forge their plan.

"Nobody thought that the mayors would be able to pull together and unite behind the plan. And they did," he said. "I'm not certain would have or could have happened in absence of the referendum requirements."