Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

This timeline was created last year, so it wasn’t affected by the referendum.

I mean TransLink's internal timeline, not the one on the site - if Victoria had just said "yes" to a tax hike back in 2014, there's a good chance planning would be finished and construction started by now.

Originally Posted by dpogue

Within the Evergreen stations, it says "Evergreen extension" on the signs and maps, but elsewhere it's just referred to as the Millennium Line.
The maps inside the trains still have the green outline and the extension name.

Maybe they're waiting until everybody forgets about the Evergreen Line before they take it down? Somehow, I don't think it'll be a long-term fixture.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

I mean TransLink's internal timeline, not the one on the site - if Victoria had just said "yes" to a tax hike back in 2014, there's a good chance planning would be finished and construction started by now.



Maybe they're waiting until everybody forgets about the Evergreen Line before they take it down? Somehow, I don't think it'll be a long-term fixture.

Oh I know that, just saying that this schedule itself seems too painfully slow (and already behind... again).

[Reecemartin]

One interesting program would be retrofitting Skytrain with onboard Wifi, several similar programs are happening in other provinces. While I'm sure many people may say that passengers can just use mobile data, having Wifi is just a nice to have low hanging fruit given that most of our legacy system is above ground/or has cell coverage. With REM being built in Montreal now might be the time to bring Skytrain up to those standards by adding Wifi, better next train screens, and platform gates/doors (theres several models available that would work with our different door spacings.)

Call it the Skytrain Modernization project.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

really WiFi on trains? that's a dumb waste of money for a transit system chronically underfunded. plus, public WiFi is the least secure thing ever and people do online banking through it.

[Pinion]

Yeah actually servicing the huge portions of the lower mainland who still have no reliable transit access first would be nice.

A guy at my work is close to being fired because he lost access to his car (long story) and transit is so bad that he can't get to work on time reliably. He starts at 7am and works weekends.

I'd be in the same boat if I couldn't drive. My 15 minute commute would become 1 hour+ and impossible on weekends.

[Reecemartin]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

really WiFi on trains? that's a dumb waste of money for a transit system chronically underfunded. plus, public WiFi is the least secure thing ever and people do online banking through it.

Wifi on trains really isn't that big of an investment, certainly not enough to starve any big capital projects of funds. Better yet you can make it totally self funding through some advertising deals. It's a feature that numerous Metros around the world have and theres no reason we couldn't either.

[Reecemartin]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Yeah actually servicing the huge portions of the lower mainland who still have no reliable transit access first would be nice.

A guy at my work is close to being fired because he lost access to his car (long story) and transit is so bad that he can't get to work on time reliably. He starts at 7am and works weekends.

I'd be in the same boat if I couldn't drive. My 15 minute commute would become 1 hour+ and impossible on weekends.

Again this is a small capital expenditure but, unlikely to require significant funding after installation.

[Bdawe]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Yeah actually servicing the huge portions of the lower mainland who still have no reliable transit access first would be nice.

A guy at my work is close to being fired because he lost access to his car (long story) and transit is so bad that he can't get to work on time reliably. He starts at 7am and works weekends.

I'd be in the same boat if I couldn't drive. My 15 minute commute would become 1 hour+ and impossible on weekends.

The fact that transit service start times are allowed to be so sabotaged on Sundays should get more attention than it does.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by Bdawe

The fact that transit service start times are allowed to be so sabotaged on Sundays should get more attention than it does.

I totally agree. I work late nights and on weekends. The weekend schedule is a — you to the people who don't work the 9-5 monday-friday office life. I work in a restaurant and I feed those same people.

[Reecemartin]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

I totally agree. I work late nights and on weekends. The weekend schedule is a — you to the people who don't work the 9-5 monday-friday office life. I work in a restaurant and I feed those same people.

Well usually theres a reason for that, scheduled maintenance? I've always wondered why they don't spread maintenance over a longer time slot and just run infrequent trains though.

[ClaytonA]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Yeah actually servicing the huge portions of the lower mainland who still have no reliable transit access first would be nice.

A guy at my work is close to being fired because he lost access to his car (long story) and transit is so bad that he can't get to work on time reliably. He starts at 7am and works weekends.

I'd be in the same boat if I couldn't drive. My 15 minute commute would become 1 hour+ and impossible on weekends.

15min @ 50-60km/h (i.e. fast) is 12-15km.

It's pretty easy to do more than 20km/h on a bicycle;

15km @ 20km/h is always, always reliably 45min or less. (I averaged 28km/h on my commutes last year, and 15km would be 33min).

If I was having that issue for a job, then I'd be on a bicycle. — in the rain, but with fenders, a change of clothes, and some toiletries at the office/work and no one could even tell. Let them know that it's an option.

[Colin4567]

Originally Posted by ClaytonA

15min @ 50-60km/h (i.e. fast) is 12-15km.

It's pretty easy to do more than 20km/h on a bicycle;

15km @ 20km/h is always, always reliably 45min or less. (I averaged 28km/h on my commutes last year, and 15km would be 33min).

If I was having that issue for a job, then I'd be on a bicycle. — in the rain, but with fenders, a change of clothes, and some toiletries at the office/work and no one could even tell. Let them know that it's an option.

Yeah, Vancouver and North America in general is where people look for an excuse to drive and justify how their circumstance is special, even moreso recently when talks of mobility pricing came out. People have told me the pricing is unfair because they "find driving relaxing" thus they should be exempt from the fee - LOL. Obviously some legitimately need to drive - a plumber working throughout the Lower Mainland can't be expected to carry all their tools and parts everywhere - but for some people it's completely unnecessary to transit. Even going to SFU some people that live literally right next to the bus stop drive because it "works out better." With a bus every 10 minutes, there's not much to complain about.

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Yeah actually servicing the huge portions of the lower mainland who still have no reliable transit access first would be nice.

A guy at my work is close to being fired because he lost access to his car (long story) and transit is so bad that he can't get to work on time reliably. He starts at 7am and works weekends.

I'd be in the same boat if I couldn't drive. My 15 minute commute would become 1 hour+ and impossible on weekends.

While I do not know all the details for your coworker. As to where they live and where they need to commute.

At one time I used to cycle / take transit to work every day on Annacis. I even did this on Sundays when the skytrain didn't even start until 2 afters after I was supposed to start. I'd just cycle and take a different bus route for sundays. For the other days I'd just cycle to 29th and then get off at 22nd. I did that for about 2 years. So yes it is a pain the —. But it can be done and your coworker just needs to get up earlier to get there on time.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

Well usually theres a reason for that, scheduled maintenance? I've always wondered why they don't spread maintenance over a longer time slot and just run infrequent trains though.

I wonder like what if they extended the maintenance into the early morning hours of operation just like how they have it start in the late night hours. Or if they could send out more teams.

[Reecemartin]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

I wonder like what if they extended the maintenance into the early morning hours of operation just like how they have it start in the late night hours. Or if they could send out more teams.

Just run more infrequent service i.e. every 15 minutes or so after 9:30 pm on days besides Sat and Friday.

[Bdawe]

It's just and reasonable that maintenance intensive rail lines be closed, but the buses have really terrible service on sundays too.

This is especially problematic when weekend ridership is not even that much less than weekday ridership outside of peak

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by Bdawe

It's just and reasonable that maintenance intensive rail lines be closed, but the buses have really terrible service on sundays too.

This is especially problematic when weekend ridership is not even that much less than weekday ridership outside of peak

Yeah I say they should nix the weekend and holiday schedule for most holidays.

Today is family day and I'm working. The 401 down the road from me is at every 30 minutes instead of every 8ish minutes like it would be on a regular monday.

[Bdawe]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Yeah I say they should nix the weekend and holiday schedule for most holidays.

Today is family day and I'm working. The 401 down the road from me is at every 30 minutes instead of every 8ish minutes like it would be on a regular monday.

Ya, everyone who works in a Federal or Federally regulated job got shafted by that one today

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Yeah I say they should nix the weekend and holiday schedule for most holidays.

Today is family day and I'm working. The 401 down the road from me is at every 30 minutes instead of every 8ish minutes like it would be on a regular monday.

Yea it's very annoying that 401 comes every 30 minutes throughout Sunday. Buses are always packed. I don't understand why even today Translink refuses to increase its Sunday frequency.

[ilikeredheads]

fwiw, I think Translink is aware of 401 needing more service for sundays and holidays but of course that resource has to come from somewhere.

According to the Southwest Transit plan, they are planning to improve the portion between Brighouse and Steveston to FTN levels.