Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

A lot of these points are missing the whole point of automation, you are looking at it from the perspective that the norm will always be having drivers.

Things like safety etc. are much less of a problem on a ground level bus where you could just stop and open the doors at virtually any moment.

People with bikes don't need to use a rack on a driverless bus they cant just take it onto the bus like on a train (driverless buses could be larger and have more doors as well.)

In terms of people finding their way I am surprised that it seems like you haven't heard of "Google Maps". Virtually everyone has used it and it is pretty much universal in most cities in the Western World and its even available in numerous languages. If people really need more info than that then they could refer to lcd screens (an idea that many on this forum told me had little merit in this world of Google Maps and Smartphones )
. Even Minneapolis has them on their buses now ~ https://www.metrotransit.org/new-displays-allow-a-line-customers-to-plan-trips-as-they-ride

I'm not one of those people salivating over the concept of driverless anything, but I really think you guys are missing the point of automation and the fact that virtually all of the "problems" you list have simple, even elegant solutions. Sure people might miss a stop sometime but, they will learn just like when they would have missed a stop on a bus with a driver.

I'm curious as to how a bus could be larger when it is automated. The lane widths are not going to get wider. So the bus can't be made wider. And there is a maximum legal limit to the length of the bus. As well putting in more doors would mean taking away seats. Can't have a seat where a door is. So there is no possible way that by making a bus automated that bringing a bike on board is logistically possible.

While some people maybe able to use google maps to get around and I am one of them. Not every one knows how to do so. Some people do prefer the human interaction as to what stop to get off at, or what bus to transfer to. Human interaction is a big part in this.

Now I'm not against automated buses. But I don't think logistically we are even close to the idea.

[Mac Write]

The Straddling Bus and test site was scrapped in summer 2017. So it's now a dead idea.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

wider? how much wider do you think they can be? they barely fit in the lanes already. any wider and they will occupy 2 lanes of traffic. i suggest you take a look at the buses going down Granville Street and many other streets. look at lane widths in the CoV and then look at the width of the buses. they can not be wider; physically impossible unless streets/lanes are widened.

Agreed, I couldn't believe the CoV did a ton of sewer and curb building on W.16th, but didn't widen the lanes now that it is a bus route. I guess keeping those useless six foot grass verges was more important.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Maybe he's dreaming of this:


Photo: Xinhua News

That looks like a SeaBus on rails. I am truly disgusted by this and I have seen shit on the internet that you wouldn't believe.

[stump]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

That looks like a SeaBus on rails. I am truly disgusted by this and I have seen shit on the internet that you wouldn't believe.

It blows my mind that anyone actually thought this thing was a legitimate product that would be put into use.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by stump

It blows my mind that anyone actually thought this thing was a legitimate product that would be put into use.

I have a very strong suspicion that this was one of those wink, wink, nudge, nudge deals where someone was given a lot of money with the flimsy rationale to develop a concept. I find it hard to believe that anyone had an expectation that it would actually work...

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[cganuelas1995]

A bus driver just got mad at me for tapping my wallet and explained the sign to me. Ama.

[Spork]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

A bus driver just got mad at me for tapping my wallet and explained the sign to me. Ama.

I saw that as well and was pretty surprised that CMBC actually asked drivers to talk to customers about that, especially given the assaults that happen every year.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I have a very strong suspicion that this was one of those wink, wink, nudge, nudge deals where someone was given a lot of money with the flimsy rationale to develop a concept. I find it hard to believe that anyone had an expectation that it would actually work...

(*cough*)Hyperloop(*cough*cough*)

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

In terms of buses, removing the driver frees up enough space to add seats that offset those that would be lost from adding a third door. The whole bus could be low floor if it was electric as well.

I'm sorry, what? Electric or diesel, it's still going to need room at the back for the motor and rear tires (necessitating a raised floor at the back of the bus), so no "flush deck." And where would you put a third door on a regular bus?

Originally Posted by Reecemartin

A more general question that I'm curious on peoples opinion about,

How do you feel about when developments integrate the Skytrain guideway into them somehow, (often through decks and rooflines aligning with the height of the guideway)?

This often gives a sense that you are at ground level when in the train and is kinda cool imo. the section that sticks out to me most is between Nanaimo and CBD.

On SSP? I think the answer is near-unanimously "we don't have enough!" They're great in other cities too, especially if the station's literally part of the building; makes the commute feel like a sci-fi story or a Disneyland ride.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by Spork

I saw that as well and was pretty surprised that CMBC actually asked drivers to talk to customers about that, especially given the assaults that happen every year.

Yeah. She was like "hey get back here" while pointing at the sign.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by Xerx

I think that's still an issue in London where they've accepted contactless payments for a few years now. I think the best thing that Translink can do is just to educate people as much and as early as possible.

They must really be pushing the education front. On Saturday I got on a community shuttle route and the driver did an announcement about it.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

They must really be pushing the education front. On Saturday I got on a community shuttle route and the driver did an announcement about it.

Did they do an online survey on this that I might have missed out on?

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by cganuelas1995

Did they do an online survey on this that I might have missed out on?

Yes, March of last year.

[cganuelas1995]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

Yes, March of last year.

Ah, then I did do it.

I honestly wish they would do it as a closed beta, using random participants from the public, instead of just forcing the experiment on all of us. I can see this having a huge amount of problems, especially with people who tap their entire wallet or phone, which probably has one of those card holding cases with a Compass card and a contactless credit/debit card. If they modified the farebox to have a tap pay module and left the fare validator alone, and had the farebox dispense single use compass ticket, that would be magnitudes better. That way, they can easily make transfers. I am picturing travellers getting pissed off about getting extra charges when they pay for the bus and then transfer to another bus or a different mode and have to pay again.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

(*cough*)Hyperloop(*cough*cough*)

Yeah, that's another head scratcher. Musk is generally pretty smart about his projects, so this has really got me wondering what he knows that I don't know.

[Reecemartin]

[Deleted]

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

Yeah, that's another head scratcher. Musk is generally pretty smart about his projects, so this has really got me wondering what he knows that I don't know.

Elon Musk says The Boring Company’s Loop will prioritize pedestrians, cyclists

Elon Musk started The Boring Company in late 2016 because he was frustrated by sitting in his car in Los Angeles traffic. A system of tunnels, he reasoned, would alleviate certain traffic choke points. The idea turned into reality throughout 2017, as Musk tore up the parking lot outside of his SpaceX headquarters, testing boring machinery to find weak spots that engineers might improve upon to make tunnel-digging faster and cheaper.

The idea also changed a bit: instead of simply looking to build the cheapest tunnels, The Boring Company wanted to build a "Loop" inside its tunnels. The Loop would be a modified version of Musk's Hyperloop idea, but it would not pull a vacuum, and cars would be lowered into the tunnel system where they would be put on electric skates and zipped off to their destination automatically.

According to some tweets from Elon Musk last night, though, the idea has once again morphed. "Adjusting The Boring Company plan: all tunnels & Hyperloop will prioritize pedestrians & cyclists over cars," the executive tweeted, adding: "Will still transport cars, but only after all personalized mass transit needs are met. It's a matter of courtesy & fairness. If someone can't afford a car, they should go first."

Does this sound exactly like a subway? Yes. It does. But Musk says this idea will be slightly different. He tweeted: "Boring Co urban loop system would have 1000s of small stations the size of a single parking space that take you very close to your destination & blend seamlessly into the fabric of a city, rather than a small number of big stations like a subway."

Granted, people who live in Manhattan or Paris might feel that their subway system has an adequate number of stations, but many large cities in the US have subway or light rail systems with poor station density, and a system that transports cars as well could have an advantage.

...

For now, The Boring Company seems to be making connections with authorities in Maryland, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Until any real digging starts, it's hard to tell if this will become as real as SpaceX or Tesla, or just vapor infrastructure. (To his credit, Musk appears to be self-aware about this, tweeting a poll that asks whether tunnels are an "impossible pipedream" or a "stupid hole in ground" or "both.")