General Vancouver Updates

[officedweller]

Nice, tanks.
Looks like some of those protruding squares of concrete at the top of the 2nd level are architectural.

or maybe not...


https://cressey.com/formatbycressey/condos/

[Jimbo604]

Agenda for first regular council meeting is now up (they had in-camera mtg on Nov 8th).
https://council.vancouver.ca/20221115/regu20221115ag.htm

Some appointments and regular stuff, also:

Item 5. Enabling the Requisitioning and Hiring of 100 New Police Officers and 100 Mental Health Nurses, Submitted by: Councillor Dominato

Item 6. Transport Pricing – “Stopping the Road Tax” Co-Submitted by: Councillor Klassen and Councillor Bligh. Aka Fee to drive downtown.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

Agenda for first regular council meeting is now up (they had in-camera mtg on Nov 8th).
https://council.vancouver.ca/20221115/regu20221115ag.htm

Some appointments and regular stuff, also:

Item 5. Enabling the Requisitioning and Hiring of 100 New Police Officers and 100 Mental Health Nurses, Submitted by: Councillor Dominato

Item 6. Transport Pricing – “Stopping the Road Tax” Co-Submitted by: Councillor Klassen and Councillor Bligh. Aka Fee to drive downtown.

I'm surprised that they would need to pass a motion to redirect staff working on road pricing to other work, (although as they're reversing a previous Council vote, maybe they do). However, I'm sure Councillor Klassen thinks it's important to be seen to be stopping work on road pricing.

[GenWhy?]

It would be really funny if Staff was close to finishing their traffic planning and they flushed all that money down the drain.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

It would be really funny if Staff was close to finishing their traffic planning and they flushed all that money down the drain.

certainly wouldn't be the first time money was wasted on a project, and certainly wont be the last; that's how government works.

[Jimbo604]

Originally Posted by Changing City

I'm surprised that they would need to pass a motion to redirect staff working on road pricing to other work, (although as they're reversing a previous Council vote, maybe they do). However, I'm sure Councillor Klassen thinks it's important to be seen to be stopping work on road pricing.

Maybe it's like zombie "double tap", gotta be sure it's toast.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

It would be really funny if Staff was close to finishing their traffic planning and they flushed all that money down the drain.

Some ideas deserve to be flushed, no matter how much Kennedy and Gregor spent on them.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Some ideas deserve to be flushed, no matter how much Kennedy and Gregor spent on them.

As more and more vehicles are EVs, something will (soon) have to replace the gas tax. It needs to be provincial or at the very least region-wide, not just a City of Vancouver project, but unless you think climate change isn't happening, the number of vehicles using road space needs to stay the same, or fall, to make space for more transit-only lanes. Some of the income needs to get to the municipalities, too, not just disappearing into provincial general revenue.

Getting rid of on-street parking would be a good move too, but as ABC seems to think parking is a human right, that seems unlikely to be on council's agenda in the short term.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Changing City

As more and more vehicles are EVs, something will (soon) have to replace the gas tax. It needs to be provincial or at the very least region-wide, not just a City of Vancouver project, but unless you think climate change isn't happening, the number of vehicles using road space needs to stay the same, or fall, to make space for more transit-only lanes. Some of the income needs to get to the municipalities, too, not just disappearing into provincial general revenue.

I agree something will need to replace that revenue for transit services and other costs.

It can't be a Vancouver only solution. That's just stupid. Money spent by Vancouver alone on this issue is a waste.

I think maybe we should go back to the vehicle levy once proposed by Glen Clark.

[idunno]

The vehicle levy isn't a bad idea, but it doesn't go far enough. Gas taxes directly relate to an individual person's demand for driving. So we need an alternative levy that incrementally increases with the amount of driving. Even better if it's tailored to daily/weekly peak/off peak times.

Enter congestion charging/road pricing!

I don't see it as being politically feasible unless gas taxes are removed entirely.

[SpongeG]

this has been a discussion for a couple of years now as EV usage grows many levels of government are trying to sort out what to do.

some recent stories on it from Nevada to Scotland all dealing with the same issue of gas tax revenue losses.

https://www.rtoinsider.com/articles/31121-nev-panel-recommends-road-usage-charge-zevs

https://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/...-finds-electric-vehicle-fees-inadequate/

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/electric-car-owners-hit-road-28472652

https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-n...replace-gas-tax-with-tolls-for-motorists

[Migrant_Coconut]

North America in general is in kind of a pickle. Without expanding transit, a road tax won't change anybody's behaviour... without a road tax, there's very little money to expand transit.

[idunno]

"Road tax won't change anyone's behaviour" - really??

Remember what happened right after Port Mann's tolls were removed:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c...ic-up-23-since-going-toll-free-1.5316459

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by idunno

"Road tax won't change anyone's behaviour" - really??

Remember what happened right after Port Mann's tolls were removed:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c...ic-up-23-since-going-toll-free-1.5316459

It might change driver's route behaviour, but that almost certainly wasn't a lot of new drivers who used to take transit switching to driving once tolls were removed - it was drivers switching to the Port Mann who used to take a different route to avoid the tolls. There was no dramatic drop in ridership on Translink when tolls were dropped.

When the congestion charge was first introduced in London it certainly saw fewer vehicles for a while, but the effect didn't stick, and traffic volumes have risen again. If the charges are high enough, and transit is much cheaper and frequent and reasonably fast and with the capacity to carry the volume comfortably, then a lot of drivers would probably switch. But that's a lot of 'ifs', and we'd need more, and better transit here to make it work.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by idunno

The vehicle levy isn't a bad idea, but it doesn't go far enough. Gas taxes directly relate to an individual person's demand for driving. So we need an alternative levy that incrementally increases with the amount of driving. Even better if it's tailored to daily/weekly peak/off peak times.

Enter congestion charging/road pricing!

I don't see it as being politically feasible unless gas taxes are removed entirely.

I was in support of tolling all new bridge infrastructure, even half tolls on the older stuff. Unfortunately that ship has sailed.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

North America in general is in kind of a pickle. Without expanding transit, a road tax won't change anybody's behaviour... without a road tax, there's very little money to expand transit.

There's also a backlash when you just tax something without providing that alternative, especially when you slap a "green" label on it.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Yup. Once the Broadway/Langley lines are finished and North Shore/Hastings/Willingdon are in progress, by all means, charge whatever you want... until then, people are going to (understandably) call it a "poor tax."

[hollywoodnorth]

https://www.westerninvestor.com/british-...-still-seeing-eye-popping-prices-6126097


A 1.2-acre residential development site (the ‘Cut’) in East Vancouver sold In October for $23.8 million. | Colliers

[Jimbo604]

Source: Google Street View 2018




Photo Source: me

Main St & E 6th Ave

I know complaining about construction progress and others responding that developments take time is a mainstay of this forum but this one really has been going on for some time as one can note from the Rezoning Application sign on this Google Street image from 2018. Some changes on site as you can see the building has been demolished. Looks like they are doing some site levelling with the gravel and steam roller.

Googling didn't bring up much except this older 2017 Daily Hive article about the site (206 E 6th Ave). And this 2019 COV document.

Also one can see what could be an 2022 election sign from Cinnamon Bhayani who ran for council under the NPA banner and came 47th with 8,586 votes.

[hollywoodnorth]

crane #1 is up for Archetype on Main @ 1st