Heavy Rail, Commuter Rail, & Intercity Transportation

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Isn't there buses to UBC?
Isn't that good enough?

Go tell your bosses you are doing a good job promoting your employer.

Must've missed the part where I can fly to UBC. What's easier: waiting a couple hours at the airport, or driving from Prince George, the Island or the Okanagan all the way to Vancouver or Surrey just to do the same at the train station?

Keep it up, I'm sure the Washington tourism board appreciates your service.

[casper]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

How does a Skytrain benefit those outside the Lower Mainland?
Population of the Lower Mainland is about 3 million, population of BC is 5 million.

So, how does the Skytrain benefit those 2 million?

Does it have to?

I live in Victoria. BC Ferries is a great benefit for me. Almost no benefit to the average person living in the interior.

The highway between Prince Rupert and Prince George benefits those living in that area but not people living in downtown Vancouver.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by chowhou

-snip-

Originally Posted by casper

Does it have to?

I live in Victoria. BC Ferries is a great benefit for me. Almost no benefit to the average person living in the interior.

The highway between Prince Rupert and Prince George benefits those living in that area but not people living in downtown Vancouver.

Careful now, they'll call you a TransLink shill as well.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

How does a Skytrain benefit those outside the Lower Mainland?
Population of the Lower Mainland is about 3 million, population of BC is 5 million.

So, how does the Skytrain benefit those 2 million?

Ah, now I see why you brought up the suggestion of a straw man argument.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Careful now, they'll call you a TransLink shill as well.

Frankly I don't necessarily agree with you either, I can easily see a direct HSR connection to Seattle being economically as important as local transit improvements for the same amount of money. The other poster actually had an unsuccessful lobotomy sometime in the past though.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Heh, fair enough. Guess we'll have to wait for the study; I just figure (that Victoria will figure) that Canadian residents are a higher priority than American ones.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Please stop talking.

You have this incredibly narrow minded idea that only literally direct-to-consumer services can benefit someone. This is the mentality of an infant. Because you can't see something, you immediately assume it doesn't exist at all; The only things in your reality are those that are directly in front of you.

I'm sure you think logging on the island can't benefit Metro Vancouver, or agriculture in the Peace River can't benefit Metro Vancouver, or mining in the Kooteneys can't benefit Metro Vancouver. Guess who historically paid taxes to the province to even allow these transit projects to be thought of? Those industries, workers in those industries, and workers and companies adjacent to those industries.

It goes exactly the other way too, who is paying for infrastructure projects on the island or in the interior? Partially from the tax base of Metro Vancouver which can be expanded and increased by lubricating business and labour through better transit.

Transit dollars are usually better spent in the densest parts of Vancouver because when you have people more densely living and working and interacting transit dollars go further and help more.

Of course, this will go all over your head because you're kind of a dumbass, but c'mon just shut up.

You are kind of proving my point.
See, I am not against more Skytrain. what I am against is the "Skytrain is needed more than...." That attitude is how Toronto acts to the whole country. So, when a project that is not Skytrain is posted, and it makes sense, I am going to support it. Doesn't mean I don't think more Skytrain lines are needed. Just means I can see the merit in something else too.

So, no, I will not just shut up.

Originally Posted by casper

Does it have to?

I live in Victoria. BC Ferries is a great benefit for me. Almost no benefit to the average person living in the interior.

The highway between Prince Rupert and Prince George benefits those living in that area but not people living in downtown Vancouver.

I am guessing you have never heard of the Upper Arrow Lake Ferry?

I get what you were trying to do.
Point is, a lot of transportation infrastructure is needed in BC.
In Victoria, there are plans (dreams) of some sort of RT, but it will never be funded till Vancouver has suckled all the funds away.

[GenWhy?]

Wasn't that news article saying 10m visited in 2018. It was a 2018 article by the way.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Frankly I don't necessarily agree with you either, I can easily see a direct HSR connection to Seattle being economically as important as local transit improvements for the same amount of money. The other poster actually had an unsuccessful lobotomy sometime in the past though.

I cannot remember, but if I did, it was from someone in the Victoria area. That's where I lost a lot of things....

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Heh, fair enough. Guess we'll have to wait for the study; I just figure (that Victoria will figure) that Canadian residents are a higher priority than American ones.

Why can you be like that with others but not me?
Had you said that, we would not have this constant back and forth... unless you like this.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Vancouver had to wait until the 1.5 million mark to get rapid transit; Mississauga and Hamilton, 700k+. If anything, Victoria at 400k would be getting it ahead of schedule.

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Why can you be like that with others but not me?
Had you said that, we would not have this constant back and forth... unless you like this.

We were keeping it civil, until right here when you flew off the handle when you misread what I typed. Don't blame me for your temper tantrums.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Vancouver had to wait until the 1.5 million mark to get rapid transit; Mississauga and Hamilton, 700k+. If anything, Victoria at 400k would be getting it ahead of schedule.

Kitchener and Waterloo, home of the Ion LRT has a total of less than 400,000.

Edmonton had less than 1 million when it built its LRT.

Vancouver waited too long and is now in catch up mode.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Kitchener and Waterloo, home of the Ion LRT has a total of less than 400,000.

Edmonton had less than 1 million when it built its LRT.

Vancouver waited too long and is now in catch up mode.

The Regional Municipality (which ION serves) has 623k. All of Canada's in catch-up mode, including Edmonton; unfortunately, the big cities catalyze growth faster than the small cities, which is why Red Deer doesn't have a train either.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

The Regional Municipality (which ION serves) has 623k. The entire country's in catch-up mode, including Edmonton.

Show me where in Cambridge the Ion touches.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Show me where in Cambridge the Ion touches.

We've been comparing metro to metro; the metro of Waterloo and Kitchener is the Regional Municipality. Should we exclude the North Shore from Vancuver just because it doesn't have SkyTrain yet? That's going to shrink every other number mentioned so far, and Victoria will still be behind.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Heh, fair enough. Guess we'll have to wait for the study; I just figure (that Victoria will figure) that Canadian residents are a higher priority than American ones.

Love it or hate it, a lot of Canadian residents are employed by American based employers and we're probably the two closest economies in the world. I think it's inarguable that the most important infrastructure project in the country right now is the Gordie Howe bridge in Windsor Ontario; Not a lot of Canadians being directly helped by that project though.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Gordie Howe moves freight, though; passenger HSR doesn't. You could argue business trips, but those can be done by plane as well.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Gordie Howe moves freight, though. Passenger HSR doesn't.

Passenger HSR moves business, though.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

We've been comparing metro to metro; the metro of Waterloo and Kitchener is the Regional Municipality. Should we exclude the North Shore from Metro Van because it doesn't have SkyTrain yet?

I have been comparing municipalities.

Originally Posted by chowhou

Love it or hate it, a lot of Canadian residents are employed by American based employers and we're probably the two closest economies in the world. I think it's inarguable that the most important infrastructure project in the country right now is the Gordie Howe bridge in Windsor Ontario; Not a lot of Canadians being directly helped by that project though.

When you consider that the busiest highway in Canada is going to be connected to it, and all that truck traffic feeds the manufacturing of the province with the highest population, I'd say that is a lot of Canadians. Quick estimate is likely 1/3 of Canada's population.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

When you consider that the busiest highway in Canada is going to be connected to it, and all that truck traffic feeds the manufacturing of the province with the highest population, I'd say that is a lot of Canadians. Quick estimate is likely 1/3 of Canada's population.

So somehow you understand that infrastructure that moves freight helps upstream industries and workers, but yet you can't understand how infrastructure that moves labour and consumers helps upstream industries and workers?

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Passenger HSR moves business, though.

Planes already do that, and faster. HSR's mostly competing with economy class, not business or first.

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

I have been comparing municipalities.

And I've been comparing metros. The city population of Victoria is less than 100k against Kitchener's 256k. Still behind.