Translink management fails again

No turnstiles in time for Canada Line in 2009

ctvbc.ca

Even as the Canada Line project enters the home stretch, one key part of the project won’t be finished.

CTV News has learned that the new “London-style” smart card and turnstile system announced amid much fanfare is still in the design phase and won’t be finished in time for the first train.

Having no turnstiles means a green light for riders who don’t want to pay, said Evelina Halsey-Brandt, a Richmond city councillor.

“When the province committed to ensuring that turnstiles would be put in, I expected they would be in when the trains were,” she said.

“We have the one item that’s the easiest to do, to install something physical there and a barrier to keep people from accessing the area where they shouldn’t be if they have not paid their fares,” she said.

And that means that TransLink lags behind on the system for collecting fares at the Canada Line.

The transit authority is moving quickly on finding a way to make up an $18-million shortfall by dipping into your pocket with a possible property tax hike.

The shortfall comes from a controversial parking tax, which was canceled by the government last year. It raised $19-million in 2006 and $21-million in 2007.

TransLink says it needs the money — but the question is where it will come from, said spokesman Ken Hardie.

“The question now is should it be shared, and if so how should it be shared,” said Hardie.

Critics are lining up to suggest TransLink is already taking enough of your tax dollars.

“People feel they’re tapped out, and as the economy begins to shift a little bit, I think people are increasingly anxious about their own financial circumstances and their ability to stay in their homes,” said the NDP’s Bruce Ralston.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Stephen Smart

Updated: Tue Mar. 18 2008 19:16:41

Vancouver video of an old streetcar

Before the auto industry ripped up all the rail track in Vancouver in order to sell more cars, we used to have a sensible tram system like Toronto’s.

Short video showing the original trams used on Vancouver streets

Streetcars more viable for Vancouver: UBC study

A new rapid transit line along Vancouver’s Broadway corridor to the University of British Columbia would cost taxpayers 15 times more than it would to build a streetcar line along the same route, according to a new report.

The report by the UBC Design Centre for Sustainability is based on above-ground transit systems in the U.S. and European cities.

Researchers found a streetcar rail system would not only cover more ground at much less cost to taxpayers, it would also have the potential to improve the quality of life in affected neighbourhoods by making a smaller environmental footprint, in comparison to a subway-like system.

Redevelopment of the Broadway corridor is part of the province’s $14 billion plan to expand transit lines in the city over the next 10 years. The plan includes an Evergreen Line to the Tri-Cities and an extension of the existing Expo Line through Surrey.

When you look at what it would cost to build a streetcar system, the $2.8 billion earmarked for a SkyTrain route to UBC looks too expensive, says Professor Patrick Condon, one of the authors of the study.

Based on the amounts of money that are being discussed he suspects TransLink is leaning towards a 12-kilometre underground subway system.

But a streetcar system would pay for itself within two decades, he said, and should be seriously considered as an option for Vancouver.

“I don’t think (a streetcar system) has been given serious consideration (by TransLink),” he said.

The report shows the historic streetcar system that operated in Greater Vancouver in the early 1900’s for more than 60 years could be rebuilt and expanded to meet the needs of transit users in Vancouver today.

Conducted by Professor Patrick Condon, Sigrid Gruenberger and Marta Klaptocz, the study was completed at the Design Centre for Sustainability in partnership with the School of Architecture.

First published June 6, 2008  -  ctvbc.ca

City bus driver assaulted by youths

Three youths are custody in connection with an assault on a B.C. Transit bus driver.

On Thursday at about 8 p.m., police received several 9-1-1 calls of an assault in progress on the bus driver near the stop at the intersection of Tillicum Road and Burnside Road West. Officers apprehended three youths, a 15-year-old boy a 14-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl.

The youths had been riders on the bus and passengers reported the attack started when the driver tried to remove one of them from the bus for unruly behaviour.

All three youths are facing charges for assault causing bodily harm and the boy is facing an additional charge for uttering threats.

They have all been released to adult parents or guardians with conditions and a promise to appear.

The bus driver, a 56-year-old man, had several lacerations. He was treated for cuts and bruises.

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

RAV Line could open in August

Another locomotive line almost ready

In its 2009 Budget and Business Planning Summary, TransLink says the new transit line, which will connect Richmond and the airport with Vancouver, is ahead of schedule and “expectations are the system will be in operation in late summer or early fall.”

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