Winnipeg City Transit/Rapid Transit

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Pootkao

Stop complaining and start doing something to make this city a better place.

[newflyer]

I would be very willing to see more tax incentives for downtown investment and development. Perhaps a property tax break would also help draw people to live downtown. The elimination of the business tax, as planned, will help all areas of the city.

It will take something to build the momentum towards downtown. The fact is decades of bad managment and high taxes has created the decline of downtown and it will take more than wishing to turn it back around to a vibrant centre Winnieg deserves for its downtown.

[Pootkao]

Originally Posted by thurmas

I have to disagree Montreal's downtown is a 1000 times nicer than winnipeg's, Edmonton's is fairly nice, Calgary's is fine, Ottawa's is good. Yes every major city's downtown in Canada has it's rough area's but Winnipeg's has been ravaged by a slow progressing cancer on it's downtown. Winnipeg's downtown has some great pockets that I enjoy ie:The exchange, the forks but it's TRUE HEART Portage and Main have slowly dwindled to streets ravaged with native poverty, public urination,ravage panhandling,perverts(last time I was at portage place a guy was washing his balls in the sink)muggings in front of portage place all the time. Drug deals abound even in plain sight in daylight during lunch hour in front of air canada building. The only development that does occur on portage is more uneeded government buildings. If I and many more people were to either set up shop or move to downtown it would require 3 things 1) a dedicated beef up of 50-75 downtown only police officers round the clock to make poeple feel safe around downotwn with 100 additional private security officers for malls, public buildings ect... 2) a dedicated massive property tax cut or a 5 year property tax exemption for starting a business downtown similar to what Fargo did 8 years ago which is in the red river revitalization article in this forum. 3) true rapid transit system so Winnipegers can travel quickly and efficienty to visit or live downtown. I don't hate downtown it just breaks my heart to see what has happened to her. I won't move downtown just because it's downtown it has to improve first before most people will give it a try.

Let me put it simply: you are contributing to the problem, not the solution.

Why is Montreal's downtown nice? Because people live there. Because they have a history and a culture of vibrancy and living that way. Because they have chosen to make their city that way. What have you chosen?

Stop being a sheep. Stop shopping at the shitty suburban stores. Stop eating at chain restaurants. Stop depending on your automobile. Stop waiting for governments to change and start demanding it. Stop electing small minded idiots to city hall. Stop reading Tom Brodbeck. Stop spending 90% of your income in the suburbs (where the majority is then being whisked away to Toronto or New York or Hong Kong anyways.) Spend your money where it affects change and stop waiting for someone else to take the lead, because there are a bunch of us are already leading. Yeah, Winnipeg has had a downturn that has lasted 50 years -- but guess what, you can pin most of downtown's demise on suburban expansion. Where do you live? Exactly. (And don't worry, I know your area all-too-well. Grew up in Fort Richmond, and went to FRC.) How easy it is for you to do your long daily commute down Pembina and then throw lobs at downtown from afar wondering why its in the shape its in.

I walk down Portage Avenue every single day, at all hours. I rent space in a building near the MTS Centre. I live within walking distance.
Life downtown is wonderful. You couldn't pay me enough to ever move back to the south end.

Your call for tax cuts is bullshit. You don't need 'em. If I don't need 'em, you don't need 'em. What you need is to stop looking at our city with eyes of fear, judgement and segregation. You need to start seeing the opportunity for change.

Stop complaining and start doing something to make this city a better place.

And lastly, read the second blog on this site.

[1ajs]

certan street people i wlll never speak to period... i know their stories and and have watched them go into the spiral and they just have no respect for anyone so i just ignore them others i will glady sit and talk with them hell one of the ones with one leg in a wheel chare is my best friends uncle....

[DAVEinEDMONTON]

Originally Posted by thurmas

I have to disagree Montreal's downtown is a 1000 times nicer than winnipeg's, Edmonton's is fairly nice, Calgary's is fine, Ottawa's is good. Yes every major city's downtown in Canada has it's rough area's but Winnipeg's has been ravaged by a slow progressing cancer on it's downtown. Winnipeg's downtown has some great pockets that I enjoy ie:The exchange, the forks but it's TRUE HEART Portage and Main have slowly dwindled to streets ravaged with native poverty, public urination,ravage panhandling,perverts(last time I was at portage place a guy was washing his balls in the sink)muggings in front of portage place all the time. Drug deals abound even in plain sight in daylight during lunch hour in front of air canada building. The only development that does occur on portage is more uneeded government buildings. If I and many more people were to either set up shop or move to downtown it would require 3 things 1) a dedicated beef up of 50-75 downtown only police officers round the clock to make poeple feel safe around downotwn with 100 additional private security officers for malls, public buildings ect... 2) a dedicated massive property tax cut or a 5 year property tax exemption for starting a business downtown similar to what Fargo did 8 years ago which is in the red river revitalization article in this forum. 3) true rapid transit system so Winnipegers can travel quickly and efficienty to visit or live downtown. I don't hate downtown it just breaks my heart to see what has happened to her. I won't move downtown just because it's downtown it has to improve first before most people will give it a try.

I think you have some good points on what needs to be done, however, the underlying issue behind most of your suggestions is the necessary political will of Winnipeg's city council to fund all those initatives long term to regain the majority of Winnipeggers faith and trust back into their downtown. If city council acted on your suggestions, developers most likely would follow suit and that would lead to more potential downtown retail and more people living downtown as well. Unfortunately, it will not happen overnight...

[ILYR]

Originally Posted by Pootkao

And lastly, read the second blog on this site.

This is a great picture



Really shows the impact of buses compared to SOV's (single occupant vehicles)
From http://hick-belt-hilton.blogspot.com/

[1ajs]

%^%&$%$ transik strike :S posible ^%#^%#^

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

%^%&$%$ transit strike :S possible ^%#^%#^

Corrected spelling...

If you live close to the downtown and if you work downtown then you can still walk or bike (weather permitting) until the strike is OVER.

I'm hoping for a strike. Maybe it will knock some sense into transt for a few decades.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by jimj_wpg

Corrected spelling...

If you live close to the downtown and if you work downtown then you can still walk or bike (weather permitting) until the strike is OVER.

I'm hoping for a strike. Maybe it will knock some sense into transt for a few decades.

kinda hard when you gota commute to the rrc campus out in the boonies

[vid]

Originally Posted by jimj_wpg

Corrected spelling...

If you live close to the downtown and if you work downtown then you can still walk or bike (weather permitting) until the strike is OVER.

I'm hoping for a strike. Maybe it will knock some sense into transt for a few decades.

No. I'll tell you what happened after our strike: Starting as soon as it is over, bus drivers will be able to wear what they want, listen to loud radios, talk on cell phones while driving, take breaks whenever they want, treat customers like shit and get a 10% pay increase. When all is said and done they will be making about 65% more than police. Oh, and ridership will go down.

At least that is what happened here.

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

%^%&$%$ transik strike :S posible ^%#^%#^

Wouldn't count on it. There's only one major issue in the way of an agreement. They want to penalize drivers who take more than 6 days off in a year (sick, bereavement, family days, etc.). Assuming a 7.5 hour work day, days 7 through 10 off in a year would see 40 hours of pay taken away. That's right, take away more pay than you would have earned had you worked. Only they wouldn't hit the driver with the loss until just before Christmas, taking away from the money paid to all drivers in lieu of the rest breaks they don't get.

Most civic employees get up to 15 paid sick days in a year , but bus drivers under that plan, assuming they used 10 of those sick days in year, would be penalized almost 9 days pay.

Transit has a high rate of absenteeism and this was their idea of how to combat it in a workplace where morale is already low. If they listen to the employees for a change they'd be sure to find ways to fix the problem in ways that are beneficial to both sides, but as is typical of Transit management they want to get results by threatening punishment, further beating morale into the ground.

Anyways, that's the one main issue that caused the rejection of the preliminary tentative agreement. The were some other issues with it, but that's the one that got it voted down.

[1ajs]

manigment needs to get outa the office.........

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

manigment needs to get outa the office.........

They need out... big time!

[Kinguni]

Oh, contrary to rumours, the union and the City are meeting for negotiations next week at the City's request.

[1ajs]

o good!

[Kinguni]

June 14, 2008

Hybrids fail to make jump into era of green transit

By ROSS ROMANIUK, SUN MEDIA

Last February, Mayor Sam Katz proudly ushered in the diesel-electric articulated buses. (C. Procaylo/Sun Media files)

Winnipeg Transit's efforts to go green with long, so-called "bendy" buses partially powered by electricity appear to have crashed.

The introduction of 20 of the so-called articulated, approximately 60-foot-long diesel-electric hybrid buses for the city fleet is poised to be scuttled because of poor performance during a recent trial run.

Fuel consumption

City spokeswoman Pam Sveinson confirmed yesterday that Winnipeg Transit's purchase of the score of vehicles from local manufacturer New Flyer Industries -- each at a price of about $1 million -- is uncertain, mainly because of problems with the model's fuel consumption.

"The concerns are related to efficiencies in terms of fuel savings and reduced emissions," she said, adding the city is looking at alternatives.

More details will be revealed in coming weeks, she added, though a source close to the talks between Transit and New Flyer suggested the city is likely feeling pressure to buy other forms of buses from the company because of a previous agreement between the two sides.


"I think they're working something out, because there was an intent to purchase. I don't think they can just walk away from that. I think they'll get something else," the source said.

The source pointed to the performance of electric power in cold weather as among the difficulties with the hybrids' engines.

The city conducted a five-month trial involving one hybrid last December. The buses are heavily used in several North American cities and highly touted by advocates of a local rapid transit system.

At a media event for the pilot project with provincial and federal officials in mid-December, Mayor Sam Katz said he was "ecstatic that the wheels of the diesel-electric hybrid articulated test bus have hit the streets of Winnipeg."

It was projected that 20 of the buses be on local streets by the spring of 2009.

Katz was not made available to comment yesterday.

Flexible connections

New Flyer, which has distributed such articulated buses -- using flexible connections to join two parts of the vehicles -- to several transit systems across the continent, also refused to confirm the roadblock.

"We tend not to discuss matters with our customers in the media," said company spokesman Glenn Asham. "We'll let the city make that confirmation if they so choose to."

Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona) said maintaining heat in the trial bus was also difficult, adding the city has no choice but to back away from the buses if they don't work well.

"It would be irresponsible to spend $20 million on something that has problems," he said. "The last thing we want to do is buy something that doesn't work properly."

[Pootkao]

I was talking with a friend who's in management at Transit about the bendy hybrid busses.

He said they had lots of trouble with warm hear circulation and heating during winter, that the engines had to work so hard to heat the bus (which still wasn't satisfactory) that the fuel consumption skyrocketed.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Pootkao

I was talking with a friend who's in management at Transit about the bendy hybrid busses.

He said they had lots of trouble with warm hear circulation and heating during winter, that the engines had to work so hard to heat the bus (which still wasn't satisfactory) that the fuel consumption skyrocketed.

That's exactly what is likely to happen with any rapid transit coaches the city could conceivably buy. None of them are made for Winnipeg winters and they will all need to be re-engineered specially for the city at great cost. If they would just buy normal buses, keep them in good repair and put any extra money into buying more of them and building some indoor waiting areas, that would make sense to me. Winnipeg is never going to be the rapid transit city, but it could be the city where on major streets you're never more than 5-6 minutes from catching a nice, clean bus that has the best available climate control and environmental technology.

[The Jabroni]

I think New Flyer would learn from this by doing some more research and find a way to suit their "bendy" buses for our climate. I mean, they do have the technology and resources. It's only a matter of time on how to resolve those issues and then conceive a solution to those problems. If a customer wants what exactly what they need, then New Flyer should deliver on those request.

Don't get me wrong. I think New Flyer is a good company. What I'm saying is, New Flyer might learn from this so that they can make better buses in the future.

[fengshui]

Originally Posted by Andy6

That's exactly what is likely to happen with any rapid transit coaches the city could conceivably buy. None of them are made for Winnipeg winters and they will all need to be re-engineered specially for the city at great cost.

I think this is more a reflection on New Flyer not getting it right the first time (not unexpected either, these hybrid units are quite complex and they are one of the first to market). Volvo hasn't yet introduced their hybrid, it is coming in 2009. Volvo being based in Sweden, there is a good chance it will have been engineered for cold weather.

Of course, if we were talking rail rapid transit, there are so many other northern cities that run transit and rapid transit systems outside. Places like Helsinki, Moscow, Oslo, Stockholm, St. Petersburg, etc.