Winnipeg City Transit/Rapid Transit

[Winnipegger]

Woah, dude, take it easy! For one thing, I am not Gary Doer. And, no, I am not all for supporting welfare. Why should natives bum off of what we make so they can go buy their "anti-depressants"? No, we need to attract commerce and banking. We need to get corporations that want to be here, here. We need to make the city attractive and professional. If mass transportation is what it takes, then so be it!

[Only The Lonely..]

Although not Winnipeg, it gives you an idea about how seriously they take public transit in other cities across Canada. Personally, i'm all for a modern street car system in our city.

Portland, Oregon, bought their's in early 2000 for about the same amount of money it would cost us to build a BRT line out to the U of M.

Tolls, streetcars and bus lanes in Montreal's future: transit plan
Last Updated: Thursday, May 17, 2007 | 12:43 PM ET
CBC News

The City of Montreal has released its ambitious $8 billion public transit plan to overhaul the island’s metro train and bus network over the next two decades which includes streetcar routes and possible bridge and highway tolls.

Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay said the plan — the first of its kind for the city — focuses on encouraging sustainable development and public transit use to limit the number of cars on city roads and highways and contain greenhouse gas emissions.

Earlier this spring Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt, left, and Quebec Premier Jean Charest, right, inaugurated three new subway stations serving Laval.
(Peter McCabe/Canadian Press) "Today we are making a break with an outdated method for transporting people and goods, and [we’re] launching a new way of thinking," he said at a press conference Thursday morning.

The plan includes measures to increase public transit ridership by introducing streetcar tracks on several of Montreal’s busiest streets, including Mont Royal and Parc Avenue, Côte-des-Neiges Street.

The city also proposes introducing tolls on some Montreal-South Shore bridges to generate revenue to pay for the expansion plan.

Public consultations will be held on the possibility of introducing tolls. The last toll in Montreal — on the South Shore-bound Champlain Bridge — was phased out in 1984.

City officials said air pollution and congestion is hindering Montreal’s prosperity and affects the quality of life.

Traffic congestion alone "causes economic losses of $800,000 to one million dollars a year" said André Lavallée, Montreal’s executive committee member responsible for public transit and urban development.

"These realities should convince us that we need to radically modify our collective choices," he said Thursday.

The plan also proposes further expanding Montreal’s subway lines. Three new stations in Laval, north of the city, opened to the public earlier this spring.

A rail shuttle is also in the works to connect the downtown core to the Montreal Trudeau International Airport. Several reserved bus lanes will be added to north-south streets including Papineau Street and Pie IX Boulevard.

Montreal’s bicycle path network will be extended as well — the city plans to double the current 380 kilometres of bicycle paths in the next seven years, and will add more bike parking.

Montreal will lobby Quebec for greater revenue-generating powers in order to pay for the public transit expansion, Lavallée said.

City council will vote on the plan next fall.

[viperred88]

Originally Posted by jimj_wpg

And Winnipeg will be left behind, still trying to sell BRT to the citizens.

or they are gonna pull us on a hay wagon with either horses or tractor

[Alva360]

As Vancouver gas prices soar, so does transit use

Average pump cost hits $1.27 a litre; city's Translink system sees 11-per-cent increase in ridership

LAURA DRAKE

From Friday's Globe and Mail

May 18, 2007 at 4:32 AM EDT

VANCOUVER — Gas prices are up across the country, but no major city has been hit harder than Vancouver with an average pump price of $1.272 a litre for regular unleaded gasoline. It's been climbing steadily toward that record since February.

But as gas prices continue to rise, so does the number of people who use public transit.

From January to April, Vancouver's Translink system saw an 11-per-cent increase in ridership over the same period last year on its light-rail service, while the rest of the system saw a 3-per-cent rise.

At the same time, national public transit use is at an all-time high, according to the Canadian Urban Transit Association.


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Harper rules out gas-tax cut
Gas prices are only one of the determining factors when it comes to choosing public transit, but changes in prices at the pumps have been reflected in ridership numbers in the past, Translink spokesman Drew Snider said. It goes to show that if environmental issues don't necessarily motivate people to be greener, the economy will.

"I think in some ways environment still takes a back seat to a lot of people," he sad "You think you can put up with smelly air and you can't really see the immediate impact of what you're doing, but you can see the gasoline prices."

Gas prices have certainly never been higher - and it doesn't look like they are going to go down any time soon, said Michael Ervin, president of M.J. Ervin & Associates Inc., a Calgary-based energy consultancy.

That's due in part to higher-than-usual levels of maintenance at refineries in North America, which have caused an unprecedented seasonal production decline.

Though that decline is ending, Mr. Ervin said, prices should remain about the same as demand increases with the arrival of summer.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was asked about the rising costs of gasoline at a press conference yesterday in Waterloo, Ont. (His Conservatives promised, during the 2004 election, to cut 0.7 cents from the gas tax.)

"We became convinced that, quite frankly there was a limited amount we could do with helping consumers specifically with gas prices," Mr. Harper said, saying the GST cut was an alternative tax relief measure put forward by the government.

Although high gas prices are constantly bemoaned by car owners, some people are looking on the bright - or green - side of the trend.

"We believe that we do need to pay higher gas prices that really reflect the full cost of using fossil fuels. What we need is a gas tax, so that the revenues are captured by the government, who can then turn that money around to build the things we need to use less gas," said Ann Rowan, director of the David Suzuki Foundation's sustainability program.

However, Simon Fraser University environmental economist Mark Jaccard said economic reasons to take transit - be it tax credits for bus passes or high gas prices - don't necessarily lead to less cars or less emissions.

"People love cars. Think of a car as a personal mobility device, or a personal status-enhancing device," Prof. Jaccard said yesterday.

Accordingly, Prof. Jaccard said, high gas prices are not a good way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, nor are they an effective way to get cars off the road. The only way to reduce emissions, he said, is through carbon taxes, which place stiff charges on dumping pollutants into the atmosphere.

With a report from Gloria Galloway

THE BUMP AT THE PUMP

The price for regular gas in Vancouver is higher than in any other major city in Canada.

Vancouver vs. Canada average, Jan.1, 2006 to May 15, 2007

Vancouver: 127.2¢

Canada: 113¢

RETAIL FUEL PRICES

CITY AVERAGES, MAY 15, 2007

Whitehorse 116.7¢
Victoria 125.9¢
Vancouver 127.2¢
Yellowknife 123.2¢
Edmonton 108.9¢
Regina 117.9¢
Winnipeg 112.8¢
Toronto 106.5¢
Ottawa 107.7¢
Quebec City 107.7¢
Fredericton 107.7¢
Charlottetown 115.8¢
Halifax 114.6¢
St. John's 119.5¢

PUBLIC TRANSIT RIDERSHIP

TOTAL VANCOUVER PUBLIC TRANSIT TRIPS*, 2006

Q1: 69.4-M

Q2: 71.4-M

Q3: 69.1-M

Q4: 73.3-M

*Includes bus, Skytrain, Seabus and West Coast Express

SOURCES: NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA, TRANSLINK

[Only The Lonely..]

*double post*

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

*double post*

duble post theres only 1 post

[Only The Lonely..]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

duble post theres only 1 post

I reposted the Vancouver article without looking.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

I reposted the Vancouver article without looking.

o lol

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

*double post*

Triple play.

[Alva360]

Ok so I'm starting to see some "new" progress regarding the Transit stop upgrades. Henderson and Kimberly's old bus shelter got removed today and there seems to be line outs sprayed on the side walks not sure what there for........perhaps it's for the new real time scheduling displays........ Not sure if they implenmented any of these yet in the city but I can see this going up on Henerdson Hwy as it's one of the major bus routes in the city.

We are in such a need for a city transit upgrade. It's taken them forever to finally get to this point, at least it's now getting done.

[The Jabroni]

^^Yes indeed. With the rising gas prices, there are slowly more people taking the bus than before, and with that, there will be an eventual demand of a rapid transit system in this city.

I'll take it as another step closer to getting rapid transit in this city. It may not be that much of a step, but it's a step, right?

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by The Jabroni

^^Yes indeed. With the rising gas prices, there are slowly more people taking the bus than before, and with that, there will be an eventual demand of a rapid transit system in this city.

I'll take it as another step closer to getting rapid transit in this city. It may not be that much of a step, but it's a step, right?

We need a mammoth JUMP into rapid transit for it to make any kind of difference in ridership here, not infantile steps.

[furiousmcd]

Originally Posted by jimj_wpg

We need a mammoth JUMP into rapid transit for it to make any kind of difference in ridership here, not infantile steps.

Yeah, I totally agree with that.

This "small steps" approach that Winnipeg always seems to take has rarely ever worked out for us anytime in the last 40 years. It just seems to be an excuse to procrastinate things that are actually vitally important. Jumps are needed if we are ever to accomplish anything in the realm of rapid transit or continue en route to becoming competitive among other Canadian cities.

Rapid transit is something that is becoming increasingly urgent in Winnipeg because traffic and gas prices are getting worse every day. It took me an hour to get home from Sargent and Arlington to the junction of St Annes and St Marys. It costs me in excess of 70 dollars to fill my car with gas. Madness? I'd say. Especially for a city that is "too small for rapid transit" and is apparently "cheap".

Initial cost should not be the only factor the City of Winnipeg looks at for any of these things. They have to start looking towards long term benefits and towards our future instead of constantly ruining it.

Could you imagine if Winnipeg had any of these?


Aerobus


Copenhagen Metro


Flyda Side Straddle Monorail

[Boreal]

That Aerobus is the coolest thing I've ever seen.

...is it seriously just suspended from the cables? It's not a monorail?

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Jeff1987

That Aerobus is the coolest thing I've ever seen.

...is it seriously just suspended from the cables? It's not a monorail?

saw one on cbc today in india lol i think that would be the ultimat ride

[furiousmcd]

Originally Posted by Jeff1987

That Aerobus is the coolest thing I've ever seen.

...is it seriously just suspended from the cables? It's not a monorail?

Yup. It's supported by metal beams that can be spaced extremely far apart. Up to 600 meters, they claim. This makes it much cheaper to construct and much easier to travel over rivers and ground obstacles. No bridges or intrusive concrete beams like a monorail would require!

It's actually comparable in price to a Bus Rapid Transit system too. They quoted it on the Aerobus site to be between 15 and 20 million per mile which would equate to roughly the same amount Canadian per kilometer if not less.

If you want to see more, the site is www.aerobus.com

I could definitely see that thing floating over gridlock in Winnipeg.

[Boreal]

I'm stunned. I absolutely love it. Alas, those picutres are probably the closest Aerobus would ever come to Winnipeg ...for both the reasons of ice and small-mindedness.

However, in my fantasy world, that bad boy would be crusing right down Portage. Could you imagine Aerobusing from the University of Manitoba down (err..over top?) Pembina to downtown. Unreal. Then we all wake up, and the dream is over. Then again, going from the U of M to downtown in a Chrysler is fun too.

[furiousmcd]

Heheh, I'm glad that you have as much confidence in the Winnipeg City officials as I do. I doubt that ice would be a problem because that mode of transport is already used for ski resorts as a gondola.

[Boreal]

Good call ...I was just wondering more as to what extent it inflates costs. I believe I read (sorry, no source) somewhere that cold/icy climate inflates the cost of LRT "X" percentage. It wasn't outrageous from what I recall, but it is an upward push. Maybe I'm dreaming things, as it is 1:37 am, but I was sure I read this. At any rate, I like our city officials. It's the provincial ones I don't like. However, with that said, both seem to suffer from intestinal fortitude, living in fear of doing something that has some bite. Trying to hug the centre line, or the status quo just gets boring sometimes. I'm not at all against BRT, in fact, I think it's a fantastic idea. I agree that we have to update our current system of public transit (which we are doing) before we can branch out, but my big complaint stems from the fact that we seem to be working on a freelance objective rather than a detailed long term plan. I believe in piece-meal solutions, but in the context of a greater plan.

[flatlander]

Funny how the province and feds pull $66M out of their ass to twin Inkster (where?) but can't come up with rapid transit funding ...