Metro Vancouver Transportation & Transit Plebiscite

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by SOSS

Translink isn't writing off the north shore vote. The mayors and council there are. No one in politics there seem to be progressive enough to realize that they need mass transit. The politicians don't have the mandate of the people therefore when the mayors got together to list the next 10 years of priorities the north shore got squat. Don't blame translink blame the representatives from the area.

Yep I meant the mayors, but we agree. The City of NV has a much more pro-transit view than the others, but being surrounded by the others and - maybe more importantly - the native reserves makes anything meaningful impossible.

I just can't believe, for example, Lynn Valley will look like this 10 years from now and still have buses every 30 minutes after 6:30pm.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

Bingo. I would have looked at increasing the Hydro Transit Levy.

Doesn't matter now. We are boned. I may just invest in a jet pack.

Unless you want to boost it by 15 times, to like a 30$ levy, the Hydro levy wouldn't do jack. I pay 1.81$ currently.

[SOSS]

Is there any way to add a poll onto this tread?

Do you support a one half percentage point (0.5%) increase to the Provincial Sales Tax in Metro Vancouver, dedicated to the Mayor's Transportation and Transit Plan, with independent audits and public reporting?

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

I'm not anti-car, I drive myself several times a week usually. I'm more anti-anti-transit if that makes any sense. I also support a better highway system, and I was completely against road pricing as a funding mechanism. I'm just tired of some vocal driver's hate towards transit. I don't know what else I can say.

It is easy to get worked up and emotional, but try to keep your comments constructive, if not it becomes the kettle calling the pot black.

It is sad that this has to go to a vote, but that is because of BOTH the mayors and the province having no guts to take charge of introducing a new tax / funding method.

Those who complain about skytrain honestly do not know how good of a system they have. Sadly this is largely because people have been spoilt with the service (yes, there were some major delays recently but even those are nothing vompared to the frequency of major delays on many other systems. Translink PR could have been more professional in their response though, and transit police should have started given people on the guideway tickets.) It also because of false information spread by people such as the "Rail for the Valley" group.

As for road pricing for money, I am okay with having distant based tolls on freeways (as long as the price is reasonable) with a rebate system in place for lower income earners / commercial vehicles. For such a system to be on the SFPR it would have to be upgraded to full freeway standards.

The "Vote no" crowd are the same ones who say no to any tax / government spending, they are our watered down version of the GOP.

And I agree, Translink should advertise their road improvements more to get everyone on side and understand the full scope of their jurisdiction.

[squeezied]

Didn't the premier or someone else ensure that there wasn't going to be a "do nothing" option, essentially the "no" vote?

[SOSS]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

And I agree, Translink should advertise their road improvements more to get everyone on side and understand the full scope of their jurisdiction.

We here on this forum should be doing our part too. Talking to people we know to vote yes and why it benefits the majority. Sure I don't agree with all aspects of the mayors priorities, nor the funding model necessarily, but I am voting yes. I will encourage people I know to vote yes too.

[red-paladin]

Originally Posted by SOSS

Is there any way to add a poll onto this tread?

Do you support a one half percentage point (0.5%) increase to the Provincial Sales Tax in Metro Vancouver, dedicated to the Mayor's Transportation and Transit Plan, with independent audits and public reporting?

Good idea, it's now added.
The question field has a character limit so it needs to be this length.

[SOSS]

Originally Posted by red-paladin

Good idea, it's now added.
The question field has a character limit so it needs to be this length.

thanks for adding it and the explanation of the character limit.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by SOSS

thanks for adding it and the explanation of the character limit.

I'd be very surprised if the poll shows any significant opposition considering it's being voted on by denizens of this "Transportation and Infrastructure" thread...

[kylemacmac]

I find it insane that nobody here, or on reddit, or in the Mayors' plan have taken into consideration potential transportation improvements in the region via emerging ridesharing technologies like Lyft Line, Uberpool, or some other integration of on-demand smartphone booked travel. Lyft's co-founder Logan Green worked in public transportation for some time but left after he realized the limits of growing public transit due to fixed funding measures. He then founded ZimRide, a rideshare company that aimed to make use of the more than 80% of all vehicle seats that are unused, and had moderate success, but then sold it to Enterprise Holdings to found Lyft, a similar idea, but established on a hybrid taxi/rideshare model in order to increase the market of riders. Lyft and Uber strongly believe in in consumer-driven (no pun intended) public transportation and I think we're really missing the future here by failing to allow, even promote, these innovations in the GVRD. The reality for the future of urban transportation for many people will likely be a larger variety of services, with direction heading towards a hybrid model model of transport that combines the benefits of transit-taxis-private vehicles.

[crazyjoeda]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

Already seeing the shit storm by people on my facebook

“I am not going to fund this bullshit. I don’t even take transit”
“Can’t they just increase fares?”
“Doesn’t effect me LOL”

Yes, no educational campaign will save us.

So I will continue to sit in my car on McBride and ponder the age old question “ugh I hate traffic and this stupid Patullo Bridge, can’t these idiots around me just take transit?”

This referendum will fail and set this region back 15 years.

People here (not on SPP) are ignorant and shouldn't be making decisions.

This whole referendum is a joke, and it's not funny.

The mayors should be working with the province to fund these projects. Christy Clark has got to be the worst premier this province has ever had. We need leadership on this issue and the premier is showing absolutely none.

Nobody wants to pay more taxes and few people will educated themselves enough to make a thoughtful choice in the referendum. The way I see it, we elect a government to make tough and sometimes unpopular decisions. Often the right thing to do isn't popular.

If a negligible sales tax increase for better transit is a good idea then it should be implemented.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda

This whole referendum is a joke, and it's not funny.

The mayors should be working with the province to fund these projects. Christy Clark has got to be the worst premier this province has ever had. We need leadership on this issue and the premier is showing absolutely none.

Nobody wants to pay more taxes and few people will educated themselves enough to make a thoughtful choice in the referendum. The way I see it, we elect a government to make tough and sometimes unpopular decisions. Often the right thing to do isn't popular.

If a negligible sales tax increase for better transit is a good idea then it should be implemented.

No, the worst Premier ever is still Glen Clark, despite the fact that the Millenium Line and the Fast Ferries were built. This guy built capital projects at the wrong time, and in the case of the Fast Ferries, wrong technology.

You could also pin Gordon Campbell as a runner up, despite having the Canada line built, and built on time... at the cost of P3 project requirements undermining the the long term funding of the project. This also got the Evergreen Line funded.

http://news.ubc.ca/wp-content/upload...erformance.pdf

Politics and Performance:
British Columbia’s Economic and Fiscal Experience 
under the NDP and BC Liberals 1991-2013

See the problem with saying that X is the worst ever, is that it's only within a very narrow context. Getting Boo'd at the Olympics probably cements Gordon Campbell as the one to be the most publicly embarrassed. Glen Clark? He's president of the Jim Pattison Group. Gordon Cambell? Canadian High commissioner to the UK. Cushy jobs await after being a "bad" BC Premier.

The referendum is a Joke, and it already is as good as dead when unofficial polls are already 75% against it. Both Global and CTV ran polls already with similar numbers. If there's any chance of getting people to vote for it, reach for your media contacts.

[Klazu]

Yeah, people are stupid when it comes to this kind of questions. Just see the discussion in VCB: http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/12/v...-pst-increase/

No - 54%
Yes - 39%
Undecided - 8%

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Yeah, people are stupid when it comes to this kind of questions. Just see the discussion in VCB: http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/12/v...-pst-increase/

No - 54%
Yes - 39%
Undecided - 8%

Polls on Global BC and News1130 websites yesterday were running at 75% - NO / 25% - YES.

[logicbomb]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

Polls on Global BC and News1130 websites yesterday were running at 75% - NO / 25% - YES.

Facebook reaction is nearly all negative.

The onus is on us to educate our network and hope they do the same.

From VanCityBuzz

Improve the fuckn roads make a new bridge...oue traffic situations horrible...don't let the stupid cyclists drive their bikes on them maybe then I'll pay ur stupid .5 increased taxes. ..... half the people don't even use transit cause of the amount of freaks on it .

how is it fair for the people who never uses public transit or never on bicycle?????????

Ask the CEO of translink to pay for it instead! He's a leech on the system. Overpaid for doing nothing of any value. Same with the CEO of B.C. ferries. For example the ferries advertise themselves as a 'cruise' when really their just a glorified bus. & Translink... They pissed away millions on the new compass cards system (which doesn't work properly) when the old transfer system worked fine. If it ain't broke, why fix it?

They already get LOADS of tax money from us.

0.5% in vancouver only will probably cost more than it brings in... And then it'll be raised more once they're allowed to do it.

How about, they just stop wasting so much money in the first place?

Ugh. This is where democracy fails. We are allowing hillbilly idiots to vote on something so significant. First we damned the HST, and now this...

[logan5]

Early indications are, this is going to fail miserably. I'm undecided myself. My biggest issue is predictably Surrey's 30% share of the 7.5 billion dollar pie for a local service. Maybe if the proposal was to expand the regional service into Langley (Skytrain), a broader range of people would regard it as a greater benefit to the region as a whole. That's how I feel about it anyways. When the referendum fails, blame it on Surrey.

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by logan5

Early indications are, this is going to fail miserably. I'm undecided myself. My biggest issue is predictably Surrey's 30% share of the 7.5 billion dollar pie for a local service. Maybe if the proposal was to expand the regional service into Langley (Skytrain), a broader range of people would regard it as a greater benefit to the region as a whole. That's how I feel about it anyways. When the referendum fails, blame it on Surrey.

So this is where you have to be an advocate.

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by logan5

Early indications are, this is going to fail miserably. I'm undecided myself. My biggest issue is predictably Surrey's 30% share of the 7.5 billion dollar pie for a local service. Maybe if the proposal was to expand the regional service into Langley (Skytrain), a broader range of people would regard it as a greater benefit to the region as a whole. That's how I feel about it anyways. When the referendum fails, blame it on Surrey.

I don't think it would pass even if Surrey got 100% of the projects.

The problems isn't wear the money might be spent and what portion each area would get.

The problem is that no one likes to pay more in taxes. Whether it is a property tax, gas tax, sales tax, toll, distance toll, vehicle levy, and what ever other form of tax might be out there. This is why it is going to fail.

The people who take transit don't want to pay any more taxes. The people who drive don't want to pay any more taxes.

This is why it is going to fail and I'm 100% positive the province (liberals) know this. They are expecting it to fail.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

is there a way for the poll to be open to non-registered members of this site? i think it would be more accurate to see the results if we let guests vote in it. otherwise it will be pretty one sided.

[logicbomb]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

is there a way for the poll to be open to non-registered members of this site? i think it would be more accurate to see the results if we let guests vote in it. otherwise it will be pretty one sided.

Anyone who has some underlying knowledge of cities and a basic understanding of urban planning would vote "yes." Most people who frequent these forums fall in that category, so I am willing to guess the numbers wouldn't look so different.