"I'm Jealous of Vancouver" polemic in the US Northwest section

[SFUVancouver]

I just stumbled on a thread in the US Northwest section initiated by an editorial segment aired on KOMO TV about how much better the commentator thought Vancouver was doing at the whole "transportation" thing than Seattle.

It isn't my intention to start a thread to beat up on Seattle, far from it. What strikes me as fascinating is that a tv commentator had the guts to tell it straight and likely piss off a huge chunk of viewers. Where are the Vancouver TV commentators losing their minds on air that Vancouver isn't getting its act together about this or that? Specifically how the DTES managed to get as bad as it is and why the Feds could get away with scrapping the entire National Home Program of affordable housing construction. The Province's HOMES BC program is not about building affordable housing, but rather social and supportive housing for thoroughly impoverished and vulnerable people that usually looks and functions... like housing for thoroughly impoverished and vulnerable people. Anyway, I'm only using the DTES and housing as examples of an "elephant in the room" scenario that everyone knows about but isn't being discussed adequately.

Thoughts?

[mr.x]

"...it is just so damned discouraging."

lol.

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

Where are the Vancouver TV commentators losing their minds on air that Vancouver isn't getting its act together about this or that? Thoughts?

I would think that the Business community and the Media has fallen in line in lieu of 2010, how else are you going to get a ticket to the event.
But, just wait about a month after the games.

[SpongeG]

the DTES is an issue - but i was watching a show on knowledge network a few years ago about port cities - of which vancouver is and basically it pointed out that the DTES type of problem has been with Vancouver since the late 1800's - drugs, hookers, opium dens, gangs etc go hand in hand with vancouver whether citizens like it or not

so basically its not going to be solved quickly or easily

perhaps thats why media etc doesn't do more? they are aware that it is just part of the makeup/element of the city

[Holden West]

Victoria and Vancouver were very lucky to dodge the "Downtown Freeway" movement in the 60s. Plans were on the board but never implemented.

Maybe Seattle's big transit goof was building a futuristic monorail in the 60s when they should have gone with a good old fashioned, dependable light rail system.

[SEA-TOWN]

The big let-down is that at one point we (Seattle) had the chance to use federal money to build a subway but we didn't.

[crazyjoeda]

Originally Posted by Holden West

Maybe Seattle's big transit goof was building a futuristic monorail in the 60s when they should have gone with a good old fashioned, dependable light rail system.

Seattles monorail has nothing to do with public transportation, it only has 2 stations and goes just a few blocks.

[Hot Rod]

Yep, the only thing that was built was the bus tunnel. I guess that is better than nothing but your right, so much lost potential in Seattle.

[SEA-TOWN]

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda

Seattles monorail has nothing to do with public transportation, it only has 2 stations and goes just a few blocks.

Yep, it was basically built as just another attraction for the world's fair.

[CrooklynDodger]

Yeah, but at least Seattle has a good highway system.

[northface]

light rail is being built now in seattle! though, when i have been to vancouver, i was a bit annoyed by having no freeways going into the city. I hated all the stop lights and it seemed like traffic was a mess every time i was there...almost worst then seattle. I dunno...i thought the light rail was cool and everything...but i didnt get that "awesome" transportation thing that everyone is talking about. also, seattle blew it biug when they didnt build the subway and the money was there...what a missstakkeee...

[Holden West]

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda

Seattles monorail has nothing to do with public transportation, it only has 2 stations and goes just a few blocks.

Yep, it was basically built as just another attraction for the world's fair.

But that's what I was trying to get at. The builders of the monorail hoped the City of Seattle would eventually extend the monorail line to become part of the City's mass transit system. The initial assumption was that the line would first be extended to Sea-Tac. Seattle never had the courage to pull it off despite several false starts. Perhaps it was due to the expense and novelty of the monorail as compared to more traditional public transportation systems.

Anyway, here's a photo I took of the Seattle Monorail in 1980 before they modified the track. I can't imagine downtown Vancouver having those big concrete supports but who knows, it might have been a good idea in certain areas.

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by CrooklynDodger

Yeah, but at least Seattle has a good highway system.

"Good" is bad in this case. It encourages more auto traffic and sprawl.

[agrant]

I've been working at different sites all over town, and I can honestly say the only places where traffic is a problem for me is getting on or off the major bridges (or tunnel...) during the rush. If we are going to do major upgrades to the roads, they should be done in these places, not within the city. As long as you're able to drive close to the speed limit, there's not a problem. Besides, rapid transit before a highway.

[twoNeurons]

At some intersections, trolley wires aren't much different than a monorail guideway.

Besides, Vancouver had a monorail, just as Seattle does. They are both remnants of a world fair. However, Vancouver had built a skytrain in addition to the monorail.

Skytrain from Stadium station, esthetically speaking is essentially an obese monorail.

Pictures like these help to see maybe what SKYTRAIN would look like among high rises.


A thinner monorail guideway wouldn't be "that" obstrusive in downtown Vancouver along streets like Pacific Blvd. or Georgia.

North South would be a bit more tricky, but Burrard is quite wide:


I'd love to see a mockup of what monorail would look like in downtown Vancouver.
Other Monorail Pics:

Sydney (single loop track downtown) This model could work well for Vancouver, up Georgia down Burrard and then back up Pacific:



Tama Monorail in Tachikawa, Japan



And I'm sure you could construct a thin guideway with THIS monorail (gyroscopically balanced)

[mr.x]

^ Wtf Lmao.

[twoNeurons]

Hey, I invented a new word: obstrusive. obstructive and obtrusive at the same time!

[SpongeG]

^^^ loves it

[MtnClimber]

The city of Seattle is run by a bunch of retards.

[Deez]

Originally Posted by agrant

I've been working at different sites all over town, and I can honestly say the only places where traffic is a problem for me is getting on or off the major bridges (or tunnel...) during the rush. If we are going to do major upgrades to the roads, they should be done in these places, not within the city. As long as you're able to drive close to the speed limit, there's not a problem. Besides, rapid transit before a highway.

Increasing capacity to bridges will only increase traffic in the places the bridges go, and 10 years down the road you'll end up with the same problem you started with. That's why twinning the Port Mann is such a stupid idea (along with the rest of the gateway program). I have a feeling you guys have gone over this ad nauseum, but I'm new out here so please cut me some slack