Metro Vancouver Transit Discussion

[mattropolis]

Quote:
Originally Posted by officedweller View Post
Which report is that from?
City of Surrey? (i.e. is it a source that would have actual knowledge of route planning?
Do the Expo Line routes represent rapid bus or extensions?
its from the files for SFU & City of Surrey Transportation Lecture Program 2010. I have my ways of finding things lol

That map is from the Transport Action BC website, created for Transport Action. Here is a more current version.

http://bc.transport-action.ca/learni...t_network.html

[xd_1771]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Surrey Rapid Transit Study - consultations this month:

http://www.translink.ca/en/Be-Part-o...sit-Study.aspx


Alternatives to be posted on October 12th - That should be interesting!!
(Akin to the UBC extension alternatives - I expect both SkyTrain and LRT options)

http://www.translink.ca/en/Be-Part-o...ernatives.aspx

Workshop Schedule
A presentation will begin 45 minutes into each session, with a workshop to follow.

October 14, 2010
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Langley Hampton Inn Rooms A, B & C
19500 Langley Bypass, Surrey

October 18, 2010
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
SFU Surrey
Rooms 5140 & 5100
13450 102 Avenue, Surrey

October 19, 2010
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Surrey Sport and Leisure Complex
Rooms MP1 & MP2
16555 Fraser Highway, Surrey

October 25, 2010
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Newton Seniors Centre
Auditorium
13775 70 Avenue, Surrey

Now, this is exciting; seems like a very nice way to present my Port Mann-Guildford-Fleetwood-Newton-[1. Strawberry Hill-Delta-Richmond, 2. South Surrey-White Rock] LRT line plan
Too bad the presentation centres aren't any closer to where I am
Anyways, who's going to be there?

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by mrjauk

This is simply not true--at least in British Columbia. The city decides how much money it needs for the next year, then determines how much property tax each homeowner/business will be charged based on the relative (not absolute) value of that property. If property values in Vancouver were to drop 50%, the amount of money collected by the City via property taxes would not necessarily change. What would change is the property tax rate (or the mill rate).

I will say I was wrong on the property taxes. I assumed as the value of the property started to fall you would pay less.

But if that is the case then that gives a bigger reason of using property taxes over sales taxes. Your not subject to the wild swings of sales taxes.

[officedweller]

That's also one of the reasons that municipal governments are often criticized for failing to reign-in spending - they can always adjust the mill rate to raise the amount they want for any given year.

[Whalleyboy]

Originally Posted by xd_1771

Now, this is exciting; seems like a very nice way to present my Port Mann-Guildford-Fleetwood-Newton-[1. Strawberry Hill-Delta-Richmond, 2. South Surrey-White Rock] LRT line plan
Too bad the presentation centres aren't any closer to where I am
Anyways, who's going to be there?

I'm trying to figure out if i should go to the one in central or fleetwood

[mr.x]

Be still my beating heart...



http://www.vancouversun.com/unwanted...278/story.html



Extra old buses that were used for the Olympics crushed and sold to a scrap yard...would have been ideal to have kept some if we demand warranted additional service and we didn't have the money to buy new ones right away.

[allan_kuan]

I should have rode one of those before it was sent to the yard. ><

On the other hand, one should keep in mind that these buses lived a pretty productive life... and they've sort of outlived it by now. Their fuel efficiency isn't the best, and parts cost more due to their scarcity.

Fortunately, if I recall, at least one of them (a suburban version of the D40) has been kept for local preservation here.

Also interesting to note the two oddball WVMT Orion I buses in the middle of the crushed stacks of D40s.

[nname]

Originally Posted by mr.x

Be still my beating heart...

Extra old buses that were used for the Olympics crushed and sold to a scrap yard...would have been ideal to have kept some if we demand warranted additional service and we didn't have the money to buy new ones right away.

Well, there are about 65-70 surplus newer buses that are kept in storage, plus an unknown number of surplus trolleys (at least 20, since the 20 buses that replaced by the new 60ft trolleys was supposed to redistributed to other routes, but that never happend). That would be enough resource to implement 4 B-Lines, or double the service in all North Shore routes, if they have the money to run them!

[Gordon]

surplus trolleys?
Until today diesel's have been replacing trollies on the #7 Route and there were still diesel's being used during Peak periods for extra service on trolley routes.

[fp252]

And there goes the last of the non-Orion high-floored buses.

Seems like such a waste.

[djun]

Originally Posted by Gordon

surplus trolleys?
Until today diesel's have been replacing trollies on the #7 Route and there were still diesel's being used during Peak periods for extra service on trolley routes.

Apparently this was due to construction along the #7 route on Nanaimo St.

[mrjauk]

Originally Posted by cabotp

I will say I was wrong on the property taxes. I assumed as the value of the property started to fall you would pay less.

But if that is the case then that gives a bigger reason of using property taxes over sales taxes. Your not subject to the wild swings of sales taxes.

I agree that property tax revenues are more likely to be stable than are sales tax revenues, at least in BC. In many jurisdictions in the USA, property tax rates remain constant, which does cause dramatic fluctuations in the revenues generated therefrom as a result of the naturally cyclical nature of real estate values.

If you want to know more about the property tax rates charged in Vancouver (on all types of property) go here:

http://vancouver.ca/fs/budgetServices/taxrates_2000.htm

You'll find links to all subsequent years, up to and including 2010 on the left-hand sidebar.

You'll notice that while real estate values in Vancouver have increased more than two-fold since 2000, property tax revenues have increased about 33%.

[punface]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Surrey Rapid Transit Study - consultations this month:

http://www.translink.ca/en/Be-Part-o...sit-Study.aspx


Alternatives to be posted on October 12th - That should be interesting!!
(Akin to the UBC extension alternatives - I expect both SkyTrain and LRT options)

http://www.translink.ca/en/Be-Part-o...ernatives.aspx

I've been checking all day, and the Surrey alternatives just went up in the past 5 minutes: http://www.translink.ca/en/Be-Part-o...ernatives.aspx

[TransitJack]

Originally Posted by mr.x

Be still my beating heart...



http://www.vancouversun.com/unwanted...278/story.html



Extra old buses that were used for the Olympics crushed and sold to a scrap yard...would have been ideal to have kept some if we demand warranted additional service and we didn't have the money to buy new ones right away.

Oh man!! I saw them stored in Richmond for months, but just today noticed they were ALL gone...

Ironically I saw one later in the day, an ex PoCo yard bus, that had white paint all over the old yellow and blue translink colours.

Though noisy, these were always my favorite style of bus.

[madmigs]

Originally Posted by nname

Well, there are about 65-70 surplus newer buses that are kept in storage, plus an unknown number of surplus trolleys (at least 20, since the 20 buses that replaced by the new 60ft trolleys was supposed to redistributed to other routes, but that never happend). That would be enough resource to implement 4 B-Lines, or double the service in all North Shore routes, if they have the money to run them!

Well you want to keep some out of circulation in case of breakdowns and with the number of buses that are in service, i would guess that we have at least a few breakdowns per day for various reasons.

[nname]

Originally Posted by madmigs

Well you want to keep some out of circulation in case of breakdowns and with the number of buses that are in service, i would guess that we have at least a few breakdowns per day for various reasons.

No, those buses (except the trolleys) are "stored", meaning that they are not in any of the transit yard. Similar to those 60 feet buses in 2001, which was stored in a facility near Braid station before they got back into service in fall 2003.

[deasine]

Something that has been brought to my attention here, the results for the 2010 Architectural Engineering Design Competition have been announced. Contestants (students) were to submit hypothetical plans for Capstan Way Stn on the Canada Line, the station that was never built.

Highly advise you to see a few of the creative works (full plans):
http://www.fastepp.com/index.php/new...gn-competition

From the Fast+EPP AEDC Site:
Winner: "Grass In the Wind"


Second Place: "Subtle Perplexity"


Honourable Mention: "View Corridors"


Honourable Mention: "Richmond Oval"

[mr.x]

^ designs that deserve to be built. ...unlike...... . . . . . . . . .

[CLC]

I couldn't recall if Translink has held Transportation Fair before. The one hold in the new Creekside Community Centre (Olympic Village) may worth check out.
http://www.translink.ca/en/Be-Part-o...tion-Fair.aspx

[SpongeG]

took a pic today - around 3:30-4 at the Broadway station