Ottawa’s double-deckers present rare opportunity for Victoria
Three Alexander Dennis Enviro500 buses currently undergoing testing in Ottawa, could end up on the streets of Victoria. Photo © Skyscraper Source Media Inc.
BC Transit could find itself the owner of three slightly-used double-deckers if test buses too tall for the Canadian capitol’s roadways are deemed the right fit for Victoria.
OC Transpo, Ottawa’s transit authority, has been testing Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-deckers for several years and has refined the specifications for its ideal vehicle. Coincidentally test buses that no longer fit the bill for Ottawa could become an opportunity for Victoria to pick up used double-deckers on the cheap — a rarity in North America where the vast majority of buses are single-floored.
“We’re always looking for a good deal,” BC Transit’s Meribeth Burton responded when asked of the possibility of acquiring Ottawa’s test vehicles. “Of the buses OC Transpo has operated a small figure simply do not meet their requirements. But if they meet Victoria’s requirements this could be a great opportunity to buy buses at a discounted price.”
Although Burton would not comment on what BC Transit may be prepared to pay for each bus, a used Enviro500 would most certainly sell for well below the Enviro’s list price of nearly $1-million. Burton also maintained that while snapping up Ottawa’s buses would represent a significant savings compared to buying brand new inventory, BC Transit has not made any offers to-date nor does it have any funds currently committed to their acquisition.
OC Transpo reportedly has 75 double-deckers on order and will join Victoria, Kelowna and Toronto as the only jurisdictions in Canada operating two-floor transit vehicles.
Victoria was the first city in North America to integrate double-decker vehicles into its transit fleet back in 2001. VV
To stay up to date on the Victoria Regional Transit System refer to VV’s discussion thread on the subject here. And be sure to follow us on Twitter and connect with us on Facebook to never miss an important headline or forum discussion on VibrantVictoria.
© Copyright 2012 by Skyscraper Source Media. All rights reserved.
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Responses to this Headline or Article
The five most recent replies to VibrantVictoria.ca's discussion forum's BC Transit (Victoria Regional Transit System) news and issues thread, the most relevant thread to the above headline or article:
Holden West
May 21, 2013 at 7:36 pmQuote: Haven't you ever watched an episode of "24" or "Hawaii Five-0"? Just zoom in and clean-up the image already.
The dangerous thing about running red lights is, it takes a lot longer to stop a heavy bus than it does a car.
Mike K.
May 21, 2013 at 9:24 pmFor those of us who have been t-boned in an intersection by someone who ran a red or t-boned someone who ran a red (raise your hands; I'm raising mine) a bus is the LAST vehicle you want to collide with.
I understand that there might be instances where a bus driver may want to run a red rather than slam on the breaks, but at 50km/h a bus should have plenty of time to react to a yellow light and come to a stop before entering the intersection. There's absolutely no excuse, none whatsoever, for a bus to run a red light.
The following are responses we received from BC Transit via twitter.
Quote: @vibrantvictoria Not cool. I'll pass this along, but please also send your safety concern totransitinfo@bctransit.com . Thank you.
We responded that perhaps we should forward the photo and details. The response:
Quote: @vibrantvictoria That'd be very helpful if you could. Safety is our #1 priority and we'd like to address this.
Mike K.
May 22, 2013 at 2:05 pmQuote: From Oct 22, 2012:
I see so many BC Transit buses running RED lights I wonder whether drivers are being trained to run them in lieu of wasting time idling at an intersection.
Otherwise how do you explain the following? I captured this on my dashcam last week in the late afternoon. The bus was traveling west along Yates and blatantly ran a RED light, not even a yellow light. The driver had ample time to stop when he or she saw the yellow light. This is absurd.
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Andrew Johnson from CTV contacted us today and mentioned that he is working on a story about buses running red lights in Victoria.
Mike K.
May 22, 2013 at 2:18 pmA press release issued by BC Transit about the re-routing of buses along the Leigh Road/Bear Mountain interchange.
Quote: VICTORIA – Effective June 15, 2013, BC Transit is permanently rerouting four runs in the West Shore. The rerouting is expected to take place at approximately 6 p.m. on June 15 as the City of Langford opens its new interchange on the Trans-Canada Highway at Leigh Road. Routes #56 Florence Lake, #57 Millstream, #57X Langford Express and #58 Langford Meadows will now operate via the Leigh Road interchange instead of through the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway at Spencer Road.
Customers will also note in September, the former route #56 Spencer Road will be renamed #56 Florence Lake to better reflect the area it serves.
Schedules are not affected at this time, but customers are urged to consulthttp://www.bctransit.com/regions/vic for updates as we monitor the impact of the rerouting over the summer months. Should timing problems arise, run times will be adjusted accordingly.
jonny
May 22, 2013 at 2:45 pm^ Good work Mike! I see many busses run deep yellows and blatantly run reds.
