607 replies to this topic

[dasmo]

The same https://youtu.be/r6-SJLlneLc

[Victoria Watcher]

Out of time? Unloved Commonwealth Games faces uphill battle to survive

 

Hosts are pulling out, costs are spiralling and the PR is a challenge: will the post-colonial festival of sport find a way to secure its future?

 

 

 

https://www.theguard...ttle-to-survive

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 December 2023 - 02:56 AM.

[spanky123]

^ Queue the local promoters.

[dasmo]

Harry's vibrating p*nis could be the mascot! 

[max.bravo]

I suspect if a Commonwealth games were held in Victoria today it would be protested and booed into oblivion by the woke folk.

[Nparker]

When the real reason for booing would be the cost to taxpayers.

[Mike K.]

Yeah, I don't think the local taxpayer would be thrilled to host it, either.

 

Didn't they try to bring it back, and people weren't impressed? All I recall from the 94 games, being a young boy at the time, was how disruptive it was to the city. BC Transit re-routed buses to servicing the games and left transit riders literally stranded. I vividly remember waiting at a bus stop for what felt like ever, multiple times.

 

So typical of the 90s, right? Who cares about people relying on public transport to get to work, school, etc. We have tourists to move!

[Nparker]

...So typical of the 90s, right? Who cares about people relying on public transport to get to work, school, etc. We have tourists to move!

I don't see this as an issue specific to the 1990s. As long as Victoria has been a tourist-dependent city, accommodations have been made to serve that demographic.

[Mike K.]

No, it was bad planning. It was a different era. Public transit was still seen back then as (much) lower tier.

 

Today that sort of thing would never pass, in an era of bus priority lanes, transport equity, etc. On that front society has greatly improved.

[Nparker]

Buses still suck.

[Mike K.]

I grew up riding buses. They suck way, way less, believe me. 

[Ismo07]

No, it was bad planning. It was a different era. Public transit was still seen back then as (much) lower tier.

 

Today that sort of thing would never pass, in an era of bus priority lanes, transport equity, etc. On that front society has greatly improved.

 

Transit is re-routed all the time for events....  

[Mike K.]

But the buses still come. During the games they took buses that residents relied on, and focused them on moving crowds to venues, not serving residents.

 

So you'd be waiting for the 10AM bus that never came, and also never came at 10:22, and no bus at 10:44, then the 11:05 bus eventually arrived, at 11:20. It was ridiculous, people were so upset. But again, different times. That would never fly today, jobs would be lost immediately.

[Ismo07]

But the buses still come. During the games they took buses that residents relied on, and focused them on moving crowds to venues, not serving residents.

 

So you'd be waiting for the 10AM bus that never came, and also never came at 10:22, and no bus at 10:44, then the 11:05 bus eventually arrived, at 11:20. It was ridiculous, people were so upset. But again, different times. That would never fly today, jobs would be lost immediately.

 

I don't recall that..  Just know transit moved a lot of residents to and fro downtown...  I was driving for Wilson's through that event, so mostly bussing athletes around.

[Nparker]

I grew up riding buses. They suck way, way less, believe me. 

So did I. They suck just as much to me now as they did 40 years ago. I avoid them if at all possible and always will.

[Mike K.]

Yeah, I get it.

I don’t mind the bus when it’s a decent service schedule. NextRide made a huge difference for me. Paying by debit or credit will be the next big thing.

I’m not a fan of how transit changed services to my community though, that was a step backwards in a big way but maybe it makes more sense to others.

[lanforod]

Didn’t you recently take nearly double the time to bus downtown than a drive would have been?

[Mike K.]

More than double, that's correct. ~40 minutes door to door versus ~2 hours.

[Nparker]

Didn’t you recently take nearly double the time to bus downtown than a drive would have been?

 

More than double, that's correct. ~40 minutes door to door versus ~2 hours.

But for 2 weeks in August 1994, Mike's trip would have taken 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

[Mike K.]

To go about 3km, that’s correct.