3104 replies to this topic

[Coreyburger]

9-5 downtown and UVic employment isn't growing enough to crowd up that corridor at rush that quick.  

 

Its not employment that will do it. People have been avoiding driving during peak hours because of the congestion. Those people will switch back to driving (or start driving) during peak hours because of the new capacity. This is why both traffic appears on big new roads and traffic disappears when roads are closed or torn down - people's discretionary trip-making patterns change (which are an ever larger part of travel)

[Mike K.]

Its not employment that will do it. People have been avoiding driving during peak hours because of the congestion. Those people will switch back to driving (or start driving) during peak hours because of the new capacity. This is why both traffic appears on big new roads and traffic disappears when roads are closed or torn down - people's discretionary trip-making patterns change (which are an ever larger part of travel)

 

Ohhhh! You're sweatin' hard, lol!

[DustMagnet]

Well, it'll move the congestion to the Tillicum and Saanich intersections. But on a bad day, those six to eight hundred un-congested, metres between MacKenzie and Tillicum might save 10 minutes.

 

Don't forget that it also moves congestion to Burnside, Carey, Glandford, etc. for traffic not going downtown.

[Coreyburger]

Ohhhh! You're sweatin' hard, lol!

 

I have no idea what this means

[Mike K.]

I have no idea what this means

 

It means we can see you trying to wriggle out of acknowledging that the most important piece of infrastructure improvement to have occurred on Vancouver Island in 30 years will be a benefit to the region.

[Coreyburger]

It means we can see you trying to wriggle out of acknowledging that the most important piece of infrastructure improvement to have occurred on Vancouver Island in 30 years will be a benefit to the region.

 

You think it is the most important piece of infrastructure "improvement". I disagree that it is the most important, or that it is an improvement - that is a value statement. I don't share your values (and that's fine). Benefit is also a value statement. I disagree with that as well.

 

More on why "improvement" is a terrible word to use. Improved for whom? https://tooledesign....anguage-reform/

[Mike K.]

Improved for the majority of the public. The project also provided cyclists and pedestrians with an overpass over McKenzie.

 

Are you saying the cycling overpass should be dismantled?

[Mattjvd]

You think it is the most important piece of infrastructure "improvement". I disagree that it is the most important, or that it is an improvement - that is a value statement. I don't share your values (and that's fine). Benefit is also a value statement. I disagree with that as well.

More on why "improvement" is a terrible word to use. Improved for whom? https://tooledesign....anguage-reform/

The MacKenzie/ Hwy 1/ Admirals intersection has the highest number of crashes of any intersection on the island. Improvement for the safety of every single person who has to go through that intersection.

https://www.icbc.com...tersections.pdf

[Mike K.]

- improved safety

- more time spent with family

- less greenhouse gas emissions

- less spend on gasoline

- faster traversal to major hubs of employment, shopping

- faster transit travel times

- less "congestion concern" when planning your day

- easier access to your home if you live anywhere near the current mess

- more efficient movement of goods

- improved access to General Hospital

- faster emergency response times

- improved cycling infrastructure

- improved pedestrian infrastructure

 

All bad things, says the cycling lobbyist

[splashflash]

Shouldn't this be in the McKenzie interchange thread?

Congestion at McKenzie and Admirals should not result in equivalent volumes of induced congestion at each down-the-road intersections. The Trans-Canada is a trunk route where flows split. The down-the-road intersections will congest by the increment they each receive. In other words, where each flow is at on the curve will determine the extra wait times.

Edited by splashflash, 07 March 2019 - 11:44 AM.

[Ismo07]

You think it is the most important piece of infrastructure "improvement". I disagree that it is the most important, or that it is an improvement - that is a value statement. I don't share your values (and that's fine). Benefit is also a value statement. I disagree with that as well.

 

More on why "improvement" is a terrible word to use. Improved for whom? https://tooledesign....anguage-reform/

 

So improvement can really never be used, when associated to transportation projects, according to this writer (and you I suppose).  I suppose that some may argue it's not an improvement for a few reasons but for the most part most will be quite happy with this change.  Isn't how improvements would be measured, or do they have to improve for 100% all the time?  Language is always inherently biased depending on who is speaking about it.  What was your point again?

 

Getting back to the railway, there was someone on CFAX the other day stating that Portland developed their Max line in the mid-80s with roughly the same population as Greater Victoria has today.  Cost around $230M or so which will equate to $900M+ in todays dollars.  It also started with 20 some odd stations.  Is this really still even close to something we can do, maybe with gas tax $$.  What would something like that cost per rider and then how much of a subsidy would tax payers provide.  So tough to envision for me as we would ask residents of the Westshore to drive, ride, or bus to the nearest station to depart at 7:00 or so to arrive in VicWest around 7:45 (or whatever time) to get on another bus, ride or hail a ride to get into town to work.  This is actually not a far walk but at least 10 to 15 minutes.  How many passengers would it take, how many trains would be going one way? 

 

Just sometimes seems a one way bus (into town in the morning, outbound in the aft.) that could have some buses peel off at Naden, some continue downtown from Vicwest and head in different directions from there.  Just seems more efficient although that wouldn't be an appropriate word.

[Mike K.]

In the 80’s the Portland metro had a population of 1.4 million. Today it’s at 2.5 million. We’re not going to hit 400,000 until 2030, at the earliest (Portland hit 400,000 in 1915).

Frequent, express buses are the solution, as you say. Let’s be smart about it and make it first class.

[Rob Randall]

All you have to do is put skirts over the tires so the bus looks more like a railcar and people will like it. I'm not kidding, they actually do this. 

[RFS]

All you have to do is put skirts over the tires so the bus looks more like a railcar and people will like it. I'm not kidding, they actually do this.

Too true. Few of these and call the stops "stations" and you're good to go at a fraction of the cost

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[Citified.ca]

Just 6% of View Royal residents believe public transit/rail transit is a top community concern.

[chrisS]

In the past couple of years the Trudeau Federal Liberals have spent $75 M  to repair and re-open the rail line to Churchill MB, and added $75M to the QC's $75M to re-route a rail line around the town of Lac Megantic.  There is no business case for either of those.   Yet can we get a lousy $20M in BC for the E&N ?   not likely. and all Horgan has to contribute is a bleat about business cases, and as for Rankin -   well it would be nice to have an MP who would thump the table about getting E&N's share of the fed's $150M for non-business case railroad rebuilds,  but then he would have to bite the hand that has just fed him his golden handshake eh?

[Victoria Watcher]

Stevenson told Esquimalt council that there have been no fewer than 12 studies of the corridor over the years. “I’ve got tell you, I’ve been in the railroad business for 25 years; I’m absolutely convinced this is the most studied piece of track in North America, bar none,” he said.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...tion-1.23991959

[Nparker]

Stevenson told Esquimalt council that there have been no fewer than 12 studies of the corridor over the years...

This might even exceed the number of studies done on a new passenger services terminal (for the Coho/Victoria Clipper) on the Inner Harbour*. One thing our region does better than anyone else - study things to death.
 

*though it still might be less than the number of proposals for the Northern Junk property and of course a new Crystal Pool is still many studies away from becoming a reality

[Victoria Watcher]

 

It is incredible how the Island Corridor Foundation continues to spin the fairy tale of a resurrected rail service along the E&N rail corridor.

The recent tactic of offering tours to mayors along selected stretches of track should be questioned. There are sections that can still support light and slow-moving vehicles as were used for the tours. A proper inspection of the complete corridor would provide a more realistic conclusion. Contrary to what the foundation’s CEO states, the tracks are falling apart.

 

 

https://www.timescol...llet-1.23997882

[Mike K.]

That was up in Shawnigan, that rail bed collapse, no?