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[Rail] Commuter rail


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#1941 Nparker

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Posted 14 April 2018 - 07:04 PM

...Personally I lay blame for recent (5 years) issues on the Island Corridor Foundation which had $15 million secured and managed to lose it all because of inaction...

This.


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#1942 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 14 April 2018 - 07:24 PM

Yes, we are special. We build special bridges. We build special bike lanes.


Geography and peak traffic patterns I mean.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#1943 Mike K.

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Posted 15 April 2018 - 09:28 AM

Nobody would ride this thing at the costs they projected.

Nobody would want their property taxes increased by $250/year to subsidize it.

People would roll their eyes at disembarking in Vic West and walking 20 minutes to their destination, or catching a shuttle then walking to their destination.

Rail was always a pipe dream. We simply don’t have the population density to support rail-based transit and we likely never will.

Halifax also decided to utilize buses in lieu of commuter rail, and they already have a functioning rail system all over the region, have a larger population and are projected to grow faster than Victoria.

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#1944 splashflash

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Posted 15 April 2018 - 05:38 PM

Perhaps the Langford-Victoria E&N Corridor could be redesigned to be an electric car charging road like a newly opened one in Sweden.

https://www.theguard...opens-in-sweden
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#1945 malahatdrive

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Posted 15 April 2018 - 06:48 PM

The E&N doesn't go where people need to go. Yes it starts in Westhills which is good but it does not go close enough to the main dockyard entrance - it doesn't go to the other major employment centres like VGH or UVic and it doesn't even go downtown. The decision to not replace rail bridge portion of the JSB was the death knell of the E&N in Greater Victoria.

 

A rapid transit route should start downtown - go up Douglas to MayFair then Uptown, on to Tillicum and then VGH then the West Shore. I think bus lanes are the way to go for now - they might not be sexy like a train - but they will go where people want to go.

 

However, I still think we should preserve the rail line for the future as our population will grow.

 

Perhaps we can look at using the E&N from Duncan to Westhills and then rapid bus the rest of the way?



#1946 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 15 April 2018 - 07:10 PM

Perhaps we can look at using the E&N from Duncan to Westhills and then rapid bus the rest of the way?

 

I don't think that works.  That train will never do anywhere near the speed the highway cars are going, and then you have to transfer.  


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#1947 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 15 April 2018 - 07:13 PM

However, I still think we should preserve the rail line for the future as our population will grow.

 

 

Unless we massively grow the population density along the line, it'll never be needed.  Downtown is not going to have 5,000 more workers any time soon.  But I've already stated, Victoria, Esquimalt, View Royal and Langford have no intention of increasing density along the line.  They never have suggested they are open to it.


Edited by VicHockeyFan, 15 April 2018 - 07:13 PM.

<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#1948 Mike K.

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 05:51 AM

Folks, nobody will ride this thing at the costs they are proposing. And you have to think that what they say it’ll cost is also the best case scenario. They want this to look great in hypothetical scenarios.

Already the bus from Duncan costs what, $16 return? If the train from just Langford to downtown is estimated to cost $10-$15 in each direction, from Duncan the cost will be double.

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#1949 Cats4Hire

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 06:36 AM

Already the bus from Duncan costs what, $16 return?

$16 per trip or $192 for a monthly pass that only works on Cowichan routes (including the 44, 66 and 99) or $232 for one that works on Cowichan and Victoria routes https://bctransit.co...an-valley/fares



#1950 Mike K.

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 06:59 AM

Right, there we go. $16 round-trip for a 60km, 1HR+ journey is far more palatable than $30 round trip for a 15km journey.


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#1951 tedward

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 09:38 AM

You saying James Bay is dense enough to get 3 routes running all day (I think the 2 is every 10 mins) but the current fastest growing municipalities aren't?

 

Having lived in James Bay for the last 15+ years and commuting to work daily on the bus I would just like to point out that IMO James Bay is POORLY served by BC Transit. It is so poorly served that I embark and debark downtown on Fort and Yates Streets respectively. It is faster just to walk than wait for a transfer and the new routing would make it even worse as the #2 now meanders around James Bay like a drunk tourist in a rental car.


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#1952 dasmo

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 09:44 AM

The issue with the West Shore is lack of density - people & jobs - combined with long commute distances. The end result is low transit mode share (or walk/bike mode share).

Chicken and the egg. Hard to sell high density on the wrong side of the crawl. This is why a government serious about helping affordability would fast track this new corridor and facilitate high density development along it. The E&N runs right into the WestHills. There could be high rises, low rises and row houses there and along the route if the infrastructure was there first. Or at least in development. And again, it’s the track that allows the vehicle to run close to the other modes....
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#1953 Mike K.

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 09:53 AM

The provincial government has no jurisdiction over development. That's up to the municipalities. The E&N corridor runs along low-density communities until it enters downtown Langford. The appetite for change along that entire route, outside of Langford, is very, very low if completely non-existent.


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#1954 dasmo

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 11:49 AM

The provincial government has no jurisdiction over development. That's up to the municipalities. The E&N corridor runs along low-density communities until it enters downtown Langford. The appetite for change along that entire route, outside of Langford, is very, very low if completely non-existent.

They seem to be doing a good job meddling with our sewage system. That is my point. There is a huge potential for high density along the E&N and the appetite would develop if it was a tram route. Look at how much vacant land is in West Hills alone and the E&N runs right into it.

#1955 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 11:53 AM

Why do we assume everyone in Westhills wants to go downtown? They all have driveways, garages and lots of cars.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#1956 vortoozo

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 12:00 PM

Having lived in James Bay for the last 15+ years and commuting to work daily on the bus I would just like to point out that IMO James Bay is POORLY served by BC Transit. It is so poorly served that I embark and debark downtown on Fort and Yates Streets respectively. It is faster just to walk than wait for a transfer and the new routing would make it even worse as the #2 now meanders around James Bay like a drunk tourist in a rental car.

 

BCT did extensive open houses, public surveys, etc when coming up with the new routing.

The online surveys presented several options, including the one that was decided on.

Seems to be that it was favored by most. Did you participate?

Public transit is never going to be as efficient as taking a car, cab, etc. It's going to work well for some, and not as well for others.



#1957 dasmo

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 12:05 PM

Why do we assume everyone in Westhills wants to go downtown? They all have driveways, garages and lots of cars.

We don’t. We assume we have a housing crisis. We assume the economic centre is in Victoria and area, We see the crawl, we see an untapped transportation artery, we see a huge amount of undeveloped land in an area with the least red tape, and we add it all up.

#1958 Mike K.

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 12:14 PM

I think we should stop assuming everything until the interchange is completed and the bus lanes are completed.

We may find that is a very appropriate solution.

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#1959 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 12:30 PM

We need additional bus lanes.  Uptown to Colwood exit.


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#1960 dasmo

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Posted 16 April 2018 - 12:32 PM

Bus lanes on the highway will not trigger high density in the West Hills.... Plus, they ARE at the expense of vehicle traffic. We need to open this other artery!

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