3103 replies to this topic

[VicHockeyFan]

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!

 

This artery has very little capacity.  I think a single bus lane has 2 or 4x the capacity.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 16 April 2018 - 12:40 PM.

[Bob Fugger]

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.

Bollocks to their so-called "outreach."  I rode the 3 for years and only learned of the extensive changes to their routing after it was announced.  Other riders were equally surprised.  Despite this experience being anecdotal, as a core customer who is pretty well informed, I would suggest it a communications fail on the part of BC Transit.

[Mike K.]

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!

 

By the looks of it the bus lane under construction along the TCH is a brand new lane.

 

The solutions to our so-called infrastructure "problems" are extremely simple. We don't need to be building billion dollar LRT lines, moving forward with E&N boondoggles or anything else that complicated or costly. We just need a couple of interchanges and a restoration of traffic lanes where they've been taken away in the name of municipal arrogance, and a few bus lanes. Problems literally solved.

 

Just wait and see how effective those bus lanes will be.

[vortoozo]

Bollocks to their so-called "outreach."  I rode the 3 for years and only learned of the extensive changes to their routing after it was announced.  Other riders were equally surprised.  Despite this experience being anecdotal, as a core customer who is pretty well informed, I would suggest it a communications fail on the part of BC Transit.

 

I disagree. There were service alerts on the website, and notices posted in busses. There was also coverage in the Times Colonist, CHEK & Victoria News - among others.

What more would you expect? Door to door canvassers?

[malahatdrive]

For the TCH and Douglas St the bus lanes are not at the expense of regular traffic lanes - they are/will be brand new additional lanes.

Not sure about Old Island Highway though from TCH to Colwood Corners. That might be a different story.

[Mike K.]

I disagree. There were service alerts on the website, and notices posted in busses. There was also coverage in the Times Colonist, CHEK & Victoria News - among others.

What more would you expect? Door to door canvassers?

 

Well, clearly the message didn't get out if Bub Fugger wasn't made aware. Now, granted, many folks would never read those publications or watch those newscasts.

[DustMagnet]

Bus only lanes seem like a waste of road capacity.  I understand that you can move a much higher density of people along than SOVs, but you still have a lot of capacity between each bus. Of course, you can't just have it be an additional general lane because it will just instantly absorb to capacity and the bus is still stuck.

 

What if you could limit the number of cars that could share the bus lane to avoid the tragedy of the commons, i.e. make it not the commons?

 

Possible options:

 

1) Pay-to-play.  Sheer capitalism.  Sell (auction?) a limited number of permits that allow the driver to share to share the bus lane. Permit follows individual whether they are driving their own, someone else's or are a passenger in any vehicle.

 

2) Mix bus and commercial traffic.  There is often a sentiment that the lifeblood of Victoria businesses is getting squeezed along with all other non-lifeblood traffic, so let the delivery trucks also use the bus lane.

 

3) License Plate Odd/Even.  Depending on your plate, you get to the use the lane some days, some days not.

Of course you would need a curb to prevent cars from popping in and out of the lane to get around the bus - the risk of sharing the lane is following the bus.

[Mike K.]

An HOV designation will be phase two of all of this, I’m sure. First priority is to see what happens when the buses have their own lane.

Baby steps

[Jackerbie]

Are bus lanes for transit buses only, or can all buses use those lanes? i.e. coach buses, school buses, etc.

 

In Montreal, many of the bus lanes are also open to taxis.

[On the Level]

Buses aren't as "efficient" as compared to trains as everyone likes to believe.  They are outrageously inefficient with bus passes recovering a lousy 3% of the fare ("Victoria Region Transit System Overview", delivered last April).  

 

That 3% doesn't include trying to cover the cost of the bus lanes, but somehow rail needs to include rail line costs.  They also don't include capital costs for $37M per year for new buses, but of course, rail needs to cover the cost of rolling stock.

 

Bus lanes will help, but they don't target the commuters that aren't interested in stopping at every few blocks.  No slowdowns, no traffic lights, no nonsense.  One of the reason that the westcoast express is so successful and pays for itself.  

 

I am not assuming that rail will pay for itself here, but I believe it can beat  the lousy 3% recovery of buses.

[Mike K.]

Are you sure it's just 3%?

[VicHockeyFan]

You are looking at the BC bus pass (for the disabled etc., the province gives money to the operator) share, 3%.  Farebox cash and monthly passes is like 28%.

 

Very roughly it's 1/3 fares, 1/3 municipal (on your property tax), 1/3 provincial.  Some gas tax (10%?).

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 16 April 2018 - 08:42 PM.

[DustMagnet]

Are you sure it's just 3%?

https://www.crd.bc.c...ew.pdf?sfvrsn=4

See page 19.

 

Bus passes are 3%.

 

Fares and advertising (nice globbing there) are 26.6%

 

So no, it's not like bus passengers are only paying 3% of the operating costs.

[nerka]

Are you sure it's just 3%?

It's not. https://bctransit.co.../facts/victoria

 

Fares are 28.8 %

[On the Level]

I stand corrected...bus passes are 3%....still horrible cost recovery though.  How much is "advertising" and how much is "fares" and why did they not separate them? Is it 20%?....we won't know.  It doesn't cover bus lanes, bus stops, buses etc.  Slide 19 of the report...and from 2015/16.

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Edited by On the Level, 16 April 2018 - 08:51 PM.

[Coreyburger]

I stand corrected...bus passes are 3%....still horrible cost recovery though.  How much is "advertising" and how much is "fares" and why did they not separate them? Is it 20%?....we won't know.  It doesn't cover bus lanes, bus stops, buses etc.  Slide 19 of the report...

 

Advertising is almost nothing, as per the other link - 700k.

[Mike K.]

That’s the provincial (subsidized) bus pass, that’s not the bus pass general riders purchase.

[On the Level]

That’s the provincial (subsidized) bus pass, that’s not the bus pass general riders purchase.

So that is covered in "fares"

[Mike K.]

Oh yeah, so when I rode the bus the other day EVERY ad on the inside was government, post-secondary education or social service related. Every single one.

[On the Level]

So it 28.8%

 

https://bctransit.co.../facts/victoria