9623 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

I wonder if I'll live long enough to see this sort of "innovation" implemented locally for fare collection.

Later this spring, Metro Vancouver transit users will be able to use contactless credit cards and digital wallets to pay at fare gates and card readers...the new way of paying is not meant to be used instead of Compass — it’s intended to make payment easier for tourists and infrequent transit users...

http://vancouversun....at-card-readers

As an infrequent transit user, the ability to pay without having to either pre-purchase tickets or carry the exact fare in paper/coin would be a great benefit and probably encourage me to ride the bus more often.

[VicHockeyFan]

I agree.  

[CriticalMass]

You shouldn't need an extra lane at the Burnside bridge as traffic should be flowing freely past the Tillicum light once McKenzie is completed and the bus has a queue jumper light  at Tillicum to get ahead of the pack.

[VicHockeyFan]

That’d be great if that becomes reality.

[Cats4Hire]

Considering traffic is still backed up past McKenzie why would the intersection suddenly make traffic flow freely? It will probably flow better but I don't think it will go freely. 

[Coreyburger]

You shouldn't need an extra lane at the Burnside bridge as traffic should be flowing freely past the Tillicum light once McKenzie is completed and the bus has a queue jumper light  at Tillicum to get ahead of the pack.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Ya right, no. That's not how it works. There is such a massive pent up travel demand from the West Shore, I expect the highway to be congested again with a few years if not sooner.

[GaryOak]

We could replace the two bridges at Burnside using accelerated bridge construction and expand them to 3 lanes each, with wide enough shoulders to add a fourth.

[Mike K.]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Ya right, no. That's not how it works. There is such a massive pent up travel demand from the West Shore, I expect the highway to be congested again with a few years if not sooner.

If we had a proper infrastructure network to begin with we wouldn’t have this problem. We also wouldn’t have this problem if our region’s dominant employer wasn’t the provincial government with a forced huge concentration of jobs in a single area far removed from the communities in which its workers live.

[Coreyburger]

If we had a proper infrastructure network to begin with we wouldn’t have this problem. We also wouldn’t have this problem if our region’s dominant employer wasn’t the provincial government with a forced huge concentration of jobs in a single area far removed from the communities in which its workers live.

 

Define "proper infrastructure"? And as for concentration of jobs, there is a lot more than just gov workers downtown these days. And "far removed" - my guess is most downtowns live in Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay and Esquimalt aka not having to deal with most of the Douglas St/Hwy 1 corridor. Probably a super majority.

[Mike K.]

Basic things like sidewalks to safely walk to bus stops, bus services that run at a schedule conducive to non-reliance on the automobile and park-and-ride facilities. These things don’t exist in far too many of our urbanized areas, let alone surburban areas.

If you live in many of Langford’s suburban areas you literally have a “walk score” of zero. That’s not good. And if you have only one gateway from the West Shore to the downtown core, where so much of the region’s families and newcomers are choosing to settle for a myriad of reasons, you can expect congestion and heavy traffic.

[sdwright.vic]

^FYI... Edmonton has there majority of employers in downtown, so does Calgary. Actually most major North American city is the economic engine of its region.

[Mike K.]

Absolutely.

But unlike every North American city other than Victoria, there are multiple major routes to access the city centre, and multiple regions where families choose to settle. Victoria has one such area and a severely restricted means of moving people to and fro. We’re so very broken in that regard.

[sdwright.vic]

Then even worse, our one route from Langford and our on route from the ferry merge practically into one.

My comment was directed more to those who keep thinking everyone should more there businesses to Langford.

[Cats4Hire]

I never really understood why all the buses use Douglas. Why not keep the 70/1/2/5 on Blanshard? Maybe even Royal Oak buses like the 30/1/2. Or why the 6 dips down to Chapters just to have Douglas stop. It could stay stay on Quadra until Fairfield and terminate with the 4 and where the 7/21 switch.  

[sdwright.vic]

^most mid sized to smaller cities have a "Main St." that the majority of bus lines touch in an attempt to make a one transfer system. These allows the majority of users to get to that "Main St." to transfer and continue on.

[Cats4Hire]

So why exactly does the 7 need to be interlined with something? I assume this is the case since when the 2 was changed they immediately attached the 7 with the 21. If it's not getting ridership levels required for a 15 min service bus why not just drop it to 20 or 30 (maybe even 40)?

[Mike K.]

At transit exchanges, will feeder routes or connecting buses that run on less than spectacular schedules wait for the major routes to arrive at the exchange before departing?

 

I.e., will the 46, departing Colwood exchange at, say 6:44AM, wait for the passengers on the 61 which also is scheduled to depart the exchange at 6:44AM?

[VicHockeyFan]

I don't think we have that system anywhere but the last ferry bus.

[vortoozo]

I don't think we have that system anywhere but the last ferry bus.

 

It's not just the last ferry bus. There are designated route 70 runsin the schedule that will wait for a late ferry up to a certain amount of time.

[Cats4Hire]

Technically if that 46 (or the 61) arrives early that is a timing point so it should wait for 6:44 (I notice drivers leave timing points when we're ahead all the time though) but no use making people taking that 46 late because the 61 is running late.