9623 replies to this topic

[Cats4Hire]

That week will be fun for Uvic people, as class is in regular session through the 7th.

Yup. Although not sure how much it will affect people. 39 is the main route getting a downgrade in service. 4 loses the extra trips that just run up Hillside in the mornings, 14/15 lose the extra trips between downtown and UVic in the mornings and afternoons and 26 loses the Uptown loops in the morning and afternoon. Everything else looks about the same (since most routes have been running "downgraded" schedules since September anyway)

[Victoria Watcher]

The transit agencies most affected by people working from home will be the ones that have traditionally focused on carrying commuters into city centres. Metrolinx, which oversees the Toronto-area GO Transit commuter network, would not reveal its financials for the current fiscal year, which ends this month. It is expected to report massive losses as a result of ridership that is less than 5 per cent of the system’s prepandemic normal.

 

The Toronto Transit Commission has said it believes working from home is a permanent phenomenon, and that nearly half of the city’s employees will continue doing so with some degree of frequency. 

 

___________________________

 

Calgary Transit was unwilling to make a projection beyond this year, when the agency thinks it will register an $89-million shortfall.

 

Vancouver’s Translink is predicting a $500-million range of shortfalls over this year and next, with best-case, middling and worst-case scenarios. Mr. Quinn said this reflects an agency “still very much figuring out the new normal.”

 

____________________________

 

If that doesn’t happen, higher levels of government could lose patience with annual emergency funding requests and start to demand cost-saving service cuts. Reducing service makes transit less useful, which pushes down ridership and eats into revenue, leading to further calls to cut costs.

 

The industry term for this is “transit death spiral.”

 

 

https://www.theglobe...h-to-financing/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 March 2022 - 09:34 AM.

[Mike K.]

No dollar figure mentioned?:

Victoria Regional Transit Commission Chair issues statement on additional funding
VICTORIA – The Victoria Regional Transit Commission (VRTC) acknowledges the federal and provincial governments for the additional funding announced today to address the profound impact COVID-19 has had on public transit across the province.
This investment in the public transit system helps ensure it remains stable and affordable when people need it most. Whether it’s helping commuters get to work or children get to school, this increased funding will ensure we maintain service levels and meet the needs of our riders. We thank both levels of government for their ongoing collaboration to assist British Columbians during the pandemic.
Susan Brice
Chair, Victoria Regional Transit Commission

[Victoria Watcher]

BC Transit and TransLink will receive a combined $204 million to help offset the revenue impact as operators rebuild ridership. This funding builds on the federal-provincial Safe Restart funding of more than $1 billion announced in September 2020, which helped TransLink, BC Transit and BC Ferries.

_______

Of the $204 million, BC Transit will receive $28 million and TransLink will receive $176 million to help cover ongoing pandemic-related operating impacts as the agencies work through recovery.

https://news.gov.bc....2ENV0018-000470

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 April 2022 - 02:07 PM.

[Mike K.]

The province's population is 5.5 million people, 2.3 million of which are serviced by Translink, but Translink got 86% if this funding.

[Victoria Watcher]

That’s not really a fair comparison.

What percentage of trips are handled by TL?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 April 2022 - 03:30 PM.

[Mike K.]

That's certainly the issue. Vancouver has excellent transit services, and every other community lesser services by comparison.

[Victoria Watcher]

That's certainly the issue. Vancouver has excellent transit services, and every other community lesser services by comparison.

 

That's probably true across the world though.   I'd expect better transit in Vancouver than in Vernon. 

[Mike K.]

If this were an equitable disbursement, Translink would have received $86 million, instead they received more than 2x that.

 

It's hard to convince people to use your transit system when it's under-funded, and makes press releases like this (issued on Sunday):

 

Like many other customer-facing organizations, the Victoria Transit System is currently experiencing a labour shortage, and this may impact some routes and services. Please check our website at BCTransit.com for trip planning information, including up-to-date customer alerts, prior to departing for your trip. BC Transit appreciates your patience during this time, and we apologize for any inconvenience potential service disruptions may cause. We are working hard to recruit new drivers and will add capacity as more operators are hired in order to address the issue.

 

[Mike K.]

Come to think of it, maybe the labour situation is so challenging that even if more money were thrown at operations, BC Transit's VRTS might not have been able to fully utilize the funds?

[Victoria Watcher]

B.C. to force higher-density development along transit lines

 

Agency will have authority to buy land along rail corridors

 

 

https://www.vicnews....-transit-lines/

 

The Canada Line development from Richmond to Vancouver saw “missed opportunities” to densify development around SkyTrain stations, Fleming told reporters April 5 after introducing the changes in the B.C. legislature.

 

Rapid-bus plans in Kelowna and other transit projects around B.C. can also benefit from the changes, he said.

“Instead of enriching speculators and being the last one involved, losing control of the development of affordable housing, this is designed to give us much more control and collaboration with local governments to enter into partnerships with the non-profit housing sector to have below-market projects being part of building a compact, complete transit-oriented development community, and to work with the private sector as well,” Fleming said.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 April 2022 - 11:50 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

The B.C. government has introduced changes to the Transportation Act that will allow the Province to acquire land for the purpose of building housing and community amenities near transit stations and bus exchanges.

___________

The land that the Province will look to acquire will be within an 800-metre radius of transit stations — the outside distance from which people can easily access public transit by walking, pedalling or using a mobility device.


https://www.cheknews...nities-1002730/

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 April 2022 - 12:23 PM.

[Mike K.]

Good thing we have rail corridors.

[Victoria Watcher]

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 April 2022 - 12:36 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 April 2022 - 01:23 PM.

[James Bay walker]

The B.C. government has introduced changes to the Transportation Act that will allow the Province to acquire land for the purpose of building housing and community amenities near transit stations and bus exchanges.

___________

The land that the Province will look to acquire will be within an 800-metre radius of transit stations — the outside distance from which people can easily access public transit by walking, pedalling or using a mobility device.
 

"acquire" as in exercising eminent domain and acquiring land through confiscating people's existing homes (for current market value + 20% I think)?

Edited by James Bay walker, 05 April 2022 - 04:52 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

"acquire" as in exercising eminent domain and acquiring land through confiscating people's existing homes (for current market value + 20% I think)?

 

Probably not.   I think they look at stations in Vancouver and see commercial and parking lots etc. they can buy up.

 

Here's Bridgeport Station in Vancouver:

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 April 2022 - 04:58 PM.

[Cats4Hire]

"acquire" as in exercising eminent domain and acquiring land through confiscating people's existing homes (for current market value + 20% I think)?

why would they buy housing to build housing though? Unless they're going to build a bunch of condos or something. I agree this is probably mostly about Vancouver (maybe various other parts of BC) as Victoria already has housing around all the exchanges as the above maps show

 

Except MacTavish I guess but Uptown is honestly more of an exchange than it. Nothing terminates there and it basically exists to allow transfers from 70/72 to the airport so housing around it would be kinda pointless

Edited by Cats4Hire, 05 April 2022 - 05:07 PM.

[GaryOak]

Except MacTavish I guess but Uptown is honestly more of an exchange than it. Nothing terminates there and it basically exists to allow transfers from 70/72 to the airport so housing around it would be kinda pointless

I think they are taking a page from how Hongkong and some other cities develop transit, and at the same time allowing higher density, maybe they will have a clause allowing them to bypass municipal zoning and approval.

[Victoria Watcher]

why would they buy housing to build housing though? 

 

The idea would be much denser housing.