10078 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

I remember when that bus exchange was built at UVic. I can't imagine it really needs a multimillion dollar refurbishment.

[lanforod]

I see this project every day and scratch my head every day at why it was necessary. Haven't found anything showing what the actual changes will look like.

[Victoria Watcher]

The linked article has a site plan.

[lanforod]

ah, i didn't scroll down enough.  I bet people still ignore the 'realigned' crosswalks and walk whichever heck way they are going. The is a lot of money for basically, a beautification and cycling path project.

[Nparker]

Has there ever been a cycling infrastructure project that wasn't worth every cent it cost?

 

*sarcasm font implied

[North Shore]

I run across the bus loop fairly frequently while doing the Uvic running loop - I'll submit that in all fairness, the concrete pads do need replacement - they get fairly heavy use, and are beginning to break down.  the rest of the project is fluff..

[FogPub]

The one thing that's really needed there is a couple of permanent poster maps showing which bus route stops and-or goes from which bay.  The little signs on the poles are far too small to read from across the road.

[Victoria Watcher]

How about an electronic “next buses” sign. I mean, come on.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 June 2022 - 02:29 PM.

[lanforod]

How about an electronic “next buses” sign. I mean, come on.

 

They do have those, just not right there, I think. There is a couple of these in the SUB.

[Victoria Watcher]

But a few question marks remain. As a regular reader of the Times Colonist, I of course know what the demographics of the city are.

 

But I still have to ask: How can it be that there are hardly any adequate recreational facilities and spaces for the many young people in the city? Victoria has nice neighbourhoods, is full of nature, surrounded by the sea, and yet most students meet in smelly gyms after school.

 

As I said, Switzerland and Europe are not role models in many things, but when it comes to skilfully directing youthful energies, they are a few lengths ahead.

 

In Victoria, the only way to get from friend A to friend B in the evening and at the weekend is by taxi or driving parents. Cycling is considered totally uncool by students and the bus system is time-consuming.

 

In Swiss cities like Zurich or Basel, however, cycling and buses are widely accepted and very effective. There are also green spaces and places along rivers and lakes where young people can do sports (such as beach volleyball and skating) and hang out afterwards, thanks to sometimes improvised catering.

 

 

https://www.timescol...-people-5538912

[Victoria Watcher]

Two of Ontario's biggest public transit agencies say they're seeing a welcome uptick in ridership after two years of dismal demand, but they warn there's still a long way to go before they can fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Both the TTC (subway and buses) and GO Transit (upscale buses and commuter rail) say they've regained 60 and 50 per cent of pre-pandemic riders respectively due to the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, more in-person events and a gradual return to office work. But they both say it's hard to plan for future riders.

 

 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...overy-1.6497882

 

 

 

 

 

So all restrictions are dropped, but bus service is only up to 60% of normal levels, at best.  Commuter rail even worse.  I don't think it's ever coming back.  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 July 2022 - 05:02 AM.

[Vin]

How about an electronic “next buses” sign. I mean, come on.

There is a system in place already. It is found in Google maps, among others, of "your cell".

[Victoria Watcher]

Greater Victoria bus passengers and BC Transit are attracting attention on social media after one woman’s posts started picking up momentum.

 

TikTok user Corrin (The Fat Passport) posted two videos on the platform involving BC Transit, garnering more than three million views.

 

In a post with more than 2.9 million views, Corrin says “Canada is too wholesome” while a video shows BC Transit passengers thanking the bus driver before exiting.

 

___________

 

 

 

In another video, Corrin shows a Greater Victoria bus displaying ‘Sorry… not in service’ and remarks “Canada is the only country I’ve been to where the buses apologize for not being in service.”

 

 

 

 

 

https://mail.google....bnpzhDbDBpghqrT

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 July 2022 - 11:16 AM.

[Nparker]

Although I rarely ride public transit these days, when I have in the past I often thanked the driver when I exited the bus. If that made me "too wholesome" then so be it. There are worse qualities to have.

[Victoria Watcher]

As I've been saying:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazon’s Bellevue tower pause may be a sign we’re entering an era of ‘untransit’

 

Seattle Times:

 

With more remote workers, cities should prepare for an era of "untransit" | Danny Westneat

 

The evidence that remote work is here to stay just got serious, writes columnist Danny Westneat. In the past few weeks, the region’s two biggest employers — Amazon and Microsoft — have signaled that “Build it and they will come,” the old normal, is no longer operative. So why are we continuing with the same transit planning without figuring that a third or more of the workforce may not be commuting to a downtown core, or commuting at all?

 

 

 

BC Transit:

 

Furthermore, average weekday volumes are now 70.3% of pre-pandemic volumes.

 

https://dailyhive.co...overy-june-2022

 

 

 

Transit ridership in Toronto continued to stall well below pre-pandemic levels in May, a new report shows.

 

A regular report from the Toronto Transit Commission, which will be considered by its board at a meeting on July 14, said Toronto ridership in May sat at 61 per cent of its pre-pandemic level.

 

https://globalnews.c...-2022-pandemic/

 

 

 

St. Louis / Calgary:

 

MetroLink's ridership is down to 60 per cent from pre-pandemic levels; Calgary is at 65 per cent. 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...louis-1.6525124

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 July 2022 - 09:34 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

????

 

 

 

 

A Victoria city councillor is lobbying to make transit free for all riders in that city.

Ben Isitt has already successfully achieved free transit ridership for all people under the age of 19 and a free system for low income seniors is in the city budget to be implemented later this year.

The next step is to get a referendum before Victoria voters in the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 15 to make transit free for everyone in Victoria.

His reasons for pushing for free transit is something that extends far beyond Victoria city limits.

“I think by eliminating fares we will substantially increase the constituency and, as a result, there’ll be more political pressure for a high-quality transit system including more frequent buses and better routes,” Isitt told iNFOnews.ca. “(The goal is) to remove barriers to mobility for low income people and to remove barriers to people getting around in a low carbon, climate-friendly way. Both those objectives, the central justice one and the environmental one, are essential.”

 

 

 

https://infotel.ca/i...re-free/it92936

[spanky123]

^ We all know how well the free bus rides for kids went (even before the pandemic). Wasn't it something like the CoV paid for 7,000 tickets a months and kids used 700?

 

I would think with that deal both Helps and Isitt should be entitled to 6 figure jobs at BC Transit when they leave office!

Edited by spanky123, 25 July 2022 - 07:56 AM.

[Nparker]

Unless buses are built and maintained for no cost, fuel prices become zero and drivers agree to work for no pay, there is no free transit. Comrade Isitt needs to be clear that "free" transit comes at a cost to taxpayers and likely at a cost to other worthwhile services.

[Victoria Watcher]

Isn't the Colwood Crawl essentially solved?  Didn't COVID and the new interchange pretty much fix it?

 

 

 

Can we solve the Colwood crawl once and for all?

 

Transportation accounts for nearly half of the CRD’s emissions, and the region is not immune to the effects of climate change: last year’s heat dome killed 55 people on the Island alone. The new provincial climate strategy prioritizes reducing distance travelled and encouraging people to switch modes of transportation above any other means of lowering transportation emissions.

Trains, gondolas, ferries, bicycles, buses, light rail, and even more roads have all been pitched as solutions for the gridlock. 

The only thing that hasn’t been suggested is flying.  

But which ones could actually work? We spoke to advocates, politicians, and transportation planners to find out. 

 

https://www.capitald...e-colwood-crawl

[Victoria Watcher]

Who would choose transit in Calgary?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Sunalta, the station was almost empty — except for a man sleeping in the lobby, tinfoil, a pipe and garbage littered around him.

 

Marlborough was the craziest station that day: obvious drug use on the platform, those two overdoses and visits by EMS, police and fire crews. 

 

Finally, I caught a train back to Chinook — but things looked a little different. By now it was late afternoon. All three of the enclosed glass shelters were occupied. Two to four people in each platform shelter were using drugs. The shelter by the bus loop was packed full. 

 

One of the women glared at me. I think she thought I was staring at her. I gestured to her neighbour. He was sliding out of his chair onto the floor, lighter and glass pipe in hand.

 

________________________________

 

Later that night, a colleague joined me to head back out. Many people say it's worse at night. 

 

This time we were lucky. The stations were emptier than expected. At one point, three out of the only four people on the Chinook platform were doing drugs or were obviously under the influence.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...train-1.6483690

 

 

 

 

Desperate mom brings daughter to CTrain station to buy drugs; here's what she learned

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...g-use-1.6503503

 

When asked about solutions to the security problem on trains, many transit riders say it's both a train problem and a large social issue. It needs multiple solutions.

 

As for Redmond, her daughter was clean for three months. Now she's struggling with addiction again. Redmond doesn't want to share her name publicly.

 

The solution she'd like to see Alberta tackle first is to increase detox centres.

 

"You can't go into a rehab facility unless you do detox first and those are very limited. You're lining up and you're going in case-by-case. A lot of times, people are getting turned away," she said. 

 

"Unfortunately, that could be the one day that you're going to take the help and make that decision. And then you're sent back away, and it's devastating to see."

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Edited by Victoria Watcher, 28 July 2022 - 02:17 AM.