9114 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Oh yeah! I forgot about that place. Could it have been the same owners who were formerly in Market Square?

[Victoria Watcher]

Oh yeah! I forgot about that place. Could it have been the same owners who were formerly in Market Square?

 

I think it was a former female CHEK personality that owned it.

[Ismo07]

I recall far more bike stores around when I was a kid, than now.

My favourite was in the 800-block of Yates, where the Patch was (I think?).

There were others downtown, too, like three or four, maybe five. I don’t think bike ridership is any higher than it was back then, it’s just more talked about/visible today.

I recall one on Broad, the Yates one, one on Fort, and one on Quadra. There was even an EV bike store in Market Square in the 90s!! It only lasted a few years, way ahead of its time. I’m sure I’m missing one or two.

 

There are probably 7 or 8 bikes stores that I could walk to.  Are we kidding that ridership is going down?  Sure kids don't ride as much or even walk...

Edited by Ismo07, 18 May 2023 - 08:08 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

There are probably 7 or 8 bikes stores that I could walk to.  Are we kidding that ridership is going down?  Sure kids don't ride as much or even walk...

 

I think the bulk of the bike sales back in the day were at department stores.  They all had a pretty good stock of parts too, like new tires and tubes, accessories.  Now I think biking is more specialized and expensive.  

[Mike K.]

There are probably 7 or 8 bikes stores that I could walk to. Are we kidding that ridership is going down? Sure kids don't ride as much or even walk...

You must have been the guy who walked to the drive in, too.

[Victoria Watcher]

Study paves way for RapidBus on Saanich Peninsula

B.C. Transit and province seeking consultant for feasibility study

 

 

B.C. Transit and the province are seeking a consultant for a feasibility study into a RapidBus service from downtown to Swartz Bay along the Patricia Pat Highway.

 

“It’s early days,” James Wadsworth, B.C. Transit project development manager, said Friday. It normally takes three to five years before a project comes into service, he said.

 

B.C. Transit introduced its Blink RapidBus service in April to serve the growing West Shore. With that service, buses are scheduled to arrive every seven to eight minutes during peak times.

 

 

https://www.timescol...ninsula-7060002

 

 

 

 

Nobody needs special branding and stops.  We just need an express ferry route for now.  With stops only at Fort, Uptown, Royal Oak, Mt. Newton and the ferry terminal.

[Nparker]

Exactly. What's to study? Just run enough buses along the PBH to handle foot passenger traffic. It's not rocket science.

[Victoria Watcher]

Commuters relying on transit in Victoria should make sure to check BC Transit’s website as 11 routes have cancellations on Monday, May 29.

In a post on Twitter, BC Transit says the cancellations are a result of a “part requiring maintenance.”

 

https://www.cheknews...routes-1154135/

[Mike K.]

Wrong.

4 routes have cancellations. CHEK didn’t read the actual notices, and just looked at routes with notices for today, like construction and stop closures.

[Mike K.]

New update from BCT:

Due to a bus part requiring maintenance, there may be some cancelled service in the coming days. This issue is impacting approximately 7% of BC Transit’s active fleet. We are anticipating some trip cancellations.

Proactive customer advisories are being issued in an effort to allow BC Transit customers to plan their travel.

[Victoria Watcher]

Pride Bus debuts on Greater Victoria's transit routes

 

The bus will also be participating in the Victoria’s annual pride parade on July 9

 

https://www.timescol...-routes-7081187

 

 

Now they are transing our buses.

[Victoria Watcher]

According to latest census statistics, the capital region is the most gender-diverse urban centre in Canada, with about 0.75% of residents identifying as transgender or non-binary.

 

[Barrrister]

How many people are wondering whether their money is being well spent by all these government programs. 

[Stephen James]

How many people are wondering whether their money is being well spent by all these government programs. 

I read the budget, and no longer wonder.

Never read the budget... it will ruin your life if you've had any financial planning experience.

[Victoria Watcher]

The British Columbia government has appointed veteran mediator Vince Ready to help resolve what it says is an "incredibly challenging" bus strike in the Fraser Valley.

 

CUPE Local 561 has been on strike since March, and Labour Minister Harry Bains says the prolonged absence of bus service from Abbotsford and Mission to Chilliwack and Hope has had real impacts on residents. 

 

https://www.timescol...-strike-7117211

 

 

 

 

 

Union position:

 

https://cupe.ca/firs...ransits-failure

 

Given that First Transit is neither meaningfully impacted by nor publicly accountable for this labour dispute, the only solution is for BC Transit to step in.

Ironically, while the workers wear First Transit uniforms, the buses they drive all bear the BC Transit logo and branding, as do the buildings where they report to work. And their employer continues to be paid by BC Transit under their contract for services. But despite the deep connection between BC Transit and First Transit, these workers do not receive BC Transit wages and they do not have a BC Transit pension. Nor any pension.

Let’s be clear: BC Transit bears responsibility for this strike because of its obligation to provide transit services in the Fraser Valley. BC Transit bears the burden of resolving the impasse and getting buses back on the road. However, BC Transit not only refuses to get involved in bargaining; they have also refused to even sit down and talk with CUPE.

By now, the Crown corporation should be worried not just about its branding, but also the long-term impact this dispute is having on public transportation in the Fraser Valley—the very infrastructure and service they are responsible for providing.

Clearly it’s time for some creative problem-solving by the people best positioned to end this strike. Fraser Valley residents, and our CUPE 561 members, deserve nothing less.

But first, BC Transit needs to get its head out of the sand.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 June 2023 - 10:23 PM.

[Mike K.]

Here we go. Transit wants more fuel tax revenue.

https://www.bctransi...s/1529722680580

[Nparker]

I pay an awful lot for a service I have used exactly once in the past 3 years.   On the other hand, I suppose it's better value than I get for the school taxes I pay and the portion of my taxes that fund the medical system.

[Mike K.]

35% increase to 7.5 cents.

[lanforod]

I pay an awful lot for a service I have used exactly once in the past 3 years.   On the other hand, I suppose it's better value than I get for the school taxes I pay and the portion of my taxes that fund the medical system.

 

Whenever I read posts like this, I shake my head at the cranky old man syndrome on display here. I think you know full well that there are many government provided or subsidized services that you use or don't use, and that applies to everyone in BC. I'm sure folks in Smithers just love subsidizing BC Ferries or major infrastructure projects in Vancouver.

[Matt R.]

We have too many government workers, not too many transit drivers or ferry captains or school teachers or nurses.