10078 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Sounds like a bus driver was assaulted yesterday on the 95 route.

It was a fare dispute gone wrong, happened in the Hillside area against a female operator.

[Victoria Watcher]

Sounds like a bus driver was assaulted yesterday on the 95 route.

It was a fare dispute gone wrong, happened in the Hillside area against a female operator.

 

A passenger on a BC Transit bus tried to intervene as another verbally harassed the driver on Monday, leading to the two fighting, according to BC Transit.

 

https://cheknews.ca/...-fight-1233715/

[FogPub]

 screenshot-www_google_com-2025_01_13-23_02_59.png

I think if you remove the red lines along Shelbourne and Fort (and Quadra) and instead continue the one on the Pat Bay highway/Blanshard (or Douglas) so it goes all the way downtown, you'd be a lot closer to what they have in mind: a big '+' shape with the four points being Uvic (east), downtown (south), Westshore (west), and the ferry dock (north) and the meeting/transfer point being Uptown.

 

This is exactly the configuration I've long held that rapid transit or light rail should take if-when we ever get such a thing here, except I'd have the meeting point be at or near the Pat Bay/McKenzie interchange rather than congested Uptown.

[Victoria Watcher]

Capital Daily:

 

 

 

Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock has been a vocal proponent of the 15-minute city, an urban planning approach that places essentials, like grocery stores and post offices, within walking distance of residents. The hub aligns with this goal, as laid out in the updated Saanich Official Community Plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The route from McKenzie to Uptown then up to McKenzie again will take 15 minutes, not including time to transfer. So in that respect this hub really hits the 15-minute mark.      

 

The walk alone from the transit hub to an Uptown grocery or drug store is 10 minutes.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 January 2025 - 06:32 AM.

[Mike K.]

Are we sure it’s that far? It’s staring down Whole Foods, and WalMart is just a couple of minutes away. There’s the Shoppers above Walmart. Across the street is Save Ons.

That being said the hub would have made more sense at Mayfair. But also, McKenzie is the natural better choice for road infrastructure. We’re just not there yet in terms of density along McKenzie or stores along McKenzie, so nothing to call a hub there.

[Victoria Watcher]

Do away with the stupid hub and just have more direct buses.

 

West Shore to Royal Oak Exchange makes more sense. 

 

West Shore to McKenzie at Shelbourne.

 

At this moment, these are my options to get to UVIC from WS:

 

 

Ironically, the direct route (51) takes as long as the others with transfer.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 January 2025 - 07:26 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

A Nanaimo firm has been ­chosen to complete the work on the $20-million Uptown Mobility Hub, which is expected to become the region’s principal rapid-bus exchange.

 

Windley Contracting will start construction this month of Ravine Way transit and active-transportation improvements, including four new bus stops with shelters and dedicated bus lanes.

 

 

https://www.timescol...uptown-10095207

 

 

Hiring manager:   So, I see here you were responsible for a new $20M major transit hub in Victoria

 

Applicant:  That's right

 

Manager:  So, what you did was logically identify where the junction was between people travelling between the West Shore and UVic and the Peninsula and downtown?

 

Applicant:  Yes, I did

 

Manager:  So then you build the hub right there, for maximum efficiency?

 

Applicant:  No, we built it 1.5km away from any natural point

 

Manager:  ?

[Blair M.]

Kind of glossed over in the press is the fact that as part of this new hub they're making the eastern portion of Ravine Way into a one-way street. Buses will be able to continue to be able to travel east in order to turn onto the highway/Blanshard heading to Swartz Bay, but cars coming from Carey Road will have to turn right onto the Blanshard and head into downtown Victoria.

 

That stretch of Ravine Way is heavily used, so turning it into a one-way street aligns completely with efforts from Victoria/Saanich to continue to cripple automobile travel in the busiest parts of town.

 

Prior to construction, there are already bollards in place dictating the one-way stretch of Ravine Way, and to call the new jam-up at rush hour a sh_t-show would be an understatement.

Edited by Blair M., 18 January 2025 - 07:02 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

$29.3M when you add the land cost.

[Victoria Watcher]

B.C. Transit set to take over bus route between Tofino and Ucluelet

 

The new service will have more stops and longer service hours, and offer slightly cheaper single-fare rides than the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District’s West Coast Transit System

 

https://www.timescol...luelet-10198050

 

The operating costs of the old system were estimated to be $670,000 per year. B.C. Transit’s system will cost $1.2 million to run a year, with the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District responsible for 53.31 per cent of those operating costs — about $640,000.

 

 

 

Of course it costs nearly double when the government takes over.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 February 2025 - 05:42 AM.

[lanforod]

Isn’t this a case of government taking over a smaller government service? Anyways, it should cost more if service is improving. Not sure double makes sense though.

[Victoria Watcher]

A BC Transit strike in the Cowichan Valley Regional Transit System is set to begin on Saturday, Feb. 8 as unionized workers for contracted company Transdev Canada start job action.

 

The strike means local bus routes are suspended starting Saturday, as well as the Route 66 CVX Cowichan-Victoria Express and Route 99 SVX Shawnigan Lake-Victoria Express.

 

The Nanaimo Cowichan Express (NCX) route is unaffected, though BC Transit warns that no local service is available at the NCX drop-off locations.

 

Meanwhile, handyDART services have also been suspended except for essential services – including appointments for renal dialysis, cancer treatment and multiple sclerosis, according to BC Transit.

 

“Other pre-booked trips will be notified of cancellation,” said BC Transit in a release Friday.

 

BC Transit is responsible for all transit services outside of Greater Vancouver, and in some areas it contracts private operating companies – like Transdev – to service communities.

 

BC Transit says the strike is between the Unifor locals 114 and 333BC, and Transdev Canada.

 

 

 

https://cheknews.ca/...turday-1237976/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 February 2025 - 02:40 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

‘Pay cheque doesn’t even cover rent’: Bus drivers strike in Cowichan Valley

 

https://cheknews.ca/...valley-1238053/

 

 

OK, fair enough, I'll allow that headline.  But now, somewhere in the article, let's hear what the salary is.  After 10 minutes searching, I can find no salary information for transit drivers in Cowichan.

[Victoria Watcher]

Cowichan transit strike is nearing a month now.  People seem to get by.

[splashflash]

Cowichan transit strike is nearing a month now. People seem to get by.

In the UK one could keep taxi receipts and submit them to the city if transit did not show up. With robotaxis making strides and many larger southern US cities only at 70% COVID transit ridership, I think we will see transit spending scaled back there. The feds here in Canada seem to be putting money into high speed rail, worrying urban transit advocates as budgets are not infinite. Regardless, I think the writing is on the wall. The money will be spent less on legacy transit and intercity slow rail.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...c-via-1.7463323
https://ti.org/antiplanner/?p=22728. https://ti.org/docs/...4Ridership.xlsx

Edited by splashflash, 03 March 2025 - 01:11 PM.

[dasmo]

‘Pay cheque doesn’t even cover rent’: Bus drivers strike in Cowichan Valley

 

https://cheknews.ca/...valley-1238053/

 

 

OK, fair enough, I'll allow that headline.  But now, somewhere in the article, let's hear what the salary is.  After 10 minutes searching, I can find no salary information for transit drivers in Cowichan.

 

Average salary

$29.43 per hour

https://ca.indeed.co...cme-salaries-v2

[Mike K.]

Don’t forget these people are responsible for the safety of a literal bus load of people. That wage is about equal to the starting wage of a municipal pool worker’s starting salary.

[dasmo]

That's a good wage! for 1999. 

[Mike K.]

$3,500 take home wage after taxes.

Not a lot.

[Victoria Watcher]

Don’t forget these people are responsible for the safety of a literal bus load of people. 

 

Is it harder than an Uber or taxi driver though?

 

It's quite unclear to me if we pay a diver higher wages, he or she is a better driver. I've never driven a bus but it can't be that hard.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 March 2025 - 02:48 PM.