11042 replies to this topic

[Linear Thinker]

From the June 8 update to council,

"...application for $1M in Bike BC funding was unsuccessful. No additional grant funding has yet been awarded to the Cycle Network program."

 

Fort St budget:

$2 M from Bicycle Master Plan Implementation program,

$270 K via increased allocation from the Gas Tax Reserve Fund ($ the City already has)

$500 K from other budget contributions including $110 K from Accessibility Capital Reserve

Total $2.77 M

Edited by Linear Thinker, 22 August 2017 - 11:28 AM.

[Mike K.]

The original Pandora bike lane budget was $1.35 million!

 

We went from $1.35 million to $3.23 million, an increase of 139%. The City doesn't date stamp their pages so we have no idea when that page was originally created to date the $1.35 million figure.

 

 

http://www.victoria....ts/funding.html

[Nparker]

The original Pandora bike lane budget was $1.35 million! We went from $1.35 million to $3.23 million, an increase of 139%. 

It sounds like they used the same estimate/cost formula as the JSB.

[Mike K.]

Right, I guess before the $30,000/month consultant penned the "what we learned" document.

[Coreyburger]

So is it the city or the province that is contributing no money to the bike lanes on Fort?

 

The province provided $1 million for the Pandora from the BikeBC grant program. Victoria (and Saanich), both of which got funds in last year, didn't get any this year.

[Coreyburger]

The original Pandora bike lane budget was $1.35 million!

 

We went from $1.35 million to $3.23 million, an increase of 139%. The City doesn't date stamp their pages so we have no idea when that page was originally created to date the $1.35 million figure.

http://www.victoria....ts/funding.html

 

I would love to see the costs of similar construction projects over the same period. I widely expect them to follow a similar pattern

[Nparker]

The province provided $1 million for the Pandora from the BikeBC grant program. Victoria (and Saanich), both of which got funds in last year, didn't get any this year.

So the CoV is paying for the Fort Street bike lanes entirely out of city funds? Regardless of the price of the bids will it still proceed?

[Coreyburger]

So the CoV is paying for the Fort Street bike lanes entirely out of city funds? Regardless of the price of the bids will it still proceed?

 

Yes, out of the existing defined budget. Council has authorized a certain amount, beyond that requires another visit to council.

[Mike K.]

The Johnson Street Bridge is one, for sure.

 

I think we can clearly see that the idea around "Biketoria" was touted much the same way the idea behind the Johnson Street Bridge replacement was touted. Propose a major undertaking, suppress the costs or release cost estimates before your really have an idea of what's going on, and sell the public.

 

Then you push through a budget 139% higher than the original estimate and nobody bats an eye.

[Mike K.]

So the CoV is paying for the Fort Street bike lanes entirely out of city funds? Regardless of the price of the bids will it still proceed?

 

We'll have to wait and see just how much higher than final bids are. If it's within an acceptable "contingency" amount they might proceed, but what I'd love to see is what the budgeted amount was at the start of this year and what the budgeted amount was during the release of the tender.

 

But see how it worked out the first time? In April of 2016 the City budgeted $2.09 million for the Pandora bike lane, then jacked that budget up by 43% on the eve of the tender release two months later (possibly realizing there'd be no way anyone would bid below $3 million). And the end result was just an 8% increase to the budget which brought the tally to $3.23 million. Otherwise the jump would have been 55%.

[Mike K.]

The Fort Street bike lane budget is $3.19 million (as of June of 2017).

[rjag]

I would love to see the costs of similar construction projects over the same period. I widely expect them to follow a similar pattern

 

Apparently the pattern is well established for public sector vanity projects such as this or the Bridge. I've built several large commercial structures over the years and always been under the 5% contingency costs. Its not hard, its called getting the actual data in advance and meeting approval of the principals. In the case of public sector projects there is a certain level of confidence that the final cost doesnt matter as these are public infrastructure projects. Look at Edinburgh Scotland and their tramline costs as a classic example of a bureaucracy that knew that if the true costs of a project were disclosed the project would not be approved.

 

  http://www.bbc.com/n...t-fife-27159614

 

 

 

in the decade since the first money was allocated to the project, the price has doubled, the network has halved and it has taken twice as long to build as was first thought.

[Bingo]

Even with the ash cloud, cough, cough, the cyclists were out staying ahead with the count.

 

 

[VicHockeyFan]

Nobody predicted the ash cloud until it arrived.  Luckily we will know out climate in 40 years, that modelling works.

[lanforod]

Nobody predicted the ash cloud until it arrived.  Luckily we will know out climate in 40 years, that modelling works.

I read weather warnings yesterday and Sunday that it was coming.

[Mike K.]

The ash cloud? I think we all knew there'd be haze, but nobody said anything about ash. And Environment Canada only released that info at around 8 or 9PM on Monday.

[lanforod]

well, smoke. Which is made up of ash... just depends how high/low and thick it is. Pretty low and thick, obviously.

[Bingo]

well, smoke. Which is made up of ash... just depends how high/low and thick it is. Pretty low and thick, obviously.

 

The cyclists weren't even wearing masks. 

[lanforod]

yeah... i've been biking in this. Relatively short ride for 25 minutes though. Traffic is bonkers this week, as usual, so I'd much rather bike, get home faster than driving. It's more of an issue for young kids and elderly, and those with asthma.

[LJ]

The cyclists weren't even wearing masks. 

People in Vancouver were wearing masks the last time the smoke came in and the regional health officer stated that unless the masks are N95 certified you are doing more harm than good by wearing it.