Divorces rise when the economy is bad. I’d suggest the same dynamic is at play among the region’s 21 mayors, who find themselves being squeezed by demand for more transit from residents, resistance to new taxes and fees from taxpayers, and a province that keeps hacking off more body parts in each go-round to find […]
TransLink pressures, cancellations shred unity among regional mayors
April 19th, 2012 · 69 Comments
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TransLink mayors call for cancellation of new rapid-bus lines in Surrey/Langley + more til funding found
April 13th, 2012 · 21 Comments
Just one thing after another at poor old TransLink. Hard to believe how much people loved it during and after the Olympics, when it was whisking around a couple of million people a day. Now it’s everyone’s favourite whipping boy, with lots of blame being heaped on and not much discussion about how this region […]
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Gas tax may disappear in future transit funding model, mayors say
March 8th, 2012 · 49 Comments
The region’s mayors continue to struggle to find the formula for paying for transit and roads in the region long-term. Reporters tackled them yesterday at the end of their three-hour meeting, which Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom attended part of, and we all tried to pull something out of them about what’s coming up next. Weirdly, […]
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TransLink and province: Back to square one re funding?
October 13th, 2010 · 51 Comments
Okay, I officially give up trying to understand what is going on between TransLink and the province or among TransLink’s mayors. They signed a memorandum of understanding just weeks ago that seemed to pave the way for an agreement between Victoria and TL on how to fund future transit projects. And now they’re back this […]
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Canada Line hits 100,000-plus last three months
August 6th, 2010 · 98 Comments
In giddy anticipation of their one-year anniversary, TransLink sent out an updated count of their ridership this morning. Not too surprising to anyone who rides the line regularly, which seems to be packed at all times and is particularly jammed with suitcase-toting people heading out to the airport at all hours. Figures released by TransLink […]
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Why Vancouver buses get more riders than Seattle’s
May 28th, 2010 · 27 Comments
Thought-provoking article from the folks in Seattle analyzing why Vancouver buses get more riders per bus and, more important, why increasing bus frequency typically does not automatically mean more bus riders. (You can bet TransLink planners are looking at this kind of research while they figure out which bus routes they’re going to scale back […]
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Smart cards/barriers on their way as TransLink announces shortlist
May 28th, 2010 · 48 Comments
The whole debate over putting in turnstiles on SkyTrain has been boiling along for a couple of years now, with TransLink insisting for the most part that it’s not cost-effective (it would be more expensive to put them in and maintain them than the fares you recover) and the public + former minister Kevin Falcon, […]
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Transit numbers stay up after the Olympics
May 24th, 2010 · 18 Comments
TransLink is pretty darn happy with itself these days, winning awards for service-in-the-face-of-crushing-Olympics-crowds and other categories. This came out earlier this afternoon. Transit numbers after the Games: You came, you rode, you kept riding While TransLink earned worldwide applause for its performance as part of the Transportation Plan during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter […]
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TransLink on autopilot with no new funding, improvements in sight
May 12th, 2010 · 13 Comments
I wasn’t at the day cruise/TransLink AGM (see previous post) but others were. Here are the reports from two pretty dedicated TransLink watchers, Frank Luba at the Province and Vancouver city councillor Geoff Meggs.
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You’re invited: VPD and TransLink public meetings
May 10th, 2010 · 8 Comments
The social season seems to be in full swing. These two notices here today. MEETING NUMBER ONE: VPD PUBLIC FORUM The Vancouver Police Department is inviting the public and the media to an open community forum to explain and discuss the VPD’s planned move this fall to the Vanoc building at 3585 Graveley. […]
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