Vancouver transit on The Nature of Things
February 5, 2009
Vancouver transit on The Nature of Things
February 5, 2009
By the way: CBC’s The Nature of Things has a feature on Vancouver tonight, with some attention to SkyTrain and our public transport system in general. I’m told there are shots inside the SkyTrain control room, showing how it works, and an interview with some of our staff. The show airs Thursday, Feb. 5 at 8pm (Cable 3), and this documentary is part of their Living City series, looking at the livability of five Canadian cities. You can find out more information at the CBC’s Living City website.
Hi. I just watched that documentary on the Nature of Things by Christopher Hume. I’m from Toronto, and I very much envy the City of Vancouver; for example, it’s convenience without a car, the transit bus system, the SkyTrain, cycling culture, walkability, etc.
A lot of suburban sprawled neighbourhoods developed in Toronto (as mentioned in the documentary), and unfortunately for me, I live in one. Public transit options in most neighbourhoods are limited to only one (and sometimes, that option is not very reliable during rush hour). Unlike here, where you can decide whether to take the SkyTrain, or a trolley bus (both, from my experiences, very frequent).
And because people are so spread out and scattered in Toronto, simply expanding rapid transit is not easy and rarely justified (meaning incredibly expensive and not worth putting in millions of dollars).
Anyways, can’t wait to come back to Vancouver soon.