North Shore Area Transit Plan – another chance to provide your feedback

The good old SeaBus sailing towards the North Shore.

The final public input phase of the North Shore Area Transit Plan starts Friday, May 18. If you’re unfamiliar with the NSATP, I wrote a post on the first part of Phase 3 in January. In short, the plan is to create a long-term transit vision and identify the service and infrastructure investment needs to meet that vision. This time around, we’re looking for feedback on a set of priorities for the region should funding and/or resources become available. Those funds/resources would come from possible future funds provided for via a base or supplemental plan or through service optimization.

On Friday, May 18, an online questionnaire will be available to fill out. Also on that day, information on the high priority projects will be available on the TransLink website. On Saturday, May 19 until June 9, will be attending community events. At the events, we’ll be looking for your feedback on the high priority projects. Here’s some specifics for what you need to know:

Sunday – May 19, 2012 – 11am – 4pm – Bowen Island - Snug Cove General Store

Wednesday – May 23, 2012 – 11am – 6pm – City of North Vancouver - Civic Plaza Farmers Market

Saturday – May 26, 2012 – 9am – 4:30pm – District of North Vancouver, Lynn Valley Days at Lynn Valley Park

Saturday – June 2, 2012 – 10:30am – 5pm – West Vancouver, Centennial Community Day Celebration at Ambleside Park

Thursday – June 7, 2012 – 11am – 6pm – Lions Bay, General Store

Saturday – June 9, 2012 – 11am – 5pm – City of North Vancouver, SeaBus Terminal

Once this phase of the consultation is over, we’ll be moving into the fourth phase of the plan, monitoring. That means we’ll be watching to see if the priorities chosen still make sense. For now, you have your choice of providing your feedback in person or online. As usual, I’ll be forwarding your comments to the team responsible for the plan. So stop by one of the public events or download the online questionnaire on Friday and provide your feedback!

Ian Jarvis answers and replies to your questions and ideas

Last week, I asked for questions and ideas that you’d like to share with TransLink CEO, Ian Jarvis. Thanks for sending these along to me through the comments section of that post and others. We got a bunch!

I would have loved to ask Ian to comment on all of your questions and suggestions, but he’s a busy man. Here are the ones I was able to ask him:

Question from Jack:

Ian and his coveted coat rack.

I think more private investment options as seen with the Canada Line should be taken into consideration. If you look at New York’s massive subway/underground system, various investors and companies manage it, not just one.

Ian -Thanks for your input, Jack. I agree that we need to continue to examine different approaches for implementing and delivering service. As with any of our strategies, we need to consider the tradeoffs in terms of impact on overall service quality and integration. You point to the Canada Line, and I would note that our HandyDart service are provided under contract as well as some of our Community Shuttle Services. You may want to check on your assumptions regarding New York – my understanding is that all the underground systems are operated in house.

Question from REIG:

Transit users have helped to reduce the region’s congestion and CO2 emissions, which are produced by automobile users. Thus, it’s only fair that automobile users help reduce the costs of transit users. In particular, monthly or annual vehicle licensing fees can have a progressive structure by being tiered according to the energy efficiency/emission rates of the registered vehicles. The goal of TransLink is to promote public transportation, which leads to a sustainable future for Metro Vancouver. This cannot be achieved until people fundamentally change the way they reach their destinations. The best way to do this change is to collect revenue from automobile usage, while increasing funding for public transportation.

Ian – I appreciate you taking the time to provide your perspective. As you are likely aware, TransLink has examined the implementation of a vehicle charge, or as we referred to it a Transportation Improvement Fee. The concept was to vary the charge based on the engine size, which was a proxy for environmental impact. Many share your perspective and many would disagree with your perspective. It  is important that we continue the dialogue on funding to determine a mix that residents and businesses believe is fair and equitable.

Question from Riva:

I have to agree with Mike that TransLink should not be responsible for both roads and transit. There should be a separate transit authority with a separate transit budget.

Ian – I would ask you to consider a different perspective. Our overall goal is to improve the mobility for goods, services and people. An effective transportation network considers all modes – walking, cycling, transit and roads. Transit, cycling and personal and business vehicles all share our roadways – the fact that TransLink has a role in all modes is seen as very progressive by the many delegations that come to visit us each year. The fact that we have a role in roads and provide funding for roads enables us to influence the design and use of roads and bridges to integrate pedestrian and cycling use.

Question from Gary:

What is TransLink doing to ensure the maximum utilization of its trolley bus fleet? The only way to increase the use of these vehicles is to increase frequency of existing routes or to have capital projects to expand the network. Please do what you can to maintain this unique and emission free part of our transit network.

Ian – Great question, Gary! We want to optimize the use of our existing Trolley Infrastructure, and some preliminary work has been done to assess gaps in the existing trolley network along high frequency corridors. It’s important to understand the financial trade-offs required to expand the infrastructure. At a cost of a $1M per km price tag to expand the network, it’s a big investment that we want to make sure is the right one before proposing long-term expansion. However, of note, in 2005, we made a commitment to maintaining a trolley fleet by replacing it with new trolleys, and even added articulated trolleys. We remain committed to reducing energy use and emissions from fleet and facilities. We are also working with the City to make bus stop changes to enable us to make more effective use of the articulated models, and this requires capital funding as well.

Question from Xerxes:

Has anybody considered replacing the CNG buses with Hybrid instead? The CNG buses seem quite costly compared to the regular diesels and the hybrids.

Ian – We constantly examine the most appropriate vehicle types for our use and make the decision when we replace fleet. We have invested in the CNG’s and are committed to run them until they need replacement. Interestingly, we are finding that CNG engine technology has improved significantly since our last CNG buses were purchased in 2006, improving reliability and performance.  Also, the price of CNG has dropped about 60 per cent in the past two years from $10.00/Gj to $4.00/Gj, making CNGs very inexpensive from a fueling perspective. Thanks for asking.

Ask TransLink CEO, Ian Jarvis, your questions, and share your ideas

Send in those questions and ideas for Ian!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Commissioner’s Review and asked for your feedback on how TransLink can plan for the future. There have been some fantastic comments and novel ideas shared. While I continue to respond to comments and find answers for others, I’ve managed to reserve some time with TransLink CEO, Ian Jarvis, to put a few to him directly.

I’m collecting some of your comments from that previous post and posing them as questions for him. However, if you didn’t get a chance to present your ideas or to ask your question previously, now is your chance to do so.

I’ll be again collecting questions today and tomorrow via the comments section. As I’ll have a finite amount of time with Ian, I won’t be able to ask all your questions. Please keep them straightforward so that they are answered as clearly as possible.

If you’re not sure what to ask or if your questions has been answered already, Ian took questions from media and Buzzer blog readers via a video and phone briefing in April.

Ian and I look forward to answering your questions and hearing your ideas!

The May 2012 Buzzer and Ed Appleby: Buzzer illustrator interview

This month's illustration and the illustrator.

It’s the first Friday of the month and that means a new issue of the Buzzer is out! The main feature of this issue is the official launch of m.translink.ca. If you’re a regular Buzzer blog reader and have a smartphone, you may have already used the new service. If you haven’t, it can tell you where your bus is in real time! As in the past, we’re always looking for recommendations to improve the website, so please do continue to send your feedback to the mobile team. Read more »

Results of the Friday Poll: Do you eat on transit?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned while I’ve been at TransLink, it’s that people have their opinions about food and transit.

Half of the readers who took the poll eat on transit.

The most striking example of this was when we invited people to join the Transit Pet Peeve Battle last year. The Hungry Hippo (OK it’s actually Hungry Hamster) character generated a lot of comments. So it’s not surprising that when I asked Buzzer readers a month ago if they eat on transit, we received some great feedback and over 350 votes. Here’s the breakdown of the results:

• Yes, I sometimes eat on transit. (50%, 179 Votes)
• No, I never eat on transit. (46%, 166 Votes)
• Yes, I eat every time I’m on transit. (4%, 12 Votes)

Read more »

Watch our new video on how to manage your baby stroller on the bus

Knowing how to load your stroller on and off the bus properly can change your commute from a frustrating experience to a pleasant one. Provided there is room available on the bus for you and your baby stroller, this new video provides a step-by-step process of how best to travel on the bus using a three or four-wheel stroller. Read more »

Robert away until next week

See you all online next week!

I wanted to let you all know that I’m away until next Monday, April 30. I’ll be posting a couple of items in my absence, and Tina Robinson will be checking in on the blog periodically.
There’s a lot of great conversation going on concerning funding, so I hope to follow up on that topic (and others of course) when I return.

Have a great week. I look forward to our discussions!

Earth Day 2012

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Our diesel consumption is going down while our ridership is increasing.

Public transit can be a great way to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, TransLink became the first ever member of the APTA (American Public Transportation Association) to reach the Gold level of the APTA Sustainability Commitment. Having a strong commitment to sustainability is one of our core values. We’re continuing to cut down on our emission levels while also cutting our costs on fuel consumption. Here are some of our latest numbers:

• 2008: 61.4 litres / 100 km
• 2009: 59.3 litres / 100 km
• 2010: 56.2 litres / 100 km
• 2011: 55.8 litres / 100 km
• 2012 YTD: 55.7 litres/100 km Read more »

The new Next Bus is now officially launched!

I’ve been bloggging about it for since May last year, and now the new Next Bus real-time service is officially out of beta! As part of m.translink.ca, not only can Next Bus show where buses are in real time on a map, it can provide predictive departure times! If you’re a regular Buzzer blog reader, you’ll already be familiar with the new Next Bus. If not, there’s plenty of info on the new mobile website on this blog. a couple of new updates have been incorporated to the last beta release of Next Bus and the mobile site in general. Read more »

The April 2012 Buzzer and Mark Atomos Pilon: Buzzer illustrator interview

Illustration and illustrator

Another month, another Buzzer newsletter. This month’s issue came out last Friday and was devoted primarily to April service changes (mostly starting on April 23rd). Although most of the changes were included in the issue, some last minute additions were made after the publication. You’ll want to check the transit service changes page for the most up-to-date changes. Read more »

Addressing the Commissioner’s Review and the Mayors’ Council decision

Yesterday, I moderated a video and phone briefing with TransLink CEO, Ian Jarvis; TransLink’s Director-Service & Infrastructure Planning, Brian Mills; media and Buzzer blog readers (invited via the comments section for last week’s blog post on these issue).

The briefing touched on a variety of topics including TransLink’s response to the Commissioner’s recommendations from his review and from the recent decision by the Mayors’ Council to eliminate reliance on property tax to fulfill the Moving Forward Plan. Take a look. It speaks for itself!

Sun Run 2012

Every year, downtown Vancouver turns into a mass of energy, determination and wick-away fabric known as The Vancouver Sun Run.

Let's hope the weather is as nice on Sunday as it looks in this painting.

If you’ve never participated in this athletic institution, I highly suggest you do. Having run in the race last year, I can tell you that the excitement of being among roughly 50 000 all striving for one goal overpowers the physical exhaustion of reaching the finish line.

Having a good run means preparing for it. That means you’ll want to get to the race early to partake in the limbering up and psyching up that’s part of the event. The last thing you want to do when getting ready for the big event is look for parking. There are a number of bus reroutes on the day, so you’ll want to check the TransLink Transit Service for the Sun Run page before you leave. Read more »

The Commissioner’s review and planning for the future

How public transit is funded is an important topic and one we don’t usually talk much about on the Buzzer. In January, TransLink’s Regional Transportation Commissioner asked for public feedback on a fare increase asked for by Translink to keep current service levels. Today, the Commissioner has released his review of TransLink’s application. TransLink has released a response to the Commissioner’s review.

Post your ideas and questions for TransLink staff!

Read more »

2012 Easter weekend holiday service

The 2012 Easter weekend is upon us!

I hope there's something in those eggs!

Friday, April 6, 2012, is Good Friday. That means transit runs on Sunday/Holiday service, and you only need a single-zone fare to travel in all zones all day on the bus, SkyTrain and SeaBus. West Coast will not be running.

Monday, April 9, 2012, is Easter Monday. That means a return to the regular weekend schedule and regular fares. West Coast Express trains that depart Mission Station at 5:55 a.m. and 6:55 a.m. are cancelled; trains that depart Waterfront Station at 4:20 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. are also cancelled. The TrainBus will operate on the regular weekday schedule.

Enjoy your weekend!

The Frequent Transit Network map

Quick and reliable transit service revealed on a map!

The term “Frequent Transit Network” or “FTN” has been mentioned a few times on the blog. As explained on the TransLink website, the FTN “… is a network of corridors where transit service runs at least every 15 minutes in both directions throughout the day and into the evening, every day of the week.”

Besides the convenience of knowing that transit will be there every 15 minutes, the FTN makes public transit easier for these corridors since planning your trip is as simple as showing up at your stop (provided a maximum of 15 minutes is not too long of a wait for what you want to do). TransLink has just release a map of the TransLink FTN. The Human Transit blog (written by author and transit planner extraordinaire Jarrett Walker) has also recently posted about our FTN map. For more info on the map, you can check out the dedicated FTN page on the TransLink website, which speaks to the benefits the network’s benefits to not only users but for municipalities and developers.

Showing is always better than just telling, so please download the map, and let us know what you think!