Tidbits and links for Thu Oct 14
October 14, 2010
Tidbits and links for Thu Oct 14
October 14, 2010
Tidbits and links about transportation! This one’s long overdue—I’ve had a backlog to go through this week.
- West Coast Express turns 15 on November 1, and they’ve launched a birthday blog to celebrate!
- David Lam sent along a photo of our recently retired high-floor buses, which couldn’t find a buyer and so were crushed for scrap. Not for the faint of heart, if crushed buses make you sad, that is :) The Vancouver Sun also had a short article about the buses.
- Chris Cassidy also sent along some pictures of a low-floor community shuttle that TransLink is testing out in Langley at the moment!
- Vincent Kartheiser, an actor from the TV show Mad Men, was recently profiled by the New York Times as an avid L.A. transit rider! Good Magazine did a follow-up blog post asking why more celebrities don’t ride transit in L.A.. Oh, Good also had this really intersting infographic about U.S. cities where sprawl makes commuting the worst.
- The TTC just got its transit data into Google Transit this week! Nice work, guys. They’ve also released a new TTC mobile site, and their chair has put out a comprehensive report about how the TTC can move forward next. (Here’s the summary video!)
- A streetcar conference was held a few weeks back, and there were some interesting posts about it floating around. Here’s Stephen Rees (part 1, part 2) and here’s The Tyee.
- Vancity Buzz recently posted a practical guide to bus and train etiquette in Vancouver.
- The Tyee delves into the origins of our Poetry in Transit program.
- For fun: caught this Lookbook style photo of Arthur W, captured at a SkyTrain station :)
- Our friends over at B.C. Transit have been doing a rolling public consultation, riding around in a specially decorated Future Bus and inviting riders to talk with them on board! So there’s been a ton of articles about their work around. Here’s one on the demonstration rapid transit vehicle they’ve brought in from Las Vegas, one on their future plans and current innovations, and another item about how transit will become unsustainable in B.C. in five years. You can also try out their online consultation game: the Transit Game Plan!
- A Kansas City bus got hijacked! And someone took a Chicago city bus for a joyride!
- A speed lottery experiment has been set up in Sweden to reward drivers who are driving at the right speed limit. Some lucky driver could win 20,000 kronor! Also, here are some unusual yoga-inspired parking tickets being handed out in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- A BBC reporter cycles the Avenue Verte, a dedicated bike path that goes all the way from Paris to London! Apparently they want this to be ready for the London 2012 games.
- 50 excellent YouTube videos about urban planning, via Planetizen.
- Jarrett Walker made two posts over at Human Transit showing that Canadian transit ridership is doing quite well, when compared globally! Here’s one and here’s two.
- Here’s a Reddit thread discussing the cycling rules in BC. Other bike items: apparently bikes pay more than car drivers for the road space.
- What do people drink on NY trains? (Via Kottke!)
- The lovely Jason Vanderhill has started a tumblr called Illustrated Vancouver, capturing the drawn representation of our region: and here is a wonderful sketch of Waterfront Station that he recently posted.
- Smartcard news: New York is experimenting with pay wave technology using your smartphone. Toronto isn’t necessarily going ahead with an open fare payment system over a smartcard.
- Yay: the province of Alberta approved an Edmonton bus service to the international airport!
- Montreal has a new 10 Minute Max rapid bus transit service! Jarrett Walker was interviewed about it.
- Nick Routley is applying for a job with TransLink and in a bid to win our affections, has been posting transit-inspired Post-It Note art on his Tumblr. Well, I’m charmed :) Best of luck with the application!
- And last but not least, a mechanic from L.A. Metro won a reality TV modeling show!
If you have any items to suggest, or a photo to showcase on these posts, e-mail me at thebuzzer@translink.ca! Seriously: good photos. I want them. Send them along!
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by The Buzzer and iSkytrain, Breaking News in Van. Breaking News in Van said: Tidbits and links for Thu Oct 14 http://ff.im/-s1Qoc […]
Cycling in Greater Vancouver would be better if bus drivers didn’t do things like drive up behind cyclists and honk at them – this happens to one of my friends quite frequently, usually on quiet roads where there is plenty of room for any traffic to drive past him. It’s not just cyclists who need to learn the rules of the road (although I’ll admit there are plenty of idiot cyclists).
Hi Jhenifer, I have some pictures from a brill trolley bus fan trip put togethe by TRAMS that I want to post on the blog. What do I need to do?
BTW, TRAMS managed to preserve a D40 high floor bus with suburban configurations: 3106 from Vancouver
Great photo!!!! Except — Isn’t there a law against feeding the racoon’s???
Re: transit unsustainable??? Someone hasn’t checked their facts… the reason Europeans love to use transit is because it’s cheaper than driving. If we had to pay 2x as much for gas, we’d be taking the bus on our commute too!
Cycling is good… but not when bike lanes are being configured as planned in Vancouver. A more wise choice would be to put the bike lane in beween the parked cars and the curb =) Then cyclists and drivers won’t have to be so scared of each other anymore. In my opinion, I just rarely ever see any cyclists in winter or late fall/early spring. Perhaps make (larger) bike lanes for seasonal use… PLus, numerous cyclists need to learn to bike safely and wear helmets.
Ric: You can e-mail me the photos and I’ll let you know if they are suitable for a blog post.
The pictures are on my flicker account. Should I just email you a link to the photos?
Sure.
We ar contacts of each other on flicker. Should I email the link to you via flicker mail or to your buzzer email account?
Are you a cyclist Andrew S? Everything you wrote sounds like common sense to me.
Jhen: Is there a problem with the Captcha on here? Today it seems like every time I’ve posted it says I typed in the wrong code and to try it again.
Sheba: not as far as I know! Are you still encountering the problem? Let me know and I will forward it on to our web team.
My Goodness!! those raccoons are huge, bigger than the ones I have seen.
This isn’t the first time I had a nature/transit encounter. A couple of months ago I boarded an empty #19 at the Stanley Park loop, when all of a sudden I found these two pigeons hanging around inside the bus!! To avoid startling them I moved out of the bus slowly, until they gently hopped out and flew away! Although it wasn’t clear if the Transit Police caught these two birds and fined them $175 for not paying the fare. ;]
In just a few more years, the current community shuttle fleet will be replaced with the flat floor communtiy shuttles, and they will end up in the junk yard like those D40s. Doesn’t time go by fast?
@Andrew.
The problem with putting the bike lane between the curb and the parked cars, when this has been tried in other cities. Is that some car drivers decide to park their cars on the bike lane. This is assuming you are looking at the painted line type of bike lane and using the parked car as a barricade. It might have a different outcome though if they put a curb to keep people from parking on those lanes.
As for those cyclists not biking safely and not wearing a helmet. It upsets me as a cyclists that they don’t. I’d be rich if I had a $1 for every time I saw someone cycling at night with no lights and no helmet. Not sure what can be done about it. Other than maybe Darwin himself teaching those people a lesson. :)
maybe before hiring the artist who made “transit-inspired Post-It Note art” looking for a job, translink should check if the person has any unpaid fare evasion tickets.
The mother raccoon is asking the driver if she can bring all 3 of her kids on the bus for free with her adult farecard because it’s Sunday. :)
Have you looked at my photos yet to see if they are suitable for a blog post?
I’ve had to demonstrate on more than one occasion to cyclists what a full stop is. I stop ahead of them, pull over, flag them down, and say, “Just so you know, this is what a full stop is. It’s when you stop all forward movement.” The usual response is one of defensiveness. “I was balancing!” One rider claimed. Other times I receive a smug look of ‘How dare you!’ as they ride off (often times proceeding to try and pass on the right at the next stop sign!)
But when a car runs a stop sign in front of my right of way, and I lay on the horn and the usual response is one of surprise and apology as they stop their car, realizing I was proceeding through the intersection after having stopped and signaled.
So afraid of being found at fault in an accident, especially one involving cyclists, I have installed a camera system and GPS tracking on my vehicles. If a cyclist or anyone else for that matter, hits my vehicle as a result of not observing the MVA, my first response will be to make sure the other person is not injured (As with any accident), then call police and show them the video.
It’s incredibly frustrating coming to a full stop and having a cyclist thinking it’s an opening and blowing through the stop sign as I’m about to proceed through the intersection.
There is no doubt in my mind that the title of most moronic drivers can be shared by both cyclists and motorists, but if cyclists want to gain acceptance and respect on the road, they really need to make a habit out of obeying the law.
Occasionally I do see cyclists stopping for stop signs and not riding on the sidewalk; they’re obeying the law. You know who you are and believe me, it does not go unnoticed.
It kind of baffles me why cyclists get so up in arms about any talk about a licencing scheme. If you stop for stop signs, don’t run red lights and don’t ride on the sidewalk, then what is there to be afraid of? I’ll be the first in line to advocate that all monies garnered in such a scheme are funneled directly back into the cycling community.
I’ve got a great idea for a commercial about promoting cycling safety. It takes place in front of Waterfront Station on the sidewalk. There are people everywhere. A car comes flying out of Gastown, jumping on to the sidewalk. Then it weaves between people, jumps the curb onto the sidewalk, runs the red light at Granville and proceeds away from the camera. A voice over speaks, “You wouldn’t do this in a car. Why do it on a bicycle?”
Cycling is good for the body and for those concerned with it, the environment. But this entitlement issue has got to go. Running stop signs, red lights and cutting others off is no way to get cycling accepted.
Jhen: It seems to be working fine now.
About cycling. I don’t like kamikaze cyclists either, and I ride a bike (less than I used to, but I still ride). Also whenever I see someone riding without a helmet I think ‘idiot alert’ and try to avoid being anywhere near them.
I’ll admit there are times I do a rolling stop at stop signs, but that’s only on quiet side streets when I can see there isn’t any traffic within a block or two of me. If there’s traffic then I stop – after all a car is bigger than me and if we collide there’ll be a lot more damage to me than the car.
As much as I can I try to ride on the road instead of a sidewalk, but honestly I’ve had too many times of being an invisible moving target. If it’s a quiet side street then fine, but if I actually have to ride on Kingsway then forget it, I’m on the sidewalk (where I don’t go all kamikaze).
I’d ride more often on bike paths if pedestrians didn’t think of them as sidewalks and walk on them instead of the designated walking paths.
Is there any rule regarding locking your bike on the bus stop pole? Today, on the temporary eastbound 9 commercial bus stop, there was a bike locked on to the bus pole, and it totally blocked the entrance to the bus. and if there was a wheel chair coming on, then the bike would block the ramp.
@Cliff
In regards to licensing of cyclists
While I do support the idea and would have no problem with having to get a license. The only part I don’t like is that I would have to pay a fee to do so. Which means the cost benefit of riding and taking transit goes lower versus owning and driving a car.
Jacob: Yes, the rule is don’t lock your bike to a bus stop pole! It can create huge access problems for those with mobility needs, vision impairment, or other issues. CMBC staff will generally take the bike off the pole and leave a note saying that it has been taken to our Lost and Found in Stadium Station.
Have you looked at my photos that I sent you to see if they are suitable for a blog post?
I look forward to seeing the link on the next Links and Tidbits.
Shelba: I’m actually not that much of a cyclist, but I do take public transit! =)
Paul C: Yes.. it’s true that there will be drivers trying to park on the bike lane if there’s no actual physical barrier, so I agree to using curb as a barrier rather than just a painted line.