A roundup of interesting tidbits and links about transportation from the last few weeks or so!

• The faregates and electronic fare card contract has been finalized with Cubic/IBM, our supplier. Here’s the official press release with more info.
• BCIT students recently voted in favour of implementing a U-Pass program at their school.
• Trade publication Network2Media discusses how Port Coquitlam has renewed its transit shelter ad contract with Pattison Outdoor. Interesting for some behind-the-scenes tidbits on the transit ad business.
• Seaplane operators want a Harbour Hub in downtown Vancouver. Here’s a video from the Sun discussing the project.
• I don’t know what happened, but this poor TransLink bus made it on to Fail Blog. Poor bus!
• ;-) sent in this fantastic video of Vancouver in 1940! Check out a small glimpse of transit at 1:23.
• Brief BBC blog post about the expansion of “automated train operation” on the tube network. Just fun to see how other places view automated trains!
• Also, another BBC blog post about public transport in London: a decade in numbers.
• LA Metro retired its last pure diesel bus in January 2011: now they’re only running “clean fuel” buses.
• Has peak travel already been reached in the 21st century? (via kottke)
• Apparently Edmonton Transit has an unofficial “tweeting bus”: find it at @yegnumber9! Here’s an article about the bus too.
• A long long time ago Rob Chew sent me this link to a 1973 Labatt commercial featuring a Vancouver GM New Look bus. Nice!
• Jason Vanderhill also sent along a classic BC electric ad from 1926 that he found at the Vancouver Public Library. As well, he pointed me to a classic Buzzer issue from April 20, 1955, featuring 65 years of Vancouver streetcars in words and pictures!
• Good magazine has an interesting article about immigrant cyclists in Los Angeles, using bikes to get around because cars aren’t available to them.
• Ric sent along a link to his TRAMS Christmas Lights tour photos from December 2010
• A topic that’s cropped up on the blog before: Jon Ferry wrote an article in the Province about licensing cyclists.
• As well, London UK reports that cycling traffic is up 70% after the installation of bike superhighways last July! (thanks peter b!)
• TransLink in Brisbane is still dealing with the fallout from the immense Australian floods: Human Transit looks at the challenge of replacing their ferry service with bus service in the interim period.
• Fun history item: Toronto of the 1880s!
• And last but not least, my coworker and I were talking about whether urban planners or transportation planners ever get to take central roles in movies. And here’s a discussion list of urban planning movies we dug up! I’d completely forgotten that Who Framed Roger Rabbit had freeway construction in its narrative.

If you have any items to suggest, or a photo to showcase on these posts, e-mail me at thebuzzer@translink.ca! (Seriously: photos. Send them to me!)