Links & Tidbits for March 19, 2012
March 19, 2012
Links & Tidbits for March 19, 2012
March 19, 2012
http://youtu.be/n-AbPav5E5M
The intersections in Holland look a little different than they do here. I spot only a handful of personal vehicles in two minutes. Thanks for the link, Joey Chiu!
- Could robocars bring about the death of public transit? Man, my sci-fi mind is going crazy!
- Here’s an example of how graphic design and transportation can be a beautiful marriage.
- Have you ever wondered where the SkyTrain name came from? Well, before it was the train, it was a train in the sky. The name SkyTrain was first used by a now defunct British airline.
- This guy tells you how to travel by train almost anywhere in the world.
- And this guy is into transit marathons. That’s right. You can compete to see who can make a trip on transit from a to b the fastest. There are even rules to follow so that you can be documented by the Guinness Book of Records. If this hasn’t already been done in Metro Vancouver, then I think it’s time to start the competition!
- Are there hard times ahead for Portland’s standout transit system?
- This study shows that with real-time transit information, people’s perceptions of how long they have to wait for transit are more accurate than they are for systems without real-time transit information. I wonder if perceived wait times for people using transit in Vancouver have changed now that Next Bus is in real time?
- In the February issue of the Buzzer, I asked readers to send in photos of what they thought could be a version of the Transit Game. Jason Vanderhill sent in this photo. Thanks, Jason!
- The Canada Line has a new website. Check out all the latest service updates and blogs about the line!
- Mass transit ridership in the U.S. hits a record high.
- Now, here’s a great idea. The Metropolitan Transit Authority has a new app for people who want to experience and learn about all the public art on the New York transit system.
Re the transit game: the game mentioned in the 1974 Buzzer is actually different from the old BC Electric game that you linked to, although the BC Hydro version could have been adapted from the older one.
We had the “Vancouver Buses” game at home when I was growing up in the 70s, but I don’t have a picture of it. It was played on a huge cardboard, stylized picture map of Vancouver. Unlike the BC Electric version, this game started at Kootenay Loop, and just as the article described, proceeded west down Hastings, through Downtown, out to UBC and back via Musqueam and 41st out to Joyce Loop, then down Rupert back to Kootenay Loop, with various other streets in play as well (for shortcuts, I think?). The board was decorated with totem poles and whatnot.
The pieces were wooden buses, and there were dice to roll. I don’t remember much more about it, but you did have contingencies like losing a turn because the polls came off the wires. There was also a “Master Mechanic” card which (as I recall) was kind of like a free pass to get out of a breakdown. There may have been other cards that you would have draw if you landed on certain spots, though I can’t recall for sure now.
The more I think about it, the BC Electric version’s rules ring a bell (like for rolling a 3 or a 5), so the BC Hydro version may well have been an updated version of it.
[…] some people make it a sport to see who can get from a to b on public transit the fastest (check out transit marathons)! For people who have accessibility needs, knowing the right way to get to where you want to go […]
I do not see any cyclists wearing helmets in that video. What would happen to cycling in Holland if they had to wear helmets?
And even before that British airline, Skytrain was used as the name for the WWII-era Douglas C-47 transport plane – known in commercial service as the venerable DC-3.