Links and tidbits for June 7, 2012
June 7, 2012
Links and tidbits for June 7, 2012
June 7, 2012
- The New York Subway map has mistakes. Or are they mistakes by design? This is an issue its creators can’t seem to agree on. My questions are: Does a transit map need to depict the geography 100%? Or is it okay for the map to just accurately depict the transit system? This is a debate many transit authorities are having.
- Have Americans forgotten how to walk? This Slate article claims they have. One reason given is that walking is so obvious that people forget to do it. Have we in Metro Vancouver also forgotten how to walk? I’m curious to read your thoughts!
- TransLink is one of five transit agencies (and the only Canadian one) used as an example in this research document on how social media can be used by a transit agency.
- There’s a new bus serving Vancouver-Seattle-Portland with fares starting at $1 starting May 31st. It seems like there are very few $1 fares, but regular fares appear to be very reasonable.
- Here’s one person’s account on how they are living car-free in Surrey.
- The Illustrated Vancouver blog downloaded a .phf of the April 20, 1955, Buzzer newsletter. The issue documented the switchover from rails to rubber.
- Gordon Price points out that during a recent talk by real estate superstar Bob Rennie, Rennie mentioned that proximity to transit will be the big factor that new home buyers in the region will be looking for. Here’s the quote: “In the ’70s and ’80s, it was location, location, location. In the ’90s through mid-’2000s, it was timing, timing, timing. And from here forward, it’s transit, transit, transit.”
- A new book on transit around the world, Straphanger, rates transit in Vancouver highly. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. Have any of you?
- There’s was some new public art under the Cambie Street Bridge. It isn’t part of any official art on the Canada Line, but it’s kinda cool.
- Michael Schabas sent in some drawings of the Expo Line. I really love the one of Burrard Station He was a design coordinator on a number of stations. Thanks for those, Michael!
- Invisible bikes in China. Not much more can be said, but they sure look cool!
- About once a month, I receive an email regarding the board game “Vancouver Buses.” I wrote about the game in the Back Issues section of the February Buzzer. Sheila Kirkby of Vancouver sent us some photos of the game. She said she played it when she was a kid!
- This neat blurred image of a train on the Canada Line was tweeted by Lorenzo Lindo.
- Transit ridership is up 5% in U.S. this year. Ridership was also up in Canada last year. Do any of you have any guesses for ridership numbers in the future?
- Vancouver may not be the only city in Canada with a rapid transit system connecting the airport to the city. Montreal is looking to build transit to the airport as well.
Oh, I remember that Vancouver bus board game! I think we still have it somewhere in my parents’ basement.
I’ll have to go hunt for it.
Cats have been riding invisible motorcycles long before humans began the practice: http://www.roflcat.com/images/cats/bike.jpg
That “Vancouver Buses” is exactly the game we had when I was a kid, too! I tried describing it here in words a couple of months ago, but as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Is there a link to the SkyTrain renderings?
Matt: I’d love to play the game some time. Maybe someone can bring one to I Love Transit this year? Any volunteers out there?
Tim: Love it!
Stefan: I’m glad you like the images!
Josh: Here some links to similar images we posted in the past: http://buzzer.translink.ca/index.php/2011/03/historic-skytrain-and-bus-illustrations-from-ron-love/
http://buzzer.translink.ca/index.php/2011/01/skytrain-historic-photos-princess-diana-visits-skytrain-and-more/
And I’ve uploaded this the image of Burrard Station – http://buzzer.translink.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Scanned-Image-111770002.jpeg
Waterfront Station – http://buzzer.translink.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Scanned-Image-111770001.jpeg
and Joyce Station – http://buzzer.translink.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Scanned-Image-111770000.jpeg
Enjoy!
Good to see more of the original SkyTrain renderings, but there was no credit to the illustrator! He is of course, the incomparable Ron Love, previously seen in the comments above. He’s also been featured here, on Illustrated Vancouver a number of times, with lots more of his work deserving to be seen again.
http://illustratedvancouver.ca/tagged/Ron+Love
Robert:
Thanks for the new images. The bottom one is actually of Patterson Station: you can see a tiny sign above the station entrance in the rendering.
In the first post you linked to of illustrations by Ron Love, they’re old enough that the first photo on the left, looking east along Broadway, shows the tail end of an old Brill trolleybus (retired in 1984) receding into the distance.
(Also, the right-hand photo shows the guideway running right down the middle of Commercial…as I vaguely recall, the decision on where exactly to align the SkyTrain along that stretch was long and fractious.)
Good to see more of the original SkyTrain renderings, but there was no credit to the illustrator! He is of course, the incomparable Ron Love, as seen and mentioned in the comments above. He’s also been featured on Illustrated Vancouver a number of times, with lots more of his work deserving to be seen again.
Actually, that Brill trolleybus is not exactly receding, but stationary: if you look carefully, you can see the driver is putting the poles back on the wires!
Stefan: You’re right, I was confusing the projects that Michael Schabas was involved with and the image.
Jas: Thanks for the note about Ron. He’s noted in March 15, 2011 post. I’ll add them to this post. We must give credit where credit is due. They are very eye catching indeed!
File this under things stumbled upon while looking for something completely unrelated:
http://tinyurl.com/84e3ccp
Dave 2: Neat! Adding to the pile for the next links roundup.
[…] Vancouver buses board game, which was just donated to us (we wrote about the 1973 board game on the blog and the February print Buzzer). There will also be some food and drinks provided and prizes! […]