Ask TransLink: Mary Riemer, transit planner!
Ask TransLink: Mary Riemer, transit planner!
From April 15 to May 10, you can Ask TransLink! We’re spotlighting one TransLink staff member every week and inviting you to ask them questions about their work. Find out all about the series.
We’re super excited to welcome transit planner Mary Riemer to the blog!
Mary will be kindly taking time to answer all your questions this week, all the way until Friday, May 10, 2013 at noon. And she’ll do a special 1 hour Facebook live chat on Thursday, May 9, at 2 p.m.!
We asked Mary a couple of questions about her work to kick it off: here we go!
Hi Mary! What kind of work do you do for TransLink?
Hello! I am an Assistant Transit Planner in TransLink’s Service Planning team. I’ve been with the agency for just over a year, supporting both the Area Transit Planning and Network Management programs. Service Planning works with our operating companies to make sure the transit network is developing in a way that will help meet the region’s long-term goals and objectives. This involves continuous analysis of how people use the various services available to them and based on those findings, making adjustments to improve both the efficiency and usefulness of the network.
What projects are you currently working on?
I’m working on a lot of exciting projects! The Northeast Sector Area Transit Plan has just kicked off and will establish a long-term vision for the transit network in the communities of Anmore, Belcarra, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody, as well as identify a range of near-term transit priorities to begin the realization of that vision.
Service Optimization is another part of what we do in Service Planning. These projects aim to put service where it is needed most and better match supply and demand, helping TransLink generate revenues to support efficient transit service across the region. One of the most important aspects of Service Optimization is consultation with the public. In the fall, we received invaluable feedback on proposed changes that helped us understand potential impacts and, in several cases, refine the projects to help mitigate these.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I love my job! One of the best parts of my work is talking to the public about their thoughts and ideas. So I’m excited to answer your questions about Service Planning and hear what you love about transit in Metro Vancouver too.
Thanks Mary!
All right everyone – now it’s your turn! Submit your questions in the comments below, and we’ll get Mary to answer them for you until Friday, May 10, 2013 at noon!
What kind of educational background do you have?
Hi Xerxes! Here’s Mary’s response to your question:
hi there i have two questions i live in langley and take the # 502 bus to to surrey ctrl stn alot and that bus is always busy are you going to add any more buses to that route anytime soon and or put artic buses also (60 foot buses) and is there any chance the # 364 route can run bit later on weekends like until 9pm or so right now the last on leaves sdale on the weekends is at 7.30pm
Hi Shane, here’s Mary’s response to your question!
Hi! I am a grad student working on an SFU Urban Studies degree, and I am very interested in transportation planning. What software tools, and skills, do you suggest that I develop to eventually work in transit planning as well? Thanks for doing this Q&A.
Hi Jordan, here’s Mary’s answer to your question!
My question is how the faregate distribution was decided. I use Brentwood on a regular basis and was stunned to see that there are only 3 gates. How on earth was that deemed sufficient for that station? Even without the gates there people are fighting past each other to get in and out when trains arrive.
Thanks!
Kurt
Hi Kurt – here’s Mary’s answer to your question!
I use the #20 bus regularly, which has a severe problem with buses not being evenly spaced. Does your group consider headway based operations as a potential service optimization measure?
Hi Eric! Here’s Mary’s response to your question.
I am curious why, between Alma & Granville, the #9 and the #14 always come at the same time?
It would be much more helpful to have them spaced. It is very disappointing to miss them both when the traffic light is against me as I try to cross Broadway at Vine or Yew.
Hi Sheila! Here’s Mary’s response to your question.
Thanks to the Buzzer blog for organizing this and Mary for answering our questions!
What are some of the operational patterns that have been discussed when the Evergreen Line opens in 2016?
Has TransLink looked into adding more limited stop services? Select #49 Metrotown trips in the peak hours operate as #49 Metrotown Express that bypass 54th Ave between Kerr and Tyne. I feel like many riders would welcome the addition or conversion of existing trips into ‘Express’ trips like this except they only stop at major intersections that offer connections to other bus routes.
Is there a method as to how route numbers are determined? I noticed #9 is on Broadway (9th Avenue), #41 on 41st Ave, #49 on 49th Ave, etc for example.
Is there any news on the Burnaby Mountain Gondola project after it was suspended last year?
Allen! Here’s Mary’s response to your questions :)
How far along are the plans for the Millennium Line extension to Canada Line and then along Broadway to UBC? I kept hearing that it was going to travel entirely along Broadway – until I came across this, which shows it traveling along Great Northern Way and then sharply dropping down to the Broadway/City Hall station (instead of the Olympic Village station). See page 7
http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20130424/documents/ptec7.pdf
How much say do the cities have in regards to where bus routes are located/relocated? If the road system supports it, how long would it take to implement large changes to the bus network?
Also are some numbers not used for route numbers because of superstition? I’ve noticed there doesn’t seem to be a single route that ends in 13.
Hi Sheba – here’s Mary’s response to your questions.
I’m also wondering about how route numbers are determined for new routes. I know historically there is probably a set of rules that can be observed by existing routes, but it seems that TransLink has not followed them lately:
– By geographical region (ie. 10x for New West, 11x for S Burnaby, 13x for N Burnaby, 14x for Burnaby Mountain and Port Moody, 15x for SW Coquitlam, 16x for Poco and Northern Coquitlam; for North Shore, the routes were numbered from 21x, 22x, 23x, 24x, 25x from East to West; for SoF, it was 31x, 32x, 33x from West to East, then 34x near Strawberry Hill and 35x in South Surrey and White Rock) – But then new routes like #150, #177, #179, #189, #364, #375, #388 isn’t really follow this anymore.
– By type of service – the x9x routes seems to be reserved for peak-only express route, but the #595, #791 are all-day; the x0x seems now going more toward inter-regional trunk routes, but the #555 just seems completely random (unless trying to match the former #333)?
– By former route – for this route, the new Aldergrove route proposed for the service optimization should’ve been the #511, but it is #503 instead.
And look like TransLink is even abandoning the community shuttle route numbering system introduced 10 years ago. #C8 and #C9 seems to be the last shuttle number used, whereas the #256, #388, #609 and the proposed #227, #251, #252 all uses 3-digit numbering even though they are completely shuttle.
Hi SS, here’s Mary’s answer to your questions!
My question is on about late night service. Are there any plans in the future to extend the hours of service and adding new routes in the area? Many people need 24 hours of transit service.
Hey Kelly, here’s Mary’s response to your question.
Jhen here to add: you can also check out the Buzzer’s post on overnight SkyTrain maintenance for more!
I’ve been studying the #20 for decades and have seen improvements. The old service ran from Marpole to Harrison, via downtown. Severing the Marpole segment has greatly improved reliability.
In recent years, it’s been explained that the service runs reliably from Pacific Centre until Chinatown. From there the service is pure chaos. There was talk in the past that there was traffic light priority measures for buses…. I’m wondering if this was ever implemented.
There was also talk about 10yrs during a Vancouver Transit review about about having the #20 only run between Hastings @ Commercial to Harrison return. I like this idea because Hastings is already heavily served and there is also the Expo line for riders interested in downtown. Instead, they short-turned buses at 54th (and 41st when the service got behind). South Van residents got very unreliable service when this occurred. And that leads us to today.
Thankfully the modern NextBus map identifies bunching on my Blackberry and I use alternative routes (Canada Line) to get home quickly.
Hi ???: Mary has an answer to your questions! Sorry for the delay: I missed the response in my inbox.
@ SS
#364 and #388 are properly numbered, because significant amount of their travel is on 64 Ave and 88 Ave, respectively.
As for the #C?? routes, please change the route numbers to something more meaningful.
Ive been told that faresavers will not be sold soon, and any remaining faresaver vouchers will be invalid after the end of Aug this year…is this true?
Hi Liz – here is Mary’s response to your question!
Ooh, route numbers!
To Sheba’s question, there have been a couple of routes numbered 13, but they’re the oddity rather than the rule.
When the #14 Hastings was a streetcar service (paired with the #14 Dunbar and #16 West Point Grey, from the mid 30s to late 40s), #13 streetcars were short-turn cars, operating between Hastings at Renfrew and Broadway at Alma. In 1949, the #14 was truncated Downtown, and from then on, #13 cars just ran between Hastings at Renfrew and Downtown.
Then during Expo 86, there was the 13 Cambie/Downtown trolleybus, which ran between Cambie at 50th (where there was a trolleybus turnaround, short of the #15 terminus at 65th) and Victory Square.
Those are the only X13 route numbers I’m aware of.
As for routes numbered according to the streets they operate on, these have included in recent years:
4 (+44 and 84, arguably) on Fourth
9 (+99 and N9) on Broadway
10 on Tenth (only until 2003, sadly)
25 on King Edward
33 on 33rd Ave
41 on 41st Ave
49 on 49th Ave
101 on 1st Street (debatable…only a few blocks)
102 on 2nd Street in New West (only until the late 80s)
106 on 6th Street
108 on 8th Avenue in New West (until replaced Community Shuttle)
112 on 12th Street
229 on 29th Street in North Van
312 on 112th Street
316 on 116th Street
364 on 64th Avenue
388 on 88th Avenue
401 (+411, 491) on No 1 Road
402 (+492) on No 2 Road
403 on No 3 Road
404 on No 4 Road
405 on No 5 Road
And last but not least, there was also the 109 Brentwood/Boundary Loop (formerly 9 Broadway Extension), a shuttle taking Broadway passengers to/from Brentwood Mall until the 99 B-Line was phased in.
@Stefan
There was also the #413 shopper shuttle from Richmond to New West via Westminster Highway.
SS:
Ah, yes! I even rode on the 413 once…
It only operated, what, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays? Once per day each way, three days a week.
Do you follow any planning or transit blogs?
Hi Xerxes, here’s Mary’s answer to your second question.
Hi.
How do you decide on buses to use for new routes and the Frequency Transit Network routes?
How do you decide on the frequency on the Skytrsin, the SeaBus and the bus routes?
Thank you for taking the time to answer the questions.
Hi Awesome Cheese (great name btw :) Here is Mary’s response to your questions.
Why are the 407 and 430 scheduled to go down Bridgeport at the same time? It’s not a matter of traffic, if you look on the schedules on the poles they’re scheduled to be less than 3 minutes apart. Seems rather inefficient, and it’s very inconvienent. I’d love if this could be changed in the near future so that there’s 15 minute service down Bridgeport instead of 30 minute.
Hi Joe! Mary has this response for your question.
Here are some questions for you Mary:
1) Why can’t the 410 operate on articulated buses during rush hour?
2) How does the GPS system pick up when to announce the stops and what stop to announce?
3) Why is it not possible to put all express routes on Highway coaches?
4) Why aren’t there power outlets on the highway coaches to provide passengers to charge laptops and cell phones?
Hi Ric, here’s Mary’s response to your questions.
I’m not a big fan of spending money in power outlets on buses where the average ride is 15 to 30 minutes. You can charge your device at home. If your device battery is bad, get a new battery or get a new device with a better battery. You can also go to NCIX and get yourself external battery for your device that you can put in your pocket/purse. They range from $10 to $90 depending on the amperage you need.
???, the 351 is 60 minutes assuming no traffic, and the 601 is 50 minutes if there’s no traffic jams. Other routes that feature express coaches include the 311 (30 minutes), the 301 (50 minutes), and the 555 (20 minutes). Even the peak period 602/3/4 which skips Ladner Exchange takes 40 minutes from end to end. I’d certainly say costs should be explored for power outlets on highway coaches to see if it’s feasible without costing too much.
???, not sure if you are aware of this but down in the US there are power outlets on every single transit bus and train. Back in my home town in Asia there are also power outlets on every single transit bus and MTR train.
In the lower mainland the WCE (Westcoast Express) there are power outlets on the trains and power outlets are also provided on all Greyhound and Charter buses in the lower mainland.
My next question is Translink will be able to get wifi soon? I know that some cities are now introducing wifi. If so, where abouts are they goina put them?
Ric: I have a hard time believing what you said (about every single bus in the US having electrical outlets) is accurate. New Flyer Industries is the largest bus manufacturer in the North America and AFAIK they do not offer electrical outlets.
Allen, the buses in the US did not ship with electrical outlets, they were put in by the operating company once the buses arrived from the manufacture.
Hi. I am thinking of buying a house that is situated pretty close to a skytrain line. Are you able to provide any information on levels of electromagnetic fields produced by the lines? Thanks!
Hi Alison! To add to the info from Xerxes and ???, here’s Mary’s response.
I have several questions for Mary. 1. I ride route 41 almost everyday. The crowding is getting worse. Will service optimization result in more service? Why are the trolley wires not being extended to UBC so that higher utilization of the trolley fleet can occur? In the 2005 Vancouver Area Transit Plan, the idea was to run the 43 all day as a new route 91 B-Line. What has happened to this plan? Does the plan make sense given that many, many riders on the 41 board and get off at non-43 stops? Local riders on the 41 need better service. 2. What are TransLink’s short term plans for the Broadway corridor? It could be years until a subway is built. Will more bus service be added? Can the 9 be converted to an articulated trolley to increase capacity? Something has to be done.
Hi Gary! Great questions – here’s Mary’s answers.
@Alison: In full honesty, I recommend you go pick up an EMF meter like this one. http://www.amazon.com/Trifield-100XE-EMF-Meter/dp/B00050WQ1G/ref=sr_1_1
The meters are not expensive and you can see for yourself the impact to how close you are to high voltage locations. You should also try the meters next to an operating refrigerator, car dash, CFL light, stove, wifi router, laptop keyboard, cellphone, or your bedside LED clock. The results may be surprising.
Like installing electrical outlets, I’m not a fan of transit wifi either… If people want internet, get yourself a data plan on your phone or device. Data plans costs less than $1 a day. What use is wifi when you exit the bus or waiting at a bus stop? I would rather see the money spent on more buses or transit improvements along Broadway. BTW… did you know the Canada Line tunnel offers data service for many phones. You don’t need wifi in the tunnel for the internet.
@Alison You don’t really need to worry about the EM radiation from a Skytrain line, a Skytrain line creates non-ionizing radiation which has not been shown to lead to adverse health effects.
Hi Mary,
I was wondering how the yearly Prov. Govt/disability bus passes will work when the new Compass Card/faregate system comes online mid-year? Will card holders be issued new smartcard-type passes right away? Or will they continue to use the current passes until they expire or until the end of the transition period? Will the new passes look different from a regular Compass card? Just curious. Thanks. :)
Hi Reva! I sent your question on to be answered by the Compass team, and here’s what they’ve provided.
I was wondering how the yearly Prov. Govt/disability bus passes will work when the new Compass Card/faregate system comes online mid-year? Will card holders be issued new smartcard-type passes right away? Or will they continue to use the current passes until they expire or until the end of the transition period? Will the new passes look different from a regular Compass card? Just curious. Thanks. :)
There will be a ‘Compass version’ of the BC Bus Pass, and it will be distributed well in advance of the time that the faregates close.
It will look like this:
although the information printed on the front of it may be different than this sample. There will be no personal information stored electronically on the card.
BC Bus Pass holders should continue to use the cards they have now until they receive new cards.
I should mention that there’s a Compass Card site you can check out for more information!
Hi Mary,
As a regular #25 users, I believe that the demand of the route is actually much higher than what Translink thinks. #25 gets a service reduction after April 12th as Translink always does after U.B.C session ended. However, it turns out the route is still under high demand and it turns horrible with current service level. During peak hours, it is unlikely for people to get on the first bus arrived (except if he or she is at Nanaimo Station), and this happens in both directions. Pass-ups (westbound up to 20-30 people on King Edward between Knight and Cambie) are observed daily and the problem is nowhere being solved. During afternoon peak the route runs every 8-12 minutes, and I just found out that Translink adjusted the schedule so that all eastbound buses departing between 3p.m. to 4 p.m can leave U.B.C. on time. However, the buses are poorly spaced that the eastbound bus after 2:58 is now 3:12 (well…. even though it used to be scheduled at 3:05, it never came on-time). I am glad that Translink realizes the delay problem on the route, even though the route actually delays ALL THE TIME even at weekend midday. Well, it will be better if one more trip can be added between the 2:58 and 3:12 trip (14 minutes frequency is not really acceptable during afternoon peak).
And also to the bus delaying issue… Some of the most-likely-delayed bus routes in my point of view are the #20, #25 and #106… Heavy traffic is usually what causes the problem, and sometimes it takes almost half an hour to wait for a 6 to 12 minutes frequency route… this commonly takes place on the #20. Is there anyways Translink can cope with these problems and is Translink interested in adding a future Commercial-Victoria corridor B-line when resources and funding become more stable and sufficient?
Last but not least, has Translink ever considered communicating to PNE in order to add a few PNE special trips according to the demand? It is School PNE day today and the #14 as well as the #16 were extremely crowded. I bet one or two #14 PNE and #16 To Hastings (from 29th Stn) trips will be enough.
Hello Kevin: here’s Mary’s answers to your questions!
I like what Kevin has to say. Non-rush hour crowding is inexcusable. There should be more buses available, and more riders means more funding. It’s ridiculous.
More highways and non-rush hour crowding are examples of the governments not caring.
Eugene: Well, it’s worth remembering that governments are just like any organization, operating with limited resources—so it doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t care if they can’t currently solve every concern. Crowding certainly is a real issue!
Is Translink ever going to run the 95 B-Line on Hastings? What is the delay? It doesn’t even seem like a major resource issue, because some 135 trips could be converted to create the service. Not perfect, I know, but it seems more efficient. Was this considered as part of service optimization?
And re: Eugene’s comment, I think the point is they do have resources. They are choosing to spend them on highways instead of transit. Somehow resources always seems to be found for road expansion, but we still get passed up by buses on weekend afternoons!
Why do the ticket vending machines not accept american bill when the fareboxes on the buses as well as the ticket vending machines can accept american coins?
[…] SS asked about how we pick numbers for new routes. Here’s what Mary said. […]
Nice to hear that TransLink stopped using the #Cx numbers. Many people here dropped the ‘C’ from the route number and refer to the shuttle routes by only the numeric part, and it can get so confusing sometimes. I remembered someone asked me where to take the ’28 going north’ on the #160. I said ‘Kootenay Loop in Vancouver’ while someone said ‘Coquitlam Station’, and I ended up getting a look as if I was trying to trick someone…
Would the existing shuttle route retain their current numbers? Or if there is a plan to renumber them sometimes in the future?
Also, I’ve heard that TransLink adopt a new accessibility standard to include down escalators at SkyTrain stations, and all Evergreen Line stations (except for Lafarge Lake due to budget) would have down escalators. Is this true? Would down escalators be added as part of those station upgrade projects at Expo Line stations? And is there a plan to add ‘up’ escalator to Columbia?
Why can’t all monitors at skytrain station display when will the next train arrive? That’s the only piece of information that we want really. :)
@Bobo
Personally I think the 160 and rush hour only 190 should be changed to B-Line. Both of them and the 135 travel from Burrard Station along Hastings until Inlet Dr – then the 135 head up to SFU and the 160 and 190 take Barnet HWY.
If you look up their schedules you’ll see that the 160 and 190 are already quasi express buses that don’t stop at all the stops, and depending on what direction they’re travelling, it’s only pick-up or drop-off at stops – not both. Changing them to a more standard B-Line would make way more sense than the way it’s set up now.
@ Henry
I wish that all the Skytrain stations had the same info shown as the Canada Line does too.
Sheba:
You make a good suggestion, but it was already tried (sort of), and the 160/190 would have to be beefed up to make it viable.
For years, the 160 did what it does now (stop for unloading only in Burnaby/Vancouver westbound; loading only eastbound), but due to a mismatch between supply and demand on the 135 a decade ago, the 160 changed to load AND unload at transfer points from Kootenay Loop to Inlet Drive. (The 190, as the lingering legacy of the early 90s, pre-West Coast Express “SuperBus” program, has only ever stopped at a few key transfer points: Commercial; Kootenay Loop; Willingdon–and for Tri-Cities passengers only.)
The problem was that there were so many Burnaby passengers boarding the eastbound bus in Vancouver, that service deteriorated for Tri-Cities passengers. So when more vehicles became available a couple of years ago to serve the 135, the 160 reverted to its old stopping arrangements.
With the 160 only operating on 30-minute headways outside of peak hours (and mainly 40-foot buses on weekdays), it wouldn’t work as a B-Line in its current state. It would have to get more 60-foot buses, and on at least double the current headway.
Of course, once the Evergreen Line comes online, with excess vehicles from the 97 and 160 routes, maybe the Hastings B-Line will finally happen! Better yet, they should string wires all the way to SFU and bring back the Hastings Express…but alas, that is probably too much of a dream.
@ Translink
Bobo is right. I don’t understand how you managed to find money to build more highways. Yes, I know that you couldn’t resist taking advantage of the offer by the feds, but you promote it as if there are no opportunity costs.
“Well, we had this money, and we all ready refused to use it for transit under any circumstance. We would rather die than let that happen. It would have been such a waste to just burn it, so when the feds came around throwing money at people, we decided to build a highway as part of our Go Green program!”
While I quickly admit that Translink has great feelings about making good transit, I don’t think that you really deserve the opportunity to claim that you care. You’ve built elevators. You’ve installed machines that will cost more than they bring in, and that will slow down service, causing missed connections. You’ve built highways.
* * * * * * * *
“Go green! Continual car usage is unsustainable, and we will build a new highway this coming fall, and while we’re at it, we will give raises to the board of directors!”
Did anybody notice that the second sentence wasn’t even finished, and they were all ready trying to spend more money?
* * *
Wear and tear! Wear and tear!
We can’t do what’s best, and what you want, due to wear and tear!
Proved me wrong?!?
Too bad! Now we won’t do it due to budget limitations!
Budget limitations! Budget limitations!
We can’t do what’s best, and what you want, due to budget limitations!
Proved me wrong?!?
Too bad! Now we won’t do it due to union rules!
Union rules! Union rules!
We can’t do what’s best, and what you want, due to union rules!
Proved me wrong?!?
Too bad! Now we won’t do it due to…hmm…too much money from the feds!
Too much money from the feds! Too much money from the feds!
We can’t do what’s best, and what you want, due to too much money from the feds!
Proved me wrong?!?
Too bad! Now we won’t do it due to…due to…hmm…we don’t care!
We don’t care! We don’t care! [repeat until music fades]
Hi Mary, I have couple questions. I would like to know if you’ve ever had any complaints about the lack of Bus routes in South Surrey.
If so, is Translink planning on improving the bus routes that travel through or to Surrey? The #531, for example, goes a VERY long way without stopping on its trip from White Rock Center to Willowbrook, as it lacks bus stops on its route. Has this route, or any other South Surrey bus route, ever been complained about?
Thank you for your time!
Eep – SS, I had an answer from Mary for you in my inbox and missed putting it up until now! Here it is:
I’m going “green” in my own way for myself and extended family. My bro-in-law has the only AC Propulsion eBox in Canada (180kw electric). I’ve installed solar hot water evacuated tubes on my home. I’m about to install the first half of 5kw gridtie solar electric in the next couple of weeks. After 10kw on my main roof my workshop will get 3.5kw of panels. I’ve made over 7000L of biodiesel myself over the last 3 years… where you guys don’t get a single penny of my taxes. Now you are talking about tolls for rush hour drivers because you are short money. I’m sorry, stop paying your bodywork/painters $40/hr to sleep on a bus. Full size buses late at night with 1 passenger. Makes sense?? There are so many inefficiencies in translink it boggles the mind. Biggest problem is an unelected board. You’d all be on the street jobless if you had been elected. It’s the same as healthcare. Doesn’t matter how many billions of $ we throw down the black hole it won’t solve anything until we change the paradigm.