Monday, January 30, 2017

Scariest spot to stand; Beta and Lougheed

As the photos and following video show, the most dangerous spot for pedestrians is the island on the northwest corner of Beta Ave and Lougheed Hwy.  Pedestrians wishing to cross from or to there are essentially offered no protection from unsafely driven vehicles.  I myself alone have witnessed several  near collisions of vehicles into the island and nothing prevents vehicles from going right through the island and killing anyone unfortunate enough to be standing there.


The photos below show broken parts of a vehicle that probably collided into the light or sign post there.





The only real solution to this hazard is the placement of short, evenly-spaced steel posts along the perimeter of the island with enough space for wheelchair access. The barriers may not prevent flying car parts from injuring pedestrians but would certainly prevent pedestrians from being run over by a car.

If you don't believe me, watch the video below of what happened during the heavy snow and icy conditions.




Thursday, January 26, 2017

Brentwood Station to Arbutus Station

TransLink has revealed the route for the future Broadway Line extension to Arbutus Street.   By choosing to extend it from the Millennium Line from VCC Clarke instead of starting it at Commercial Broadway, TransLink has made the right decision.  It would not have made any sense to start tunnelling from Commercial Broadway when they could save hundreds of millions of dollars by beginning the tunnelling further west at Main Street.  Now time will tell if there is an appetite to just go ahead and continue the extension past Arbutus all the way to UBC sooner than later.

TransLink image below



Full CBC article link - CBC article below)


TransLink reveals plans for Broadway SkyTrain,

Surrey LRT


Broadway line will be an extension of the Millenium Line from VCC Station to Arbutus Street

CBC News Posted: Jan 17, 2017 10:32 AM PT Last Updated: Jan 17, 2017 12:53 PM PT

TransLink will begin public consultation in late January on two new train lines planned for Metro Vancouver, the transit authority announced today.
Consultations on the Broadway extension of the Millennium Line will begin Jan. 28.
Consultations on the Surrey-Newton-Guildford LRT project will begin Jan. 24.
The regional transit authority also says it will be doubling SeaBus service on Sundays and holidays and adding more frequent service at peak times on the Expo, Millennium and Canada lines as part of the first phase of its 10-year plan.
TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said the service improvements announced today are the first of many the transit authority plans to roll out every three months for the next few years.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said the plan is the biggest investment in regional transit since 2009, when the Canada Line was built.

"This is really comprehensive improvement around the region," Robertson said. "That's why the mayors supported it so strongly, because it will make a difference in every community across Metro Vancouver."

Millennium Line extended out Broadway

The Broadway Extension will extend the Millennium Line  from its current VCC endpoint southwest to Broadway and Main, and then west to Arbutus Street.
Previously officials had proposed extending the line all the way west to UBC, but Desmond said it was important to relieve pressure on the 99 B-Line route as soon as possible.
"Will rail eventually get to UBC? I'd say that's probably a good chance," Desmond told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. "When? I don't know. But for now, we need to get to Arbutus [and] relieve a lot of crowding on the bus service."
Robertson said the Metro Vancouver Mayors' Council's 10-year vision does include the possibility of extending that line to UBC, but planning would not begin until near the end of that 10-year vision.