Monday News

Well, I believe it is day two of the new bike lanes on the Burrard Bridge. There is plenty of coverage of this topic elsewhere, but there are two things I want to point out. Lane reduction is always controversial, but the key to its success is a good flow of information. I read a study about lane reduction in the UK, the difference between successful projects and ones that failed was the information leading up to the closure of the lanes. I think the media and City of Vancouver have done a good job on letting people know about the changes that will happen. I also find very bold that the City of Vancouver would try this project in the first place. Lots of governments talk about putting sustainable transportation first, but usually only when it doesn’t affect the motorist. It will be really interesting to see what happen when the Township of Langley tries to reduce lanes on 200th Street for rapid transit...

In other news, last year the Township of Langley council heard from a light rail expert about making Langley a light rail centre of excellences. Well, it looks like the people in the state of Oregon are already doing that.

Because most railcars are almost entirely produced overseas, other countries have been enjoying the economic benefits of America’s booming transit ridership with new light rail and streetcar lines opening from coast to coast.

That began to change today in Portland, as the first American-made streetcar in almost 60 years was unveiled to the public. The streetcars are made by United Streetcar LLC and their parent company, Oregon Iron Works.