The City of Surrey and SFU will once again be offering the transportation lecture program. It runs from September 14, 2011 to November 16, 2011. You can find out more about the program and apply on their website. They put together the following promo video with some highlights from last year's course.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
TransLink Strategic Transportation Plan 2000 - 2005: Road Improvements
Over the last few days, I've been looking at the TransLink Strategic Transportation Plan 2000 - 2005 (STP). While we're still waiting for many of the transit improvements promised in the STP, the road building part of the plan was more sucessful. According to the STP, the plan was to establish a capital budget of $15 million in 2000, rising to $60 million in 2005 for the provisioning of road improvements.
As it turns out by 2005, TransLink spent $39.6 million annually on roads. By 2010, TransLink spent $96.7 million on roads.
Major projects identified in 2000 included:
South Fraser Perimeter Road - In Progress
North Fraser Perimeter Road (United Boulevard extension) - Cancelled by New Westminster
Fraser River Crossing (which will replace the Albion Ferry service) - Done
Stormont-McBride Connector - Cancelled by New Westminster
Fraser Highway widening - In Progress
Highway 10 widening - Done
Dollarton Bridge and Highway realignment - Done
The irony of this is that with the $800 million Golden Ears Bridge plus other road projects, TransLink has spent more money improving roads in the South of Fraser than transit.
As it turns out by 2005, TransLink spent $39.6 million annually on roads. By 2010, TransLink spent $96.7 million on roads.
Major projects identified in 2000 included:
South Fraser Perimeter Road - In Progress
North Fraser Perimeter Road (United Boulevard extension) - Cancelled by New Westminster
Fraser River Crossing (which will replace the Albion Ferry service) - Done
Stormont-McBride Connector - Cancelled by New Westminster
Fraser Highway widening - In Progress
Highway 10 widening - Done
Dollarton Bridge and Highway realignment - Done
 |
| STP Potential Major Capital Projects. Select image to enlarge. |
The irony of this is that with the $800 million Golden Ears Bridge plus other road projects, TransLink has spent more money improving roads in the South of Fraser than transit.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
TransLink Strategic Transportation Plan 2000 - 2005: Transit Improvements
Yesterday I had a look at some of the overall statistics about TransLink, comparing when the TransLink Strategic Transportation Plan 2000 - 2005 (STP) was released to now. Today I'll be looking at some of the proposed expansion plans for transit in the STP. Sadly, most of the plans have not come to past.
Four new express bus routes were to be introduced connecting the following regional town centres: Richmond Centre and Metrotown, Richmond Centre and Surrey City Centre, Surrey City Centre to Coquitlam Centre, and Langley Centre to the new Braid Street SkyTrain Station or Downtown Vancouver. The Surrey/Langley buses were proposed to go over the Port Mann Bridge by 2005. Today none of these express bus services are in operation.
TransLink was also going to introduce a Downtown Vancouver/UBC B-Line, Downtown Vancouver/SFU B-Line, and Surrey B-Line bus service by 2005. None of these B-Lines are in operation.
When It comes to the Evergreen Line, it has been the number on priority since TransLink has been around.
Dues to the decade long fight about how to fund transit in our region, service improvements have not come anywhere close to what was originally planned. The recently proposed 2-cent gas tax increase is a step in the right direction to funding transit, but even the gas tax increase will not be enough to pay for the level of transit service that everyone claims to wants.
Tomorrow I'll look at the road improvements that TransLink proposed back in 2000.
 |
| Express Bus Improvements. Select image to view full size. |
 |
| B-Line Bus Improvements. Select image to view full size |
When It comes to the Evergreen Line, it has been the number on priority since TransLink has been around.
The SkyTrain project currently being built by the provincial Rapid Transit Project Office is comprised of parts of two of the lines identified by both the Province and the GVRD as high priority. These are the New Westminster to Coquitlam Centre line and the Central Broadway to Lougheed Mall line and together are referred to as the ‘T’-Line.The Canada Line also had a different plan back in 2001 as TransLink was going to "work with the City of Vancouver and Canadian Pacific Railways to preserve the Arbutus railway corridor for transportation purposes."
The completion of these two lines, particularly the connection to Coquitlam Centre, is critically important to the achievement of the goals of the Livable Region Strategic Plan. While there is a funding agreement in place to complete the line to Coquitlam, there is not yet a design or final timeline, and the legal agreement between the Province and TransLink has not been finalized.
Dues to the decade long fight about how to fund transit in our region, service improvements have not come anywhere close to what was originally planned. The recently proposed 2-cent gas tax increase is a step in the right direction to funding transit, but even the gas tax increase will not be enough to pay for the level of transit service that everyone claims to wants.
Tomorrow I'll look at the road improvements that TransLink proposed back in 2000.
Monday, July 25, 2011
TransLink Strategic Transportation Plan 2000 - 2005
I used the WayBackMachine on the Internet Archive to download one of the first plans that TransLink put out when it was formed about a decade ago. Called TransLink Strategic Transportation Plan 2000 - 2005 (STP), it set out the agencies goals for improving transportation in the region. Over the next few days, I'll highlight different parts of the plan. Today, I'll look at some of the statistics.
Adult Fare Prices in 2000
1 Zone: $1.75
2 Zone: $2.50
3 Zone: $3.50
Adult Fare Prices in 2011
1 Zone: $2.50
2 Zone: $3.75
3 Zone: $5.00
Many people in the region have been complaining that transit users aren't paying their fair share into the system. Adult fares have increased about 70% over the last decade. Since 1999, TransLink has received 58% of its revenue annually from taxation. This ratio has not change in over a decade. Looking at these numbers, I can't see how anyone can say that TransLink is targeting one group of transportation users (ie: the driver). Improving transportation costs money, plain and simple.
Looking at system statistics, according the STP, in 2005 there should have been 6.21 million hours of transit service with a bus fleet of 1,640. There was about 5 million hours of transit service in 2005 and it wasn't until 2010 that we surpassed the 6.21 million hour mark with 6.4 million hours of transit service and a bus fleet of 1,525. TransLink missed the mark on improving service because one of its key sources of funding never came to be.
PS: The 2010 stats are from TransLink's 2010 Annual Report.
Adult Fare Prices in 2000
1 Zone: $1.75
2 Zone: $2.50
3 Zone: $3.50
Adult Fare Prices in 2011
1 Zone: $2.50
2 Zone: $3.75
3 Zone: $5.00
Many people in the region have been complaining that transit users aren't paying their fair share into the system. Adult fares have increased about 70% over the last decade. Since 1999, TransLink has received 58% of its revenue annually from taxation. This ratio has not change in over a decade. Looking at these numbers, I can't see how anyone can say that TransLink is targeting one group of transportation users (ie: the driver). Improving transportation costs money, plain and simple.
Looking at system statistics, according the STP, in 2005 there should have been 6.21 million hours of transit service with a bus fleet of 1,640. There was about 5 million hours of transit service in 2005 and it wasn't until 2010 that we surpassed the 6.21 million hour mark with 6.4 million hours of transit service and a bus fleet of 1,525. TransLink missed the mark on improving service because one of its key sources of funding never came to be.
Vehicles charges - introducing a charge on motor vehicles averaging $75 per car, with the structure of the charge to be determine after public consultation, effective October 2001, increasing at 5% per year after 2002.Tomorrow, I'll have a look at some of the transit plans that we're still waiting for and some other plans that never came to pass.
PS: The 2010 stats are from TransLink's 2010 Annual Report.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)