Advice from a Canadian Visitor

I just sent the following letter to the Honolulu Star Bulletin newspaper:

Though I'm just a visitor, I've been carefully following the ongoing debate over your proposed new rapid transit system. As a professional engineer and a frequent rider of Vancouver's public transit, I believe I have some important advice to share with both the citizens and politicians of Honolulu:

1. Cost Overruns - No matter what you're told, the costs will be higher than originally quoted. The only question is how much. Will the final bill be 20% over budget? 100% ? 300% ? The only certainty is that more & more money will be spent until the project is complete. I would strongly recommend taking a look at Public Private Partnerships (aka "Triple-P") that were pioneered by my province's Premier, Gordon Campbell. They've since caught the attention of California's Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. In essence, the system is built and run by the private sector for a period of years and then given back to the state, much like a toll highway. All cost overruns are eaten by the private sector, not the taxpayers.
   
   
2. Driverless Systems - It's 2008, not 1908. Get a system that works without drivers. All trains are run by staff in a central monitoring station. This technology is proven and works extremely well. The savings in overall labor costs can be quite significant.
   
   
3. Crime - In Vancouver, there were dramatic increases in crime in 500 yard "bubbles" around each station. It took many years before a dedicated transit police force was established. Whether such a force is created here or extra resources are given to HPD, don't make the same mistake my city did and let things get completely out of hand.
   
   
4. Fare Enforcement - The Honor System does NOT work; Vancouver did it wrong, Singapore did it right. Implement a fare payment system that prevents those wishing to cheat the system.
   
   
5. Compensation For Adversely Affected Businesses - During construction there will most likely be small businesses that will be seriously hurt, if not bankrupted. They should be helped from the get go. Vancouver handled this very poorly, whereas Seattle did it well.
   

Robert Werner
Vancouver, BC

P.S. When I get back home in a few weeks I'm going to write a letter to our main local newspaper about what a generally safe and law abiding place Honolulu is. While no place is perfect, you do have a very well run community with a very friendly and hospitable citizenry!

Bus Stories

Yesterday I took the bus downtown. Just as the bus driver was about to close the doors, a 30-something fellow jumped on and said, "Can I get a ride across the bridge this one time only?" The bus driver (and everyone else within earshot) knew it was complete B.S. but let him on anyhow.

The fellow sat down and then promptly pulled out a cel phone and started text messaging. So he has enough money to own and use a cel phone but has no problem ripping off the public.

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My mom told me about taking the B-Line (a long accordion bus) from downtown. When it reached the middle of the Granville Bridge it deliberately stopped. A fare inspector walked through the bus, fining anyone who was cheating on their fare. He told my mom that there were 40 such people on that bus. That would be a minimum of 25% of the people.

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Is it any wonder why Translink is consistently short of revenues. Has Vancouver become a community of cheats?

The Elitist Environmentalists of Vancouver

There's a small but vocal group of environmentalists in Vancouver who think they speak for everyone but truly only represent a tiny elitist minority of the population. Such groups include this one and this one. Their latest raison d'etre is a ridiculous campaign to stop the twinning of the 43 year old Port Mann Bridge.

Their biggest talking point is "we don't want to have an L.A.'fication of Metro Vancouver". This makes for a great bumper sticker, but let's analyze it a little more thoroughly. What they're essentially saying is that the transportation infrastructure decisions made 40+ years ago should last us for eternity. They loathe and frequently condemn anyone who lives in Surrey or further east in the Fraser Valley and has to commute into Vancouver to work.

How dare they! Unlike these self-centered snobs, not everyone can afford to live close to Vancouver and bicycle in to work. These critics are NIMBYs of the very worst kind and absolutely disgust me.

Here are a couple of facts you should know about me: I live in the heart of Vancouver. I willingly gave up my car almost 5 years ago and walk, bicycle, and take transit to get around. I have absolutely no bias on this matter except for the God given right to use my common sense!

A great new blog focused on such transportation issues can be found here.

SkyTrain Ride

Not exactly a rollercoaster ride, but here's a video Danny took on Vancouver's SkyTrain:

Canada Line Construction

Here's a shot from 19th & Cambie, looking south. It's part of the massive Canada Line construction project that will see a mostly underground rapid transit line running from downtown Vancouver to the airport. Many people are against this project because of the cost but it'll only keep on increasing in price if not done now. And traffic will also continue to grow worse as well.

Skytrain South?

Looks a bit like SkyTrain in Vancouver, doesn't it? Minus the palm trees, I guess! This is Miami's Metromover, a free transit system in downtown Miami and Brickell.