NPA starts its transit war on Broadway. Rookie Councilor proposes Monster Buses on Broadway
April 17, 2012- 3 pm, Update from Council on Bigger Buses on Broadway
Today when Councilor Affleck moved his motion to allow bigger buses on Broadway (see motion), in a “friendly gesture” to improve the rookie Councilor’s motion, Councilor Geoff Meggs offered the following Resolve to improve the motion:
council direct staff to work with Translink to:
• identify and evaluate practical and cost-effective measures to increase capacity on the Broadway Corridor including bus priority measures, all-door loading, express bus options and bi-articulated buses;
• identify restrictive regulations that limit access to increased capacity and recommend steps to eliminate them; and
report on the outcome of this review as part of the transportation strategy update now under way.
The motion was eventually adopted by Council after some wrangling on the intent of the new resolve for the motion.
Sadly the possibility of a quick solution to improving the buses on Broadway is something that is going to take more time as today Translink announced that it was suspending all new projects because of the lack of funding. You can read more about this in the Globe and Mail by Frances Bula.Funding gap forces TransLink to suspend expansion plan
Is the introduction of “monster buses” on the Broadway corridor the first volley in a transit war from the NPA in Vancouver? While Rob Ford in Toronto was elected on a platform to end “the war on cars” and was quoted as saying “I just wanted to make it quite clear that Transit City is over” the NPA seems to proposing just the opposite: Monster Buses on Broadway.
At the Tuesday April 17 Council meeting Councilor George Affleck proposed a motion to allow “Monster Buses” on the Broadway corridor. Setting a side the fact that the size and cost of buses is a matter for Translink and would need extensive planning, what would the consequence of these Monster Buses be to the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other motorist? Clearly, an idea like Monster Buses would need to be planned more carefully and would also need much more public consultation.
The Resolve of Councilors Affleck’s motion is the following:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Vancouver requests the Province of
British Columbia and Translink to revise any restrictive regulations that prevent higher
capacity buses (such as bi-articulated buses) on the Broadway Corridor and then
provide those buses so that the demand for transit along the Corridor can be met prior
to the opening of the Evergreen Line.
In what appears to be a “rookie” attention seeking gesture, Mr. Affleck’s motion seems to be unaware of the extensive transportationplanning on the Broadway corridor and the communitydebateon the appropriateness of streetcars or underground trains on the Broadway corridor.
This motion highlights the problematic nature of newly elected councilors with no track record in civic affairs. The trouble with “Rookie” Councilors is that the taxpayers are burden with paying for them to “learn on the job” while wasting council time on ridiculous motions that are not informed on past planning, but are rather proposed merely as attention grapping devices in an attempt to justify their place on council.
The real issue the needs to be address is the chronic underfunding of Translink and BC Liberal’s lack of political will to fix this issue.
You might find interesting an article on the gorgeous new Heatherwick Studios-designed Routemaster for London. It is gorgeous, and these are SO convenient!
TOO bad and why can’t we have busses like these, at least in downtown/Kits/Bway areas to start with – thus eliminating or reducing problems with fare dodgers, assaults on bus drivers, etc.? (need conductors on these – so two-person teams on busses). “Bendy” (articulated busses) get bad press everywhere, and I feel very nervous on one crossing any bridge or going through the tunnel – ONE person in charge of this train of crap? Ridiculous. Totally agree that we don’t need councillors who are learning on the job, especially as they have a vote in decisions like this that impact us all. BAD IDEA. Take care/see you.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motoringvideo/8961901/Boris-Johnson-My-Routemaster-bus-is-a-British-style-icon.html#disqus_thread
Very cool bus. Thanks for sharing.
Brent, bi-articulated — or as COPE described them, double-articulated buses were part of COPE’s 2011 municipal election campaign platform, articulated by COPE Council candidate Tim Louis on his campaign website … http://is.gd/RfJ7Bb, and in COPE’s October 17, 2011 press release.
“In what appears to be a “rookie” attention seeking gesture…” – utter nonsense and such a biased statement. We all know you (Grant) are a Vision supporter, now using this blog to support them
My name is Brent Granby not “Grant” I ran for COPE not Vision. Views on this Website are my own. Thanks for reading it.