In case you didn’t know, Vancouver has been planning for many years to build a downtown streetcar line, similar to the very successful one built in Portland, Oregon. Modern streetcars are slick, quiet and convenient; kind of in between buses and metro or commuter rail.
Unfortunately, Translink refuses to actively engage in the process, which has the whole project botched at the moment. Surveying, planning, and initial designing has all been completed for the Downtown Streetcar; it’s simply missing the funding necessary to take it to the next step of final public consultations and construction. There is also another clause whereby Translink has authority over all transit projects in the GVRD, requiring either Translink to own the line, or for the transit authority to create a partnership contract with the City of Vancouver, assuming the line would be owned by the city.
The plan is fantastic, and this video of the Portland Streetcar just makes me wish even more for our streetcar plan to move forward.
I personally think the Vancouver transit system needs to get a whole lot better. There need to be more skytrains, more frequently in the mornings. Taking the skytrain downtown between 6 and 9am is hell.
Buses are starting to get worse, especially during rush hour. I just think they need to push more buses through during rush hour.
I also have a beef with the new buses. I prefer the old diesels more. Probably not as good for then environment, but way better in many ways.