Vancouver has impose decades of severe building restrictions that the BC government finally had to implement higher housing standards, but it still might not be enough. Edmonton, Calgary & Seattle all have allowed a taller residential tower than what is permitted in strict Vancouver. If more affordable housing was included on the lower floors, then the high cost upper floors can offset the overall building costs.
Showing posts sorted by date for query BC. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query BC. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Monday, March 18, 2024
Saturday, March 16, 2024
17 Ave. S.E. Bus Rapid Transit, Cushing Bridge, Calgary
https://www.calgary.ca/council/ward-9/h-17-av-se-bus-rapid-transit.html Of course Calgary would get around to doing this type of crossing, long before Vancouver would. The BRT bridge next to the Cushing+Bridge
The 4 lane Cushing+Bridge could have easily remained as a Vancouver type bottleneck or chokepoint, but building a bus-bridge next to it, makes all the difference. The Greater Vancouver area has so many narrow streets & bridges. Its as if there is a different set of physics in BC than in Alberta. Fortunately unlike slow moving Vancouver, Calgary was able to get the 17_Avenue_Transitway mostly completed, years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Transit#Bus_rapid_transit_and_future
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAX_(Calgary)#BRT_routes
Of course Calgary seems to have a better system of bike bridges than Vancouver as well.
https://www.visitcalgary.com/things-to-do/stories-from-calgary/10-epic-bike-pathways-in-calgary
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Monday, March 11, 2024
The Vancouver Cruise Ship Season Starts
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/03/11/vancouver-cruise-season-businesses
Maintaining a growing tourism economy takes constant effort.
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-s-cruise-season-kicks-off-with-arrival-of-disney-wonder-1.6802579
There always has to be enough hotels & other essential services.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canada-place-vancouver-cruise-ship-season-kickoff
https://vancouversun.com/news/disney-wonder-kicks-off-vancouvers-busy-2024-cruise-ship-season
https://canadiantrainvacations.com/blog/best-time-to-visit-vancouver
Fortunately, many other cities don't have to contend with a Vancouver approach to things.
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Vancouver+faces+hotel+shortage
410 WEST GEORGIA BUILDING (DELOITTE SUMMIT), VANCOUVER, BC
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/westbank-sells-deloitte-summit-tower-allied
It's a very nice building, but it's so small.
https://www2.deloitte.com/ca/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/deloitte-summit.html
https://www.canam.com/en/project/deloitte-summit-au-400-west-georgia/
https://merrickarch.com/work/400-west-georgia/
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/deloitte-summit-tower-410-west-georgia-street-vancouver-westbank
Unfortunately, in that part of the city, nothing is permitted to be as tall as the Lippo_Centre_in_Hong_Kong).
The extreme height restrictions meant that the 91.74 m or 301 foot building is even shorter than 8 King East. And even shorter than the Old_City_Hall_in_Toronto, which is 103.64 m (340.0 ft).
Yet, the land & living costs in small minded Vancouver keep getting higher. Fortunately, Toronto & HK will never be Vancouverized, as most cities are allowed to be on a much grander scale than what is permitted in small-minded backwater BC.
Friday, March 1, 2024
Monday, February 19, 2024
Vancouver faces hotel shortage ahead of 2026 World Cup
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-hotel-shortage-2026-world-cup-1.7117696
The city has failed in attracting many more hotels over the decades.
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/09/08/vancouver-hotels-shortage-city-councillor/
With so many strict & extremely limiting building restrictions, Vancouver has made it tougher for more hotels to set up shop in the city. A 30-40 story hotel with 30-40 condominium floors above that would provide a great incentive for more hotels to be built.
Unfortunately, there has been a strong, KEEP VANCOUVER SMALL agenda for several decades.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/seattle-vancover-tourism-infrastructure-facilities-economy-strengths Fortunatly, Seattle isn't under any of the Vancouver type restrictions & limitations.
www.seattletimes.com/business/as-seattle-area-keeps-building-hotels-there-soon-may-be-too-much-room-at-the-inn If only BC had such an issue, but it's the total opposite in Vancouver.
https://www.costar.com/article/1967732614/seattle-experiences-influx-of-hotel-rooms-in-construction
"As of 2022, Metro Vancouver has a hotel supply of 23,292 rooms across 163 properties, including 13,290 rooms in 78 properties within the City of Vancouver." https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-hotel-supply-shortage-demand
- Hotel rooms available in Downtown Seattle: 14,861
- Hotel rooms available in King County: 43,490
https://visitseattle.org/press/press-kit/seattle-facts
Seattle like Calgary, Toronto & Montreal, have a think big & plan ahead mentality, which Vancouver continues to avoid.
Saturday, February 17, 2024
New Westminster, BC
Unfortunately, the little river city of New+Westminster never saw itself as having the same potential as Portland, Oregon. NW eventually went from being a backwater BC capital to becoming part of the Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Area. Unlike Portland, it has always been reluctant towards having wide train & road bridges.
The SkyBridge should have been multimodal like the fantastic Tilikum+Crossing in Portland.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pattullo-bridge-surrey-board-of-trade Of course the new PB won't have a furture provision for bus & rail on a 2nd deck.
Friday, February 16, 2024
Transperth and WA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transperth Unlike the BC approach, WA allows for longer trains, as well as many lanes. Why just have a 3 coach train when you can have a train consisting of 6 carriages?
Perth, Calgary & Seattle, 8 lanes & 2 tracks, but not in Greater Vancouver.
| Train length | 72.42 m (237 ft 73⁄16 in)[1] |
|---|---|
| Car length |
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transperth_B-series_train Of course a 3 car train might be alright during the slow hours of the day, but a 6 car train makes all the difference. A 475 foot long train is getting close to the length of a 152 m or 500 foot long Montreal Metro train. Unfortunately, the Vancouver & BC approach is all about limited capacity & congestive planning.
Bellevue, WA - Eastside Link light rail set to open in April
https://bellevuewa.gov/city-government/departments/transportation/projects/east-link-light-rail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Line_(Sound_Transit) , https://www.soundtransit.org/blog/platform/get-ready-new-link-service-eastside-next-spring
https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/east-link-extension
https://www.theurbanist.org/2023/08/11/the-east-link-light-rail-starter-line-is-officially-a-go/
https://www.mercerisland.gov/community/page/light-rail-east-link
Seattle, Calgary & Perth, 8 lanes & 2 tracks, but not in Greater Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Line_(Sound_Transit)#Route
Grade Separation for trains is always the best option. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aADuNDv7Wc But sometimes things are done to cut the cost of a rail line down.
Why You Shouldn't Put Light Rail in Tunnels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-9sLvdqcJY
Greater Seattle is able to do so much more, simply because its not under a Vancouver & BC lack of vision perspective.
Evolution of the Vancouver SkyTrain 1985-2035
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3kzHlQQSeg
The Surrey-Langley Skytrain segment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx5GBKjiw2c
Just because it's considered light rail, there still should have been a provision to easily have 152 m stations, like with the Montreal Metro stations. Instead, the first 2 lines only can handle 80 m trains & the C Line has a ridiculous 50 M station maximum. This, not properly building for the future agenda, is utterly foolish & inept. In spite of many cities opting for long trains & wide bridges, the BC approach is to provide half sized infrastructure for a half-assed approach to things. Nevertheless, there is still the potential to upgrade it to eventually becoming like a proper big city metro train system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_Line_(SkyTrain)#Capacity_upgrades
This is one of the best examples of BC bottleneck planning so far. The SkyBridge_for_SkyTrain should have had at least 3 tracks, not just 2 & only a maintenance track. The old inadequate 4 lane Pattullo_Bridge has only 1 narrow sidewalk & no bike or bus lanes. Thus, the Skybridge should have had 2 bike lanes & 2 footpaths. There also should have been 2 bus lanes, because when the train shuts down for maintenance or an emergency, a 24hr busway there is vital. The narrow SkyBridge really should have had a provision for a 2nd level, but that would go against the multigenerational congestive planning agenda of BC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skybridge_(TransLink)
If the very narrow & inept old Patullo-Bridge had much better foundations, it could have become a great foot & bike+bridge, once its replacement opened. Unfortunately, even the new Pattullo_Bridge is already set to be a modern example of BC bottleneck planning. While it will at least have a bike & footpath on both sides, it will open without any proper bus & HOV lanes.
Even if the Expo_Line_(SkyTrain) was somehow open for 24hrs, there would still be the occasional emergency situation requiring the train bridge to close. Yet, even the new 4 lane Pattullo-Bridge will open without any bus, HOV lanes or emergency lanes. Thus, it will become another fine example of BC bottleneck planning.
The new Pattullo-Bridge should open with 6 lanes & a provision to have at least 8 lanes. This would not only allow for 2 general lanes each way, but a bus & HOV lane each way & a truck lane each way. https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pattullo-bridge-surrey-board-of-trade
Of course there also should have been a provision for a lower or upper deck, which could provide additional bus & train capacity. Unfortunately, it will start out as another 4 lane backward BC bridge.
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Brisbane and Perth vs. Halifax and Vancouver
Australia: Brisbane and Perth have already surpassed Halifax and Vancouver, in some key ways. (This is still a very roughed out or incomplete post.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane#Infrastructure
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_River_Rail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Leo_Hielscher_Bridges A 12 lane crossing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Brisbane
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Airport_railway_station,_Brisbane
A 146_m Brisbane train is so much better than a 50 to 80 m Vancouver train.
| Train length | 146.17 m (479 ft 7 in)[1] |
|---|---|
| Car length |
|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Generation_Rollingstock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth#Transport
"Transperth B-series trains, three cars in length, operate on the Airport line every 12 minutes during peak and every 15 minutes outside peak and on weekends. All Airport line branch stations are fully accessible and have 150-metre (490 ft) long platforms, long enough for a six-car train. Train lengths are limited by most Midland and Fremantle line stations, which have platforms only 100 metres (330 ft) long. The installation of communications-based train control by 2027 will allow frequencies to increase and planned platform lengthening will allow train lengths to increase." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_line,_Perth
Fortunately, Perth chose not to Vancoverize their train & road system plans. Thus, the Perth Airport line can eventually have 150m long stations. Of course Vancouver opted to take the congestive planning approach. Indeed, why have 150m long Canada Line stations when 50m short stations are more appropriately symbolic?
"Unlike Bombardier ART trains, the Hyundai Rotem trains will not be operated as longer four- or six-car trains. Through inserting a middle "C" car at the articulated joint between two end cars, available capacity will be similar to a four-car Mark II or a six-car Mark I train. The Canada Line's station platforms are expandable to 50 m (164 ft 1 in) in length to accommodate these future three-car trains; the five busiest stations are already 50 m (164 ft 1 in) in length. The Canada Line has a designed future capacity of 15,000 pphpd when operating three-car trains at two-minute headways." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)_rolling_stock#Canada_Line_fleet
- Fleet of: 32 two-car train sets
- Train length: 41 m (134 ft 6 in) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Line#Canada_Line_Hyundai_Rotem_specifications
The Catheter Line should have been designed with the capability to eventually have 152m long stations, as is the case with the Montreal Metro & the TTC Subway stations. But that would be planning for the future & be against the congestive Vancouver & BC planning approach. By not allowing the provision for 152m stations, that will ensure some financial drainage in the future.
This view of the Vancouver_Airport_Skytrain_Station almost shows what a 4 car train would look like, but it's actually just two, 2 car trains on a single track. The YVR-Airport_station is so short & narrow, but it fits right in with the small town planning approach for Greater Vancouver.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#Future_expansion Unfortunately, the first 2 SkyTrain lines were designed to only have 80m stations. It remains to be seen if someday the stations might be extended to at least 150m. Despite budgetary limitations, the Catheter Line should have been designed to eventually have 150m stations. Unfortunately, it remains as a 50 m joke.
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Canada+vs.+Australia
Canada vs. Australia which is a more modern country in terms of infrastructure?
https://www.quora.com/Canada-or-Australia-which-is-a-more-modern-country-in-terms-of-infrastructure-and-technology# Well, that depends upon who you ask, of course.
https://www.quora.com/Why-doesn-t-Australia-have-infrastructure-like-other-countries Whether you are in the outback, the desert or the bush, the roads will be narrow. One expects Greater Melbourne & Sydney to have an impressive level of infrastructure. Just like Toronto & Montreal have the most infrastructure in Canada. Followed by Calgary & Edmonton.
Halifax,_Nova_Scotia is a long ways off from ever becoming a big city like Montreal or Boston. Its very slow growth compared to those cities. In many ways, Vancouver, BC remains as a stunted or thwarted city, due to so many building restrictions & congestive planning initiatives. Thus, it isn't allowed to rival some of the things that are permitted in Seattle, WA & Perth WA.
Its amazing to see what Brisbane & Perth have been able to do, simply because they aren't in Canada & its not just because of the weather. Indeed, no city in Atlantic Canada or in BC has been able to rival some of the things that Brisbane & Perth have been able to do.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/guilbeault-no-new-roads-1.7114867
https://globalnews.ca/news/10293868/environment-minister-road-funding
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-14/canada-tackles-infrastructure-issues-at-council-level/4819274 Even by 2013, Australia was starting to rival or exceed what Canada was able to do.
"When it comes to a comparison of economic performance, Australia comes out ahead of Canada." https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/should-australia-be-more-canada
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Canada+vs.+Australia
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
The Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts in Vancouver, BC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReDPLxaTwjI
If properly strengthened, they might have been able to last into the 2070s.
Friday, February 9, 2024
Vancouver Broadway-Commercial Safeway Redevelopment
https://storeys.com/westbank-crombie-broadway-commercial-safeway/
A lot of people or just a small extremely vocal few, want Vancouver to just be a provincial backwater for as long as possible. The NIMBY crowd just can't fathom any BC city & urban region to eventually be on the scale of Montreal or Seattle.
Thursday, February 8, 2024
5 ways to get from Calgary to Vancouver by plane, bus, train or car
https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Calgary/Vancouver-BC-Canada Travelling anywher in Canada during the winter is the worst time of the year.
https://dailyhive.com/canada/difficult-ubc-student-flies-class-expensive-rent
https://destinationlesstravel.com/drive-from-calgary-to-vancouver
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/how-bc-affords-cost-of-living
https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=UBC+student+flying+from+Calgary+to+Vancouver
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Oakridge and Brentwood Shopping Centres in BC, Canada
https://viewpointvancouver.ca/2012/08/28/compare-and-contrast-the-evolution-of-the-shopping-centre/
Of course The_Amazing_Brentwood in Burnaby was allowed to be on a grander scale, simply because its not within the Vancouver city limits.
UBC student flying from Calgary to Vancouver to avoid the high rent
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ubc-student-flying-commute-calgary-vancouver
Almost every city is expensive now. However, Calgary like Seattle, has been allowed to become a big city.
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/ubc-student-commutes-from-calgary-cheaper-than-paying-vancouver-rent-1.6759116
Little Vancouver remains as a backward, congested mess.
Capital Line, Edmonton LRT
The Capital_Line, especially the downtown section, was built to a much higher standard than what Vancouver, BC would eventually get around to building.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_LRT#Rolling_stock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexity_Freedom#Edmonton
"In 1962, Canadian Bechtel Ltd. was commissioned to develop a plan for Edmonton's rapid transit system. Construction began in 1974 with a budget of $65 million.[9] Edmonton became the first city in North America with a metropolitan population of less than one million to build a modern light rail system.[10] The population was just over 445,000 when construction started on the route in 1974.[11] It also became the first city in Western Canada to operate a rapid transit system. Testing of the new line started in 1977 with regular service starting April 22, 1978, in time for the 1978 Commonwealth Games." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_LRT#History
Edmonton airport shuttle from downtown deemed too expensive
https://globalnews.ca/news/10277600/edmonton-airport-shuttle-too-expensive/
https://www.edmonton.ca/ets/edmonton-international-airport
https://flyeia.com/parking-transportation/747-bus/
https://flyeia.com/parking-transportation/buses-shuttles/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_Park_station_(Edmonton)#Century_Park_Transit_Centre
Toronto, Montreal, Calgary & the 2 car YVR joke that is Vancouver, BC, all got built before a rail transit line to the Edmonton Airport. Of course an airport express bus is always a good start, but eventually there should be a train to the Edmonton airport.
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