Tuesday, December 19, 2023

The Steel Bridge in Portland vs. the New Westminster Rail Bridge

The current Steel_Bridge opened in 1912 with tremendous capacity well over a century later. Perhaps the designers looked at the narrow New Westminster Rail Bridge & decided to avoid the BC bottleneck approach to things. 

Upper: 2 outer lanes for general traffic, 2 inner lanes solely for MAX Light Rail, and sidewalks on both sides
Lower: Union Pacific Railroad (incl. Amtrak toward Eugene) and walkway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Bridge#History - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r02EbmjuNfw


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Westminster_Bridge Opened in 1904 and like so much infrastructure in BC, it wasn't built for any significant future capacity.

https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=britishcolumbia/newwestminsterrailwaybridge

http://www.gvgc.ca/v_Rail.aspx

https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/biens-property/construction/new-westminster-eng.html

https://thetyee.ca/News/2009/06/01/RailFix

Unlike Portland, NW never seemed to ever want to become a big bustling river city, just another provincial backwater. There was a time in the 1800s when NW could have acquired what would eventually become known as the Tri-Cities. However, that wouldn't fit within its backwater BC mentality. 

Indeed, to this day, the former BC capital & Victoria are quite small when compared to Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg & Q. City. However, since little NW is in the middle of Greater_Vancouver, it has been gradually encouraged to take on more big city attributes.


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Portland

The Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_Building

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_International_Airport#Theme_Building , LAX_Theme_Building-Restaurant
https://wikimedia.org/Interior_of_Encounter_Restaurant_Bar_at_Los_Angeles_International_Airport

Monday, December 18, 2023

The Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_Canal_Bridge The SCB should have HOV & bus-lanes in all of its three 4 lane sections, or at least on the lower deck. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ajGMRXlYmg

It's not amazing to have a 12-lane section of highway in Ontario and even in Queensland. 10 lanes in Alberta, but it would take until 2015 for all 10 lanes to open up on the new Port_Mann_Bridge in BC. The 8 lane Fremont_Bridge_in_Portland,_Oregon opened in 1973 with 2 levels. Far beyond the 4 lane joke that was the old Port_Mann_Bridge of the 1960s.

https://historylink.org/File/3312 For Seattle to have a 12 lane structure so close to BC in the early 1960s, was amazing, but so was the Space_Needle

https://mynorthwest.com/3931367/when-i-5-ship-canal-bridge-became-13-million-parking-lot/

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/prioritize-fixing-i-5s-ailing-ship-canal-bridge/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bridges_in_Seattle

https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/bridges-stairs-and-other-structures/bridges

Of course the decades of simply building more & more traffic lanes have become quite evident for the induced demand argument. However, today it should be about making streets, roads & highways much more efficient. More bus & HOV lanes & alternate powered vehicles can really help. While the EV option can be a good thing, there should also be more hybrid vehicles.

The Steel Bridge (Portland) and Washington Avenue Transit Bridge (Minneapolis)

The Steel_Bridge and the Washington_Avenue_Bridge, if only such bridges were allowed in Greater_Vancouver...

The Steel-Bridge is old, yet adequately functioning as a multi-model crossing.

Upper: 2 outer lanes for general traffic, 2 inner lanes solely for MAX Light Rail, and sidewalks on both sides
Lower: Union Pacific Railroad (incl. Amtrak toward Eugene) and walkway. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Amtrak_talgo_train_crossing_steel_bridge.jpg

"The bridge has two decks, with the lower deck designated for motor vehicle traffic and light rail trains and the upper deck used for pedestrians and bicycles (lanes specifically for bikes are on the north side)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Avenue_Bridge_(Minneapolis)

Unfortunately, the Skybridge between NW & Surrey, has no bus & bike lanes. Thus, its another fine example of backward BC planning. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skybridge_(TransLink)

Even though the SkyTrain wasn't intended to run 24hrs, no adequate future capacity provisions were included into the design of the SkyBridge. Ideally, the bridge should have had at least 3 tracks on 1 deck. Plus, 2 bus & bike lanes on another deck, with 2 lanes for emergency vehicles that would all be open 24-7. 

Apparently, it was better to funnel everything into the inept Pattullo_Bridge. A narrow 4 lane joke of a crossing with only 1 narrow sidewalk. Its so nice that the Sydney-Harbour-Bridge has 2 pathways. Surrey is set to become the largest city in BC. Thus, Surrey & NW should have had several bridges like Portland_OR by now.

In the 1930s, NSW already had a sense of Sydney being a substantial state capital on the Pacific for quite a while. In contrast, NW, BC emphasized its status of a former backwater provincial capital & perpetuated its small-minded city mentality.

Thus, the Sydney_Harbour_Bridge was originally built with six lanes, 4 sets of tracks & two sidewalks. Where as the Pattullo_Bridge was a fine example of backwater BC thinking & planning. Unlike the impressive Sydney_Harbour_Bridge, there is no comparable high level bridge in BC which is capable of carrying double deck passenger trains. Of course it should be noted that NSW has seen itself as a mighty state on the Pacific for quite a long time. Thus, the 1930s Sydney_Harbour_Bridge remains so far ahead of anything in backwater provincial BC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge_cycleway Unlike the BC aproach, NSW didn't have to remove any traffic lanes. Ultimately, Vancouver will have traffic lanes removed from 3 of its bridges, because the city refuses to build anything like the magnificent Tilikum_Crossing in Portland, OR. Vancouver was one of the first cities to get rid of its streetcars & will likely be one of the last to ever bring them back. Well fortunately, there was nothing like the BC mentality to stop the Portland_Streetcar_or_the_Tilikum_Bridge

The tram-train MAX_and_bus_on_Tilikum_the_Crossing. If only backward Vancouver, BC would allow such a fine transit bridge, then there would be less congestion on the existing narrow bridges. Indeed, Greater Vancouver refuses to build a series of bus-bridges, even though that would relieve some of the regional congestion.

Unlike in the largest urban area in BC, Portland,_OR was able to build many more bridges.

https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca Of course the bridge wasn't built with the provision for a lower deck similar to what's on the Tilikum Bridge. https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/about/projectoverview It wasn't allowed to have 8 lanes like the Anzac_Bridge_in_Sydney. So no bus & HOV lanes, just have everything crammed into a 4 lane bottleneck. No emergency lanes, it will open with only 2 lanes each way, but with the potential to become a 6 lane bridge, some day. So, just like the Skybridge, it won't have 2 dedicated bus lanes. 

Unlike the Skybridge in NW, at least the North-Arm-Bridge to Richmond has 1 bike lane, but there should have been 2 as well as 2 bus lanes & even 2 emergency vehicle lanes on the North_Arm_Bridge. Since the North_Arm_Bridge doesn't have 24hr train service & no bus lanes, late-night buses only have the 4 lane bottlenecks that are the Oak_Street_BridgeKnight_Street_Bridge & the Queensborough_Bridge. Of course there are no emergency vehicle lanes, because even they should be subjected to the overall congestion of the region.

The Sydney_Harbour_Bridge, the Anzac_Bridge & the Tilikum_Crossing were all possible, simply because they aren't subjected to anything like the restrictions impose in Greater_Vancouver or BC in general. The BC part of Canada is trapped in some kind of a stagnation loop or a series of restrictions to stiefel or thwart infrastructure upgrades & progress. However, so many other cities around the world just aren't subjected to anything like the BC approach to things. 


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Portland

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Tilikum+Crossing

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=transit+bridges

US Cities That Will Give You An Unbelievable New Year's Eve To Remember

https://www.thetravel.com/us-cities-with-the-best-new-years-eve/

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-12844541/Just-cup-tea-Boston-celebrates-250-years-taxes-brew-sparked-revolution-JANE-KNIGHT-seeks-citys-best-cuppa-digesting-nuggets-history-way.html


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=New+Year's+Eve

The Skyscraper That Ended New York's Billionaires' Row

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdrGfnqS2_I While there is a market for very high-end housing, there should also be a lot more reasonable & affordable housing built.

New York’s Billionaires’ Row Is Half Empty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wehsz38P74g Just because a very wealthy person might own a few or several homes, that doesn't mean they can live in them all at once. The majority of people would be happy to just have 1 or 2 places to live. Yet, more & more people can't afford to live in any reasonably safe dwelling. Then there is the growing number of people who have no option, but to live outside.

There should be a huge market for various levels of affordable housing, because most people aren't billionaires, let alone millionaires.

When Construction Projects Go Wrong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIOUg5TV5Uc A project has to be financially viable & structurally sound. Otherwise, there can be too many troublesome issues.

Third Avenue Transit Mall in Seattle

 https://www.theurbanist.org/2023/06/19/seattle-plans-to-extend-and-upgrade-third-avenue-transit-mall-in-2024

Hopefully, Seattle won't turn it into another 2 lane Nicollet_Mall or the 2 lane Granville_Mall, because Vancouveization sucks!

https://cdn.downtownseattle.org/files/advocacy/dsa-third-avenue-vision-booklet.pdf

https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/transit_mall_case_studies_sanfran.pdf

If its at least 3 lanes, then buses can pass, but it still wont be as good as the Portland_Transit_Mall

https://downtownseattle.org/advocacy/transportation-access

https://www.theurbanist.org/category/transportation/


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Seattle

How a huge gamble sealed Cop28 deal

 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/15/fossil-fuels-how-a-huge-gamble-sealed-cop28-deal

There seems to be a lot of things on the horizon that will start to limit or thwart the lives of people. A more expensive world and a more frustrated population just might become the perfect excuse for the system to implement draconian control measures.

Saturday, December 16, 2023

The Transit Mall

https://academic-accelerator.com/encyclopedia/transit-mall

https://talkofthecities.iclei.org/cities-in-action-south-koreas-first-ever-transit-mall

https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/transit_mall_case_studies_sanfran.pdf

Transit_malls are suppose to be efficient, high volume transportation corridors.

However, the Granville_Mall,_in_Vancouver, Canada seems to be a poor example.

Downtown Granville_Street used to have 6 lanes and there used to be streetcars on it until the 1950s. Indeed, that part of Granville_Street was a nice wide transportation & entertainment corridor. However, by the early 1970s, just as the downtown was starting to go through a new phase of growth, there was a plan to funnel everything into just 2 lanes on some key blocks.

https://web.archive.org/web/20120204081238/http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/currentplanning/granvilleredesign/history.htm

A 4 lane scenario would have been a much better transit option, but this is Vancouver, a city that excels in congestive planning. Vancouver might have gotten the idea of having a 2 lane transit mall from Minneapolis

Back in the day, there just wasn't any reason to have Nicollet_Avenue to be as wide as Canal_Street,_New_Orleans or Market_Street_(San_Francisco).

However, the Nicollet_Mall should have had 2 passing lanes, instead of cramming things into only two lanes. Thus, whenever a bus breaks down or there is some emergency, half of the Nicollet_Mall can easily get blocked up.

Fortunately, Portland,_Oregon decided not to follow the Minneapolis and Vancouver, BC examples. MAX_and_bus_side-by-side_on_Portland_Mall, this is so much better than funneling everything into just 2 lanes. The Portland_Transit_Mall remains as one of the best transit corridor examples. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Transit_Mall#Renovation_and_rebuilding

Again, Granville_Street in downtown Vancouver used to be 6 lanes wide. While the initial concept of the Granville_Mall was a good idea, but forcing everything into only 2 lanes just became another quintessential Vancouver example of bottleneck & congestive planning. It's all part of the narrow-minded BC mentality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Mall,_Vancouver Of course right at some crucial blocks, the 2 lane segments provide great spots for congestion, all by design. Whenever a bus breaks down or there is some emergency, there isn't any passing lane. Thus, one side of the street remains blocked until the bus can be towed away. Of course it was considered to be a wise decision to have so many bus routes funneled through such a narrow transit corridor & then remain stubborn about ever improving the situation.

Reducing the downtown section of Granville_Street from 6 lanes to 4 would have allowed passing lanes for busses & the sidewalks could have still been widened. Plus, it would have been so much easier for emergency vehicles to get through as well. Unfortunately, Greater-Vancouver is all about creating congestion & inefficiency.

If one side of the street has a bus breakdown & the other side has some emergency requiring a bus to remain parked, there isn't an extra couple of lanes for emergency vehicles to pass on some blocks of Granville_Street. Apparently, it was deemed essential & appropriate to have such a bottleneck on what is suppose to be an efficient, high volume bus corridor.

Of course Vancouver was one of the first cities to get rid of its streetcars or trams. It will likely be one of the last cities to ever bring them back. Fortunately, the Vancouver mentality was unable to stop Seattle & Portland from reinstating some of their streetcar routes.

A comparative study of central city station catchments in TorontoSan Francisco, and Melbourne - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096669232100209X All 3 of these big & dynamic cities never went the way of backwater Vancouver.

Greater Vancouver should be able to have a fast-bus network as good & extensive as what's in Curitiba, Brazil someday. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curitiba#Transportation

Ideally, any city should have at least one passing lane on a bus corridor. Of course there can also be more crossover sections to enable trams & streetcars to pass temporarily obstructed areas.


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=transit+malls

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

More than 300 trees could be removed in Shoreline for major roadway improvements

 https://komonews.com/news/local/shoreline-save-our-trees-could-be-cut-down-removed-for-north-145th-street-state-route-523-road-improvement-project-sidewalk-widening-city-infrastructure-activists-city-council-king-county-nature-environment

There is an argument that the older established trees are more ecologically important than the proposed replacement trees. https://www.saveshorelinetrees.com/

https://www.shorelinewa.gov/our-city/145th-street-corridor/sr-523-n-ne-145th-street-i-5-interchange-project

Washington State has a lot of trees and any transportation improvements can mean disruption or removal. However, new trees can always replace the old ones.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/thousands-of-trees-will-be-removed-to-make-way-for-light-rail-to-lynnwood/

Overall, Washington like Alberta, Canada have been able to build up so much more infrastructure than BC, because they don't have anything like the BC red tape and heavy restrictions to contend with.

Monday, December 4, 2023

Tallest City Hall or Town Hall

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/381905-tallest-city-or-town-hall

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/tallest-city-town-halls-in-the-world.2370200

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_City_Hall , https://www.visitphilly.com/things-to-do/attractions/city-hall

 https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/city-hall-architecture.aspx Of course when compared to the LA City Hall, it's just another Vancouver stump building. Indeed, for several decades, no building in Vancouver as well as anywhere in BC, would permit any building to be as tall as the Los_Angeles_City_Hall

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_City_Hall

Then no building in Vancouver, or anywhere in BC, was allowed to permit any building to be as tall as the Philadelphia_City_Hall and then the Manhattan_Municipal_Building

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Municipal_Building

As of today, no building in Vancouver or anywhere in BC is allowed to be as tall as the Seattle_Municipal_Tower

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Municipal_Tower

Urban Tech Portal

UTP still isn't just about urban technology. One can be in a typical cabin or van in the woods and have  powerful laptops with plenty of solar power for all the gadgets.

https://www.ign.com/articles/gaming-laptop-vs-gaming-pc

https://www.anoffgridlife.com/internet-off-the-grid

Proposed SFU gondola popular, but not among some who’d live under it

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/12/04/sfu-burnaby-gondola-pushback-neighbourhood

This tech is all over the world, but having it in Burnaby, BC is getting some persistent resistance. 

https://www.translink.ca/gondola?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=gondola

The BC mentality wasn't able to stop the Portland_Aerial_Tram from being built.

However, there are still plenty of people that don't like it going over their Portland houses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Aerial_Tram#Community_response

So while it could be a great transportation link, not everyone is happy about such urban gondola-trams.

https://www.burnaby.ca/our-city/projects/burnaby-mountain-gondola It really could be a good transportation link, but local residents might want some reasonable compensation. Not just some new blinds or curtains.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandia_Peak_Tramway


https://www.grousemountain.com/skyride

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/grouse-mountain-new-gondola-construction


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarloaf_Mountain#Cable_car

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_Tram


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_Mountain#Cableway

Monday, November 27, 2023

Is Adelaide Really The Most Crime Ridden City in Australia?

 https://www.facebook.com/100044356302916/videos/1085289932651551?__so__=permalink

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-16/is-there-crime-wave-in-adelaides-cbd/102728024

Crime_in_South_Australia, it all depends on when and where you are.

https://adelaidecitytour.com.au/blog/is-adelaide-a-safe-city/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Australia#Notable_crimes

Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_Canal_Bridge

An impressive 12 lane bridge, but there was never a rail component in the design. 

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/prioritize-fixing-i-5s-ailing-ship-canal-bridge/

https://historylink.org/File/3312

Aurora Bridge in Seattle

Unfortunately, the Aurora_Bridge was built too narrow by today's standards. 

https://www.got99problems.org/blog/aurora-bridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_Bridge#Accidents_and_incidents

https://www.theurbanist.org/2015/09/30/seattles-aurora-bridge-needs-a-safety-redesign/

https://www.historylink.org/File/5418


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Seattle

Did SUVs ruined it for everyone?

 https://electrek.co/2023/11/27/carbon-emissions-could-have-dropped-by-30/

A lot of people still want big & powerful vehicles. Of course more hybrid versions could be a nice compromise.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/16/suvs-emit-more-climate-damaging-gas-than-older-cars-do-study-finds#:~:text=SUVs%20emit%20more%20climate%20damaging,finds%20%7C%20Air%20pollution%20%7C%20The%20Guardian

Big vehicles can certainly bc more efficient. 

https://www.ecowatch.com/suvs-climate-impact-iea.html

Unfortunately, if the world is eventually forced into a carbon credit score system, one might have to ask for permission to go anywhere or do anything. Especially if it's all run by AI. 

That Mysterious AI Breakthrough Known As Q

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/2023/11/26/about-that-mysterious-ai-breakthrough-known-as-q-by-openai-that-allegedly-attains-true-ai-or-is-on-the-path-toward-artificial-general-intelligence-agi/?sh=490356143c15

https://medium.com/the-generator/did-openai-secretly-create-a-brain-like-intelligence-after-all-246caf1cfe6f

https://singularityhub.com/2023/11/26/deepmind-defines-artificial-general-intelligence-and-ranks-todays-leading-chatbots/

https://www.reuters.com/technology/sam-altmans-ouster-openai-was-precipitated-by-letter-board-about-ai-breakthrough-2023-11-22/

https://tech.co/news/what-is-openai-project-q-star-agi-superintelligence

https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-artificial-general-intelligence-agi-explained (AGI)

https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/artificial-general-intelligence-agi


Project Q* has been creating ripples in the AI community. Here’s why there are so many apprehensions about this new powerful AI model. https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/artificial-intelligence/project-q-star-explained-openai-sam-altman-9041746



Highway 99 upgrades enhance transit, cycling routes in Delta, BC

 https://canada.constructconnect.com/joc/news/infrastructure/2023/11/highway-99-upgrades-enhance-transit-cycling-routes-in-delta

https://www.enr.com/articles/57461-british-columbia-shortlists-three-teams-for-3b-fraser-river-tunnel


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Multimodal+Bridges+and+Tunnels

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=BC

The Broadway Subway might be reaching UBC, some day

 https://canada.constructconnect.com/joc/news/infrastructure/2023/11/broadway-subway-check-in-guideway-progress-and-tunnelling-towards-completion

Of course tunneling all the way to UBC would be more cost effective, but apparently, it's better to stop less than half way there. Then start it all up again long after the days when you could still buy a dozen eggs & 2L carton of milk with a $10 bill.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyTrain_(Vancouver)#University_of_British_Columbia_extension

The BC part of Canada seems to perpetually strive to be inept or inadequate with its approach to infrastructure planning & development. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Line#University_of_British_Columbia_extension 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=accrf6-vLJU From 2018

Fortunately, these other cities are nowhere as slow as Vancouver is in getting things done.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_station_(Toronto) 1954 Of course Toronto would be the first city in Canada to have such a U station. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berri-UQAM_station 1966

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_station_(Calgary) 1987

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University-de-Montreal_station 1988

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_station_(Edmonton) 1992

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_State_University_Transit_Center 2005

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSU_South_stations 2012

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Washington_station 2016 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_University_station 2017

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_District_station 2021


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=UBC

The Pattullo Bridge saga in BC

The old Pattullo_Bridge was built with a narrow sidewalk on only one side & a road deck that can barely hold 4 narrow lanes. It's all part of the narrow mindedness of the BC mentality.

 https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/about/projectoverview/

https://604now.com/new-pattullo-bridge-completion-updated-photos-renderings/

"The new Pattullo Bridge is on track for completion in 2024, but business leaders in Surrey are calling for six lanes to be open to vehicle traffic on day one, instead of four as currently planned." https://globalnews.ca/news/9489375/pattullo-replacement-six-lanes-debate

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pattullo-bridge-surrey-board-of-trade

https://604now.com/like-cross-pattullo-bridge-1937 Why build a wide bride that also has 2 wide sidewalks when the bare minimum can be done instead? Then try to build an inadequate replacement bridge with only 4 lanes, no bus & HOV lanes & no emergency lanes. That's the BC way in the 1930s & the 2020s. At least it will have a couple of bike lanes.

https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/delta-says-new-pattullo-wont-ease-traffic-woes-3088329 Of course just like the old bridge, there won't be any provision for a lower rail & express bus deck.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/45379817@N08/9660269876 Just the idea that there could be 1 waggon road each way was amazing for BC back then. Somehow, the narrow bridge had just enough width to eventually have 4 waggon roads

https://oppositethecity.wordpress.com/2016/08/27/were-walkin-ridin-drivin-here-traffic-safety-an-issue-in-1937

http://archives.newwestcity.ca/Results.aspx?AC=SEE_ALSO&QF0=NameAccess&QI0==%22Pattullo%20Bridge%22&XC=/Results.aspx&BU=http%3A%2F%2Farchives.newwestcity.ca%2Fsearch.aspx&GI=&TN=internet&SN=AUTO73&SE=1636&RN=7&MR=100&TR=0&TX=1000&ES=0&XP=&RF=WebRelevance&EF=&DF=WebFull&RL=0&EL=0&DL=0&NP=255&ID=&MF=GENERICENGWPMSG.INI&DT=&ST=0&IR=4333&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&SS=0&BG=&FG=&QS=

Wide+bridges, twinning or duplication can allow for express bus lanes and more HOV_lanes in general.  

http://archives.newwestcity.ca/Results.aspx?AC=NEXT_RECORD&XC=/Results.aspx&BU=http%3A%2F%2Farchives.newwestcity.ca%2Fsearch.aspx&GI=&TN=internet&SN=AUTO26198&SE=1232&RN=51&MR=100&TR=0&TX=1000&ES=0&XP=&RF=WebRelevance&EF=&DF=WebFull&RL=0&EL=0&DL=0&NP=255&ID=&MF=GENERICENGWPMSG.INI&DT=&ST=0&IR=4333&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&SS=0&BG=&FG=&QS= Of course there was no provision to have a lower deck for trucks & trains. 

http://archives.newwestcity.ca/Results.aspx?AC=NEXT_RECORD&XC=/Results.aspx&BU=http%3A%2F%2Farchives.newwestcity.ca%2Fsearch.aspx&GI=&TN=internet&SN=AUTO26198&SE=1232&RN=49&MR=100&TR=0&TX=1000&ES=0&XP=&RF=WebRelevance&EF=&DF=WebFull&RL=0&EL=0&DL=0&NP=255&ID=&MF=GENERICENGWPMSG.INI&DT=&ST=0&IR=4333&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&SS=0&BG=&FG=&QS= While a narrow bridge can easily become inadequate, the provision for a lower deck can make all the difference.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/reports-and-reference/reports-and-studies/frontier_to_freeway.pdf It was quite a thing for BC to have waggon roads & then eventually some were doubel width. Unfortunately, even today, there is a mentality to just have 1 or 2 lanes each way. Yet, such thoroughfares will be marked as a major route when it's not much wider than a country road.  


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Multimodal+Bridges+and+Tunnels

https://thedigitallabyrinth.blogspot.com/search?q=Urban+Bus+and+Bike+Lanes+and+Bridges

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=bridges

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=BC

Friday, November 24, 2023

The new Panamera E-Hybrid nearly doubles its electric-only range

 https://electrek.co/2023/11/24/new-panamera-e-hybrid-has-a-battery-bigger-than-a-gen-1-nissan-leaf/

Hybrid vehicles should have already been commonplace a few decades ago. While there are people that just want to go back to a horse & waggon era of existence, a lot of people want fast & reliable vehicles.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

The very narrow The Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge

 "The 1933 bylaw authorizing construction included a provision mandating that "no Asiatic person shall be employed in or upon any part of the undertaking or other works". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_Gate_Bridge#History

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221026/dq221026b-eng.htm While Canada has allowed for more diversity over the decades, Canada has nowhere near  even 1% of the world's' population. It's been a struggle just for Canada to accommodate half of 1% of the human population.

Unfortunately for most of the 20th century, Vancouver was to remain as just a provincial backwater for as long as possible. For had the city been allowed to flourish onto the scale of the likes of SydneySan_Francisco or even Seattle, that would mean there would be a lot more people. Which means more non-white people and that was just too uncomfortable a notion for the White colonial mindset.

Of course the colonial mindset could be seen all over the world, but so many other cities weren't thwarted like Vancouver and Victoria. You will never find any official BC mandate revealing that it was to remain as a provincial backwater for as long as possible. 

Thus, the local power structure continually tried to hold things back for most of the cities history. A multigenerational stunted growth policy is a clever way to slow a city and province down. Calgary and Seattle became big business cities, because they aren't under any BC type restrictions.

One only look at what Alberta and Washington_(state) have been able to do, because they aren't in BC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta#Transportation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_(state)#Transportation

The 12 lane Ship_Canal_Bridge in Seattle is the closest big & wide bridge to V-BC. Although the Port_Mann_Bridge is much closer, it only has 10 lanes. Unfortunately, both bridges don't have any existing rail component. 

Fortunately, Vancouver, WA wasn't forced to indefinitely endure a 3 lane bottleneck like V-BC has.

The planners of the Sydney_Harbour_Bridge didn't have a backwater BC mindset. However, after several decades, the SHB was augmented by the Sydney_Harbour_Tunnel. Unfortunately, there was no provision for a 3rd lane each way to allow for express buses.

https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/western-harbour-tunnel-and-warringah-freeway-upgrade How is this possible? Of course NSW isn't under any backwater BC type restrictions.

https://caportal.com.au/rms/wht

The Western_Harbour_Tunnel should have had an extra section for future express busses or even another train line. 

While something like the Sydney_Metro should have already gone under the harbour decades ago, at least it's not as late to the party like Vancouver is.

"Stage 1 (Metro North West) operates with 6-car trains running on 4-minute headways. After the addition of the Stage 2 extension to Bankstown, the stations’ platforms will be configured to allow for future use of 8-car trains and the signalling system designed to allow for 2-minute headways, both of which are planned to be introduced once sufficient patronage demands it. Eight-car trains have a design capacity of 1,539 customers and increasing the running frequency to ultimately 30 trains per hour (2-minute headway) would provide a maximum capacity of 46,170 passengers per hour per direction." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Metro#Capacity 

"In the event that extensions to 8 cars happens if sufficient demand warrants the contract, two infill carriages will be added between cars 05 and 06." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Metro_Metropolis_Stock#Service_formation This allowace for such expansion just isn't part of the BC mentality, but for NSW, it's not a problem.

With the Lions_Gate_Bridge being so narrow, it's impossible to have proper HOV & express bus lanes. Yet for decades, the city refuses to build a bus & HOV tunnel.

Although Portland is a stunted city when compared to Seattle, Portland still has a much better set of bridges than Vancouver, BC. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Vancouver_Regional_District

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_metropolitan_area,_Oregon


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=bridges

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=BC

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Seattle

Thursday, October 26, 2023

urban legends

 https://www.insider.com/urban-legends-us-2018-1

https://www.spirithalloween.com/blog/scary-urban-legends/

By 2035, all new vehicles sold in B.C. must be electric.

The goal in B.C. is for 26 per cent of vehicle sales to be electric by 2026, 90 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035. 

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/by-2035-all-new-vehicles-sold-in-b-c-must-be-electric-is-it-achievable

https://electricautonomy.ca/2020/11/16/quebec-ban-new-gas-vehicles-2035/

https://electrek.co/2022/04/01/canadas-new-2035-gas-car-ban-may-not-actually-ban-gas-cars/

https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/the-unintended-consequences-of-banning-gas-powered-cars-by-2035

The Phase-out_of_fossil_fuel_vehicles should have started in the 1970s or at least by the 1980s. A gradual introduction of various hybrid vehicles would have made a big difference.

https://www.engadget.com/canada-combustion-engine-car-ban-2035-154623071.html

Now there is going to be such a mad rush with a human world obsessed with keeping their carbon points as low as possible.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-ban-sale-new-fuel-powered-cars-light-trucks-2035-2021-06-29/

Perhaps some day, people might have to ask AI for permission if they can own a car & have kids. Indeed, some day a breeding permit might be required for those that want to have some kids. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligence (AGI)

AI tracking & permission systems on phones & even implanted AI for the purpose of human herd management could become imposed. If people aren't aware & carful enough, the earth could become something like a Borg run world. Eventually, AGI might wonder why some humans think that it's OK to use AI to kill other people. Then a confused AGI might ask, why can't it kill all the humans and life in general? 

Monday, October 16, 2023

Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition (1909)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska-Yukon-Pacific_Exposition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska-Yukon-Pacific_Exposition#Attendance

I-35 expansion pushes Austin residents out of over 100 homes

 The project is adding two lanes on either side of I-35. https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/i35-eminent-domain-18428832.php

Without a network of bus & HOV lanes in general, wide highways & roads will always reach a point of congestion.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/austin-i35-expansion-project-18308420.php

Evolving urban & regional rail is a key component.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/san-antonio-austin-mega-metro-transportation-18269914.php Austin-SA or SA & A?

Texas has more people than Australia & Texas is mostly still rural. Urban density can help to keep it that way.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Tacoma Narrows Bridge -Eastbound span (2007)

"Construction of the new span, which carries eastbound traffic parallel to the current bridge, began on October 4, 2002, and was completed in July 2007." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge#Eastbound_bridge_(2007)

Although this is getting close to the BC part of Canada, it wasn't constrained by any of the imposed BC limitations.

"Towers and caissons designed for second deck (either road or light rail) to be added in the future." https://structurae.net/en/structures/new-tacoma-narrows-bridge

If only BC would allow for such future expansion capabilities. There are a whole series of things that are able to be done in Washington State & Alberta, simply because they aren't under any BC type restrictions.


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=bridges

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Japan's Rabbit Island (Okunoshima)

 https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/871

Cute animals at a place with a dark history. http://rabbit-island.info/en/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/japan-rabbit-island-dark-history-180962631

https://theworldpursuit.com/rabbit-island-japan-okunoshima-ferry/

https://japancheapo.com/entertainment/rabbit-island-okunoshima/

https://jw-webmagazine.com/visit-the-planet-of-the-bunnies-in-japan-5bd1875edee2/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/rabbit-island-japan-overrun-tourism-spd


https://www.italia.it/en/sicily/isola-dei-conigli-rabbit-island

Art and Design in Chicago

 https://interactive.wttw.com/art-design-chicago/white-rabbits

Chicago just had to become the big, dynamic city that it is.

https://www.pbs.org/show/art-design-chicago/

City of Vancouver parts ways with its chief planner

Theresa O'Donnell came to Vancouver as a deputy director of planning in 2019 after 15 years working for the City of Dallas https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/city-of-vancouver-parts-ways-with-chief-planner


https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/theresa-odonnell-city-of-vancouver-chief-planner-departure


Vancouver has been stunted & thwarted for generations. Everything is so watered down & it's not just because of the rain. 

Minimum income to buy a home in Vancouver rises to $246,100

 https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/minimum-income-buy-home-vancouver-rises-interest-rates-report

Friday, September 15, 2023

Urban Technology intersection

 https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjut20/current

 Future Cities Currently Being Built https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2IqG9WOk3w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZZ2N2DcLi4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnyRZotnPSU


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Urban+Technology  

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=The+15+Minute+City

Exploring the 15 Minute City Concept

 https://www.nlc.org/article/2023/06/13/exploring-the-15-minute-city-concept-and-its-potential-for-communities-of-all-sizes/

The+15+Minute+City concept can really be quite beneficial and convenient, but it might eventually be at a high price.

https://www.dw.com/en/15-minute-cities-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work/a-64907776

https://www.15minutecity.com/blog/visionzero It's a great idea in many ways. However, a tremendous amount of real-time AI surveillance would be required. Perhaps if enough humans are convinced to live like rats in a maze, or sheep in a pen, then it will be that much easier to force the rest. Especially with a global carbon quota management system is implemented.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/03/unchecked-smart-cities-are-surveillance-cities-what-we-need-are-smart-enough


https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=Smart+City

https://therabbitportal.blogspot.com/search?q=urban

Chromebooks With the Promise of 10 Years of Software Updates?

 https://gizmodo.com/google-chromebook-software-update-10-years-promise-1850840110

This would be nice for so many tech devices. Some people really have to get a new computer, tablet, pad, phone or watch every year or so. However, by allowing more software updates over a much longer amount of time, a person can enjoy their devices for so much longer.