First hydrogen fuel cell bus in Whistler

ED. $100 million of taxpayers money wasted.  Time to use the limited transportation funds to actually solve problems, rather than experimenting on hydrogen – a power source rejected worldwide. This just more window dressing for 2010.

Pique Newsmagazine

By Clare Ogilvie

Whistler commuters will see the first hydrogen-powered bus by the end of the week.

It is already in town and undergoing commissioning.

“Everything seems to be going well,” said Joanna Morton, spokesperson for B.C. Transit.

“…In a month or so we will be seeing all 20 (hydrogen-powered buses) up there so we are quite excited.”

It is hoped that those riding the bus will be able to get information about the hydrogen power source and how the bus works, she added.

The ride is expected to be smoother and quieter than regular diesel buses. The only emission is water.

Once the buses arrive in Whistler, they will be kept at the new transit facility currently under construction near Nesters Road, for which the municipality is required to pay half the costs, over a 30-year period.

The $89.5 million hydrogen bus project is being funded with $45 million from the Government of Canada and $44.5 million from the province and B.C. Transit.

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Stephen Rees article

– Train offers miserable experience

from Rail for the Valley

by zweisystem

More unhappiness from South of the Fraser – From the Delta Optimist – Train offers miserable experience

It seems that the RAV/Canada Line is not swaying the transit customer’s minds to happily use the metro. It’s crowded, but over crowding could be the result of TransLink deliberately underestimating Richmond and South of the Fraser buses ridership, to crow about packed trains to a very complacent media. Obviously, TransLink isn’t operating enough capacity on the RAV/Canada line, to meet the capacity of buses serving the metro. Why is there not enough cars to handle all the bus traffic serving the metro?

– Olympic traffic plan could leave a lasting legacy — but it will depend on us

from Rail for the Valley

By zweisystem

The editors at the Vancouver Sun have never grasped the realities of the many transit issues in Vancouver, let alone the challenges of the ‘Olympic‘ road closures.

The problem in METRO Vancouver is that transit planners have always seized the latest “flavour of the month” in transit operation from light-metro to GLT and revenue gathering such as road tolling, congestion charge, etc., but seldom if ever read the fine print. The same transit bureaucrats then create transit policies espoused by politicians, who again seldom, if ever read the fine print.

All aboard!’ in Dallas, Seattle, Portland

ED. Why are we in Vancouver being forced to build heavy rail? We need public debate on the future of transit and transportation in this province, not ill-informed politicians dictating what’s best for us. Of course, we still talking about trains rather than advanced PRT technology, which hopefully will be the next improvement after we give up on 18th Century rail.

The Columbian – Vancouver, WA

John Laird

Light-rail critics might have difficulty answering this question: If light rail is such a wasteful boondoggle, shouldn’t the systems around the nation be contracting and even closing?

Instead, the reverse has been happening for more than 25 years, and the pace of growth is even accelerating. Last week in Dallas, a 28-mile light-rail line opened and — as Texans are wont to brag — they’re calling it the longest light rail project on the continent.

Up in Seattle, light rail has taken many years to develop, but its recent launch and imminent growth are remarkable. A 14-mile line from Seattle to Tukwila opened in July. In December the line will extend 2 miles to the SeaTac Airport, offering a 36-minute ride from downtown to the airport. In the next seven years, a north extension to the University of Washington is planned, and voters have already approved new lines to Lynnwood, Federal Way and Redmond.

Last Saturday in Portland, TriMet opened the 8.3-mile MAX Green Line to Clackamas Town Center. About 40,000 people showed up for free rides on Saturday. Paid ridership on Monday was light, as is typical on new lines, but weekday Green Line ridership is projected to reach 25,000 in a year. Just since 2000, MAX has added 20 miles of service with 34 stations, expanding one of the nation’s top light-rail systems to 52 miles and 84 stations. A seven-mile light-rail line into Milwaukie is next on the drawing board.

– U-Pass helps bus use triple in decade: UVic

Times Colonist

By Jeff Bell

System was Western Canada’s first, later spread to other universities

The number of people taking a bus to the University of Victoria on an average day has almost tripled over the past decade, and the 10-year-old Universal Bus Pass program, known as the U-Pass, is being given much of the credit.

“If you came onto the campus 10 years ago, you would have found that we had 5,800 parking spots, but you would have had trouble finding an [empty one],” UVic vice-president of finance and operations Gayle Gorrill told a crowd yesterday at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the program, which also operates at Camosun College.