Why partygoers and drinkers still risk the drive

[BallPeenHammer2]

I posted quite a few months ago in regards to the hot topic of the current roadside drinking laws just before it was implemented. Inside I mentioned that the new laws will help catch people but will not curb driunk driver behaviour.

I recommended that maybe there should be later TransLink services for holidays, weekends (Thursday - Sat nights?)

Unfortunately, none of my inquiries or recommendations to TransLink was ever returned with a response.

I just came across this today in the news. Doesn't look like anything's gonna be done anytime soon.

More late-night transit needed in Metro Vancouver, says councillor - Yahoo! News

[Firmware]

We still dont have 247 skytrains running?

[parm104]

Although I understand and appreciate the initiative to curb drunk driving...I don't think it would make a significant difference...Basically, it's like saying the reason why people drink and drive is because they don't have public transportation to take them home late, late at night.

Um no, people drink and drive because they're stupid and irresponsible. How do you prevent people from being stupid and irresponsible? Just because one method of safe, late night transportation isn't available, doesn't mean other methods aren't viable options. Taxi cabs, group rates for party busses and limos, designated drivers and pre-arranged pick ups from friends or family are LOGICAL and SIMPLE solutions.

[BallPeenHammer2]

unfortunately, no. But at the same time, it'd be impossible to do maintenance if it did.

Hence I originally suggested just to hav them run later on weekends/holidays.

[Nlkko]

You can spend a hundred a night on booze and you tell me 10-20 bucks of cab is expensive? The way I see it, you gotta pay to play.

A bunch of drunks on the train late at night is just asking for troubles. And then there's sanitary problems.

[BallPeenHammer2]

Originally Posted by parm104

Although I understand and appreciate the initiative to curb drunk driving...I don't think it would make a significant difference...Basically, it's like saying the reason why people drink and drive is because they don't have public transportation to take them home late, late at night.

Um no, people drink and drive because they're stupid and irresponsible. How do you prevent people from being stupid and irresponsible? Just because one method of safe, late night transportation isn't available, doesn't mean other methods aren't viable options. Taxi cabs, group rates for party busses and limos, designated drivers and pre-arranged pick ups from friends or family are LOGICAL and SIMPLE solutions.

I'm not saying it'd eliminate it, but definitely cut down on it.

If you actually read the article link, it does states that sometimes it's just not attainable. I've waited up to 45 minutes for a taxi. Group rates for limos and etc don't happen. It's hourly. PERIOD. Family? seriously? Who would pick my drunk ass up at 3:30am? Those are solutions that's been around and have NOT worked.

I'll tell you this: Since the new skytrain opened up, I just train to DT to get smashed, or for anything else, for that matter 'cuz I live right by Marine Drive Station. It's cheap and easy. And I always wished that it would be open later, since a cab ride back home is $35.

I have no friends in the area.

How is a person supposed to have any fun if they live in Surrey suburbs and the rest elsewhere? Who's gonna share a cab then?

Your explaination makes sense, but fall into logistical error, since everyone downtown come from all different places/races/circumstances.

And to say they shouldn't if they can't afford it is ignorant.

I'm not saying this is WHY ppl drink and drive, but a lot of ppl car pool 'cuz they just can't get around well enough, regardless if they're there for 1 beer or 10.

[BallPeenHammer2]

Originally Posted by Nlkko

You can spend a hundred a night on booze and you tell me 10-20 bucks of cab is expensive? The way I see it, you gotta pay to play.

A bunch of drunks on the train late at night is just asking for troubles.

That's a huge assumption.

Some people are there to spend 30-40. Like me.

You guys know guu garlic? I go there a lot. The last time I was there I was drunk after $35. 'cuz we were in a group. I was the ONLY person who didn't live downtown.

2am? I can't get home. I stood around for 20mins waiting for a cab.

As for drunks on a train? how about punks on a bus? it doesn't matter if it's at 8pm or 3am. I've been on night busses and day busses. They ALL have shit disturbers.

Also, take a taxi from Surrey to DT. And get it for $20. Hell. $40. See if that's all you'd have to pay.

[gars]

Who's going to pay for the extra few hours of running the skytrain though? Translink is losing money as it is. If you told everybody they'd have to pay an extra 25 cents a ticket just to run it a few extra hours on the weekend, what do you think the public would say? Or maybe we should introduce another gas tax.

[Brianrietta]

Originally Posted by Firmware

We still dont have 247 skytrains running?

Name me a city in Canada that has 24/7 rail. I know from personal experience that the TTC subway system as well as the STM Metro have similar hours to the Skytrain. (And both cities party way harder than Vancouver too...)

[Firmware]

I never said we had it ..

Just stating that we should have it by now.

[BallPeenHammer2]

Translink doesn't really lose money. Their revenue comes primarily from taxes (gas/property/hydro, etc). Rest of it is fares.

They were ALREADY denied the carbon tax.

I'd pay the extra 25c, honestly.

[Excelsis]

simple solution

don't drink at all

[zulutango]

the answer to your subject topic....because they don't care, because they think they can drink and it won't (against all science) affect them, and the biggie....because they think they won't get caught and if they do they can get off without penalty of any type.

[sho_bc]

Originally Posted by BallPeenHammer2

I'm not saying it'd eliminate it, but definitely cut down on it.

If you actually read the article link, it does states that sometimes it's just not attainable. I've waited up to 45 minutes for a taxi. Group rates for limos and etc don't happen. It's hourly. PERIOD. Family? seriously? Who would pick my drunk ass up at 3:30am? Those are solutions that's been around and have NOT worked.

I'll tell you this: Since the new skytrain opened up, I just train to DT to get smashed, or for anything else, for that matter 'cuz I live right by Marine Drive Station. It's cheap and easy. And I always wished that it would be open later, since a cab ride back home is $35.

I have no friends in the area.

How is a person supposed to have any fun if they live in Surrey suburbs and the rest elsewhere? Who's gonna share a cab then?

Your explaination makes sense, but fall into logistical error, since everyone downtown come from all different places/races/circumstances.

And to say they shouldn't if they can't afford it is ignorant.

I'm not saying this is WHY ppl drink and drive, but a lot of ppl car pool 'cuz they just can't get around well enough, regardless if they're there for 1 beer or 10.

Originally Posted by BallPeenHammer2

That's a huge assumption.

Some people are there to spend 30-40. Like me.

You guys know guu garlic? I go there a lot. The last time I was there I was drunk after $35. 'cuz we were in a group. I was the ONLY person who didn't live downtown.

2am? I can't get home. I stood around for 20mins waiting for a cab.

As for drunks on a train? how about punks on a bus? it doesn't matter if it's at 8pm or 3am. I've been on night busses and day busses. They ALL have shit disturbers.

Also, take a taxi from Surrey to DT. And get it for $20. Hell. $40. See if that's all you'd have to pay.

And here is the issue... People who think that they need to get drunk/smashed to have fun. Or that they need to be downtown to get drunk/smashed to have fun. Maybe I'm just getting old...?

My parents always said that they'd rather I call them at 3am for a ride instead of getting into a car with an impaired driver or driving while impaired myself. Or if I wasn't able to get a ride/taxi etc. They always preferred the knowledge that I was safe over a 2hrs of lost sleep.

Or crash at a friend's house. Or rent a hotel room with a couple friends and split the cost.

The options over drinking and driving are endless if you plan ahead. The trouble is, people aren't planning ahead and then they either think they're ok, or that they can get away with it just this one time, cause they got away with it last time.

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by BallPeenHammer2

How is a person supposed to have any fun if they live in Surrey suburbs and the rest elsewhere? Who's gonna share a cab then?

They could just get drunk in Surrey. Believe it or not, there are actually a few bars outside of the downtown core.

[XplicitLuder]

Originally Posted by sho_bc

And here is the issue... People who think that they need to get drunk/smashed to have fun. Or that they need to be downtown to get drunk/smashed to have fun. Maybe I'm just getting old...?

My parents always said that they'd rather I call them at 3am for a ride instead of getting into a car with an impaired driver or driving while impaired myself. Or if I wasn't able to get a ride/taxi etc. They always preferred the knowledge that I was safe over a 2hrs of lost sleep.

Or crash at a friend's house. Or rent a hotel room with a couple friends and split the cost.

The options over drinking and driving are endless if you plan ahead. The trouble is, people aren't planning ahead and then they either think they're ok, or that they can get away with it just this one time, cause they got away with it last time.

You have great suggestions , but you have to realize not everyone does that. And not everyone lives wit their parents at the drinking legal age or older, and/or not every parent is kind like yours that would gladly pick you up at 3am. I know for a fact my guardians would tell me to shove it if i told them to get me at 3am LOL And sometimes when i go downtown i'm not in a huge group, so we can't really rent a cheap hotel or even if its me + 1 , sometimes it's hard to WANT to spend that extra $$ for the room. Yes it's the safest thing to do then to drink n drive, but we have to take into account that not everyone is going to think like that, ESPECIALLY IF THEYRE DRUNK!!! lol i would love for there to be later skytrain hours, maybe til..lets say 2am ? By that time i think most places start to close anyways, and like some people have said it's not always EASY to find a cab at 2-3am

[dueces]

cus they arent smart wwen thwey drink,

[ninjatune]

the skytrain only services a small portion of the lower mainland - and believe it or not there are actually towns and cities outside of the lower mainland....

[BallPeenHammer2]

^ Of course.

of course, it only service Richmond, Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, New West. There CAN be more but I guess not quite yet.

The big thing I noticed when the Richmond/Van West skytrains got built, that a lot of my friends/acquaintances STOPPED driving to downtown. Because of finding or paying for parking, etc. They just all train. Which is great beacuse if we did END UP staying downtown for a late movie/party/drinking, we don't have to worry about getting busted, etc.

HOWEVER, the logistics issue became "how we all gonna get home at 3am?"

I would say myself and more than half the ppl I know that always did the richmond or Van west to DT run stopped driving there 'cuz it's just SO MUCH FASTER AND CHEAPER to train DT. It's not that ppl ahve to plan ahead or anything to get there; just that they will start taking that route naturally.

Then the drinking/party/whatever planning comes in while they're already IN DT, sans car.

I suck at explaining, but can u guys understand what I'm trying to say?

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by BallPeenHammer2

HOWEVER, the logistics issue became "how we all gonna get home at 3am?"

I used to train downdown all the time to catch gigs, when I lived relatively convenient to SkyTrain. Unfortunately, I almost always had to miss the headliner's set in order to get to the train in time to get home.

I suck at explaining, but can u guys understand what I'm trying to say?

No... can you?

[falcon]

Having spent the last 3 months in Europe and currently living in a tiny town in Germany, I must say I have seen the light when it comes to public transit. And Vancouver gets a big F.A.I.L. I can't belive we don't have light rail yet, or trains like they do in Europe. Or even more buses for that matter. I can go out, party... drink all I want and still find a way to get home at 4AM in the morning in the big cities. Here, where I am now the buses don't run that late but they DO run every 15 minutes. In a town of 10,000 people. Go figured.

We need in Vancouver;
1) Street Cars
2) Light Rail
3) More busses
4) Turnsiles like in the Tube in London and pretty much every other major city in EU. Even shit holes like Rome and Barcelona have them. And yes, Rome is kinda a shit hole... lol.

[Soundy]

Yeah, problem with comparing here with Europe is density: that 10,000 people are probably crammed into an area about the size of Granville Island.

[zulutango]

Add a couple of zeros and you have half of the countries in Europe.

[gars]

Originally Posted by falcon

We need in Vancouver;
4) Turnsiles like in the Tube in London and pretty much every other major city in EU. Even shit holes like Rome and Barcelona have them. And yes, Rome is kinda a shit hole... lol.

Funnily enough, when I was in Rome a few years back - there was an open gate where people with "passes" could just walk through - everybody was just streaming through the gate there. nobody to check passes. I looked around and people were jumping turnstiles as well. London has a better system in the city centre - but many of the stops outside zone 1/2 - the turnstiles were so easy to jump over. The chavs were jumping over them all the time - even in bright daylight. I'd also see people putting two people through the turnstiles at a time as well.

The big buses in London - you can just walk right on as well - sorta like the 99 BLine. People just hop on without paying fares.

if people want to avoid paying fares - they will do it.

And Vancouver is putting in a system with NFC cards and turnstiles - it's coming. people need to stop bitching about it - it's not going to make the system come any faster.