Quote:
Originally Posted by inv4zn
IMO, if Translink had made rational decisions and PROPERLY and EFFECTIVELY used their resources, we/they wouldn't be in this mess.
I fully understand they don't happen in someone's basement; but the majority of people seem to think they spend penthouse amounts of money, and still come up with decisions and plans that are no better than if they were made in someone's basement.
|
So how could they have properly and effectively used their resources?
The two most common arguments I hear are:
> I'd take transit more if busses didn't come every fucking <percieved unreasonable time>
> If they don't have fucking full busses, then don't send them so often? Why don't they just cut service!?
The GVRD is not like other cities. Metro Vancouver (which Translink is responsible for) is spread out over 2800 square kilometres, and yet only has 2.3 million people. Cars are great in areas where density is low. Public transportation is amazing where density is high. The GVRD is full of a shitload of shotgunning of areas; transportation hubs are where density is, and if you don't live in a dense area (read: where prices are low and things are usually not walking/bussing distance) then transit will suck because nobody fucking lives there.
The solution? Increase the population density. The city of vancouver has started more proposals to get density up, by identifying core transit lines and adding new zoning along them and within a couple blocks of those hubs. Burnaby has started rezoning huge swaths of main streets (Hastings all along the Burnaby Heights near where I live has been completely rezoned to the new-again-trendy retail main floor townhouses above, acknowledging the prices of housing and the necessity of these things.
For the next 20-30 years, it will probably suck to live across any bridges from Van/Burnaby/New West from a transit standpoint. As more people move across the bridges, there will be more need and demand for transit.
Transit, much like healthcare, is a necessary public service. Poor people need to get places too. I would love to see where you can pay for a car, insurance, gas, maintenance and sometimes parking, all for $1836 ( (12*170)*0.9). If you can do that, you would solve a fuckton of peoples' transportation needs. Until then, people who cannot afford cars will continue to take transit which will continue to be subsidized. And it will always be subsidized until and unless density increases along with ridership.
Also, TBH, I'd quite like it if they would separate the transit and the road repairs sections of Translink even though it would create another group of executives. I think it kind of muddies the water on how much public transit costs, since most people associate "translink" with busses and not roadworks.