UBCx - Millennium Line Extension Arbutus to UBC | Proposed

[seamusmcduff]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i only use skytrain to go downtown these days if we even bother to go down there.

It's funny because this has been one of the intentions of Vancouvers transportation planning. Encourage people to use more efficient modes of transportation like biking and transit. Guess it's working.

I really wish I could find the study, but I recall there was a study by Larry Frank (or at least cited by him at one point) that found that although the number of cars that were entering downtown decreased due to bike lanes and transit etc., the drivers commute times stayed the same, while the number of total people entering downtown also increased.

[Aroundtheworld]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Worth noting how there were ~200k less people in the CoV and ~900k less in the metro back in the Nineties. Seems like 1-2 million residents is the cutoff for a car-oriented small city, at which point you start to have more commuters, more goods and services, more pedestrians crossing the street (which really ducks up the right-turn lanes), and overall too many road users for the road.

The funny thing is that car commuting in the city of Vancouver (and especially Downtown) has gone down quite dramatically in the last 30 years, something like 20%.

It just goes to show our perceptions are easily prone to bias. We assume just because space is removed for cars that congestion is going up when it's actually the opposite.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Aroundtheworld

The funny thing is that car commuting in the city of Vancouver (and especially Downtown) has gone down quite dramatically in the last 30 years, something like 20%.

haha it isnt. CoV just let their counting infrastructure stop working for years.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Aroundtheworld

The funny thing is that car commuting in the city of Vancouver (and especially Downtown) has gone down quite dramatically in the last 30 years, something like 20%.

It just goes to show our perceptions are easily prone to bias. We assume just because space is removed for cars that congestion is going up when it's actually the opposite.

In fairness, 20% less roadspace will naturally mean 20% less vehicles... and hasn't exactly translated into 20% more bikers.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

In fairness, 20% less roadspace will naturally mean 20% less vehicles... and hasn't exactly translated into 20% more bikers.

There's only so many people that want to bike in Vancouver compared to walking/transit.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

In fairness, 20% less roadspace will naturally mean 20% less vehicles... and hasn't exactly translated into 20% more bikers.

But the City hasn't built bike lanes on 20% of the city's road space. It's less than 1% of the City's road space developed with AAA bikelanes (bike only) and about 2% of the space if you include the shared painted bike lanes. In 2016 over 6% of commuting to work was by bike, up from 4.4% five years earlier. It's likely to be higher now; the census data won't be available until next year, and will be unfortunately distorted by covid.

[cov]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

In fairness, 20% less roadspace will naturally mean 20% less vehicles... and hasn't exactly translated into 20% more bikers.

I think people are switching from car trips to transit trips. Commuting by bike is still a little dangerous without protected bike lanes, which isn't common outside of downtown. I read somewhere that more cars are registered in BC than ever but more people are choosing transit as the preferred mode of commute.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by Changing City

But the City hasn't built bike lanes on 20% of the city's road space. It's less than 1% of the City's road space developed with AAA bikelanes (bike only) and about 2% of the space if you include the shared painted bike lanes. In 2016 over 6% of commuting to work was by bike, up from 4.4% five years earlier. It's likely to be higher now; the census data won't be available until next year, and will be unfortunately distorted by covid.

Seeing as it was 7.3% (one point higher) just two years later, I don't see even the pandemic bringing it to double digits. Anecdotally, the Burrard bike counter's pretty much the same as it was in 2019.

Originally Posted by jollyburger

There's only so many people that want to bike in Vancouver compared to walking/transit.

Originally Posted by cov

I think people are switching from car trips to transit trips. Commuting by bike is still a little dangerous without protected bike lanes, which isn't common outside of downtown. I read somewhere that more cars are registered in BC than ever but more people are choosing transit as the preferred mode of commute.

True... so maybe less bike lanes and more bus lanes?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Seeing as it was 7.3% (one point higher) just two years later, I don't see even the pandemic bringing it to double digits. Anecdotally, the Burrard bike counter's pretty much the same as it was in 2019.

No, I wouldn't expect bike journeys to get to 10% of journey to all work trips in 2021 either (especially as so many younger workers who might bike to work were working from home during 2021 when the census was taken). But if they represent 7% or so of journeys to work - and have less than 1% of road space devoted to AAA routes, or 2% with painted lanes, they aren't getting an unfair share of the travelling lanes. (And it was 13.5% of trips to work by bike from Grandview and over 15% in Strathcona in 2016).

Between 2006 and 2016 the number of Vancouver residents cycling to work went up from 16,500 to 27,200. The number driving went down from 144,400 to 143,200.

The number driving to work Downtown isn't likely to go up - the parkades are all being redeveloped as office buildings, with lots of extra bike parking (and showers) but no additional car parking.

[Changing City]

And finally - back to the Broadway Subway, who report that the TBMs have been assembled and will be arriving in the spring. (for some reason the image doesn't paste, but Daily Hive have it as well)

[Jasoncw]

That's an extremely friendly looking TBM.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Anybody else getting a bunch of bulk emails from you-know-who about "UBCx?" There some kind of finalized alignment I don't know about?

[jollyburger]

Do they actually come assembled or is it like this Metrolinx TBM which is just a bunch of parts?



https://blog.metrolinx.com/2021/12/1...ension-arrive/

[madog222]

Yes they’re all assembled on site.

[ilikeredheads]

it's a gundam!

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Anybody else getting a bunch of bulk emails from you-know-who about "UBCx?" There some kind of finalized alignment I don't know about?

care to elaborate more?

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

care to elaborate more?

Full email:

Dear (insert name here),

We are coming to a critical point for the future of rapid transit in Vancouver and I need your help.

The vast majority of city residents and commuters across the Lower Mainland support extending the Broadway subway from Arbutus St. all the way to the University of British Columbia – it’s called UBCx – to better connect our region, reduce traffic congestion and fight climate change.

That’s why we need City Council to vote in favour of the recommended UBCx subway route later this spring. I need your help to make sure Vancouver takes this next critical step forward for rapid transit in the region.

Contact City Council today to show your support for extending the Broadway Subway all the way to UBC!

I believe we must make this extension from Arbutus St. to UBC a reality — to create greater accessibility for those who rely on transit, support economic growth in the Province’s second biggest employment region and take action against climate change.

That is why I have fought hard to keep UBCx on track by securing funding for the project’s business case study from the federal and provincial governments last year.

Now, City Council needs to take the next step by approving the UBCx subway route and I hope you will raise your voice and be heard.

Regardless of whether you live within the City of Vancouver, join me and raise your voice in favour of UBCx today!

Thank you for your support,

Kennedy
Kennedy Stewart
Mayor of Vancouver

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Full email:

wow, i didn't know the mayor would ask people directly to write into council to get things done. don't know how i like that; it feels a little, odd. good reason to never give the government your email it seems.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

wow, i didn't know the mayor would ask people directly to write into council to get things done. don't know how i like that; it feels a little, odd. good reason to never give the government your email it seems.

Doesn't help that these are probably coming out of the City budget. Oh well, at least we know there's an alignment now.

[WarrenC12]

Hasn't the CoV already endorsed the UBC extension?