New Service from TransLink

As you are probably aware I am not the greatest fan of TransLink I do sometimes find their attempts to improve the service at least semi-useful.

The latest in that back-handed complimented area is their new service to provide the time of the next bus at the stop you are standing at via your cellphone and the stop number printed on the bus stop sign. Simple to use, call their transit information number 604-953-3333, press 1 and follow the directions entering the stop number and get an 'estimated' time. The bus is still subject to being swallowed by a pothole; abducted by aliens; beamed up by Scottie, passing you by too full to stop; whatever. It won't help you with the fact that the service is failing but it will give you an idea if there is any point in standing around waiting.

Or in the case last night, warning you that the bus is filled with a group of "thirty something" drunk, white girls who had clearly had their full dose of magic dust and their middle-aged, paunchy and aggressive male companions. That was a bit of circus that was clearly going to end in tears. Particularly, when they trooped off to stagger across Davie (in the middle of traffic) to make a try at getting into Celebrities. I can only imaginge the sinking feeling that must have possessed the bouncer at his velvet rope. Definitely an "Oh Fuck" moment. Not my problem but I must say I wonder what happened.

In any case, being able to figure out if the bus is due sooner then you can walk home may come in useful during the Jazz Festival (by the way here's my reviews and thoughts about the Jazz Festival). Late night bus trips home are not that common for me these days, er nights.

Is it just me or is the Transit system getting shabbier while we get asked to pay more to ride it?

I'm trying to figure out if Translink is getting worse at doing upkeep on the stations, trains and buses that make up our transit service. I see more scrapes and scratches in the elevators, graffiti on walls and dirty floors and litter everywhere in the past couple of months.

Now I know that we as users and as mostly adults are at least partly responsible for the upkeep of the system. We need to pick up our own papers and litter and drop it in the recycle bins and garbage cans as required but washing the floors, cleaning the walls and repairing vandalism is beyond our capabilities. So that gets left up to Coast Mountain, the operator and Translink the owner to clean and repair.

But the floor on the Granville station elevator has been dirty and in need of a mop for 2 weeks now. The elevator at Broadway station has been vandalized for at least a month and I still see windows too dirty to see out of on one bus out of three.

Translink sends me email requests to comment on the state of the transit services, here is an example:

Here is a list of major improvements that TransLink has underway or planned for Greater Vancouver for next year, 2008:

• The Canada Line between Vancouver, Richmond and the airport.
  
• The Evergreen light rail line from Coquitlam Centre and Port Moody to Lougheed Town Centre SkyTrain station.
  
• The Golden Ears Bridge between Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and Langley.
  
• Road and bridge improvements in the Lower Mainland in 2008 including:
  • Widening of the Fraser Highway in Surrey,
  • Construction of the Coast Meridian Overpass in Port Coquitlam,
  • Widening of Main Street in North Vancouver,
  • Construction of the Murray/Clark Connector which is a new overpass in Coquitlam,
  • The North Fraser Perimeter Road project, which includes existing road improvements and a new overpass at United Boulevard between Coquitlam and New Westminster to replace the Bailey Bridge,
  • Construction and seismic upgrading of the Knight Street Bridge.

• The largest bus fleet expansion in 31 years with 94 new buses to expand service and 160 buses to replace older buses that are being retired. 25 of the new buses will go to Surrey and Langley.
• 34 new Mark II SkyTrain cars ordered and arriving in 2009.
• Broadway, Main and Metrotown SkyTrain Stations will have improvements to both their capacity and passenger amenities starting in 2008.
• A 10 percent increase in HandyDART service.
• A third SeaBus built in 2008, in service in 2009.
• $6 million in regional cycling routes and facilities such as the Central Valley Greenway and BC Parkway under the Expo SkyTrain line.
• Expanded vanpool, carpool, and Corporate Car ride-sharing programs.

Having read the list of transportation projects proposed for 2008, how important would you say these transportation projects are to you personally?

Would you say they are very important, somewhat important, not very important or not at all important?

Now I think all of the above are important but not necessarily all good ideas (I will leave deciding which are good and which are bad and which are merely indifferent as an exercise for the reader) . And I don't see any comments about a commitment to keep the system clean, safe or inviting.

A further question deals with funding of the system:

Users of the transportation network pay about 70 percent of the 2008 improvements through transit fares, motor fuel taxes and a parking sales tax. General taxation pays for the other 30 percent of the cost.

Consideration is being given to increasing transit fares by 25 cents in January 2008. There has been no transit fare increase for 3 years, and unlike the Ferries and the Airport, TransLink has asked for no increase to offset increasing fuel costs.

Here is how the 70 percent user fees and 30 percent general taxation to pay for transportation improvements would break out for 2008:

• Parking sales tax of 7 percent on pay parking in the region.
• The average transit fare would go up 7.8%, as follows: Cash transit fare increased to $2.50 for one zone, $3.75 for two zones, and $5.00 for three zones
  • A one zone monthly pass would be $73 or $1.83 per trip if you use it to commute back and forth to work 20 days a month,
  • A two-zone monthly pass would be $99 or $2.48 per trip if you use it to commute back and forth to work 20 days a month,
  • A three-zone pass would be $136 per month or $3.40 per trip if you use it to commute back and forth to work 20 days a month.
• 2008 property tax would increase about two percent to 37 dollars per one hundred thousand dollars of property value.
  
• $1.90 per monthly Hydro bill goes to transportation improvements.
  
• 12 cents of every litre of gas purchased in the GVRD goes to regional transit, cycling routes, HandyDART, car/vanpools and to major roads and bridges.

In addition, since 2005, the federal government has been returning a portion of its tax at the gas pumps each year. In 2008 the amount returned to the region for the purpose of public transit vehicles like SkyTrain cars and buses will be $61 million.

Having read the list of funding sources, do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose making the transportation improvements in the 2008 Transportation Plan using these funding sources?

Now my choices are to support or not support the entire plan. But I don't support the entire plan; I think that since transit and its users are a major carbon offset for everyone they should not be asked to fund the system. Since everyone benefits then everyone pays (increase the percentage of general revenue taxes paid into the system to 50%); do not increase user costs/fees for transit users but do increase user fees for private car users to cover the a greater percentage of the cost of transit.

So what do you think?