So the Metro Vancouver Transportation and Transit Plebiscite went down in a ball of flames. What now for TransLink? Their CEO said that the upgrades laid out in the Mayors’ Council plan still need to be done, and they’ll get done. So where is TransLink going to find the money without any new funding sources?… Continue reading What now for TransLink?
Welp. Thanks Christy Clark for your stunning display of leadership. Congrats to the ‘no’ side for winning! But the joke’s on you: nobody wins. Hello to higher property taxes! Property near SkyTrain stations just got more valuable. Time to buy stock in Metro Vancouver road-building companies, car dealerships, and auto mechanics. Chilliwack people? Hey how… Continue reading Eight thoughts on the transit referendum results
In his most-recent column, Michael Smyth paints TransLink in a negative light, pointing to “surprises” such as Ian Jarvis’s compensation boost, increased administration costs, and Transit Police going over budget. This plays right into his “holy shit TransLink is wasteful” story that people of his ilk eat up with a spoon (just check the comments… Continue reading Fun With Statistics, by Michael Smyth
The Metro Vancouver Transportation and Transit Plebiscite is finally coming to a close. During the mail-in period, Elections BC has been releasing the interim ballot returns broken down by municipality. You can find out all sorts of things, like which municipality has the highest turnout, or… which municipality has the highest turnout. Okay, it’s dull.… Continue reading Announcing the Plebiscite Predictor!
This is first of what will hopefully be a monthly post here, where I report back on all of the rumours that are floating around the lovely city of New Westminster. First up: the parkade. Rumour has it that Council has seen the light and they will not be tearing down half the parkade. Instead… Continue reading New Westminster Rumour Mill
Today I voted ‘yes’. Every morning I and my wife walk our daughter to school. We have to cross one of New Westminster’s truck routes at Eighth Avenue and Cumberland Street. It’s a relatively busy intersection, especially during the morning and evening rush hours. It gts filled with trucks, as you’d expect, but also from… Continue reading Why I voted ‘yes’
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been a little harsh on the ‘no’ side of the upcoming transportation plebiscite. To give a little bit of extra press and coverage for them, I’m going to list the valid reasons for voting ‘no’. Here they are:
Today BC Transportation Minister Todd Stone announced a ten-year transportation plan for BC. During the press conference he was asked about the Metro Vancouver transportation plebiscite, and if the province is considering reforming TransLink, because this is one of the reasons why people are considering voting ‘no’. His answer? At this point in time, the… Continue reading The astoundingly bad logic of Jordan Bateman
The Mercer 2015 Quality of Living rankings were released today, and Vancouver slotted in at the best place to live in North America, and #5 in the world. Hooray, Vancouver! You might be asking yourself how they come up with these rankings. It looks like the exact methodology is secret, but you can get some… Continue reading Vancouver tops again thanks, in part, to TransLink
Laila Yuile is a blogger and contributor to 24hrs Vancouver. She wrote a post explaining why she will be voting ‘no’ in the upcoming Metro Vancouver Transportation and Transit Plebiscite. I’m writing this as a response to Ms. Yuile in hopes of persuading her to think about changing her mind and voting ‘yes’. I also… Continue reading A response to Laila Yuile’s ‘Why I am voting No’ post