trek Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 TransLink reveals details about smart card system It will be rolled out in 2013 Tanya Fletcher Jun 25, 2011 13:40:51 PM VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - TransLink continues to firm-up plans for the new smart card system that will be unrolled in 2013. Ken Hardie with TransLink says a "tap-on, tap-off" structure is being considered. "One of the key things that we're mulling right now with the Compass Card is whether people will tap on, and they will do that when they get onto the SkyTrain or a bus, and whether they tap off, especially on buses." "And that gives us all sorts of data as to how we can design the transit system, but it also moves us a lot more closely to the fare according to distance payment structure." He tells News1130, they're trying to gauge public support for that kind of distance-based payment system. "If in fact the public really supports fare according to distance, we can fine tune it so that it's fair in the other sense as well," Hardie adds. He says they're also getting ideas from other cities around the world with similar systems. http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/245821--translink-reveals-details-about-smart-card-system London-style distance based fares? Yes. No more silly 2-zone fare to go from Joyce station to Metro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 London-style distance based fares? Yes. No more silly 2-zone fare to go from Joyce station to Metro. more like everywhere else-style distance based fares.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Common sense Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Work on faregate construction begins today VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - They won't be in place for a couple of years, but the first signs of faregates will be seen at SkyTrain stations starting today. Prep work starts at the Broadway-Commercial Station, followed by Granville Station. The work includes electrical upgrades, installing concrete bases for Compass card machines and new barrier rails. According to TransLink, the work that has the greatest impact on passengers will happen during off-peak hours. The faregates, which will prevent people from using the system without paying for it, should be operational in 2013. http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/249341--work-on-faregate-construction-begins-today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 ^ Way to waste money in a budget shortfall translink ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Speaking of budget shortfalls.... Mayors recommend gas levy to pay for Evergreen Line </H2> By Frank Luba, The Province July 7, 2011 Comment 91 StoryPhotos ( 1 ) <H1 id=photocaption>The Evergreen Line project office is seen near the Coquitlam transit centre.</H1><H2 id=photocredit>Photograph by: Gerry Kahrmann, PNG Drivers are being asked to shell out two cents more a litre at the pump to pay for the Evergreen Line. Metro Vancouver's mayors are recommending the gas tax to pay for TransLink's share of the $1.4-billion Evergreen Line rapid transit project — an 11-kilometre SkyTrain extension from Coquitlam to Lougheed Town Centre. The extra tax, which Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom has promised to introduce in the legislature in the fall, will raise about $40 million annually. West Vancouver Mayor Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, who announced the recommendation, says even with the tax, $40 million is not enough for transit expansion. Goldsmith-Jones says what's really needed is $70 million for TransLink's "Moving Forward" plan, a wish list that includes expanded bus and SeaBus service, station upgrades and other improvements. Residents in the Metro Vancouver region will now have their say in a consultation process, says the transportation minister. Driver Craig Bridges of Pitt Meadows wasn't happy to hear about the additional gas tax, which he called "gouging" in an email to The Province. He said he refuses to fill up his gas tank in Canada. "Why am I being punished for trying to survive in B.C.?" he wrote. "And the worst of it . . . the line won't go anywhere near my house." B.C. Automobile Association spokesman Trace Acres says the current taxation on a litre of gas is 45 cents. "That's the highest in the country, probably in North America," said Acres. "We're disappointed that TransLink and the provincial government haven't tried to be more creative in finding sources other than going back to tax road users as the primary source of the new funding," said Acres. One of the options to raise the extra $30 million for expanded transit is a graduated vehicle levy that could range from $10 to $40 per vehicle. The levy would not be the flat fee that TransLink previously tried to impose and which met huge opposition from drivers. Other options include an additional, regional carbon tax or a time-limited property tax increase. Metro's mayors have twice rejected going after more property tax for TransLink. Richmond's mayor, Malcolm Brodie, says the gas tax can be justified — but not the use of property tax. "I'm opposed to using property tax anymore for transportation because there's no direct relationship between [them]," he said. NDP transportation critic Harry Bains applauded a decision that apparently puts Evergreen "back on track" to begin construction this year. But he would have preferred the province took the money from the provincial carbon tax. "They [the province] had the opportunity to use that," said Bains, the MLA for Surrey-Newton. "They chose to give tax breaks to the corporations." Public consultation on the funding is likely to begin next week. fluba@theprovince.com twitter.com/frankluba © Copyright © The Province Read more: http://www.theprovin...l#ixzz1RSFmSPra Judging from the comments in the article itself I expect this to go over like a lead ballon. Personally I wouldn't care if they raised it four cents a litre to do the full meal deal (gas fluctuates more than that on a week by week basis) so long as the money was dedicated to fixing the traffic problems and not general revenue like so much of the other fuel taxes..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Speaking of budget shortfalls.... Judging from the comments in the article itself I expect this to go over like a lead ballon. Personally I wouldn't care if they raised it four cents a litre to do the full meal deal (gas fluctuates more than that on a week by week basis) so long as the money was dedicated to fixing the traffic problems and not general revenue like so much of the other fuel taxes..... I really hate our government....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthecivil Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I really hate our government....lol I really hate the voters. Go read the reactions to that in the paper and you will want to cry. They like to blame the shortfall on the Olympics (which will buy you a couple weeks of healthcare or 3/4 of one year of teacher contract demands) and go on and on as though the HST was a giant tax grab and then say that's why there's no money (no mention of the healthcare monster other than to complain about cuts). That people fall for all that garbage makes me very sad for the future of our province. One day were gonna be greek with people violently protesting on the streets about cuts and taxes despite the fact that were still operating in debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I really hate the voters. Go read the reactions to that in the paper and you will want to cry. They like to blame the shortfall on the Olympics (which will buy you a couple weeks of healthcare or 3/4 of one year of teacher contract demands) and go on and on as though the HST was a giant tax grab and then say that's why there's no money (no mention of the healthcare monster other than to complain about cuts). That people fall for all that garbage makes me very sad for the future of our province. One day were gonna be greek with people violently protesting on the streets about cuts and taxes despite the fact that were still operating in debt. Well, government is of the people... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucks_dynasty Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I don't mind paying more taxes (property tax or gas tax) if it was to fund NEW transit builds (ie. Skytrain) to areas in need. I probably won't even use it but it's for the greater good of MetroVancouver. When I was younger...I used the EXPO line alot. Not so much now that I'm older. Never thought I would use the Millinium (sp?) line when it was built but now I use it once a week (just recently). Things change and people are too short sighted to see the big picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trek Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 (edited) ^ areas in need are the East-West extension for the Millenium Line from Commercial to UBC. It's ridiculous how many B-Lines they have running on Broadway to try and keep up with demand there. Edited July 8, 2011 by trek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Common sense Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 ^ areas in need are the East-West extension for the Millenium Line from Commercial to UBC. It's ridiculous how many B-Lines they have running on Broadway to try and keep up with demand there. I'm holding out for it, but realistically, Translink is going to do everything in their power to make sure places like Coquitlam and Slurry get LRT/Skytrains before the busiest arterial in the GVRD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucks_dynasty Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 ^ areas in need are the East-West extension for the Millenium Line from Commercial to UBC. It's ridiculous how many B-Lines they have running on Broadway to try and keep up with demand there. I've been wanting a Skytrain to UBC for a long time. The usage will not drop cuz there will be new student every year. But I can just imagine the NIMBYism going into the West Side of Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 ^ areas in need are the East-West extension for the Millenium Line from Commercial to UBC. It's ridiculous how many B-Lines they have running on Broadway to try and keep up with demand there. They will build where they can get the most increase in new ridership: Surrey/Langley/Tri-Cities. People are already paying to go to UBC on buses, why spend a bunch of money for people already using the system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violator Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I'm holding out for it, but realistically, Translink is going to do everything in their power to make sure places like Coquitlam and Slurry get LRT/Skytrains before the busiest arterial in the GVRD. Those are the busiest arteries that are growing surrey will have more people than Vancouver soon with a 1/3 of the transit services these places will only get more busy while other places are topped out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Likely to be modded to the transit thread but no, I've never stolen a sky train ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Lapierre.40 Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 what is the maintenance going to cost on this system"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wetcoaster Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 It will be interesting to see what percentage of revenue increase we will see once the system is installed and operational in 2013. Estimates in the past have ranged between $5 - $9 million in lost revenues annually. Plus there is the added bonus that security should be enhanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 It will be interesting to see what percentage of revenue increase we will see once the system is installed and operational in 2013. Estimates in the past have ranged between $5 - $9 million in lost revenues annually. Plus there is the added bonus that security should be enhanced. new revenue is good but if the costs of maintenance for the new system is more than 3.5 million bucks a year this will become a loss rather than a gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moz Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Looks like a tube station in London (a cleaner one, mind). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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