2010 Winter Olympics Tracker » Vancouver

Riding the Canada Line to YVR

2010tracker — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:31:00 +0000

Riding the Canada Line this weekend made me feel a bit like a tourist in my own city. Cool. The stations are a modern mix of tilework, steel, glass, and natural stained wood (hemlock or pine I think). I went into the ride fairly unassuming of what I was about to experience; here’s my take:

1) surprised that there are only 2 trains and subsequent station platforms of same size. There is not a lot of room here folks. I just can’t picture the size being adequate for a busy rush hour environment in the future.

2) no driver, very neat. Remote control people movers, no room for error though as there is a single track in spots where oncoming trains have to wait for the switch.

3) walk through opening between cars, I liked this. Made the trains feel more open and spacious.

4) large front window with windshield wiper. We grabbed the front seat view on the way back from the airport which was really cool. Thoughtful that they have a wiper so riders can see during those rainy Vancouver days.

5) can’t beat the price. $2.50 to get to the airport (atleast for now, in 2010 there will be an “add fare” for YVR). Cabs start at that price in Vancouver, and an average trip to the airport runs $30-$50 so even when prices go up it should still be worth it. Also, its an honour system, so if you don’t stop at the Bridgeport Station adjacent to the Rive Rock Casino, I guess you can alway gamble for a free ride vs the possible fine of $173 bucks.

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Backing the Olympic Village

2010tracker — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:23:42 +0000

ON Jan.9th Vancouver’s recently elected mayor Gregor Robertson released a statement detailing the city’s obligations as a guarantor for the financing required to construct the 2010 Olympic Athlete’s Village, a 16 building LEED Gold certified community on the South East shores of False Creek.

The Olympic Village is a billion-dollar project, and the City’s on the hook for all of it.

To my great frustration, we can’t turn back the clock on the actions of the last Mayor and Council. We are financially and legally committed to complete this project.

Clouds loom over Olympic Village

2010 Tracker Comment: It seems as though we finally have transparency regarding the obligations of the city and it’s tax payers. We depend on our elected officials to provide full disclosure on the situation and options available. For those in a condemning mood of having to backstop what could be up to or more than $1B of development costs I think they should keep this situation within the context of what is happening around the world and in particular our neigbour to the south still ailing from a global financial crisis. Several Municipalities are going bankrupt after investing their reserves in subprime related debt and CDO’s, something we can be thankful isn’t the case here. Vancouver is about to showcase a new sustainable community other cities will look to as a guide for future urban planning, lets leverage this opportunity to grow.

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