Why Getting Around Just Got A Whole Lot Easier
Filed under: Stephen, Travel & Leisure
Author: Stephen
Date: Sep 9, 2009
And no, Adam, it’s not because my boyfriend recently moved to Toronto. GUH! I’m referring to all of the new ways I can navigate my way around the city and beyond without my own personal vehicle. As a result, getting around town for this car-less eco-gay recently got a lot easier.
The biggest change to Vancouver’s infrastructure recently has been the construction of the 19 km long Canada Line opening this past month. The trains are spacious, fast, sleek, and most importantly, air conditioned! I was so impressed. Vancouver can finally take her training bra off and trade up to a C cup: we finally have what feels like a ‘big city’ rail system. The other day I zipped out to Richmond for some cheap dim sum, picked up some $2 stationery at Daiso, then headed over to the Vancouver Airport to their “Viewing Lounge” to watch airplanes land and take off (Full disclosure: I’m a nerd). I can’t wait for my trip to Vegas in early October with Kevin and a couple of our friends! Not only will do we have tickets to KYLIE (can’t even handle it) but we are planning on taking the new skytrain link out to the airport! My excitement could only be further amplified had we got to stay at the Airport HoJo. But seriously, it’s pretty cool to walk a block to the train station, pay $3 and end up at the airport in 20 minutes.
Our train system isn’t the form of transport that got upgraded, our bike network was upgraded and expanded over the past few months. The Central Valley greenway, a new comprehensive bike path that links Vancouver to the outer suburbs was opened this past summer as well as a new separated path across the Burrard bridge that links the downtown peninsula. It’s been locally controversial to give up a whole lane of traffic to bikers, but honestly, separating cars and bikes is the only way biking will become a more acceptable form of transport. I tried it out the other day and loved it! I’m also happy about this because Kevin recently gave me his bike, which happens to be infinitely better than the same rusted, locked-gear bike I’ve had since I was twelve so I’m looking forward to getting out and cycling a bit more.
I’m also really excited about the new Amtrak service announced that will travel from Vancouver to Seattle and Portland (twice daily now!) One morning train will leave Vancouver in the wee hours, arrive in Seattle by noon and to Portland in the late afternoon. The current evening train leaves Vancouver at 6 and arrives in Seattle just after 10. Kevin and I took it out to Seattle back in February on our trip to Salt Lake City. We saved hundreds by flying out of Seattle instead of Vancouver, and didn’t have to worry about fuel or parking fees. It’s also a really nice train ride (and it’s licensed so you can drink!)
Vancouver is not the only city that is expanding its alternative transportation options for it’s citizens. Toronto is building a new subway extension to its airport, Winnipeg is building a rapid-bus system, Seattle just opened it’s new LRT and current plans have it expanding over the next 10-15 years. In fact, this continent could be changing a lot in the years to come if President Obama gets his way. He wants to make high speed rail in the US a big priority during his tenure. I couldn’t agree more! Imagine hopping on a train from downtown Vancouver to downtown Portland and having it only take 2 hours instead of the usual 6 (or more if you hit Seattle traffic or the border is backed up)? You could go for a day trip! Or travelling from San Francisco to LA in 2.5 hours, New York City to Montreal in 3 hours! It is a real possibility that will take a lot of courage at the political level, and a heck of a lot of money. But these are investments that should’ve been made decades ago, and as a result we North Americans are playing catch up to the great cities of Europe and Asia that have already discovered the advantages of a high-speed rail network!
While dreams of zooming around the continent on a train will have to wait a while (but hopefully not too long), for now I’m going to see how long it takes before I need to actually break down and buy a car… I never thought I’d make it to five years, but here I am, still livin’ the dream!
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bruin
September 9th, 2009 at 2:34 am
nice article – if only los angeles could be like that. in LA cars are a must. i have used the public transportation system before and it’s a disaster! homeless people bother you, crowded, hot, no a/c, mean and unpleasant riders, dirty, etc. oh. not to mention that it would take x10 as long to get to a location via a public bus rather than private transportation. good job to Vancouver for developing a great system. another system that i loved was london’s underground. dont know if youve been stephen but london has its own little city underground hah. yeah…youll probably love it!
Adam
September 9th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Bruin, don’t listen to stephen, our public transpo systems sounds pretty much exactly the same… richmond recently had a stabbing about one block from our new “fresh and clean” canada line involving riders of the train like a week after the whole thing was set up and running.
The cheap allowance for younger adults and older adolescents from further burbs and rural areas has made more than one yaletown workers you read and love on here cringe at the resultant abundance of hoi poloi grunging up the dt areas once sought out for its civil tranquility and peacefulness.
We ALL know what goes down near skytrain stations and the RAV line is not going to be any different.
So, to crack users, congrats on the new easy fix: sorry to the rest of us!
I do appreciate the increase in cross-border trains to Seattle… though, I still think we should all get our nexus and revel in the perfection that is it’s line at the truck crossing ;)
And while losing road to bike lanes is a bit annoying, getting those 6 km/hr overly aggressive “eco-warriors” out of the car lanes is extremely appreciated!
bruin
September 9th, 2009 at 10:36 am
stephen, you should get this.
http://www.threadless.com/product/442/Be_Green
Stephen
September 9th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Thanks Bruin! I love it, that t-shirt is perfect! And there’s one 3XL left!!!
Holy NIMBY Adam. Yes, I think they should upgrade the security on Skytrain (and install turnstiles like every other major system to make sure that people pay) and that should help solve a lot of the crime issues. But as for the grungy hoi- polloi and crack users coming from afar, in my opinion, that’s a regional issue. Because these people are now frequenting more affluent areas a little more often due to easier access from Skytrain just means its more visible. But is it any less of a problem if you don’t see it or if it’s confined to the Downtown Eastside or Surrey Central? If anything it should bring light to the fact that our drug and homelessness problem is something that needs to get dealt with in some way or another and requires action and leadership. By simply saying that it sucks that Skytrain has brought some crackheads to my hood and they don’t belong here, go back to where you came from isn’t doing much to solve the problem. Oh, and I don’t work or live in Yaletown ;)
Agreed about the trains, and the ‘eco-warrior’ militant bikers (Critical Mass? Not a fan)
bruin
September 9th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
eh..you should still get it just bc it’s only $9! itll shrink in the dryer
Rome
September 9th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Stephen, will see you in Vegas for Kylie! Vancouver’s is going to represent!
Matt
September 9th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
For the record, the Vancouver-Seattle-Portland corridor isn’t going to get high-speed trains, and isn’t part of Obama’s plan for a high-speed corridor. The reason for this isn’t a lack of political will or even cash, but the physics of the existing infrastructure. The tracks running the length of the corridor simply twist and turn in too many places for trains to navigate them at high-speed. So it’s unlikely that anyone will ever be able to shave much time off the current schedule. Upgrading the trains would simply produce newer trains that run at the same speed. It’s kind of like the fast-ferries here in BC. Yes, they were capable of speeds faster than conventional ferries, but the conditions of the route meant that they had to travel at the same speed anyway.
Adam
September 10th, 2009 at 3:52 am
Bahaha, stephen, i love “NIMBY”… i had to look it up and will now be using the full version (since i hate acronyms) on all occasions ;)
Yes, it certainly helps “bring to light the drug and homeless problem” but I don’t really feel- for example- i need to “personally witness/experience” a terrorist attack to know that the problem exists elsewhere in the world…
ps. Matt, that’s really depressing to hear about the seattle/vancouver connection.. but totally makes sense.