December 10, 2007
Zigzag bus route needs a tug to pick up the slack
In planning my trip to the Island this past weekend, I looked up how to bus to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. What I got looked like a maze that would take me as long to traverse as travelling via transit all the way to North Vancouver. In retrospect it is reminiscient of the kind of path taken by a small troll-in-a-wind-up-car toy my mom so aptly named Fuzzy Logic. It just could not make up its mind which direction to travel, and afforded us many giggles.
There is, however, little to giggle about here when one considers the possibility of travelling this route. It was no question that this wasn't how I was going to spend my Saturday morning.
Ha!
This frequent laughing stock of a transportation system brings to mind the words of Surrey's Mayor Diane Watts who, with the other South of Fraser mayors rejected TransLink's South of Fraser plan and called for more transportation connecting the communities of Surrey, a need that TransLink has so far made less than feeble attempts to meet when compared to other municipalities. TransLink is also hiking up fares again starting January 1st, boasting at what they've accomplished lately, while I personally (and my neighbours can attest to this) have seen nothing but cutbacks to our frequency and dependability of service. So, TransLink, can I pay less?
About
I am a communication designer in Vancouver, BC. Most of my writing and community activism are in the interconnected issues of public transit, local eating and food security, politics, health, environment, and sustainability in general. At heart, I'm a geek and a total treehugger. Nature, tea, good food and great company make me happy.
Currently reading:
"Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life"
Brian Brett
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Comments (2)
I know, it’s ridiculous. Somewhere, someone commented that going from New West to across the river would take 3 hours and 45 mins.
Sometimes I just gamble on my knowledge of the Translink network. I think of a strategy and a route and just follow my heart. It usually pays off more than the Translink website or Google Transit.
ROFL
Living in North Van I sometimes thought to just take a boat.
It kind of screwed me up tonight what with the 84 being every 20 minutes, but my last bus every half hour… oh wait, sorry, every HOUR… so it’s a good thing I missed it anyway (I got a ride to the SkyTrain in Vancouver) or I’d have been in for a bad surprise. I don’t gamble when it’s crucial ;)