Having transit alternate between Granville St. and Howe/Seymour is causing immense confusion for transit users unfamiliar with this scheme as well as with those familiar with it (at around the time of the switch-over). If you miss the last bus on the Granville route then you have to scramble to Howe or Seymour. I have also (on a few occasions) told people standing at bus stops on Granville, or else on Howe or Seymour, that they need to go to another street to catch the bus at that time (then met with looks of confusion, anger and/or despair…).

Also, since the transit-only lanes on Howe and Seymour, have been re-designated as on-street parking, this leads to transit delays when Granville is closed to traffic.

I strongly feel that Granville should be closed at all times to traffic EXCEPT for transit and bikes on a 24/7 basis (no need to alternate with Howe/Seymour). This is done in many other cities around the world, and could easily be done in Vancouver.

This would make the Granville Mall area (from Davie to Georgia and block-by-block north of Georgia) into pedestrian malls with transit running through. This would also create more space on the sidewalks for pedestrians through elimination of the sidewalk car "perches" now in use. Absent other traffic, it has been shown that pedestrians and transit can share such areas with little or no problems.

I have discussed this idea with several friends and strangers (on these bus routes) and I have yet to find anyone who does not agree with this idea.
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Place making initiatives like those in Portland, Oregon and Fernwood, Victoria, B.C. http://cityrepair.org/ See the book Place Making (small) and Mark Lakeman. Wonderful inspiration for taking back neighbourhoods and becoming more involved in one's community. Fernwood now has a Neighbourhood Resource Group, which to date has bought and revitalized several heritage buildings, runs a comminity cafe called Cornerstone Cafe, which hires local youths and uses profits to put back in the community and is in the process of upgrading several more. Most of the work was done by the community. Also seeing the need in their neighbourhood for more affordable housing, instead of totally gentrifying and pushing people out, they have sought funding and offer affordable housing in both the heritage buildings and built a 6 suite apartment building for families. The city repair site gives you an idea of the model Fernwood used. They have been inspired by the ideas of Mark Lakeman City Repair/Place Making. The end result is more community involvement, food safe projects and an agreement to apply a green philosophy to every enterprise, with maximum community input.

How many different free newspapers can you count that are distributed across Vancouver ... handed out at Skytrain stations, available in boxes on almost every street corner downtown and left in bundles for those of use who live in apartments and condos.

Many of these newspapers end up in garbage cans or tossed on the street creating litter.

My suggestion is for the City to ban the distribution of these free newspapers as people value what the pay for - if they really wanted them, they'd purchase them.

If the City isn't willing to ban these free newspapers, at the very least it should require the companies that distribute them to include a newspaper recycling box beside every metal distribution box.