GC 2020
171 results found
-
Take the buses off Granville and turn it into a City square like europe with patios (and drinks)
Granville street is a compromise that doesn't work. Having buses on the street won't allow a city square to develop (and connect to Robson Square to create an epicentre of community activity downtown - in much the same way it is in many european cities). The buses / dedicated cars need to stay off Granville and the restauranteurs and bars should be able to extend their patios onto the street. Street performance and parades should be encouraged within the area north of Smithe. Compromising creates a lose-lose situation, though delivery trucks, etc. could be allowed to pass between 4am-10am. At…
92 votes -
Work with the Province and Feds to create more light rapid and mass transit to outlying GVRD areas.
So much of our traffic comes from the outlying areas,even as far as Abbotsford. As housing in the downtown core continues to remain expensive many are seeing these areas as their best hope for a family scale living space. If we had high speed trains like in the city regions of the EU, Japan and other high density centres car dependency would be lessened and the region as a whole would be better serviced. Spend an afternoon in a traffic jam going east-west or west-east and I imagine you'll agree.
115 votesOutside City jurisdiction. TransLink is continually looking at ways to improve transit throughout the region, but additional funding is needed to make progress. A number of regional projects and plans are under way, including the Evergreen Line, and South of Fraser Rapid Transit Study.
-
Make Transit Easy and Driving Hard
Start to make driving difficult and transit easier and accessible.
Key Points in this would be: Eliminating Curbside Parking to make room for additional transit. No more road upgrades unless it is necessary for the purpose of trucking and goods transport. Increase transit density so that the majority of citizens are within a 10 minute walk of transit that will arrive on average every 10 minutes. This can be done through buses and trams. Extend rapid transit to unreached areas such as the broadway corridor, coquitlam and the tri-cities, Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford. This could be done through current projects…
47 votes -
Car Free Sundays
Designate one major boulevard (Main, Commercial, Granville, etc.) throughout the city as car free every Sunday. Build on the success of Vancouver Car Free Days in the summer.
35 votes -
Have all of the city's fleet of vehicles be electric and plug-in hybrid (when possible).
Have electric vehicles for short distance trips and plug-in hybrids for longer trips. Also, have all new heavy trucks (like garbage trucks) be diesel hybrid.
39 votesA great idea that will be captured in the draft Greenest Ctiy Action Plan as part of a larger low carbon vehicles strategy.
-
Transport freight using trains instead of trucks
The transport of freight using heavy duty trucks is not sustainable and causes air and noise pollution. It is far more efficient and less costly to move freight on rails rather than building new roads to accomodate increasing truck traffic.
34 votesThe draft Greenest City Action Plan will include directions that support less polluting, appropriately sized goods movement vehicles, including rail where appropriate. Trucks will still have a role to play for the forseeable future. Success requires support and leadership from regional, provincial, and federal partners.
-
Create a Fare-Free Transit system for GVRD
Translink funding currently comes from a combination of local taxes and user fairs. The reason for this combination of funding sources is in part because Translink also manages bridges and other transportation services over and above public transit.
My suggestion is to make Translink completely funded by public taxes and abolish fares entirely.
There are a number of benefits that this would cause:
Firstly this would increase ridership in transit and therefore reduce traffic congestion.
Second, the Free-Fare system will be attractive to tourists and boost Vancouver's image as a friendly and sustainable city.
Thirdly, this will provide a more…
229 votesTransit (and transit fares!) are controlled by TransLink, not the city. Having said that, reducing or eliminating transit fares is an interesting idea.
Unfortunately it’s not very feasible, at least as TransLink is currently funded. Unlike most North American cities, Vancouver’s transit problems aren’t due to a lack of demand but rather a lack of capacity. Anyone who’s ever tried to squeeze onto one of our busy buses or trains knows this all too well — there isn’t enough space even when people have to pay, let alone accommodate the additional demand that would be created if transit were free. Compare this to cities with fare-free zones, which are typically struggling for increase demand, and which typically have (a) less frequent service and/or (b) plenty of extra capacity to accommodate more riders.
In Vancouver, we need to provide more transit capacity to meet existing demand — and a LOT more…
-
granville island foot bridge
If there were a foot/bicycle bridge slung underneath the Granville Street Bridge, it might encourage those that are driving from the West End to simply walk. As well, this would provide a an interesting circle walk around the east side of False Creek. The foot bridge could just go from the board walk to the island. It would need stairs, but could also have a pair of counter balancing elevators for those on bikes or handicapped. Heck, for extreme green fun, perhaps the elevator could be power by a small tidal generator in False Creek
53 votes -
Make it mandatory to have 220V plugs installed at every new condo parking spot.
.. in preparation for electric cars.
17 votes -
26 votes
-
Cap on transit fare increase
Provide Translink with subsidies as long as they agree to place a cap on transit fare increases for the next five years. This way, taking public transportation remains to be an affordable option for the masses to help decrease carbon emissions.
53 votesTransit fares fall outside City jurisdiction, and there are multiple factors to consider. It is important that prices are affordable and equitable; at the same time, fares are an important revenue source for TransLink. The draft Greenest City plan will include directions to advocate for new sources of funding for improved transit (e.g. congestion pricing, vehicle levies).
-
Awnings
Encourage Awnings - Connected dry cover improve pedestrian traffic in a rainy city. @ More bus shelters that really shelter.
20 votesWeather protection will be highlighted as an important design consideration for the pedestrian realm. Many parts of the city (e.g. most of the downtown, most commercial areas) already include design guidelines for weather protection and design guidelines (including requirements for awnings). However, there may be more opportunities to encourage existing buildings to add awnings (and similar weather protection) through renovation and building facade improvement programs.
-
solar water taxis
London has a solar water taxi, why can't we? All those little boats beetling around--not to mention the seabuses--could be solar. Each station would give them a quick charge or battery change.
28 votes -
Have a Vancouver gas tax, which the money would fund transit.
Have a tax on gas (and diesel) sold in Vancouver. Kind of like Montreal Island has. The money from this tax will go to fund public transit expansion projects and improvements.
9 votes -
Add a rapid transit line to the valley
Driving along the #1, it seems ridiculous to me that we're widening the highway and adding more bridges, which will just INCREASE commuter traffic.
What we should really be doing is providing an alternative to jumping into single occupancy vehicles to commute into the city, in order to DECREASE commuter traffic.
It's inconceivable to me that there is no rail line out to Abbotsford, Chilliwack, etc.
67 votesOutside City jurisdiction. While improved transit service South-of-Fraser is important, the Greenest City plan focuses on projects within municipal boundaries.
-
Bike alternative (bridge?) to Massey Tunnel
You can't bike through Massey Tunnel. At ALL. That means you have to take a bus to the ferry, or the free shuttle service which works only in summertime and at very particular times. If you miss it, you have to wait for hours. There should be a bike bridge instead -- more flexibility for the bikers and eliminate the shuttle too.
43 votesOutside city boundaries and jurisdiction. Addressing major gaps in the regional cycling network could potentially be addressed through the relevant local municipalities and/or TransLink. TransLink’s draft regional cycling strategy can be found here: http://translink.ca/cycling .
-
16 votes
-
Offer a more extensive and tailored range of transit passes, Berlin-style
We spent a month in Berlin, Germany and purchased a month-long transit pass that allowed us to travel only AFTER 10 am.
The pass cost significantly less than a normal transit pass (good for 24 hours) and because we were not commuting, we were not inconvenienced in the slightest.
Also, in New York, we bought week-long passes.
These sorts of discounted pass options make sense for locals and visitors alike and make it easier to convince people to get out of cars or cabs. I would like to see a greater range of transit passes available at several different price…
76 votesThis is a great idea, but outside the city’s jurisdiction. This is something TransLink could consider, perhaps in conjunction with the SmartCard rollout expected in 2013, which will enable new and more equitable pricing schemes.
-
Work with school districts to make commuter cycling/bike confidence skills part of Phys-Ed
Like most cities, there are different sorts of routes for biking - from trails, to physically separate lanes, to painted lanes, or signed shared bike routes. In order to take full advantage of these the City should work with School Districts to help support cycling as a Phys-Ed requirement - working up to kids going on field trips on bikes. There could also be hardscape bike-training space with miniature lanes in neighbourhood parks for families to take their kids to practice riding.
37 votesGreat idea. The draft Greenest City Action Plan will include directions to work with the school board and provincial government to support compulsory commuter cycling education in school curriculums.
-
five services in five minutes
Every home should be within five minutes walk of five service--a litre of milk, a library kiosk, a post office, drugstore.... We need a micro-commercial zone to allow these small businesses into every neighbourhood.
24 votes