beat
Member
How bad would the Big One be? Like, couldn't the BC Interior help us out?
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Vancouver-Age |OT| 125 Years
- Thread starter Firestorm
- Start date
Subpar Spatula
Banned
I'll become this region's Warlord if the big one occurs. Kneel before me.
I'm not an expert, I've just heard a lot of doom-and-gloom.
Lots of buildings falling down. As an example, before the school board started phasing in their seismic upgrade plan, it was pretty much guaranteed that an entire generation of kids in this city was going to die if the Big One hit during school hours (insert joke about kids these days). Now a bunch of schools are safe, but not all of them. But how many buildings are like the old schools? A "Vancouver special" single-family house isn't particularly rickety, but the Big One is supposed to be able to wreck anything that wasn't specifically designed to be Big One-proof.
Richmond is facing a disaster of epic proportions. Liquefaction is going to turn that entire city into quicksand. Water is going to bubble up out of the ground and the earth will vanish as Richmond joins the Pacific Ocean. I heard someone say that the seismic upgrades (more common in Richmond than the rest of Vancouver) will keep the buildings intact, so there's going to be a lot of people stranded on roofs, and we're going to need helicopters, but we don't have helicopters.
Also, the bridges are a big problem. If the newer ones survive, they still might not be usable, meaning the only way in/out of the city is by helicopter (airport runways not expected to survive, even if they weren't flooded), and we don't have those. America has helicopters, but we don't currently have any plan to borrow them (they have emergency plans for the rescue of Seattle, but those plans don't recognize the existence of anything north of the border). That discussion is going to be made in panicked phone calls if/when the Big One hits.
Johnny Cage In The Shower
Member
Has anyone here ordered something online in the US and drove over to pick it up? Like the storage places they have there?
Anyone can recommend a mailbox/service?
Thanks in Advance
Anyone can recommend a mailbox/service?
Thanks in Advance
"Point to Point Parcel" in Point Roberts. I was just there earlier this week.
http://www.p2pparcel.com/
The go-to place used to be The Letter Carrier, but then some shenanigans went down with the landlord and firing everyone, and P2P became the new place.
Edit: Basics of it:
You "register" with P2P (basically just telling them your name/email so they can email you when your package is processed, which might take a few hours longer than the time when your tracking says "delivered"). You get your package mailed to Johnny Cage 1591 McKenzie Way, and when they get it they email you. They charge about five bucks per-package, unless it's crazy heavy.
Once they email, you've got a couple of weeks to pick it up before you start hitting storage fees. If you drive down before rush hour on a weekday the highway traffic and border lineup should be minimal.
Border guys ask what you're doing in Point Roberts. Say you're picking up a package. They ask what's inside. Tell them honestly (also, open the package at the post office, just to make sure). Don't import anything illegal or porn. Clean your car before you go. Don't let weed anywhere near your car. Don't travel with friends who have been busted for weed. If it's all good, they'll just wave you through. Sometimes the border guys will test you by asking you simple questions ("I'm picking up Neptunia 7 Limited Edition." "How did you like Neptunia 6?" "There was no Neptunia 6. The series is funny that way." "Move along.")
While you're down there, fill up on cheap gas and maybe grab some groceries from the store (be careful about how much beer you bring back). You can tell the border guys that you have gas and groceries, because they ignore that. If the value of your package exceeds $200 you'll have to pay duty. Keep your receipts handy.
Edit2: Be DAMN careful about the speed limit and stop signs in Point Roberts. They care about that sort of thing down there. There's no "the speed limit is 10kmh over what the sign says".
I'll keep that important tidbit in mind!
TurtleSnatcher
Member
CAD to USD at .$80. Hasn't been like that since June.
Praise the lord.
Praise the lord.
The Last Emperor
Member
Wanna hang out?
Lone_Prodigy
Member
Summer meetup?
Sure, I am in Ginza, Tokyo. I can meet you around here
I prefer Shibuya.
Though I did work in Ginza for a bit as a teen.
We just picked a cheap hotel near Tokyo station. Going to get another place through AirB&B after we come back from Dubai. Probably going to find a place near Shibuya or Roppongi due to easier access to foreign friendly places.
The Last Emperor, you can come hang out with me in Dubai as well in a week. I'll be staying here:
Vancouver needs a place like that!
hell nah I'm not ready. Patullo bridge is fucked for the next couple months too. fuuuuuck
SkyTrain isn't affected. I think it's just regular buses and SeaBus.
Skytrain is fine. Just buses and SeaBus. In all honesty I understand working conditions are shitty and I want them to have those improved but wage increase doesn't sit well with me when they make like $30 an hour (and 1.5x on Sunday) at a company that can't even afford to give them the working conditions they need or us the service we need.
I hear this a lot when anyone mentions Dubai. I think next time you put on a piece of clothing or use an electronic device, look at the Made In tag and trace down where it comes from. Because there's a good chance that slave labour was involved somewhere in the manufacturing or supply chain (mining, farming, etc) process. And if you are going to have this stance, then you should also stop wearing those clothes and using those electronic devices, otherwise a bit hypocritical don't you think? You can enjoy something and be against the practices that created it.
Anyways, totally off topic (outside a discussion whether those kinds of feats are possible in a city like Vancouver without using "slave labour" like Dubai does) so we'll just leave it at that. If you want to debate further, please PM me or start a new thread. Don't want to derail this thread.
What's wrong with their working conditions that they are striking? I'm clueless about this as I haven't had any Vancouver news for like 4 months outside of vancitybuzz tweets.
Eh, when you spend the night in Avengers Tower, you're allowed to brag a little.
I ain't got no Compass Card.
Apparently the company moved some bus routes around to try and make things more efficient and save some money, but now it's impossible for the bus drivers to meet their schedules and keep the heavier-loaded busses running on time unless they run over pedestrians or skip pee breaks. The company: "That's your problem. Keep the busses running on time or you're fired. Also, don't run over pedestrians or you're fired."
Also the drivers would like a raise. The company rejects the idea of a raise and would like for them to give up time-and-a-half pay on Sundays. Soon as I saw that one on the news I said "Ouch". Nobody's going to support the union's unwillingness to give up time-and-a-half pay on Sundays. But as soon as they go on strike, the city's gonna get fucked. One hour of Skytrain downtime makes headlines, if the busses shut down for even a day, there's going to be chaos.
Apparently the bus drivers have been without a contract for several months, but May in Vancouver is a much nicer time to go on strike than in the winter.
They should definitely strike over their working conditions and to ensure they get a new contract. Not sure how much I'm in favour of their wage increases as they make a considerable amount for the Vancouver market (not in relation to housing as we are an unaffordable market but compared to the rest of incomes there).
Actually there may be one benefit to this strike. There will be an increase in taxi uptake which the industry cannot support so it may galvanize the voting base to make the refusal of the Liberal government to support ridesharing (i.e. Uber) a political item.
We really need Uber in Vancouver. Uber is one of my favourite things that we don't get in Vancouver.
Actually there may be one benefit to this strike. There will be an increase in taxi uptake which the industry cannot support so it may galvanize the voting base to make the refusal of the Liberal government to support ridesharing (i.e. Uber) a political item.
We really need Uber in Vancouver. Uber is one of my favourite things that we don't get in Vancouver.
Peterthumpa
Member
Amazing footage of downtown Van in 1907:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqk0yH2zy9s&t=5m14s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqk0yH2zy9s&t=5m14s
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
I remember checking that out a while ago. Our current liquor laws are probably unchanged from when that footage was taken.
It's crazy seeing some little kid waving at the train, and then thinking "What is he, seven years old? That would make him... 116 years old today. Oh god, everyone in this video is dead."
http://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/empty-homes-survey.aspx
I urge everyone to fill this out, an official city survey on the state of empty homes in Vancouver.
I urge everyone to fill this out, an official city survey on the state of empty homes in Vancouver.
Red The Hunter
Member
I visited Vancouver BC for the first time in about over 10 years and it was honestly a fun time. I mostly there for a fan convention down in Richmond, BC. But i did do a little exploring of Downtown Vancouver on Sunday, which was a fun just looking around and such and ate at really good ramen place based off the recommendation of an acquaintance who lives up there.
Guess the the other thing that surprised me was public transpiration both good and bad about it. The good in that it was pretty efficient and a bus system that is also pretty decent. Which is hard to find in many places. The bad was rush hour, Oh man do I never want to experience SkyTrain Rush Hour ever again. Expo Line from Main Street-Science World to Waterfront wasn't bad, but man did ride on the Canada Line from Waterfront to Richmond-Brighouse made me feel so claustrophobic, and I'm not even clausterphobic. It got better around Bridgeport, but it was still pretty packed, honestly by the time I got to my hotel I was pretty spent by the ride from the Train/Bus Station to there.
And not really a fan of Compass, felt so much of a complete mess compared to some other smart card systems I have used for public transport.
Guess the the other thing that surprised me was public transpiration both good and bad about it. The good in that it was pretty efficient and a bus system that is also pretty decent. Which is hard to find in many places. The bad was rush hour, Oh man do I never want to experience SkyTrain Rush Hour ever again. Expo Line from Main Street-Science World to Waterfront wasn't bad, but man did ride on the Canada Line from Waterfront to Richmond-Brighouse made me feel so claustrophobic, and I'm not even clausterphobic. It got better around Bridgeport, but it was still pretty packed, honestly by the time I got to my hotel I was pretty spent by the ride from the Train/Bus Station to there.
And not really a fan of Compass, felt so much of a complete mess compared to some other smart card systems I have used for public transport.
Red The Hunter
Member
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka on Robson and Bidwell St. It was pretty good, I got gyoza and Spicy miso toriniku Ramen. Pretty packed when I went there, but it did very much feel. like I was in a real real Japanese Ramen shop.
A politician had Compass installed because he thought it looked cool. And it stops fare evasion, which used to cost Translink almost $15 million a year. And this "solution" only costs $200 million upfront and $20 million a year to implement. And it can't stop fare evasion if you're carrying a hacked amiibo. Edit: Unless you're in a wheelchair, then you can't get through without manual assistance.
It's absolutely silly we didn't have a smart card system implemented though. I absolutely love the check in and check out system here in Japan, and we just need further integration of the smart card into the rest of the local economy.
It was the implementation that was handled very poorly too.
EDIT - Actually, to be fair, our transit system currently probably really didn't need a smart card system but as it grows and we get more and more different lines, it will be important we did it. Vancouver has been successful due to making decisions for the future instead of the now often, such as refusing to build highways through downtown back in the 70s or whenever that decision was.
Red The Hunter
Member
I get why they did it to stop fare evasion, but the system felt half baked in comparison to other smart card systems I've used (mainly I use ORCA Card on a daily basis).
My major gripes are:
-You can't punch in a specific amount you want to put on it, only in increments of $10
-Whoever designed the handicapped fare gates, didn't really think of Handicapped people in mind when thinking of their specific needs when using a fare gate.
-Not completely tourist friendly (i.e. won't accept certain types of cards, like foreign debt cards) even though they are an international city, and they are probably wanting to push compass card onto people who are visiting and should of thought of implementing all major foreign cards both credit and debt there in the first place.
It's not a bad system when you are using it, but getting a card and adding money to it is such a hassle.
Your first grip is a bit silly in my opinion since unless you're a student, the cheapest you can get for 1 zone is $2.50, so $10 is 4 of the cheapest trips. If you don't want to load 4 uses at a time, then just buy individual compas tickets.
Second grip is valid, but honestly, there's not that many handicap friendly transit systems in the world. Currently in Tokyo and I don't understand how anyone in a wheelchair would use it as everything is stairs.
They need to change this. It should be like other smart card systems. You can purchase one at the airport and they are advertised everywhere when you land. That way you can use your foreign debit card.
Second grip is valid, but honestly, there's not that many handicap friendly transit systems in the world. Currently in Tokyo and I don't understand how anyone in a wheelchair would use it as everything is stairs.
They need to change this. It should be like other smart card systems. You can purchase one at the airport and they are advertised everywhere when you land. That way you can use your foreign debit card.
The old payment system made a lot more sense to me. You casually wander into a station. There are payment machines standing there. You put money into one and it spits out a ticket. A wandering security guard might ask "Ticket?" so you flash it and he says "Cool." The standalone machines can be replaced and upgraded and it doesn't matter (for the longest time, busses and Skytrain kiosks produced two entirely different styles of ticket, and they were both easily recognized by the security guards, so it was all good). Upgrading Compass for anything is going to be a comparative nightmare.
In my particular instance, I have a car and I also bike and use transit, whichever one makes the most sense at the time. It was great being able to casually take the transit system, but now in order to use it you need to be a card-carrying member of transit. I haven't signed up yet because I'm lazy and it seems like a bother, but I'm sure tons of people in this city enjoyed having a "casual" approach to transit, and as was mentioned, tourists.
And I wouldn't say that the pay-per-distance changes of Compass are at all forward-thinking, because Compass was hired to graft their system onto our existing unlimited-travel "zone" system (I haven't heard any arguments about which system is better or worse), and it was only after they suffered a complete failure to get their system working on ours that they asked "Can't we just change the fee structure of your entire transit system instead of fixing our own shit?"
In my particular instance, I have a car and I also bike and use transit, whichever one makes the most sense at the time. It was great being able to casually take the transit system, but now in order to use it you need to be a card-carrying member of transit. I haven't signed up yet because I'm lazy and it seems like a bother, but I'm sure tons of people in this city enjoyed having a "casual" approach to transit, and as was mentioned, tourists.
And I wouldn't say that the pay-per-distance changes of Compass are at all forward-thinking, because Compass was hired to graft their system onto our existing unlimited-travel "zone" system (I haven't heard any arguments about which system is better or worse), and it was only after they suffered a complete failure to get their system working on ours that they asked "Can't we just change the fee structure of your entire transit system instead of fixing our own shit?"
You can still buy pay per use tickets. Only thing that's changed from your story is you tap the ticket that was printed for you instead of showing it to someone. Then you tap it when leaving.
And we should change our fee structure. Pay-per-distance is how other major international cities (again using Tokyo as an example as they have the best tap in/out program I've seen) do it.
We just need to accept change. Sometimes it'll end up being more expensive, sometimes it'll end up being cheaper. But the world is used to systems like this, especially Asian cities in which a huge number of our immigrants and visitors are coming from.
In my opinion, the only valid complaints are "This was implemented very poorly" and "It needs to be expanded more", but this is where we needed to go. The rest of the complaints are just resisting change that we usually see in Vancouver.
And we should change our fee structure. Pay-per-distance is how other major international cities (again using Tokyo as an example as they have the best tap in/out program I've seen) do it.
We just need to accept change. Sometimes it'll end up being more expensive, sometimes it'll end up being cheaper. But the world is used to systems like this, especially Asian cities in which a huge number of our immigrants and visitors are coming from.
In my opinion, the only valid complaints are "This was implemented very poorly" and "It needs to be expanded more", but this is where we needed to go. The rest of the complaints are just resisting change that we usually see in Vancouver.
That's encouraging. You just boosted the chances of me taking transit.
Actually, I think one of the biggest things Vancouver struggles with, and what holds it back sometimes - is too many of it's citizens, and a good amount being from suburbanite population - has a small town way of thinking. Vancouver was that 15 years ago, it's not anymore. They are stuck in the past.
We need a world class city level of thinking. We need to make changes that further that and keep us ready as we keep expanding. We should stop looking to US cities as models and keep looking to cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo on how to build up Vancouver.
Luckily unless the provincial government gets involved and insists on silly things like referendums, the small town way of thinking people don't have as much of an influence anymore as they did. But it's still a vocal voice and it still leads to silly debates that still sometimes holds back our progress, or slows it down at least.
It's the Compas naysayers resisting change that have given you this impression I think. All of these smart card transit systems in the world have single ticket options. I don't have a compas card myself as I rarely transit as I just walk everywhere downtown, so I just get the single use tickets at the compas reload stations at whatever station I'm at.
We need a world class city level of thinking. We need to make changes that further that and keep us ready as we keep expanding. We should stop looking to US cities as models and keep looking to cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo on how to build up Vancouver.
Luckily unless the provincial government gets involved and insists on silly things like referendums, the small town way of thinking people don't have as much of an influence anymore as they did. But it's still a vocal voice and it still leads to silly debates that still sometimes holds back our progress, or slows it down at least.
It's the Compas naysayers resisting change that have given you this impression I think. All of these smart card transit systems in the world have single ticket options. I don't have a compas card myself as I rarely transit as I just walk everywhere downtown, so I just get the single use tickets at the compas reload stations at whatever station I'm at.
I dunno. They've been advertising "gates closed in your face" as the overwhelming positive of the new system.
http://i1.wp.com/buzzer.translink.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/buzzer_gates_closed.png
"Learn more"? Okay, here are five rules selected by a committee as most likely to make my eyes glaze over.
http://i0.wp.com/buzzer.translink.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Top-5-Compass.jpg
It's like... "Fuck, I'll read these new instructions someday when I'm bored next to a Skytrain station."
beat
Member
But major NA cities don't. SF's Muni isn't pay-per-distance. Pretty sure most Bay Area systems besides BART aren't. NYC's MTA isn't pay-per-distance. LA's Metro isn't pay-per-distance.
Tapping out of bus rides is a bad idea, which is why Translink had to abandon their initial plans to get everyone to do that.
Closing them to Compas cards and tickets. It's super obvious when you go to a station and go to a pay/reload station. If you're just doing a single ticket like you did before, it's the exact same process as before except you tap.
So you haven't used public transit in over 6 months? Because pretty sure that's how long it's been since Compas has been implemented.
So you haven't used public transit in over 6 months? Because pretty sure that's how long it's been since Compas has been implemented.
All those except for NY are god awful transit systems. You don't want to model anything after any of the Californian transit models (except ridesharing services like Uber which are so valuable there because their transit systems are god awful).
All the major Asian transit systems are pay-per-distance and they are fantastic. I'm in love with the Tokyo and Hong Kong systems.
Here's top 10 public transit systems in the world. Almost all the top 5 are pay-per-distance:
http://jalopnik.com/these-ten-cities-have-the-best-public-transit-in-the-wo-1610824583
It didn't seem like that long until you said it. But yeah. Last time I went through, the gates were there, but they weren't closed yet (I remember I looked at them). Sooo... I used transit sometime between last summer and 2012
Lone_Prodigy
Member
My gripes with Compass:
-You're penalized for tapping out without having tapped in.
-A negative balance prevents you from using your card, even if you have a monthly pass.
-The machines only let you add value in $10 increments.
-Not nearly enough gates, and while some are uni-directional the distribution is uneven.
-You're penalized for tapping out without having tapped in.
-A negative balance prevents you from using your card, even if you have a monthly pass.
-The machines only let you add value in $10 increments.
-Not nearly enough gates, and while some are uni-directional the distribution is uneven.
Crazymoogle
Member
I was going to say; having seen Singapore's implementation first-hand, it's great. Tap in, tap out, and if you fail to tap out well find a station or bus to do it else you just get tolled for a longer trip. AFAIK they don't have monthly passes or anything like that though. Just 1-3 day passes for tourists.
(Of course, I have no doubt it cost probably 1% of the rollout price Translink for some reason needed...)
Wolf Dawgz
Member
Personally I like the compass system better. You don't have to scramble just to find the monthly passes, and you can load them from online. The tap is easier than the little ticket eating mechanism they had on busses before.
It also seems like it makes sense for future transit. The lack of access for those with disabilities is disappointing though.
It also seems like it makes sense for future transit. The lack of access for those with disabilities is disappointing though.
I love the Compass Card
I load mine up with a one zone monthly pass for 91 bucks, and have it set up to automatically reload at the end of every month. It's done away with the need to go near a store to update
Only downside is I can't use my old transit ticket for joint roaches anymore
I load mine up with a one zone monthly pass for 91 bucks, and have it set up to automatically reload at the end of every month. It's done away with the need to go near a store to update
Only downside is I can't use my old transit ticket for joint roaches anymore
Subpar Spatula
Banned
Pretty much.
Scott Road is hilarious because on the side 99% of the people enter, there's only 3 gates.