Canada Line averages 2 minutes, 36 seconds per mile
Seattle Link averages 2 minutes, 18 seconds per mile
Skytrain’s Expo line runs 17.9 miles (Waterfront to King George) in 39 minutes, an average speed of 2 minutes, 10 seconds

So yes, Canada Line is slow by comparison

I wonder how many clunkers were really trucks folks kept around for the occasional dump run or extra car driveway queen. The car that’s really getting replaced, the daily driver is the five year old model that’s still worth market value. Toyota was already pre-selling virtually every Prius before it even rolled of the line in Japan. With the Cash for the Clunkers disappearing fast I bet a few would be Prius buyers opted for lower mileage cars to close the deal now. Why not? With the money handed out by the government you can afford the gas on that new SUV.

It’s not all bad. I can’t find the statistics for the US but it’s something similar to China where 10% of the cars account for half of the polution because they tend to be worn out and poorly maintained (if it ain’t broke don’t fix ‘nothin). China’s phase out plan was far better in that it leverages much of the money in the form of low interest loans. For $3B we might have taken a big bite out of the worst poluters but what we got was replacement of less than half of one percent of the total vehicle fleet.

Oh well, they can always print more money and try again.

It’s a stimulus, which is something the nation needs right now. And it does replace low-mileage cars with high-mileage cars. The electric utilities do the same thing when they subsidize new refrigerators and florescent light bulbs; it translates to one less power plant to build. I’d prefer a more equitable stimulus rather than one which just benefits car lovers and auto factories, but anything that creates jobs and props up spending is better than nothing.

Parking at the Tukwila station will have more problems, as airport users will take advantage of it once Link goes to the airport. Probably some are already.

I wish I could have captured photos. :-(

It’s 1.5 miles exactly from Richmond Centre station to my parent’s front door, though!

Other P & R sites should come as Link expands. I suspect the political pressure will be too great to avoid some P & R lots. But, it’s my hope that ALL of them will be pay lots. Free parking for cars is ridiculous. The infrastructure is too expensive to be free. Price it so it’s still less expensive to park and ride. It’s time to start converting all lots to pay lots, even those only fed by buses. It is a revenue stream that ST and Metro are going to have to tap to stay viable. A couple bucks a day is all I’m suggesting. Phase it in.

When are American’s going to start paying the full price for being an auto oriented society?

You can find info about Seatac’s station area planning here:
http://www.ci.seatac.wa.us/services/stationareaplanning.htm

Officials in Vancouver, BC announced this afternoon (Tuesday August 4) that the Canada Line automated subway (and otherwise elevated) train line between the downtown multi-modal Waterfront Station and the YVR international airport and Richmond is opening several months early, on Monday August 17. This is not a Skytrain extension, but somewhat similar to Skytrain. It will cause the elimination of a number of bus lines, including the 98-B-Line BRT in a parallel corridor. I recall that the construction of this line was NOT part of the Winter Olympics bid package, and NOT favored by many local officials, but rather was forced by the Provincial Government.

Thurston County’s Intercity Transit received an award today from American Public Transportation Association (APTA)as being the best transit system in America in its size class. I’ve occasionally used Intercity’s nice express bus service between Tacoma’s Freighthouse Square and the State Capitol area in Olympia, which is a joint service with Pierce Transit, as I recall.

Google for further details.

I have wanting someone to say this for months now – I am sure the poles are annoying but have they been placed there purely for that purpose! I doubt it….

Moving on….

What I didn’t like was the largely empty interior picture of Link they had to publish

Tim