CC #131: My remarks to the Vancouver Council meeting tomorrow, June 12, 2024, about the proposal to create a Vancouver Official Development Plan from the Vancouver Plan.
Beginning with Gregor Robertson, continuing through Kennedy Stewart, and now under Ken Sim, Vancouver has seen a decline that marks the end of its former glory. This unfortunate trajectory is irreversible. I urge you, Brian, to compile all your communications into a book to document those who are responsible, complicit, and profiting from the destruction of the very communities that made our city beautiful and unique. The homes being constructed are the size of closets and are unaffordable & unlivable. Despite being heavily taxed to fund social housing, very few units are actually being built. Developers prioritize their profits over the construction of livable homes. Rents and sale prices are pegged to the market, with "affordable" housing defined as merely 10% below market rates. This system operates like a Ponzi scheme. In short, our city is being destroyed to build closets that the average Vancouverite cannot afford and vacation rentals that remain mostly empty.
Yes Brian, you are right. This is a hopeless situation brought about by a hopeless council. This is what happens when everyone becomes a “google genius”. I admire your resolve. Personally, I have just “gone fishing”.
I do not live in Vancouver but owned a store in the downtown for almost 25 years and earlier playing rugby for a Vancouver team, I got to know the city very well.
Vancouver worked because it was quirky, fun and interesting.
Today, Vancouver is a drab collection of 'Lego' designed buildings and chain stores, with a Starbucks every few blocks. What made Vancouver quirky and fun is quickly being replaced with cheap vertical (soon to be slums) warehouses (I have corrected this typo as I originally put whorehouse, but that of course refers to 453 W.12th) for those who can afford. Those who cannot afford Vancouver travel further and further east to find cheap accommodations or live in tents, campers and motor-homes.
With the insane quest for density, traffic congestion is increasing almost exponentially made worse by with the very poor transit planning, The current myth that the "Broadway subways will cure congestion" is a myth borne by grossly ignorant politcans, who repeat lies so often, the public now believes it.
Today, Vancouver is a rudderless Titanic, crashing into a massive financial/planning iceberg and those making small fortunes from the current VooDoo planning, will, of course, will be first in the lifeboats, leaving the rest to drown in ever higher taxes and mismanagement.
Vancouver's time has come and gone and what is left is a very poorly written pantomime sketch, with little humour and a rotten plot.
Over 40 years of trying to get affordable and rational transit nd transportation planning for the Metro area and we are now in a worse situation than 1986!
We have spent (my estimation, including subsidies, grants, and interest payments) over $20 billion for what is now an antique rapid transit system and that does not include the $11 billion being spent to extend the Expo and Millennium Lines a mere 21.7 km.
The $2.7 billion (cost will escalate after the next election), 5.7 km Broadway subway is mere farce as it goes nowhere and offers no incentive to attract customers. The City of Vancouver compelled Translink and the Government to shed Canada's best transit planners because they dared to opine that there wasn't the ridership on Broadway to justify a subway. Even TransLink knows there isn't the ridership to justify a $2.7 billion subway because the Millennium Line will only have a maximum capacity of 7,500 persons per hour per direction after the $1.47 billion re-signalling program for the Expo and Millennium Lines.
In North America, the minimum traffic flows, needed for a subway is 15,000 pphpd.
Where is the mainstream media? All they offer is "puff" stories on transit.
The other big problem, of course, is that the trains used on the E & M Lines are an obsolete proprietary railway, now owned by Alstom, which only 7 such systems were built in the past 50 years, with only 6 still in operation. The new 5 car trains, which have been presented with much hype and hoopla are over 20 years old and only reconfigured for using Linear Induction Motors (needing expensive redesign) for use on the two (Expo & Millennium) proprietary lines .
The Broadway subway maybe the end of the line for rapid transit as the cost are escalating on the 16 km Langley extension, now topping $5 billion) that it maybe cancelled.
As there is no proof that the Skytrain light-metro system has taken many cars off the road and that huge costs and subsidies needed for the light metro, translates to an extremely poor regional transit system, with the CoV, getting the lions share of funding. When the taxpayer wakes up to that, adios any sort of reliable transit for the region and say hello to endemic congestion.
Time for a new government! This is happening in Victoria, Saanich, and all over - same debacles. As one fellow here said; the main business of BC is real estate development. But the developers are hard to stop when they own all the politicians and political parties. Fire one and they are replaced with another set of clones, or is that clowns?
In obliterating the unique neighbourhoods, City Hall is taking the next step of destroying the last vestiges of community participation in planning in Vancouver. As a long-time community activists, I witnessed the erosion of civic democracy. People identify with their neighbourhoods. It is where they live, sometimes work, and is a place they know. In short, they have ideas of what works and what does not. In eliminating place, the City Hall is creating a situation in which developers and speculators thrive and residents are shut out. This gagging of community voices has been tightening for a long time. Public Hearings have been become exercises in citizen frustration. Residents with ideas have been given a diminishing amount of time to present their knowledge and experience. The time allowed now stands at 3 minutes. Meanwhile developers at these same hearings are given open ended amounts of time to once again present their case. During these supposed Public Hearings, the Council Chambers remain virtually empty because the public is not allowed in. Instead, they are guided by City Hall security to rooms far away from the Chambers. In short, these Hearings have become public deafenings, with speakers from neighbouhoods not listened to and often times treated with dismissive coldness. No questions asked, no debate, no changing councilors already made up minds, and no signs of civic democracy. Is it to late to stop the wrecking of Vancouver and its neighbourhoods? If not, what is to be done to bring people from across the city together?
Beginning with Gregor Robertson, continuing through Kennedy Stewart, and now under Ken Sim, Vancouver has seen a decline that marks the end of its former glory. This unfortunate trajectory is irreversible. I urge you, Brian, to compile all your communications into a book to document those who are responsible, complicit, and profiting from the destruction of the very communities that made our city beautiful and unique. The homes being constructed are the size of closets and are unaffordable & unlivable. Despite being heavily taxed to fund social housing, very few units are actually being built. Developers prioritize their profits over the construction of livable homes. Rents and sale prices are pegged to the market, with "affordable" housing defined as merely 10% below market rates. This system operates like a Ponzi scheme. In short, our city is being destroyed to build closets that the average Vancouverite cannot afford and vacation rentals that remain mostly empty.
Keep writing and documenting Brian.
Thanks for your kind words, Linsea. I am starting (barely) on a book.
I’ll buy 5.
Yes Brian, you are right. This is a hopeless situation brought about by a hopeless council. This is what happens when everyone becomes a “google genius”. I admire your resolve. Personally, I have just “gone fishing”.
Richard , thanks for reading. Have fun fishing!
Well said!
I do not live in Vancouver but owned a store in the downtown for almost 25 years and earlier playing rugby for a Vancouver team, I got to know the city very well.
Vancouver worked because it was quirky, fun and interesting.
Today, Vancouver is a drab collection of 'Lego' designed buildings and chain stores, with a Starbucks every few blocks. What made Vancouver quirky and fun is quickly being replaced with cheap vertical (soon to be slums) warehouses (I have corrected this typo as I originally put whorehouse, but that of course refers to 453 W.12th) for those who can afford. Those who cannot afford Vancouver travel further and further east to find cheap accommodations or live in tents, campers and motor-homes.
With the insane quest for density, traffic congestion is increasing almost exponentially made worse by with the very poor transit planning, The current myth that the "Broadway subways will cure congestion" is a myth borne by grossly ignorant politcans, who repeat lies so often, the public now believes it.
Today, Vancouver is a rudderless Titanic, crashing into a massive financial/planning iceberg and those making small fortunes from the current VooDoo planning, will, of course, will be first in the lifeboats, leaving the rest to drown in ever higher taxes and mismanagement.
Vancouver's time has come and gone and what is left is a very poorly written pantomime sketch, with little humour and a rotten plot.
Well said even if I’m sad at what you are saying. Thanks for reading.
Over 40 years of trying to get affordable and rational transit nd transportation planning for the Metro area and we are now in a worse situation than 1986!
We have spent (my estimation, including subsidies, grants, and interest payments) over $20 billion for what is now an antique rapid transit system and that does not include the $11 billion being spent to extend the Expo and Millennium Lines a mere 21.7 km.
The $2.7 billion (cost will escalate after the next election), 5.7 km Broadway subway is mere farce as it goes nowhere and offers no incentive to attract customers. The City of Vancouver compelled Translink and the Government to shed Canada's best transit planners because they dared to opine that there wasn't the ridership on Broadway to justify a subway. Even TransLink knows there isn't the ridership to justify a $2.7 billion subway because the Millennium Line will only have a maximum capacity of 7,500 persons per hour per direction after the $1.47 billion re-signalling program for the Expo and Millennium Lines.
In North America, the minimum traffic flows, needed for a subway is 15,000 pphpd.
Where is the mainstream media? All they offer is "puff" stories on transit.
The other big problem, of course, is that the trains used on the E & M Lines are an obsolete proprietary railway, now owned by Alstom, which only 7 such systems were built in the past 50 years, with only 6 still in operation. The new 5 car trains, which have been presented with much hype and hoopla are over 20 years old and only reconfigured for using Linear Induction Motors (needing expensive redesign) for use on the two (Expo & Millennium) proprietary lines .
The Broadway subway maybe the end of the line for rapid transit as the cost are escalating on the 16 km Langley extension, now topping $5 billion) that it maybe cancelled.
As there is no proof that the Skytrain light-metro system has taken many cars off the road and that huge costs and subsidies needed for the light metro, translates to an extremely poor regional transit system, with the CoV, getting the lions share of funding. When the taxpayer wakes up to that, adios any sort of reliable transit for the region and say hello to endemic congestion.
Also, to be noted UBC. Why aren’t included in costs since majority of riders are their staff and students.
Sinking ship, ever since Robertson said he would house the homeless. Idiot.
Time for a new government! This is happening in Victoria, Saanich, and all over - same debacles. As one fellow here said; the main business of BC is real estate development. But the developers are hard to stop when they own all the politicians and political parties. Fire one and they are replaced with another set of clones, or is that clowns?
So true..
In obliterating the unique neighbourhoods, City Hall is taking the next step of destroying the last vestiges of community participation in planning in Vancouver. As a long-time community activists, I witnessed the erosion of civic democracy. People identify with their neighbourhoods. It is where they live, sometimes work, and is a place they know. In short, they have ideas of what works and what does not. In eliminating place, the City Hall is creating a situation in which developers and speculators thrive and residents are shut out. This gagging of community voices has been tightening for a long time. Public Hearings have been become exercises in citizen frustration. Residents with ideas have been given a diminishing amount of time to present their knowledge and experience. The time allowed now stands at 3 minutes. Meanwhile developers at these same hearings are given open ended amounts of time to once again present their case. During these supposed Public Hearings, the Council Chambers remain virtually empty because the public is not allowed in. Instead, they are guided by City Hall security to rooms far away from the Chambers. In short, these Hearings have become public deafenings, with speakers from neighbouhoods not listened to and often times treated with dismissive coldness. No questions asked, no debate, no changing councilors already made up minds, and no signs of civic democracy. Is it to late to stop the wrecking of Vancouver and its neighbourhoods? If not, what is to be done to bring people from across the city together?