#transit referendum

[dfe2012]

Transit Autopsy Report

Deceased: Gwinnett County Transit Referendum

Synopsis: The deceased was not a victim of racism, voters rejecting transit or other suspected causes. Although there were numerous complicating factors, voter rejection of MARTA was determined to be the cause of death.

In the wake of the referendum’s demise, heads are shaking, fingers are pointing, and tongues are wagging. On social media, proponents…

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[allthecanadianpolitics]

Understanding Congestion and Metro Vancouver’s Transit Referendum

Starting March 16, Metro Vancouver residents are being asked to vote on transportation improvements through a mail-in ballot.  Find out more about the referendum: http://www.movinginalivableregion.ca/… Find out more about the transportation improvements: http://mayorscouncil.ca See if you are registered to vote: https://eregister.electionsbc.gov.bc…. Check out our 10 fast facts about the importance of our transit system:http://www.movinginalivableregion.ca/…

From the polls, it looks like the No side may end up winning. That does not bode well for transportation in the Metro Vancouver region for years to come. Please get registered if you haven’t received your ballot and vote!  #YesForTransit

[euphoniousmyth]

Hitler reacts to the 2015 Transport Referendum

[noahshark]

I took a pic of the Mayor shredding the decks last Saturday.

[wtfwitch]

Voting without thinking of others

My city, Vancouver, is trying to vote on a transit reform thing, and the amount of people saying they’re going to vote no because they see the word “raise taxes” and stop there because taxes = bad in their minds is so incredibly frustrating. Yeah, everything would be cooler if it was free, but nothing works that way. Voting Yes on this referendum will mean so many good things for our city. Improved transit means less cars on the road, and will take such a load off of the environment. It means that people who can’t afford cars, gas and insurance, and people who aren’t able to drive will have better to the city they live and work in. Fuck, people who don’t even take transit will see benefits, with reduced road congestion and a predicted 15-20 min decrease in commute time.

People hate taxes, but love what we get from paying them. Healthcare (a national point of pride) public school, paved roads, running water, etc. I feel like the people who are obstinately saying no are not thinking about the greater good, or their neighbors within this city, but only of themselves. When I vote Yes, yeah, I’m thinking about how much better it will make my life within Vancouver, but I’m also thinking about the working single parent with the hour and a half commute, and how if there’s more B-lines, a new subway and improved Seabus service, maybe they can be home longer with their kids, sleep in a little longer, and spend more time actually enjoying life rather than being stuck in an endless sleep-commute-work cycle.

[georgiastraight-blog]

Vancouver transit sucks, our congestion sucks, our night service sucks, the Patullo bridge sucks, vote yes so we can fix it!

Read more about the transit referendum: Are selfish old people going to deprive students and the young of better transit?

[planningtoride]

"Really, it's this generation's question: Will we aim for a first-class transportation system?" 

[thiscitylife]

Vancouver's Transit Referendum: Why You Should Vote Yes

I have a confession - when it comes to urban issues, transportation is my least favourite thing to write about on the blog. It just seems so functional and necessary that it doesn't really get me jazzed up. 

This may seem odd since my dad was a manager of transportation planning. He was passionate about public transit, taking pictures of light rail lines whenever we were on vacation and taking detours when picking me up from school, just so we could drive past the progress on Burnaby’s Millennium Skytrain line when it was being built.

In spite of my mild disinterest, I assert that transportation is critical to building and maintaining great cities, and with Vancouver's upcoming Transit Referendum, I feel the need to talk about it.

Transportation decisions - specifically decisions that involved building freeways and favouring the car over pedestrians, cyclists and public transit - are what have led us to build failed cities and sprawling suburbs. We know that the automobile, and the suburban way of life it supports, is destroying the planet, so it is critical that we get it right when thinking about the future of transportation.

For the past 40 years, Vancouver did get it right when it comes to transportation. We were one of the first cities in North America to reject freeways into our downtown core, and we built our region on the principle of compact cities in a "sea of green" supported by public transit.

The upcoming Transit Referendum is our chance to continue to "get it right" for now and into the future. 

Vote yes to support a 0.5% increase to our Provincial Sales Tax (it won't be applied to necessities like childcare or groceries) that will go towards fundamental transportation projects in the region. Even if you don't agree with how Translink is run, the money will not go toward its operating budget. It will go towards transit, pure and simple. According to the "Yes Vote":

Metro Vancouver will grow by over one million people in the next 25 years. We already deal with congestion as we go about our lives, drop kids off at school, and try to get to work on time. Every minute we lose in traffic or getting passed up by an overcrowded bus is a minute we’re losing with our families, or a minute of lost productivity at work. Every traffic jam stops goods and services from moving throughout our region.

The cost of acting now is less than 35 cents a day, cheaper than the postage on your ballot! The cost of doing nothing is more than we can afford if we want a prosperous, fair, and liveable region.

If you like Vancouver's seawalls, abundant parks, clean air, walkable communities, and don't like being stuck in traffic, vote yes. All of the things we value in this region were based on transportation decisions that placed a priority on public transit. 

For more information, visit the Mayor's Council website and watch this excellent video by fellow urbanists Chris Bruntlett and Gordon Price.