What is your "OLYMPICS COMMUTE" plan?

[orange7]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

But maybe, I'm underestimating the celebratory nature of Vancouverites; all bets are off though if people come downtown just to walk around and party.

I will

[Durrann1984]

i live in vancouver and work in richmond
u guys think knight st bridge is gonna be..or shud i even ask? lol

[danned]

go that free olympic line

[Graeme S]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

Where does Translink come up with these estimates when:
- There's only one Olympic venue downtown: GM Place. The media will have their hotels downtown and so will the wealthy tourists.
- There's still a lot of Olympic rental supply outside the downtown core
- People will be taking time off during the Olympics and thus not commuting
- There is a substantial minority in the GVRD who despise the Olympics and will be leaving town, staying home, etc.

Sorry, just wanted to give a more detailed answer for you.

Only one olympic venue DT, yes. But I do recall VANOC or Vancouver saying that they want to make Downtown a place where people can gather for the spirit of the games. Granville street having giant projection screens? Bell's "Ice House" where you can watch the games in HD for free and hobnob with people? Oh, and don't forget the alcohol-legal zones they're opening up DT so that people don't have to be stuck with our draconian "no you can't have alcohol on the streets" laws. Nope, nobody gonna be going DT.

Yes, lots of rentals outside the DT Core. Which is why people are gonna have to travel inwards.

Yes, lots of people gonna take time off during the olympics. So instead of commuting to their jobs which may or may not be DT....they'll be going there to watch the games. I happen to know that west van is planning their break to coincide with the olympics. Guess what a lot of class groups are already doing? Planning where to meet DT to go to the olympics! Wow! So a whole bunch of people who wouldn't normally go...are now going!

Substantial minority...yes. Note that word "minority". It's not nearly substantial enough to balance out all the people coming in.




You, madam, are an idiot.

[optiblue]

I work just outside of downtown... it's gonna suck for sure~ I'm still driving~

[StaxBundlez]

not go out.

[van_driver]

rs meet right in downtown anyone?

[trip]

wtf does "olympic lane" mean??

[sonick]

Originally Posted by trip

wtf does "olympic lane" mean??

"'Olympic lanes' (priority to buses and Olympic-accredited cars)"

[Graeme S]

Originally Posted by trip

wtf does "olympic lane" mean??

On major streets (ie: broadway/hastings/etc) one lane will be closed in each direction and will ONLY be usable by public transit and official Olympic vehicles (media/athelete/sponsor transportation)
Posted via RS Mobile

[!LittleDragon]

I'm "working" from Waikiki Beach. Bought my tickets last week.

[EmOne]

the skytrain right now going from surrey to downtown is not moving, shit load of ppl are packed right now at the kinggeorge and surrey central stn.

some kind of medical emergency down at the main st, stadium stations.

[iceburner]

telecommute.

[Volvo-brickster]

Originally Posted by EmOne

the skytrain right now going from surrey to downtown is not moving, shit load of ppl are packed right now at the kinggeorge and surrey central stn.

some kind of medical emergency down at the main st, stadium stations.

yea i got stuck in that mess

was a jumper at stadium

they gotta save this shit DURING the olympics, not before

[Matsuda]

Originally Posted by Volvo-brickster

Translink can't even get their fare machines working on a reliable basis.

FUCKING SKYTRAIN.

you got that right, the machines will go down and it'll be cash only. You think tourists are going to run to a bank machine?! i hate translink

[3seriesBeeM]

Im gonna be in Vegas so i wont have to deal with the traffic headache well at least for the week im gone than when I come back Its a different story

[Acura604]

here's a good email i got.. use it for a quick ref guide:


Hello Friends:

For those of you who asked me about how to get around during the Olympics, here is some great info on what to expect. Please pass this along to friends and family.

What to expect?
Delays, heavy traffic and security check points
If you don’t need to go to work, or you can work from home the City of Vancouver is asking you to do this. If not, take transit. Avoid driving.
Businesses: stock up on all supplies, deliveries etc.

Complete Road Closures: No vehicle traffic – Feb 2 – Feb 28
Georgia- Cambie to Terminal and Dunsmuir - viaduct to Cambie
Georgia Viaduct closed–both east and west bound
Cordova and Waterfront in front in front of Canada Place
Pacific Blvd. Quebec to Terminal
Robson – Howe to Burrard – behind Art Gallery

Yaletown – Feb 10 - 28
Mainland – closed – pedestrian only
Hamilton – pedestrian only

No Stopping/no street parking – Through traffic Financial District - Feb 10 -28 (possible security check points)
Burrard – Pender to Waterfront
Hastings - Burrard to Granville

Transit Delays: Expect one hour wait times for SkyTrain
expect 30 minute delays for the SeaBus
Expect one hour delays for North Shore Bridges

In General
If you need to come into work downtown (and cannot telecommute) see if you can carpool or take transit. Should you choose to carpool, make sure you can get to a parking space that is not in a locked down security zone or closed street / pedestrian corridor.

Transit alerts will be available online and if you’re traveling up to the Squamish / Whistler region remember they are serviced by BC Transit.

For more information refer to TravelSmart2010.ca as they have plenty of resources available. There is also a guide to getting around on the City of Vancouver website.

With all that being said, it’s best to leave the car at home and plan your transportation options well in advance.

Taking Transit in the Lower Mainland
The West Coast Express, Canada Line and SkyTrain lines will have expanded hours of service. You will still be able to take transit around the Lower Mainland (it’s encouraged as opposed to driving) so you’ll want to explore all options with regards to times of service, routes and fares.

 SkyTrain: A train every 108 seconds during peak periods every day, including weekends, from 5:00am to 2:15am the following morning during all 17 days of the Olympics.

 Canada Line: Operating from YVR, Richmond and Downtown 4:50am to 1:15am during the Olympics.

 SeaBus: All three vessels will be running from 6:00am until 2:15am.

There will be a third Seabus in operation and the free streetcar line from Olympic Village Canada Line Station to Granville Island will be available as well.

Transit buses will have extended day and night service although with road closures and pedestrian-only lanes, here are a few routes that will change to skirt them around the security zones:

 #5 Robson / Downtown, #6 Davie / Downtown, N17, #17 UBC / Oak / Downtown, #15 Cambie / Downtown, #50 False Creek, C21 community shuttle and C23 community shuttle.

 The North Shore buses that go along Georgia that will be re-routed include: 240, 241, 242, 246, 247, and 257 Horseshoe Bay Express.


Fare wise, souvenir 6-week monthly passes are available from Translink and will be valid February 8th until March 21st, 2010. If you’re in Whistler, Squamish or Pemberton you can also buy a souvenir monthly fare pass from BC Transit. If you have an Olympic event ticket, it serves as a day-pass for transit services such as buses, SkyTrains etc.

Taking Buses to and from Olympic Events
If you have tickets to an Olympic event and would like to book your transportation you will need to get your tickets ASAP. You can do so online and take note of the shuttle bus departure hub locations:

 For Cypress Mountain: Capilano University, Simon Fraser University and Lonsdale Quay.

 For Whistler Olympic Park: BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Lonsdale Quay.

 For Whistler Sliding Centre: BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Lonsdale Quay.

 For Whistler Creekside: Langara College and Lonsdale Quay.

Tickets to Cypress are $12 while Whistler is $25 and you may only pay by Visa online. NOTE: Prices will increase to $25 for Cypress and $50 for Whistler if purchased on or after January 11, 2010. All tickets are valid for a round-trip.

It is highly recommended that you take public transit to get to these departure hubs. If you would like to “park & ride” there is no cost but you’ll require a parking pass to leave your car there. This pass can be obtained online when you book you bus tickets. You can contact the Olympic Bus Network by phone Monday through Saturday from Canada and the USA for more information.

[Graeme S]

Lots of good info...but still no word on what the security procedures are for busses! Gods damnit.

[winson604]

My plan is simple really. Instead of going downtown everyday via Dunsmuir viaduct I'll be taking Hastings + Pender. Otherwise nothing will change for me. In terms of road closures it really just mainly affects right around GM Place and of course Georiga and Dunsmuir viaduct. Otherwise it's pretty good. A bunch of streets have Olympics lanes like Hastings for example but it really won't make a difference because the curb lane outside of rush hour times are usually for parking so in terms of the amount of lanes available it remains the same. The main difference will be volume for me which imo for driving might not be as bad as one would expect depending on where you're driving. Transit on the other hand good luck.

[7seven]

We had a VANOC and Translink rep come into our office to try and convince us to take transit and give us info on transit and road closures. Given my hate for everything Translink, I absolutely ripped into the Translink rep, she was almost crying, there is no way transit around here is competent or efficient enough to rely upon for me to even consider it as an option even for a second. I plan to still drive downtown everyday, I figure the money I'm making off the Olympics will offset the gridlock I potentially have to put up with.

[Leopold Stotch]

I plan to get a baggy of shrooms and let my mind commute me to whereever i need to go for those 10 or so days.

[Overseas Auto1]

im a driver for the olympics. will be driving in the Olympic lanes.

[Volvo-brickster]

Originally Posted by 7seven

We had a VANOC and Translink rep come into our office to try and convince us to take transit and give us info on transit and road closures. Given my hate for everything Translink, I absolutely ripped into the Translink rep, she was almost crying, there is no way transit around here is competent or efficient enough to rely upon for me to even consider it as an option even for a second. I plan to still drive downtown everyday, I figure the money I'm making off the Olympics will offset the gridlock I potentially have to put up with.

The 2 douchecunts Ken Hardie and Drew Schnieder were unavailalbe ?

Good job

[impactX]

Originally Posted by T.H.C

I'm working @ the olympics as a x-ray scanner. I just learned today that I will not be working @ my home venue the Oval, so I will be traveling all over the venues. Sigh*.

Nice x-ray eyes you got.

[Gesus]

stay home PARTTYY evveryy dayy