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Old 11-14-2012, 09:47 PM   #176
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I get that they have to up fares as costs keep rising across the board. But if I have to pay more to use transit, make the fucking system accessible.

Copypasta from a friend:

I'll give that Translink covers a larger service area than anywhere else in Canada... but c'mon.

The next most expensive cities for Transit are Montreal and Toronto, with single fares being $3 dollars... but no zoning systems! A 3 zone single fare will be $5.50 Starting Jan 1st 2013!!!

Monthly fares in those same cities are $75 in Montreal, Toronto, 126 dollars a month (with a 12 year program that one can sign up for to reduce cost to $115).
Our new 3-Zone cost? Hold your breath... $170 a month.

Another one of my friends pointed out to me another decent point:
Something that strikes me as a huge flaw in translink's fare and zoning system, is that you need a three zone to go from Horseshoe Bay to Langley, the funny thing is, that Five Dollar transfer expires before you're even off the skytrain. In the end it's $7.50 and a two and a half hour trip.
- Montreal has three times the population of Vancouver
- Montreal's Metro is 20 years older than our Skytrain, meaning it was easier and cheaper to build than it is today (or even back in the 80's when ours was built)
- Montreal's STM is only in charge of the bus and Metro systems, unlike Translink's large umbrella

Also... Translink also offers a Daypass for $9, allowing you to travel it's entire network (sans WCE) all day without having to worry about your pass expiring.
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Old 11-14-2012, 10:16 PM   #177
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Originally Posted by Wykydtron View Post
I get that they have to up fares as costs keep rising across the board. But if I have to pay more to use transit, make the fucking system accessible.

Copypasta from a friend:

I'll give that Translink covers a larger service area than anywhere else in Canada... but c'mon.

The next most expensive cities for Transit are Montreal and Toronto, with single fares being $3 dollars... but no zoning systems! A 3 zone single fare will be $5.50 Starting Jan 1st 2013!!!

Monthly fares in those same cities are $75 in Montreal, Toronto, 126 dollars a month (with a 12 year program that one can sign up for to reduce cost to $115).
Our new 3-Zone cost? Hold your breath... $170 a month.
Toronto Transit Commission covers a 622 square kilometer service area.

Translink covers a 2977 square kilometer service area.

It's completely unreasonable to compare the pricing of a Translink 3 zone pass to a TTC pass, because the two passes service completely incomparable sized areas. It's like saying a flight to Toronto should cost the same as a flight to Calgary.

It would be reasonable to compare pricing of a Translink 1 zone pass to a TTC pass, because those two passes service comparable sized service areas. Oddly enough, Translink suddenly offers much better value when you do that - Translink $91 (2013) 1 zone pass compared to the TTC $126 pass.

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Old 11-14-2012, 10:22 PM   #178
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Private, but owned 100% by crown corp... So, is a crown corp, fact checked- the crown won't sell it if it underperforms, they wouldn't, and couldn't for anything above their cost, as its run like a dog, funded by the crown, thus government entity
Wasn't disagreeing with you. Comment was aimed to the brilliance of tonyzoomzoom. I was too lazy to use the direct quote.
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Old 11-15-2012, 09:25 AM   #179
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Not nearly as brilliant as those translink execs who decided that fare gates aren't needed at the Skytrain stations and then later being surprised at the amount fare evasion that was going on. Needing to pay market rates to attract quality execs is just an excuse. No good exec in their right mind would want to work for a crown corp given all the political interference from the government. You take all the flak for all the stupid government decisions. What you end up getting are either execs from the bottom of the barrel, exec wannabe's, or friends of the government.
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Old 11-15-2012, 09:29 AM   #180
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Not having fare gates was a decision made LONG before translink (which, as a body separate of BC Transit was only created in '00 IIRC). Criticizing the current execs for a decision made thirty years ago is a pointless, irrelevant argument.
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Old 11-15-2012, 09:41 AM   #181
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Yet those decisions screwed us then, and now we're playing catch up with EVERYTHING.

Be it fare gates, Compass card, Portmann bridge & Highway1 expansion.

I think too much money is going out the door way too quickly and Translink doesn't have any actual plans to raise this money other then making tax payers foot the bill.

Given the tolls for Portmann, increased fares for Evergreen Line, etc. I'm waiting to see the new plans for the Patullo bridge project and the Broadway Corridor. Everyone should know those 2 will be multi-billion dollar projects because of the complexities of both.
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Old 11-15-2012, 09:53 AM   #182
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Toronto Transit Commission covers a 622 square kilometer service area.

Translink covers a 2977 square kilometer service area.

It's completely unreasonable to compare the pricing of a Translink 3 zone pass to a TTC pass, because the two passes service completely incomparable sized areas. It's like saying a flight to Toronto should cost the same as a flight to Calgary.

It would be reasonable to compare pricing of a Translink 1 zone pass to a TTC pass, because those two passes service comparable sized service areas. Oddly enough, Translink suddenly offers much better value when you do that - Translink $91 (2013) 1 zone pass compared to the TTC $126 pass.
TTC as well has some of the most antiquated technology as well. Yes, they have fare gates - but they're using these tiny little tokens that are really easy to lose. You have to physically ask someone for a transfer if you need it - and it's like those old, OLD BC Transit newsprint transfers we used to have.

And riding their subways/buses/trams - makes you feel like you took a time machine to 30 years ago. Our buses and skytrains feel like limos in comparison.
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Old 11-15-2012, 10:48 AM   #183
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Yet those decisions screwed us then, and now we're playing catch up with EVERYTHING.

Be it fare gates, Compass card, Portmann bridge & Highway1 expansion.

I think too much money is going out the door way too quickly and Translink doesn't have any actual plans to raise this money other then making tax payers foot the bill.
So, based on decisions that were made decades ago (which were arguably logical at the time), the current management deserves to be blamed in perpetuity? Do you blame your parents for who you are today? Do you dwell on the past, or do you try to move forward (whether it comes to your career or personal life) with what you are given to work with?

People are fixated on things that are somewhat unimportant in the grand scheme of things - faregates, management salaries, etc. The real reason why we have transit problems in the city is the result of broad failures in urban planning, the housing market and globalization of financial capital, and antiquated sentiments about the type of life we're entitled to in North America. Many of these causes are beyond the scope and capacity of Translink to solve. These problems more specifically are:

- Suburban sprawl that is largely driven by the housing preferances (ie. Single family detached houses) of North Americans, and the cost of housing in Metro Vancouver
- the astronimical growth in housing prices which has been driven by offshore capital and loosening credit
- the failure of muncipalities to gain anything from the paradigm shift in the local real estate market in the form of increased taxes and community contributions
- the fact that jobs are no longer stable which means people can expect to alter commuting patterns every 2-3 years
- the stigma against public transit in North America
- the relatively low cost of owning, and operating a car in North America (gas, leasing options, and free maintenance)
- NIMBYism that is particularly strong
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Old 11-15-2012, 10:56 AM   #184
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Needing to pay market rates to attract quality execs is just an excuse. No good exec in their right mind would want to work for a crown corp given all the political interference from the government. You take all the flak for all the stupid government decisions. What you end up getting are either execs from the bottom of the barrel, exec wannabe's, or friends of the government.
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I agree you for the most part, so what is your solution to attracting top quality talent? Translink had the former CEO of the NYC transit authority for a while, but he left the job and went back to NYC because he soon realized how much of a clusterfuck public transit is in Vancouver.
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Old 11-15-2012, 11:33 AM   #185
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I don't mind the fare increase but transit needs to reliable. Is not relibable when a bus is schedule to come at 7:20 instead never comes and have to wait for the next bus. Yet ppl are waiting there at 7:10. This happens 80% of the time around my house. So either the bus driver decided to skip work or something went wrong.
Skytrains and jam pack during rush hours. People are having to wait a few skytrains before they can get on. Now think what the ever green line will do. You are going to have people waiting for 30mins just to get on a skytrain.
When it snows huge delays up to 2hours or more. Thats unacceptable. Come on is Vancouver you know we have snow every year but you did nothing to prepare for it and make excuse every year.
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Old 11-15-2012, 11:41 AM   #186
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I don't mind the fare increase but transit needs to reliable. Is not relibable when a bus is schedule to come at 7:20 instead never comes and have to wait for the next bus. Yet ppl are waiting there at 7:10. This happens 80% of the time around my house. So either the bus driver decided to skip work or something went wrong.
Skytrains and jam pack during rush hours. People are having to wait a few skytrains before they can get on. Now think what the ever green line will do. You are going to have people waiting for 30mins just to get on a skytrain.
When it snows huge delays up to 2hours or more. Thats unacceptable. Come on is Vancouver you know we have snow every year but you did nothing to prepare for it and make excuse every year.
Where do you live? I get the odd skipped bus here, but the busses here run every 5-10 minutes (135).

Skytrains are packed during rush hour. People having to wait a few trains is very weird, man. I used to take the skytrain to work sometimes, and I would get on at commercial heading downtown. This is the worst place to get on a skytrain. There's always enough room, though. Maybe not at the front (near broadway), but at the back I'll sometimes even find a seat. It's all about knowing your commute.


Gods, don't even get me started about snow though. I'm of two minds about that one. ninety percent of Vancouver drivers don't know what they're doing in the snow. When I used to work as a parts guy, as soon as I saw even the lightest feather dusting of snow, I knew I was going to make my parts quota for that month and then some.

Our transit system really wasn't designed for the cold either. We had that really cold winter a couple years ago where the trolley busses couldn't even run because the lines had frosted up. Now, when it gets that cold, they actually have "ice cutter" trolley busses that run overnight to make sure the lines don't freeze up in the same way. It's a step in the right direction.

The most contentious thing for me and the one I feel most strongly about (both ways) is the fact that Translink doesn't have winter tires. All busses only use all seasons. On one hand, I get it. It snows (typically) less than two weeks a year, why have tires. On the other hand, what the fuck. Trolley busses are USELESS on any kind of hill or incline AND THIS IS VANCOUVER. Good luck avoiding inclines. Bendy busses are just as bad. Hell, the SFU busses just turn around at the base of the mountain when there's a speck of white that lands up top. It's nuts.

In the end, though, I think not having winter tires is a lot like not having a/c on the busses: it's all about not spending money they don't really have to. 'Cause I'd imagine adding a/c and/or winter tires would be pretty fuggin 'spensive.
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Old 11-15-2012, 12:42 PM   #187
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So, based on decisions that were made decades ago (which were arguably logical at the time), the current management deserves to be blamed in perpetuity? Do you blame your parents for who you are today? Do you dwell on the past, or do you try to move forward (whether it comes to your career or personal life) with what you are given to work with?

People are fixated on things that are somewhat unimportant in the grand scheme of things - faregates, management salaries, etc. The real reason why we have transit problems in the city is the result of broad failures in urban planning, the housing market and globalization of financial capital, and antiquated sentiments about the type of life we're entitled to in North America. Many of these causes are beyond the scope and capacity of Translink to solve. These problems more specifically are:

- Suburban sprawl that is largely driven by the housing preferances (ie. Single family detached houses) of North Americans, and the cost of housing in Metro Vancouver
- the astronimical growth in housing prices which has been driven by offshore capital and loosening credit
- the failure of muncipalities to gain anything from the paradigm shift in the local real estate market in the form of increased taxes and community contributions
- the fact that jobs are no longer stable which means people can expect to alter commuting patterns every 2-3 years
- the stigma against public transit in North America
- the relatively low cost of owning, and operating a car in North America (gas, leasing options, and free maintenance)
- NIMBYism that is particularly strong
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Don't get me wrong here, I am not saying that today's people should be held liable for the mistakes made by people 30 years ago. I just think that not enough time and thought are put into the major billion dollar projects that they are proposing today.
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Old 11-15-2012, 01:02 PM   #188
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^This is what the people who are making educated comments are arguing about.

The plans they have today are not much better in relation to the decisions that were made 30 years ago.

Futureproofing infrastructure should be a priority, but so much effort is spent on cleaning up shit from yesteryears that there aren't enough resources to do it.

I understand it's a pickle, and maybe people are making unreasonable demands, but the point is the way it's going now, my children will be arguing about your children about the exact same things.

What is the solution? I donno. I agree that we can't "compare" ourselves to other cities, due to excellent points made on population densities. But ironically that's what Translink seems to be doing, and they're looking in all the wrong places.

I know people that work there aren't idiots. They must have many certificates lining the walls of their offices, and have much more experience than I do. But then how come so many bad decisions are made that are incomprehensible. Is it that they're exponentially smarter than I am that i can't even begin to get it? No, I don't think so.

Truth is, I don't think there's anyone smart enough (and not greedy enough) to step up and pull Translink out of the shithole. The public views them as an evil necessity, politicians use them to get more votes, and the people left suffering in the end, is everybody; whether they're transit users, public road drivers, or even Translink employees.

This thread alone is proof of how Translink is a mess lol. 8 pages of arguments and each and every one of them is valid (again, minus the retards.)
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Old 11-15-2012, 01:09 PM   #189
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Don't get me wrong here, I am not saying that today's people should be held liable for the mistakes made by people 30 years ago. I just think that not enough time and thought are put into the major billion dollar projects that they are proposing today.
There are two plans: one for the next 10 years and Transport 2040, both of which are on the front page of Translink's website. But, it's my opinion that people are too lazy to read these plans and instead try to pass off their ill-informed views (based on deep-seated values about what they believe public transit is) as gospel. I'm not saying that Translink should be exempt from criticism, but at least if one is going to be critical, at least criticize the content of their plans.
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Old 11-15-2012, 01:20 PM   #190
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I don't mind the fare increase but transit needs to reliable. Is not relibable when a bus is schedule to come at 7:20 instead never comes and have to wait for the next bus. Yet ppl are waiting there at 7:10. This happens 80% of the time around my house. So either the bus driver decided to skip work or something went wrong.
Skytrains and jam pack during rush hours. People are having to wait a few skytrains before they can get on. Now think what the ever green line will do. You are going to have people waiting for 30mins just to get on a skytrain.
When it snows huge delays up to 2hours or more. Thats unacceptable. Come on is Vancouver you know we have snow every year but you did nothing to prepare for it and make excuse every year.
That's unfortunate to hear. In my experience, bus service is usually fairly reliable (but I limit my bus travel to main routes in the City of Vancouver.) If it's a persistent problem, you could always call customer relations or even Tweet Translink (I'm being absolutely serious.) Or you could always send a text to 33333 with your bus stop number and figure out when the next bus is coming (information is real time now.)

I don't think there is any transit system in the world that isn't busy during rush hours. If you think about it, being busy during rush hour is a good thing (it means that there is a demand and fares are being paid.) I get on at Commercial and Broadway every day during rush hour and 95% of the time, I get on the first train because I go to the back of the platform. People who wait at the front of the platform and can't get on trains are quite frankly, foolish. Like anything else in life, you sometimes need to be aggressive and that includes getting on a train.

People conveniently forget that driving is subject to the same delays as transit. Accidents happen all of the time which can cause massive delays. I suppose though that you can at least sit in a warm car with your tunes and avoid the hordes of ne'er do wells that take transit.
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Old 11-15-2012, 01:26 PM   #191
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Futureproofing infrastructure should be a priority, but so much effort is spent on cleaning up shit from yesteryears that there aren't enough resources to do it.
This is what's always struck me as the root of the problem: nobody thinks far enough ahead. Hwy. 1 through Coquitlam/Burnaby is a good example: the HOV lanes were put in a mere, what, 10-12 years ago? Now they're tearing it all up to do it all again. Wouldn't it have been smarter to go to five lanes with express bus lanes and the like right from the start?

Sure, people then would have been harping on the gov't spending all that money and land on a huge highway that's virtually empty... but they'd be happier for it today. And with the way the cost of EVERYTHING has shot up the last half-dozen years, it would have cost SUBSTANTIALLY less to have done in then.

The Cape Horn Interchange is an even better example of band-aid construction: in the last 20 years, I can think of at least three major re-alignments that did little to IMPROVE traffic flow - it just shifted some of it from one place to another while keeping most of the bottlenecks in place (like the freeway overpass). They're finally, with the Gateway Project, doing it all right - effectively redoing the entire thing from scratch. Before it was like a half-assed interchange between Hwy. 1 and Lougheed, with United and the Mary Hill Bypass linked in as an afterthought... the planners this time around appear to have realized that you have FOUR major commuter routes connecting in one place, and have designed things to be more accommodating to that fact.
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Old 11-15-2012, 01:28 PM   #192
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People conveniently forget that driving is subject to the same delays as transit. Accidents happen all of the time which can cause massive delays. I suppose though that you can at least sit in a warm car with your tunes and avoid the hordes of ne'er do wells that take transit.
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Remember the news bit a couple years ago, where they had one reporter take transit from Langley to downtown Vancouver, and another drive it using the main commuter routes (as most people would do, not zipping around secret taxi shortcuts and such)? The two arrived at the target location within *two minutes* of each other.
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Old 11-15-2012, 02:18 PM   #193
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hindsight is 20/20. it's easy for people to say "they should have done this or that". predicting future demand is VERY difficult. setting plans in motion to fix current problems also take time, many years in some cases. by the time the "fix" is in place, something will have changed so that the "fix" is no longer the full solution.

the people that complain saying "they should take more time before engaging in such expensive projects" will also be the same people complaining about how slow translink is in addressing problems if a 5 year project now takes 7 or 8 years, or if a 1 year planning phase becomes 2 years.

people can't seem to understand that the government exists to serve the public and makes tough choices everyday to do so. there is a budget, a very limited budget that comes from the taxes you pay. there are only TWO ways to solve this "shithole" of a public transit system as some of you call it:

1). allocate more resources from other programs/areas to translink
2). pay more gaddamn taxes

in the end, it all comes down to money. and no matter which solution is used, it will be a lose-lose situation to you. you want a better transit system? either pony up some extra money to pay taxes or suffer from funding being cut from other programs. Or you could just accept the system as it is being handled and quit complaining.
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Old 11-15-2012, 02:27 PM   #194
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hindsight is 20/20. it's easy for people to say "they should have done this or that". predicting future demand is VERY difficult. setting plans in motion to fix current problems also take time, many years in some cases. by the time the "fix" is in place, something will have changed so that the "fix" is no longer the full solution.
True in many cases... in the case of the Cape Horn interchange, anyone who drove it on a daily basis could tell you what the problems with it were. The problem there wasn't the lack of foresight, I don't think, so much as the unwillingness to spend what was necessary to fix it right, since putting a bandage on it is much faster and cheaper and at least gives the appearance of improving things (and maybe makes a short-term improvement).

In fairness, fixing it properly has also included major realignments of Hwy. 1, Lougheed highway, the rail lines, United Blvd., and ultimately needed a whole new bridge to tie into.

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Old 11-15-2012, 02:53 PM   #195
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A majority of problems in BC would be solved by doing a few things:

- Electing people whose interests are of the people - regardless of political party - and trusting them. This is probably impossible.

- Telling certain people to shut the fuck up - the ones who complain about everything and demand their voice be heard because we live in a democracy, without knowing fuckall about what they're complaining about. Christ.
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Old 11-15-2012, 02:56 PM   #196
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Originally Posted by bobbinka View Post
in the end, it all comes down to money. and no matter which solution is used, it will be a lose-lose situation to you. you want a better transit system? either pony up some extra money to pay taxes or suffer from funding being cut from other programs. Or you could just accept the system as it is being handled and quit complaining.
I'm generalizing, mixing up federal and provincial governments, and not talking about translink now, but the biggest problem is not money, but allocation of money.

When I drive down the street full of potholes and mismanaged roads, while looking at the million of mailboxes that were freshly repainted, I have to wonder.

Government spends money on a new roof that a majority of the population don't give a shit about, while cutting education costs, I have to wonder.

Same thing with transit. Yes, it's all about money. But not in the sense that you put it in.
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Old 11-15-2012, 04:56 PM   #197
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Originally Posted by bobbinka View Post
people can't seem to understand that the government exists to serve the public and makes tough choices everyday to do so. there is a budget, a very limited budget that comes from the taxes you pay. there are only TWO ways to solve this "shithole" of a public transit system as some of you call it:

1). allocate more resources from other programs/areas to translink
2). pay more gaddamn taxes

in the end, it all comes down to money. and no matter which solution is used, it will be a lose-lose situation to you. you want a better transit system? either pony up some extra money to pay taxes or suffer from funding being cut from other programs. Or you could just accept the system as it is being handled and quit complaining.
While these arguments make sense, when your initial position is that government is all bad and that those who work for it are lazy and incompetent, then nothing will ever please you short of the impossible. Sadly, a lot of people these days seem to expect everything for nothing. It's hard to blame them though - stagnant salaries and rising living costs are putting people on edge.
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Old 11-15-2012, 05:12 PM   #198
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Not nearly as brilliant as those translink execs who decided that fare gates aren't needed at the Skytrain stations and then later being surprised at the amount fare evasion that was going on. Needing to pay market rates to attract quality execs is just an excuse. No good exec in their right mind would want to work for a crown corp given all the political interference from the government. You take all the flak for all the stupid government decisions. What you end up getting are either execs from the bottom of the barrel, exec wannabe's, or friends of the government.
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First of all, what do you do for a living sir? I'd like to know how hard you tried in life before you can say that these executives are paid unfairly.

You're right, there are "good" and "bad" execs, but at the end of the day Translink still needs execs to run a company with an annual budget of almost a billion dollars. So if these are "bottom of the barrel" executives because nobody in their right mind would want to work for a government entity what's a fair salary? 150K? Translink CEO Ian Jarvis made $352,242 in 2010 (apparently 382,954 in 2012) and all the other execs probably make significantly less than him. That's not a lot of money for the amount of responsibility they have and there's only 6 other executives (according to their web page) so its not an excessive number. All the executives I personally know are always busy.

There are many transit police, glorified ticket checkers you could say, easily clearing 6 figures (59/169 officers and all made over 75k) with usually nothing more than a bachelors degree - which does not imply that you need top grades either. On the other hand, family doctors also make hundreds of thousands of dollars and nobody usually bitches. BUT BUT, its not okay to pay executives (many with professional degrees: CA, MBA, masters - which means their grades are usually good enough to get into medical school if they really wanted) at companies such as Translink who are responsible for running large companies in the salary range of 200-350k? Let me ask you, what's harder to manage, a clinic or a company with almost a billion dollar budget? Yes, doctors have some expenses, but there are even local family doctors that clear up to and slightly over 500k. Oh, and might I remind you that the majority of the taxes paid are from the high income earners. So that free health care you benefit from and your children's subsidized education, you can thank people like the Translink execs.
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Old 11-15-2012, 10:19 PM   #199
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First of all, what do you do for a living sir? I'd like to know how hard you tried in life before you can say that these executives are paid unfairly.
I was a bit confused by his post too, but I think his main point was that Translink gets shitty leadership because the pay sucks (compared to more glorious jobs in the private sector) and the work sucks (after all, who wants to be scrutinized everyday by ill-informed citizens and politicians looking to take cheapshots in order to improve their political careers?)

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All the executives I personally know are always busy.
You mean, they aren't all playing golf on the company dime?

The thing is that most people work for small to medium sized companies and organizations with shitty corporate cultures, shitty pay, and SOBs for bosses. It's hard for them to have any empathy for executives of large organizations who probably get to see their kids play hockey after a day in the office. In the mind of most people, if you're making 6-10 times the money they're making, then you better do a pretty close to perfect job.

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On the other hand, family doctors also make hundreds of thousands of dollars and nobody usually bitches.
Doctors provide a valuable service that is tangible to the layperson. Transit executives' work is not tangible and all people see are late buses, higher fares, etc.

Quote:
BUT BUT, its not okay to pay executives (many with professional degrees: CA, MBA, masters - which means their grades are usually good enough to get into medical school if they really wanted) at companies such as Translink who are responsible for running large companies in the salary range of 200-350k? Let me ask you, what's harder to manage, a clinic or a company with almost a billion dollar budget? Yes, doctors have some expenses, but there are even local family doctors that clear up to and slightly over 500k. Oh, and might I remind you that the majority of the taxes paid are from the high income earners. So that free health care you benefit from and your children's subsidized education, you can thank people like the Translink execs.
To be fair, educational credentials are not always commensurate with a person's intellect or his ability to perform a job well.

Again, the issue here is that most people will never manage anything beyond a household in their lives. They don't understand the hard work, the endless strategic thinking, the endless demands, and so on of executive work, particularly in large organizations. They only see something wrong and place the blame on the guys making the large salaries because it's easy.
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Old 11-15-2012, 10:36 PM   #200
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Where do you live? I get the odd skipped bus here, but the busses here run every 5-10 minutes (135).

Skytrains are packed during rush hour. People having to wait a few trains is very weird, man. I used to take the skytrain to work sometimes, and I would get on at commercial heading downtown. This is the worst place to get on a skytrain. There's always enough room, though. Maybe not at the front (near broadway), but at the back I'll sometimes even find a seat. It's all about knowing your commute.


Gods, don't even get me started about snow though. I'm of two minds about that one. ninety percent of Vancouver drivers don't know what they're doing in the snow. When I used to work as a parts guy, as soon as I saw even the lightest feather dusting of snow, I knew I was going to make my parts quota for that month and then some.

Our transit system really wasn't designed for the cold either. We had that really cold winter a couple years ago where the trolley busses couldn't even run because the lines had frosted up. Now, when it gets that cold, they actually have "ice cutter" trolley busses that run overnight to make sure the lines don't freeze up in the same way. It's a step in the right direction.

The most contentious thing for me and the one I feel most strongly about (both ways) is the fact that Translink doesn't have winter tires. All busses only use all seasons. On one hand, I get it. It snows (typically) less than two weeks a year, why have tires. On the other hand, what the fuck. Trolley busses are USELESS on any kind of hill or incline AND THIS IS VANCOUVER. Good luck avoiding inclines. Bendy busses are just as bad. Hell, the SFU busses just turn around at the base of the mountain when there's a speck of white that lands up top. It's nuts.

In the end, though, I think not having winter tires is a lot like not having a/c on the busses: it's all about not spending money they don't really have to. 'Cause I'd imagine adding a/c and/or winter tires would be pretty fuggin 'spensive.
I live by BCIT so I take the 123 every morning. The translink schedule and the online schedule both saids there should be a 123 going by at 8:17. It comes maybe like 1 to 2 out of 5 days. I always waited there at 8:10 so I know it never show up. Is not like it is full and didn't stop it just never came.

I go to the back at Boardway station and usually I only have to wait 2 skytrains at most but sometimes it takes longer. Partly I blame on the people who carry backpacks and doesn't take them off thus wasting space. I carry a backpack myself and always takes it off when entering a skytrain.

I am not really looking forward to this year winter since I know translink isn't prepare for it and there are going to be huge delays. Is understandable for bus to be late due to road condition but is not acceptable when skytrain is having issue as well. Is not acceptable when people are stranded for 2 or more hours in the skytrain station because skytrain is having issue and it is packed. So why not prevent it from happening? This happens every winter and translink should have learn something by now.
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