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Reposted by Mike Buda

TransLink Mayors' Council @mayorscouncil.bsky.social · Sep 16

“Metro Vancouver can't solve cost-of-living crisis without addressing the cost of getting around.” | Important new report on the cost of housing + transportation in Metro Vancouver. (Hint: the cost of transportation is big driver in unaffordability). vancouversun.com/news/metro-v...

'It's practical common sense': Metro Vancouver can't solve cost-of-living crisis without addressing the cost of getting around

For several suburban areas, people spend more on commuting than on housing

vancouversun.com

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Mike Buda @mikebuda.bsky.social · Jul 8

Transit agencies do this a lot and the responses are pretty clear: a free bus that doesn't show up isn't useful. Of course, a fast, frequent, reliable AND free bus is better than one that isn't free, but lower income transit users mostly say that good bus service needs to come first.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · Jul 8

What transit experts generally tell you is: the highest use of scarce resources is making transit service more *frequent & reliable*. That's what actually boosts ridership.

Everything else -- free point-of-use fare, electric buses, fancy new trolleys, architecturally fancy stations -- matters less.

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Henry Grabar @henrygrabar.bsky.social · Jul 8

very clear explanation from @davidzipper.bsky.social about why fast buses are better than free buses slate.com/business/202...

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Marco Chitti @chittimarco.bsky.social · Jul 8

Since we are discussing free transit again, let me tell you why I'm sympathetic in theory but skeptical in practice.

It's not only about the trade-offs between service increase and fare money or the questionable decision of targeting only buses.

It's more broadly about redistributive policies.

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Marco Chitti @chittimarco.bsky.social · Jul 8

To conclude, the reason I'm not a supporter of generalized free transit is because I think that other redistributive policies on housing and education are more important.

Especially in a country like the US, with no universal healthcare and a ludicrously expensive higher education system.

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TransLink Mayors' Council @mayorscouncil.bsky.social · Jun 16

Congratulations to the Capital Regional District Board for creating a regional transportation agency for Greater Victoria. Welcome to the club! www.crd.ca/news/regiona...

Regional Transportation Service Bylaw Approved

Victoria, BC– The Capital Regional District (CRD) Board has approved Bylaw No. 4630 to establish a new Regional Transportation Service (RTS). The bylaw has been adopted after receiving elector assent ...

www.crd.ca

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Mike Buda @mikebuda.bsky.social · Jun 16

As you know, elevated metros aren't a huge issue in most of Metro Vancouver: it is the default (thank god). But there are still critics, so new defenses are always needed. Your point #2 is not one I have seen used here, and it is brilliant! (and similar to the rationale for bus lanes)

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North Shore News @northshorenews.bsky.social · May 29

Failed B.C.-Alberta transmission line holds lessons for a national grid

The cross-border intertie has never met capacity, offering lessons on what stands in the way of the Prime Minister Mark Carney's plan for an east-to-west grid

dlvr.it

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TransLink Mayors' Council @mayorscouncil.bsky.social · May 29

Mayors’ Council Chair Brad West & @metrovancouverorg.bsky.social Chair Mike Hurley were in Ottawa talking to new Housing and Infrastructure Minister @gregorrobertson.bsky.social (a former MC Chair!) about the importance of local housing-supportive infrastructure like transit, water and waste water.

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TransitCenter @transitcenter.bsky.social · May 26

Transit advocates need to grow our power to the point where we can create big problems for elected officials if they *don’t* save transit.

David Weiskopf believes in you @dave.bzky.team · May 25

The one and only weird trick to save transit is having elected officials who actually decide it is important to save transit.

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Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders @movementyvr.bsky.social · May 22

A summary of our thoughts on the 2024 Transit Service Performance Review. More to come! movementyvr.ca/lessons-from...

Lessons from the 2024 Transit Service Performance Review | Movement

TransLink’s 2024 stats show huge growth where service is increased and huge declines where service is cut If true, this means transit investments can reduce congestion and boost affordability almost i...

movementyvr.ca

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Oliver Moore @oliver-moore.bsky.social · May 16

"Some residents are pushing back on a plan to create transit priority lanes on a few of the city’s busiest surface routes ... a version of NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) that might be dubbed NIMPS: not in my parking spot."
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...

Globe editorial: How to end the free ride of street parkers

Car owners should pay full freight for their use of city streets, or cede the space to public transit

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Mike Buda @mikebuda.bsky.social · May 15

Speaking just to the comments on "why not amalgamate?!" I would suggest perusing the extensive academic research on this subject - led by UVic's Bob Bish (i.e. "Local Government Amalgamations: Discredited Nineteenth-century Ideals Alive in the Twenty-first"). No need to reinvent the wheel.

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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · May 13

Trump is holding hostage the emergency disaster relief and transit funding of states that don’t agree with his immigration demands, according to two lawsuits filed by several states this week.

Trump Sued for Holding States’ Disaster Relief Hostage

Donald Trump is increasing pressure on states that refuse to join his war on immigration.

newrepublic.com

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Mike Buda @mikebuda.bsky.social · May 13

Great thread. So many gotchas out there right, but housing policy is complex and ever changing which you underline well here.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

As we're finally witnessing in 2025, regional governments at the state level in the US or the Provincial level in Canada are taking region-wide action on housing supply because micro-regional changes do not significantly impact housing markets.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

Who was most responsible for Vancouver's housing rents + prices by 2018?

(a) Fed Minister Diane Finley
(b) Fed Minister Jason Kenney
(c) Prov Minister Rich Coleman
(d) Mayor Gregor Robertson

(Reminder: Vancouver represented only 25% of the population of the Metro Vancouver region in 2018.)

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TransLink Mayors' Council @mayorscouncil.bsky.social · May 13

Congratulations to former Mayors’ Council Chair,
Gregor Robertson, on your appointment as Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada. A huge accomplishment.

As you can imagine, we have some ideas for your new gig!

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Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · May 12

NYC’s congestion pricing is a policy miracle: Less traffic, less noise, faster transit, more business sales, more transit revenue. And it hasn’t produced the negative effects outside the cordon zone we were afraid of.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Congestion pricing has improved life in New York City by: reducing cars on the street, speeding traffic (especially at peak hours), speeding buses and making them more reliable, expanding transit ridership, reducing car crashes, reducing noise complaints, and increasing the number of visitors.

Fire response times fell in the NYC congestion zone, even as they increased in the rest of the city.

Car crashes with injuries fell citywide, but they fell especially dramatically in the congestion pricing zone from 2024 to 2025

Local buses have sped up dramatically in the congestion pricing zone.

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TransitCenter @transitcenter.bsky.social · May 7

Great listen!

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Dave Thompson 🇨🇦 @davethompsonvic.bsky.social · Apr 14

More frequent buses means more ridership.

"there is no such thing as tailoring service to demand — demand is not fixed. The phenomenon of induced demand is as real for transit as it is for highways: If you provide a more attractive service, more people will use it.
#transit #urbanism

pumpkin spice amb 🎃 @amb.fyi · Apr 14

"We don’t have to wait until all our suburbs are rebuilt to become European-style walkable utopias; it’s possible to get people out of their cars in a matter of months simply by running buses more frequently."

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

How Did This Suburb Figure Out Mass Transit?

Transit ridership is off the charts in Brampton, Ontario, despite its typical low-density suburban layout. Here’s how the city got residents to get on the bus.

www.bloomberg.com

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Patrick Johnstone @pjnewwest.bsky.social · Apr 30

*We still have work to do*. The Access for Everyone Plan is NOT fully funded & this IP only puts off our structural deficit for 2 more years. We need a new funding model, and a new funding tool, & that will be the centre of the work of the Mayors Council in the year ahead. 4/4 accessforeveryone.ca

Access for Everyone

The new plan for expanding public transit across B.C.'s Lower Mainland and improving infrastructure for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

accessforeveryone.ca

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Patrick Johnstone @pjnewwest.bsky.social · Apr 30

I am excited that the @translink.ca Board and @mayorscouncil.bsky.social both unanimously ratified a new Investment plan today. It's not the perfect plan, and every compromise in it reflects the challenges of the negotiations that occurred between the Mayors & the Provincial Government... 1/n

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · Apr 30

Mayors’ Council chair Brad West says that “noted left-wing premier Doug Ford” funds infrastructure for Toronto transit at twice the per capita rate as the B.C. government does for TransLink.

the line gets laughs but the canada proud comment section might agree

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