Public Transportation (What Vancouver can learn from Portland)

When I was in Portland last summer, I was amazed, and even enthralled with the level of public transportation and ease of accessibility associated with transit, especially downtown.  The easiest, and most obvious example that Vancouver can utilize and, quite frankly, copy, is the installation of a downtown tram network that criss-crosses much of the downtown, perhaps even replacing traffic and buses on streets such as Granville Street, David Street, and perhaps even Hastings.

A tram / trolley system is something truly lacking in Vancouver (random trivia: at one point in time, Vancouver was second only to San Francisco for having a fully integrated trolley system – these were ultimately replaced by the trolley busses we have now – left overs of the trolley system can be seen in places like the Arbutus Corridor!).   Just look at this article in The Tyee and the accompanying report for more details in comparing Vancouver and Portland regarding trams!  A full report from the UBC

I share the opinion in the article above that Vancouver has significant potential for trolley and tram service since seeing the trams in Portland, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydne, and most recently Calgary.  In short, Vancouver can easily learn from Portland’s (and other) examples of directly integrating major street level transit infrastructure into the urban fabric of the downtown core.  

For example, in my previous post about Public Spaces I mentioned the fact that in Portland, the transit system is clearly connected to the public space.  Moreover, like in many downtowns (unlike Vancouver), transit rides are free or extremely cheap for rides in and around the downtown.

While Vancouver has been toying with the idea of operating a demonstration project between  Granville Island and Science World utilizing an existing (and upgraded) intra-urban track (during the Olympics I believe) it is my belief that this just does not go far enough.  It is therefore highly unfortuneate that despite there being a Downtown Streetcar Project for the City of Vancouver, very few people know about it.  How can it truly be judged if no one is aware of the trial?

In summary, Vancouver can learn from Portland (and other cities) about the value and inherent design aesthetic associated with a Tram or Trolley system installed throughout the downtown core and ultimately, beyond.

While I think of it, I have had the pleasure of meeting a (hopefully future) planner named Paul Hillson, and he has done extensive work researching much of this information and putting together proposals (regionally) and for Vancouver as seen on his website.  Go to his site and have a look around – while I don’t always agree with Paul, you cannot deny his enthusiasm and knack for putting together impressive proposals.

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