The March 2010 Buzzer is now on all buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and West Coast Express!

Since the Olympic experience was so huge for us, this issue talks about stories from the Games, the ridership we carried, and some great quotes we heard from customers and the media.

You might recognize many of the stories from the blog — especially the salmon riding transit!

We also have travel info about the Paralympics, and the community events section lists the free Paralympic events that you can attend. Make sure to visit travelsmart2010.ca or the TransLink page on Paralympic transportation for all the details.

Again, we are happy to have a cover from a local illustrator: this time it’s Jesse Williams. Thanks Jesse!

And as always, if you can’t get the Buzzer on the system, you can always read it in PDF form on our website. Visit our Buzzer PDF archives. (Here’s the direct link to the March issue PDF.)

Remember to enter the FareCard contest too! You can win a free FareCard in every issue of the Buzzer: read the issue, then email in your info and the answer to the trivia question by Friday, March 26 at 9 a.m. — we’ll pick a winner from all the correct answers.

Enjoy the latest Buzzer as always! Comments are welcome below.

You might get a sweet treat on transit over the next few days, right as the Paralympics kick off!

Starting today, Friday March 12, we’re sending out street ambassadors to thank you for helping to contribute to the success of the Games by going TravelSmart. They’ll be handing out chocolate medals to those who can answer a few TravelSmart questions correctly.

As you may know, our transit system managed to move an average of 1.6 million people every day during the Olympic Games, which is about 50 percent more people on a normal day. And much of the credit goes to everyone in Metro Vancouver, for choosing to leave your private autos behind and using other means of getting around.

Our ambassadors will be on the bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus or West Coast Express today and on the weekend: so keep an eye out to win a medal!

Just a reminder that the Paralympic Games opening ceremonies are at B.C. Place today, Friday March 12!

That means some road closures downtown, transit reroutes, and crowds heading to the event at B.C. Place. Full details are below.

Please do remember: as with the Olympic Games, tickets to Paralympic events (including the opening ceremonies) are also good for unlimited travel on the TransLink system on the date of the event!

Opening Ceremony at B.C. Place on Friday March 12

During the Opening Ceremony on March 12:

• SkyTrain will operate “event level” service, with 55 trains running on the Expo/Millennium Lines before and after the ceremony and additional trains available for the Canada Line if needed.
• SeaBus will run two vessels following the ceremonies to help deal with crowds, and Coast Mountain Bus Company will have additional buses available if needed.
• Cambie Street Bridge and the Georgia Viaduct will be closed, 10am-Midnight on March 12. The #15 will only serve the south-of-False Creek portion of its route during that time; customers coming into downtown Vancouver will need to use Canada Line.
• Buses to and from North Vancouver will travel via Georgia/Pender to Richards, then to Georgia for the return trip
• Due to the closure of Cambie and Quebec Streets, the C21 and C23 Community Shuttles will be re-routed via Seymour, Pender and Main, returning via Main, Pender and Richards.
• An accessible shuttle bus will provide service for those with mobility issues between Yaletown-Roundhouse Station and BC Place Stadium from 3-10pm.

For more information….

If you have any questions on these services or need help with tripplanning, feel free to contact Customer Information at 604-953-3333.

If you’d like more information about the Vancouver road closures, please see the City of Vancouver’s Paralympic Transportation Plan page.

Remember, you can follow the TransLink Twitter account for real-time service updates during the Paralympics! You can also sign up for alerts to be delivered to you via e-mail or text message. See this post for even more ways to get transit info during the Paralympic period.

Sadly, this means I will be missing the beginning of the Paralympics — but I will definitely be back to cover the rest of it. If anyone catches any great photos of transportation around the Paralympic opening ceremonies or over the weekend, please do e-mail them to me: I would love to share them on the blog!

A few posts are scheduled go up while I’m away, and I’ll be back to answer your comments and e-mails on Tuesday, March 16.

And here’s some handy links in case you need info/help while I’m off:

• Follow the TransLink Twitter account for updates on our service, plus breaking news
• Transit alerts can also be found at the TransLink alerts page
• For any complaints, commendations, or other informational inquiries, please check out our customer service contacts and addresses from the main TransLink site

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• For our transit information line, call 604-953-3333.

Our media relations staff just sent this notice out this afternoon — take note, if you are interested in contributing to Chilean earthquake relief!

SkyTrain customers will have the opportunity to contribute to relief efforts for the earthquake in Chile on Friday, March 12.

Members of the Chilean community will be at selected stations, collecting donations to the Canadian Red Cross Chilean Earthquake Relief Fund during the morning rush hour and from 2-6pm.

Teams will be on-hand at the following stations:

• Waterfront
• Burrard
• Granville
• Commercial-Broadway
• Metrotown
• King George
• and Lougheed Town Centre

Chilean musicians will also be performing at Metrotown in the afternoon.

The BC Rapid Transit Company and TransLink are pleased to support this effort to get aid to victims of the disaster.

The SeaBus on a sunny day during the Olympic period!

Here’s another set of links on transportation and more that I’ve collected in the past while.

• The Paralympics approach! Miss 604 has a list of pavilions open during the Games, and the Georgia Straight lists the free concerts on in Whistler and Vancouver. The Cultural Olympiad is still on until March 21 too!
• Slate has a fantastic series of articles about signage and wayfinding. The articles include a discussion of the confusing Penn Station signage and new wayfinding for pedestrians in London UK. (AIG, the consultants on the London wayfinding project, are actually helping with our wayfinding work.) Thanks to Stefan for passing this link along!
• The Source, the official blog from L.A. Metro, lists 10 essential American transportation blogs. They also point out that the Bus Bench, a local L.A. transit blog, is aiming to review every bus stop in L.A..
• Video: what does the lost & found office for London’s transit system look like? (Thanks Derek for sending this in!)
• Eep — apparently 21 of the Dutch bikes donated to Richmond have gone missing!.
• Bike directions have been added to Google Maps in 150 U.S. cities. (Thanks to ;-) for sending this link in!)
• The Vancouver Public Space Network blog discusses where the public square is in Vancouver.
• Awesome: in 1978, BART in San Francisco had a robot mime perform on transit!
• Jeff Nagel has a story about our post-Olympic transit service. Sort of related: do you have post-podium depression?
• VancouverisAwesome.com gave away a 3-zone Olympic souvenir pass from TravelSmart2010, and here’s what the winner saw on her travels.
• Stephen Rees attended a Bombardier presentation to the Transport Action Group. There’s some interesting discussion of Bombardier’s work and the current trends in light rail.
• And visit Jarrett Walker’s blog Human Transit for some profoundly interesting discussion: stuff on social media and transit, kids on transit, and more!

A look at downtown Vancouver near B.C. Place from the Vancouver Lookout, on Wednesday February 17.

During the Games, I posted photos of downtown Vancouver from the Vancouver Lookout observation deck.

And then, in the comments, Dave2 posted a picture of downtown Vancouver in 1981: a very similar shot to one of mine, but how things have changed! Have a look: my photo is above and Dave’s is below.

A look at downtown Vancouver in 1981, toward where B.C. Place is today. Photo by Dave2.

Here’s what Dave added later in the comments too, after I remarked on how amazing the differences were:

Jhenifer, ain’t that the truth! Even by 1985 that view had totally changed, with all of the rail yards and the associated buildings cleared out, the opening of the Expo Preview Centre (now Science World) and the construction of Skytrain … And now, you can’t even _see_ Science World with all the highrises.

With the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games underway Friday March 12 to Saturday March 21, that means some changes to transit service in the city of Vancouver.

Remember: as with the Olympic Games, tickets to Paralympic events are also good for unlimited travel on the TransLink system on the date of the event! (Your transit travel has already been included in the ticket price!)

Paralympic Torch Relay, Thursday March 11 and Friday March 12

For the Paralympic Torch Relay on Thursday, March 11 and Friday, March 12, there will be no bus service on Robson Street: the #5 and N6 NightBus will travel via Georgia/Pender and Denman in both directions, all day.

The #17 Oak returned to its regular routing along Robson following the Olympics, but on March 11 and 12, it will turn on Davie to avoid anticipated crowds downtown.

Opening Ceremony at B.C. Place on Friday March 12

During the Opening Ceremony on March 12:

• SkyTrain will operate “event level” service, with 55 trains running on the Expo/Millennium Lines before and after the ceremony and additional trains available for the Canada Line if needed.
• SeaBus will run two vessels following the ceremonies to help deal with crowds, and Coast Mountain Bus Company will have additional buses available if needed.
• Cambie Street Bridge and the Georgia Viaduct will be closed, 10am-Midnight on March 12. So, starting at 7 a.m., the #15 will only serve the south-of-False Creek portion of its route during that time; customers coming into downtown Vancouver will need to use Canada Line.
• Buses to and from North Vancouver will travel via Georgia/Pender to Richards, then to Georgia for the return trip
• Due to the closure of Cambie and Quebec Streets, the C21 and C23 Community Shuttles will be re-routed via Seymour, Pender and Main, returning via Main, Pender and Richards.
• An accessible shuttle bus will provide service for those with mobility issues between Yaletown-Roundhouse Station and BC Place Stadium from 3-10pm.

Reroutes and service for the general Games period, Fri March 12 to Sat March 21

During the Games themselves, CMBC will provide additional service to and from the Games venues:

• 12 additional buses available on the 99 B-Line to and from UBC, where the ice sledge hockey events will be held.
• Accessible shuttles between UBC Loops and Thunderbird Arena, and between King Edward Station and Vancouver Paralympic Centre (for wheelchair curling)

Re-routes in effect during the Games:

• With the Robson Square Celebration Site still in operation, the #5 Downtown and N6 NightBus will travel via Thurlow, Smithe, Burrard and Pender Streets,. The #5 Robson will route via Pender and Burrard Streets.
• NB: The #5 and N6 will continue on re-route via Burrard, Pender, Richards, Robson, Seymour and Pender to Burrard and Robson after the Paralympics and at least through the summer, due to the eventual reconstruction of the “Robson Street Bridge” between Howe and Hornby (Robson Square).
• #50 False Creek South will continue to run along Seymour and Howe until March 21.
• At UBC, buses are still detoured away from Wesbrook Mall. Buses will be approaching the UBC loops via 16th Avenue, Blanca and University Boulevard; and via Southwest/Northwest Marine Drive and Wesbrook Mall, approaching the UBC loop from the north. Community Shuttles will detour via University Boulevard and East Mall. Accessible shuttles will be available between the bus loops and Thunderbird Arena at event times.
• The C21 and C23 Community Shuttles will be routed away from Expo/Pacific Boulevard for the first two days of the Games. They will return to their regular routes when Expo/Pacific Boulevard reopens on Tuesday, March 16.

For more information….

If you have any questions on these services or need help with tripplanning, feel free to contact Customer Information at 604-953-3333.

If you’d like more information about the Vancouver road closures, please see the City of Vancouver’s Paralympic Transportation Plan page.

Remember, you can follow the TransLink Twitter account for real-time service updates during the Paralympics! You can also sign up for alerts to be delivered to you via e-mail or text message. See this post for even more ways to get transit info during the Paralympic period.

Oops — here’s a reroute notice for the C74 that I missed posting on Monday. It did go out to the media and was posted on our website though, so hopefully the word has been spread far and wide.

Due to the closure of the 152nd St. Overpass on Hwy 1, the C74 Fraser Heights/Guildford/Surrey Central Community Shuttle bus in Surrey will be re-routed indefinitely.

As of Monday, March 8, the bus no longer travels along 110th Ave between 156th St. and 152nd St.

Instead, the shuttle will use the 156th St. underpass both ways. The eastbound trip will use 108th Ave to 160th St., then turn on 104th and resume its “old” route.

The westbound trip will only go as far as 110th Ave. & 156th St., then turn south and take the underpass again to 104th Ave (on the south side of the freeway, near Guildford).

When the 160th Street Interchange has been completed and traffic patterns have been established, this route will be reviewed again.

Extra Olympic buses parked on Pender Street, waiting to pick up crowds from the PNE. Photo by David Lam.

As I secretly suspected, David Lam from the Trans-Continental bus photo site was out during the Games taking photos of the buses roaming around!

He just recently sent an e-mail with some highlights, saying he dedicated most of his time photographing the older equipment due for retirement soon. Click through to enjoy his picks — and visit the full gallery for even more shots of the soon-to-be retired buses. Thanks Dave for all the lovely photos!

(PS: Dave also has a gallery devoted to VANOC’s Olympic bus network buses!)

UBC at night. Photo by David Lam.

Staging area at Great Northern Way. Photo by David Lam.

29th Avenue Station during the day. Photo by David Lam.

29th Avenue Station during the night. Photo by David Lam.

Pender Street staging area for the PNE. Photo by David Lam.

Buses outside the PNE after their event. Photo by David Lam.

Bus convoy waiting to make a left turn from Hastings onto Renfrew. Photo by David Lam.

Bus convoy waiting to make a left turn from Hastings onto Renfrew. Photo by David Lam.