Videos I’ve been watching this week
Posted: 30 June 2012 Filed under: Doctor Who, Music | Tags: postaweek2012, rpg, sarah slean, youtube Leave a comment »A couple of new videos that I’ve been watching this week:
The first is Sarah Slean’s latest, “The Devil and the Dove”. It was shot in the Newfoundland town where Sarah composed some of the songs from her most recent double album. It’s got great visuals, thanks to director Scott Cudmore’s treatment of the song.
Level up!
The screen-cap above is from a really fun video that summarizes series 5 and 6 of Doctor Who, but in a format that would be more at home in 1990s video gaming. This should tide me over until the new season begins this fall.
Macdonald corridor still needs scheduling coordination
Posted: 25 June 2012 Filed under: Transit | Tags: bus routes, buses, postaweek2012, schedules 1 Comment »Part 2 of my thoughts on TransLink’s seasonal service changes for summer 2012. Part 1 is here.
Last year at this time, I noted how, despite TransLink’s claims to coordinate schedules for routes 2 and 22 serving the Macdonald/Cornwall corridor between Downtown Vancouver and 16th Avenue, there are still noticeable gaps in the combined departure times. This can mainly be traced with the different frequencies for the two routes during the middle of the day: 15 minutes for the 2, which short-turns at 16th Avenue, and 12 minutes for the 22, which serves the full corridor to 41st Avenue.
This year, there are additional promises of coordination between the 2 and 22, as well as extended hours for the 2 on Saturday. I did the same exercise from last year (putting all departure times on a spreadsheet, merging them, and calculating the difference between buses). Here are some things I noticed, when looking at those differences:
One glaring change can be found in the southbound direction, Monday to Friday after 19:00. Last year, there was some effort in coordination; because both routes operated at 15 minute frequency, the departure times at Burrard and Davie were spaced apart to 7-8 minutes. This year, the departure times for the two routes are almost simultaneous, which results in a gap of as much as 15 minutes before two buses are scheduled to show up.
And on Saturday afternoon, in the southbound direction, the same problem can be found between 16:00 and 18:00, when both routes are operating at 12 minute frequency, but leave Burrard and Davie at the same times. And even though route 2′s service hours were extended to 21:00 on Saturday, its frequency for the early evening period is 20 minutes, but the 22′s is 15 minutes. The combined scheduled is therefore not balanced, just as it is in the midday.
I still think the best way to provide a coordinated schedule for the Macdonald/Cornwall corridor is to increase the midday frequency for route 2 to 12 minutes. I would love to have a chat with a planner at TransLink if this can be done within its current constraints under the service optimization program.
Training update: on the road to NYC
Posted: 18 June 2012 Filed under: Running | Tags: marathon, nyc marathon, training Leave a comment »I have just started week 3 out of 22 in my training for the NYC Marathon. I’m using the same 22-week schedule that led up to the Vancouver Marathon to train for NYC. I plan to run at least three days a week (tempo, speed or hills, and weekend long run), with extra days for easy runs or cross-training when I can fit them in. I want to see if it was the training or race-day actions that contributed to my massive bonk on the Vancouver course.
I’ve also booked my flight to New York, so it’s getting a bit more real; it’s a bargain, but I’m flying out of Sea-Tac. As much as I would love to fly out of Vancouver (YVR), and on a non-stop to boot, the lack of choices (only two non-stops) and high cost forced my hand to fly out of SEA. I still have to book accommodation, and that cost will make me more determined to find work in order to finance this trip.
How about you: are you training for a race this summer? Tell me about it!
June 2012 TransLink service changes
Posted: 11 June 2012 Filed under: Transit | Tags: bus routes, postaweek2012, translink 1 Comment »[Full details of changes in June Buzzer PDF]
North Vancouver gains, while Richmond loses in this round of seasonal service changes. The two major routes from North Van to downtown Vancouver, the 210 and 240, receive frequency increases, while the Lonsdale corridor joins the Frequent Transit Network. Unfortunately, SeaBus service is not increased to match that on Lonsdale; that might not occur until 2013 at the latest.
Thanks to ongoing service optimization, where one area gains transit service, another inevitably must lose some service. That is the case in Richmond, where three routes have had their frequencies reduced. One in particular, the 404, has 30-minute headways in peak periods. But it’s not all bleak in Richmond, as the inter-regional 410 sees slight increases in peak-period frequencies.
Vancouver has a mixed bag, as several routes (including the 25) see increased headways, while the 26, 27, and 29, serving east and south-east Vancouver, have their headways reduced during the midday. Elsewhere, there are other slight additions for improved SkyTrain connections and adjustments to conform to the new Frequent Network guidelines.
It’s disappointing that some areas have reductions in frequencies, but that’s the reality of the fixed hours TransLink has to allocate for the entire region. Without additional funding beyond what’s already there, the transport authority is stuck with having to re-allocate service hours to where it’s needed most. Hopefully the situation changes sooner rather than later.
RIP, Cookie: In memoriam to our family cat
Posted: 4 June 2012 Filed under: Photography, Rickie Personal | Tags: cat, cookie, memoriam, postaweek2012 Leave a comment »Our family said goodbye to our cat, Cookie, today. Here are a few photos. We will miss you; rest in peace.
Taken yesterday; a really light-hearted image in what has been a difficult few days.
Without the glasses, in a typical lounging pose.
December 2010
In profile, from 2006
Cookie the caddie
A bike ride… from 1974!
Posted: 1 June 2012 Filed under: History, Vancouver | Tags: bicycling, postaweek2012, youtube Leave a comment »Bike to Work Week is winding down in Vancouver, while June is also Bike Month. Coincidentally or not, a video of a bike ride from 1974 has surfaced. It started in East Vancouver, goes over the Ironworkers’ Memorial (2nd Narrows) Bridge, through North Vancouver, over the Lions Gate Bridge, through Stanley Park, on the Burrard Bridge, on the seawall path still under construction, and along Terminal and 1st Avenue back to the start point.
The first video is a sped-up version; the second one slows it down, adds comparative photos from a repeat trip done in 2011, and throws in contemporary radio promos and a news piece. It’s a great way to see Vancouver and North Vancouver in a very different time. Very well done!
(Hat tip to Price Tags)
