Rail For The Valley

This one's for the mainland folks, and, really, it's also for anyone who gives a shit about NOT trying to solve long-term problems with short-term solutions.

If you live anywhere east of Surrey, I should hope you're at least vaguely familiar with the Rail For The Valley movement. If you're not, first: booooo; second: RFTV is a campaign to get the old Valley Light Rail passenger service back on its feet. It was started in 1910 as a passenger line connecting Vancouver with the upper valley (Abbotsford, Yarrow, Chilliwack) but as people (and developers) started shifting to private vehicles, it lost steam and eventually shut down in 1950.

However, since the Metro Vancouver region has seen nothing but colossal population growth in the last several decades, sprawl and the transportation to serve it has become a big issue, especially in light of the whole the-world-is-going-to-be-completely-fucked-up-and-us-along-with-it-unless-we-seriously-change thing. The RFTV is, in my opinion, quite possibly the easiest best thing we can do about this. What would happen is that there would be a commuter rail line running from Scott Road station in Surrey to CHILLIWACK, passing through every one of the main communities along the way (ultimately it would connect all the way from Vancouver, but the first phase is from Scott). This is easy and bloody awesome because, simply put, the infrastructure's already more or less there. The rail line is still there, it's just used only for freight trains right now; the lines would need to get some upgrading and refitting and terminals and stations would need to be built, but the point is that the main "meat" of the project is already in place.



The RFTV organisation released a full 84-page report on the feasibility and costs of the proposed project (done by an independent rail committee from London that also worked on the Chunnel project). The skinny is basically what I already said about infrastructure placement, but the best part is this:

The "whole shebang" deal, which would include a full line from VANCOUVER all the to Chilliwack, running electric-powered trains at a minimum of every half hour, ever day of the week, would cost under $1 billion dollars.

For some perspective as to why that's "cheap", here's a quote straight from the RFTV news post:

"For a better perspective, the 11 km. SkyTrain Evergreen Line extension will cost over $1.4 billion and service far fewer potential transit customers.

[....]

For the same cost as the Evergreen SkyTrain Line, a full build (Full Meal Deal) Valley TramTrain, Vancouver/Richmond to Rosedale could be built and with the remaining $400 million, a Vancouver/Richmond to Maple Ridge TramTrain operation could also be funded."

When I read this report last night, I actually started to get butterflies. I don't go home to visit my family much because I simply can't stand going. I absolutely hate cars, but it's impossible to get there without spending almost three hours surrouned by or in one; inversely, I don't really like it when my family comes to visit ME because they can't/won't do it without a car, which costs them over a hundred extra dollars each time. Furthermore, I can't stand how the valley is developing: there are just more and more people coming and all the government/translink is doing about it is just throwing money at it and expanding the highways and bridges for ludicrous amounts of money when the roads and bridges only going to be inadequate again in ten or so years. The solution to traffic congestion is not expanding roads - that only provides more space for more cars to jam up again. The solution is giving people viable, convenient, and cheap ways to get around WITHOUT cars. Putting in a rail line that goes the entire way down the valley will eliminate so many people's need for cars; since the project will cost such a relatively small amount, fares would likely be equally low, and with a travel time that's comparable or better, accounting for traffic jams, than driving (Chilliwack to Vancouver would be under two hours), I think a lot of people would stop driving as much. It certainly wouldn't alleviate small-regional congestion by itself, but the linking of communities would provide the main basis for more comprehensive transit, and then all that needs to be done is expanding and coordinating local area transit branching out from the rail stations.

If this were put in, I could get off the Tswwassen ferry, take two busses (or maybe they'd update a new route) to the train station at Scott Rd, and then get off the train a mere ten-minute walk from my family's home in Chilliwack; it'd take around two hours probably. No two-hour three-exchange bus ride followed by a forty-minute car ride.

If I were still in Fort Langley, it would take maybe fifteen minutes to bike to the station near the 72nd St station (near the highway) and I'd be in Vancouver in maybe an hour. No twenty-minute bus to Langley Centre, thirty-minute to Surrey Central, then forty-minute Skytrain.

I could go on and on. Suffice to say, I am so passionate about this possibly going through. The thought of this happening fills me with so much hope for the Mainland. I love the vastness and beauty of the continent, but it's just so fucking impossible to get around without a car, and guess what - not everyone can afford to shell out around eight grand a year for an ugly, noisy, smelly metal cage that's a huge danger to yourself and everyone around it.

Here are some links for the project. Please at least look at them, and you feel as strongly as I do, send emails or letters to the government (premier, transport minister) and the idiots at Translink who just want to throw money at Vancouver and make the rest of the Valley pay for it, even though they can't use it.

RFTV's new release on the report.

Media responses to the report.

RFTV website.



I do miss my Home. I just can't stand being there.

Surreal

Beautiful merger with Nature on the way home from work. Detoured to Saxe Point and basked in the full moon over the ocean for a bit; literally no clouds across the strait so you could see Port Angeles and even the mountain outlines because of the moonlight. On the way back to Esquimalt Road I noticed a young buck standing under a streetlight (young buck as in a deer - no euphemisms here, people); naturally, I decided to investigate - joy of bicycles, my friends.

Of course, the buck took off when I neared, but as it did, around eight or nine other deer bounded out from behind some parked cars and lawns and started running with the original buck. I suddenly found myself riding about five feet behind and at pace with a small herd of deer; the only sounds were the whir from my chain and the thuds from their hooves. We ran/rode together for maybe half a block before they finally clued in to the whole "pursuit" thing and split off onto yards until there was just one doe, and then she trotted off onto another yard on my left. It was just my Bike and I again.

And then around a corner there were two racoons beating the shit out of each other.

The Wild, man.


And now, the Other Point for writing the post: a late-night song. I've posted versions of this song twice now, I think (very first post, if I recall correctly!), and you know that that means it's damn good. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Lisa Hannigan. Again.

One video viewer commented that her voice "massages that place of your brain where only coffee and hot showers can reach;" I have read few youtube comments that are truer than this - Lisa's singing and songs fill me with nothing but a delightfully mellow warmth, like a Girl sitting beside you under a blanket with a steaming cup of cocoa on a winter's day. Lengthy description, yes, but necessary for establishing sensation. Have a fine night (because it's 1 AM and I am crazy).

Digital Post

Today is a good day.

Specifically, the last couple days have been beyond-Good days. I am now working full-time in a bakery, and I have long-term living arrangements set up in a very lovely suite with a pair of very lovely ladies who I've met only once, and it is right by the workplace of another extremely lovely lady whom I know quite well - I look forward to after-work hanging out. This was all established by Tuesday.

Wednesday, I joined my lovely bandmate and uber-friend Eden on a trip up to Port Alberni to visit her family. Got up at 6:30 AM, biked down to her place, walked to the train station and had a three-and-a-half hour ride to Parksville where I met her sister and the fucking cutest baby I have ever seen. It's ridiculous. I think my brain actually melted a little bit. Suffice to say, I now adore babies an incredible amount. We stopped at their cousin's place on the way to Port Alberni; it was pretty much a miniature farm in a wooded lot that had a huge blueberry bush field - we spent ages out in the sun picking berries then sat down in the shade for some guitar and baby noises.

Finally left, finally got to Port Alberni (driving through Cathedral Grove on the way; good God I love it there - I went through four times total over the day-and-a-half), spent more time out in the sun (blackberries this time). By this point I felt more than a little sick from all the berries. We were joined by their friend Mike (or Nick? I can't remember, laaaame) and we went back through Cathedral Grove to Cameron Lake for a great swim and subsequent ass-freeze; truth be told, the water was actually quite nice, it was just really weird to be in water that wasn't salt water, and it was just really fucking cold when we got out. Headed back home (Cathedral Grove number 3 - swooooon) and made some extremely bitching veggie kebabs and rice salad and washed it all down with the divine brew Phillips Skookum. From-scratch caramel popcorn followed and we all finally piled off to bed (lil' Seth was dead tired without an afternoon nap).

Woke up early this morning, helped find tomatoes in the garden, then went for a fantastic walk with Eden along a creek trail in town. Forests are magical. This was again fortified when Eden gave me a ride back to Parksville for the train when we went through Cathedral Grove AGAIN and actually stopped this time.



This was actually from last August, but I remembered where I'd taken it from and I pointed it out when we walked past. Suffice to say, I love the West Coast more than I could ever probably express with words.

Finally pulled ourselves away from the Hall of Trees and made it to Parksville where we had a fairly surreal song trade sitting on the steps of an old-style train station, and then I got on the train and was back in Victoria three hours later.

Long breakdown, no justice given. Finest two days I've had in a very long time (and it was even better because I've got a job now - I didn't feel like a slacker once while contentedly sticking my head out of the window of a speeding car to feel the wind), and I soundly love my Home, my Friend (and her nephew - ohmygodsqueeeee) and my Life, and I hope that everyone I know can feel something like this at least now and then (preferably more often, but apparently I'm unusually good at being content).


And because it's Thursday, here's an anti-climactic and unrelated (but still pretty good - I mean, come on, look at that Zelda picture) Digital Post. See y'all on Sunday (or sooner).

Salt Spring

I don't know.

I don't know
what is going through your head
as you arch your back like a wave,
shoulderblades pushing against my chest
like so much water heaving itself at the shore.

I don't know
what is going through your head
as you lay finally still,
my kisses trickling down your back
towards my fingers (still smelling of you
as the soles of my shoes smell of
freshly rained-upon earth).

All I know is this:
we are just two people,
(I - lonely;
You - today a friend, tomorrow a vacancy)
my hand is on your belly,
and I can't ignore how your hips
are grinding against mine like a mill
pulled by the breath of God Himself.

I'm Back

Saltspring Island is amazing. Suffice to say, I had the most absurd Saturday and Sunday of my life. Weddings are pretty magical - so is skinny dipping in the full moon with a bunch of people you've just met that day.

I cannot state this enough: skinny dipping under the full moon is fucking awesome. (also, it's pretty hilarious when a girl's ass is literally glowing - thank you, phosphorescence)

I'm also more determined than ever to go ramblin': I hitch-hiked for the first time and caught a ride across the Island in the back of a truck with a couple other 'packers to the ferry after walking about halfway with a big pack on my back.

In any case, I'm certain there is now absolutely nothing that could seperate me from my incredible love and in-place longing for Cascadia and the Sea. I am happy - this is a good comparison (thanks to Connor for the reintroduction).