This is one of the better views of the Google camera car that trundled around Vancouver this past Spring (judging by the cheery blossoms), popping 360 vistas of city streets (and a few alleys). It hasn’t been a perfect launch however, as David Loukidelis, BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner has already launched a number of complaints regarding Google’s privacy measures not working as promised (I caught a shot at Thurlow and Robson, where a cab license plate is visible. Nearby, a city bus’ plate is clear, but the automated blurring system incorrectly blurred the turn signal light.) It doesn’t sound like he’s looking to pull the plug however, rather he’s just pushing for people’s protection.

“We acknowledge that this tool may be of interest to people, but at the same time under the privacy law in B.C. there are issues that have to be addressed.”

See anything cool? Anything touristy? Google maps has a link tool that will create a link for exactly the view you’re looking at – just use a link shrinker. Google map links are huge!

Well as promised by the Mayor, here comes the Burrard Bridge bike lane! It’s great seeing the year over year improvement in terms of greening our city and encouraging awareness of alternative transportation.

We’ll see how this bike lane experiment pans out, but this coupled with BCAA’s fairly recent announcement of providing Roadside Assistance to cyclists are two definite strides in the right direction for cyclists I think.

These two things will hopefully encourage more riders and less drivers. Especially in the downtown core.

How BCAA “Bike Assist” works as quoted from their site:

• The cyclist must have experienced a mechanical breakdown, which includes any issue that makes the bike inoperable during a rider’s commute, such as a broken chain or flat tire. No assistance will be provided to cyclists looking to avoid challenging terrain or inclement weather.
• Service technicians will do their best to get the cyclist on the go, but if the repair cannot be made at the site of the breakdown, the technician will transport the cyclist and their bicycle to their destination, home or nearest bike shop. The kilometer allotment will be consistent with the member’s current level of membership (e.g. a basic member is entitled to a five kilometre tow).
• Only two cyclists can be accommodated at a time.
• BCAA cannot break bike locks, as bike ownership cannot be easily identified.

The Vancouver Sun currently has a more thorough view/opinion piece on the Burrard Bridge bike lane trial.

Snow it’s more than just slick rhymes.

To save money the management of the building that I work in shuts down the heat during the weekend.  Since it’s just our store and the Blendz open Saturday and Sunday they figure that nobody is going to care, and so that’s why I’m standing here wearing a thermal fleece, a thick sweater and mittens.  My co-workers are wearing full winter coats, and have set up two space heaters which seem to simply be draining electricity and making a great deal of noise.

It was a lovely weekend, but CKNW didn’t find any traffic jams to report on. This is unusual when we have a long weekend and sunshine. So they called me to ask – why?

Best guess is that gas prices have a lot to do with it. Everyone has to commute, so that trip can’t be cut, but “discretionary travel” can be. There are always closer destinations, or you might decide to get out into the yard and catch up there rather than go to Bellis Fair Mall. The border crossing at the Peace Arch has construction work going on so there were only half the lanes available, and CBC were warning about that on Friday. But the ferries were not overloaded either.

Americans are coming here in fewer numbers, partly due to the lower US dollar, the economic downturn but also increasing restrictions at the border. They tended to drive here. They are being replaced by folk from further afield – China and Europe – who are less likely to drive when they get here.

Will we get used to higher gas prices and go back to driving? Only if incomes rise, something else gets cheaper or we decide to give up something else. Britain has much higher pump prices than we do – and has done for many years – but they still have chaos on the roads every bank holiday weekend. But the adjustment process is not going to be easy, and it doesn’t help that we have so few alternatives. Overcrowded transit and no trains off peak or at weekends on West Coast Express for instance.

Bumper sticker reads: “Dane Driving. Thanks for not laughing.”

Seen at the intersection of Braid and Brunette in New Westminster, near the Coquitlam border.

At first I suspected it was Vancouver blogger Dane. Then I saw the Danish flag.

So, um, are the Danish supposed to be bad drivers? Maybe our Vancouver Great Dane blogger, Mr. Jan Karlsberg can answer that.

PS Check out his post on our lame Vancouver attempts at prank billboard modifications.

I have to admit, the first time I only did it because I was curious. (How many confessionals start this way?) The next several times were because I found out a clerical error had resulted in a rate mismatch so it was cheaper than the real thing. And easier. And far quicker. And then I was hooked.

No, not a plug for the Cobalt Motor Inn, though it easily could be. I’m talking about Verrus [link], the pay-by-phone parking system rolled out throughout the Vancouver area the last couple of years.

“Sure, I’ve seen that on the meters, but never tried it,” friends often concede. “Does it actually work?”

…

I think it’s truly a case of inadequate marketing content. The little ad copy I’ve seen sells it as a way not to have to have a pocketful of change on you all the time. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The first time you use it (unless you previously setup an account through their website) it’s admittedly a bit of a pain — typing lengthy credit card and license plate information through a phone touchpad is nobody’s idea of fun. But what most people don’t realize is that (again like the Cobalt, I assume) it only hurts the first time, and you only have to go through that once.

After that, Verrus recognizes your account via Caller ID, and you’re just a few quick button pushes away from freedom (to tell them which lot/meter number, and how many hours). What’s this mean?

1. No more long walk to the payment machine (which is invariably in the farthest corner away from the only empty parking spot in the whole Impark lot), and, even better, no more second trip back to your car with the little receipt. (And you’re saving a tree, too, if you look at it that way).

2. As mentioned before, no need for a Scrooge McDuck pile of change if you’re parking for more than 15 minutes downtown, but even better,

3. No guessing how many minutes worth of parking to buy (usually erring on the side of paying them way too much), and then spending your entire visit wondering, “Is the meter about to run out? What time is it?” Why? Because…

4. Verrus sends a handy little text message to your phone when your parking is about to run out, and if you want to extend your parking, you can do it right there from your phone. Nothing spoils the mood of a romantic dinner like an unsightly grooming problem, or constant trips back to the parking meter. No more. “Who was that message from?” “My parking assistant,” you can answer, smugly. “I instructed him to extend our stay. If you have no objections, of course.” Which also implies…

5. No more panic at 9:30am at work when you realized you forgot to pay for your parking. Stuck in a meeting which would be slightly disrupted by you suddenly jumping up, screaming, and running out to the parking lot to stop the tow truck just in time? No worries. Simply dial up the Verrus number, enter the four digit code for the lot (which hopefully you’ve memorized if it’s really your workplace), punch the number of hours on the keypad, and then watch out the office window at the tow truck driver’s mystified face as he enters your license into his computer and finds that, no, your car has Special Authorization to be there. Curses, foiled again.

Not to mention, the system seems now to be live on most Vancouver area parking metres, and just about every Impark lot in the GVRD. Some other vendors are supported as well. And if you’re into that sort of thing (statistics junkies unite) you can log into their website and see your complete parking history.

Sure, there’s a downside: There seems to be a convenience fee for some lots ($0.35 for the one near my work), and they keep your credit card number on file, if you’re paranoid about that kind of thing (and yes, a credit card is required – jamming quarters into that crack in your phone handset doesn’t seem to work). I’m also not sure about the minimum — if you’re parking less than an hour I think it makes you select an hour or more, but for those quickies there’s still the pocket change option.

At any rate, anything to do with fines or fees is normally a little frightening, or annoying at best, but the Verrus system seems to be one of those few municipal government partnerships which was truly A Good Idea.

By highlighting high-crash locations, ICBC hopes to draw attention to the larger issues of high-risk driving behaviour and how driver behaviour impacts the cost of insurance. ICBC says there is a strong link between certain high-risk driving behaviours and crashes. [News1130]

• 1 Trans-Canada Hwy & Willingdon Ave, Burnaby
• 2 Knight St & SE Marine Dr, Vancouver
• 3 Knight St Bridge, Vancouver/Richmond
• 4 Brunette Ave & Trans-Canada Hwy, Coquitlam
• 5 Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver/North Vancouver
• 6 Alex Fraser Bridge, Delta
• 7 152nd St & Trans-Canada Hwy, Surrey
• 8 Gaglardi Way & Trans-Canada Hwy, Burnaby
• 9 88th Ave & King George Hwy, Surrey
• 10 Pattullo Bridge, Surrey

I’ve made a Google Map of all locations and while putting this together I realized most are on either Hwy 1 or a bridge, which seem to be places people tend to speed. Please slow down and drive with caution – I don’t want to be putting up any more posts about the Bridge of Death… well unless they’re actually ever going to DO something about it…

For more info about construction that might slow down your commute this season, check out The Road Ahead on the City’s official site and for more glimpses at Robson Street’s history, visit City Reflections – especially their 1907/2006 image comparisons.

Vancouver – Robson Street

Originally uploaded by Waqas Ahmed.

If you’ve been wanting to get into a car accident there are a number of traffic lights on Robson Street are currently not working and the Vancouver Police Department have not yet shown up wearing their white butler gloves to direct traffic, so this is an excellent time.

This could be especially useful if you’re wanting to get ICBC to buy you a new car.

It appears though that someone knew that this was going to happen because there’s temporary stop signs at Robson and Seymour. Stop signs which none of the traffic going down Robson is paying attention to much to the amusment of the traffic trying to transverse Seymour.

I’m hoping for violence, it’ll make the work day go so much quicker.

Update: As of about 2:30 in the afternoon the lights were back to fully operational. There were, at least at my little corner of Robson and Seymour, no accidents.