Public transport

Being in between cars has the advantage of getting a taste of the public transportation system in Vancouver. That is, unless you decide to become a recluse. Which I did not. I bought myself a booklet of 10 Faresaver

tickets and embarked on my journey. Iwas a bit puzzled to notice that the whole here is less than the sum of it's parts. The 'Gestalt' principle obviously has not made it to Canada yet. But being Dutch, I am not complaining. Cheaper is better. Nowadays public transport comes in various shapes and sizes which forces me to limit myself to introduce just two modalities. Bus and Skytrain. Public transport is not up everyone's alley as we know. Translink, the company operating public
transport in Vancouver has therefore come up with a cunning plan to cure potential passenger's cold feet. Bicycle racks are fitted to the front of buses to give faint hearted passengers a fall back, their own bicycle, in case the bus breaks down. Strapping your bicycle to the front of the bus is of course up to yourself so no one else is to blame in case the bicycle falls of the bus during the trip. Self-reliance has to start somewhere you know.

Shifting ones gaze from ground level upwards would bring the Skytrain into sight. It provides a unique way to see Vancouver as it flies, so to speak, over the city. The system is fairly simple with just three line colors to choose from. Compare that to London's tube system. Even people who are colorblind can find their way around as long as one can distinguish a dark color from a light color. Also very welcome on a hot summer's day is air conditioning. Well, Skytrain has it when you choose the right carriage. Although I must admit that scarcely clad ladies make up for a lot of hardship, keeping a cool head is to be preferred as far as I am concerned. Something you will not find on the Skytrain is a 'don't speak to the driver' sign. Simply because there is none. A driver that is. No chance of conductors falling asleep and missing red signs, going on strike or complain about having to drive the same route every day. Even ordinary passengers can pretend to be the
conductor of the train by occupying the seat up front. Not exactly an experience like the roller coaster of Six Flags in Maryland, but Skytrain at least stays in it's tracks. There is much to be said for that too. Another good thing is it's connection to earth. Not only from an electrical perspective but also from an operators point of view. Where operators behind the remote control of a drone every now and then loose sight of their projectile, Skytrain however will stick firmly to terra firma...