Vancouver Transit Wins Big at Winter Games

Canada takes gold in environmental sustainability as tourists travel en masse to sporting events.

Drivers in Vancouver may not be feeling the love, having to contend with street closures and detours during the Olympic Games, but the city's transit system has made huge gains with environmental groups.

As tourists have descended on the city from around the world, Vancouver's TransLink agency says it has seen record numbers of users, with ridership skyrocketing to an average of more than 1.6 million people a day — that's twice the usual average of about 750,000 riders a day.

Even as the city's buses, driverless SkyTrains, SeaBus ferry boats and West Coast Express are stretched to capacity, they continue to meet the challenge.

"A lot of people left their cars at home and the capacity held out. But the thing we're happiest at is the attitude of the people," TransLink's head of communications Ken Hardie told MSNBC. "People in Vancouver normally don't want to wait in line, but that's not happened. They have discovered that queuing is part of the Olympic spirit, and a chance to get to know that person standing next to you in a funny hat."

Passengers have had to wait in line for up to an hour and more to board standing-room-only trains and buses. The SeaBus has seen the biggest bump overall with a 200 percent increase in ridership and the West Coast Express was up 78 percent from last year, according to TransLink. One reason, of course, is that passengers with Olympic event tickets have unlimited access to the transit system on the day of each event.

TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis said one goal was to reduce vehicle traffic in downtown Vancouver by 30 percent during the Winter Olympics. The agency has had to add 48 extra train cars and a third ferry to meet the demand and has used every available train during peak times.

Vancouver residents have the Olympic bid to thank for the transit system's newest line, the Canada Line, which links downtown with Vancouver airport and the suburb of Richmond. The line is billed as the best route to two Olympic venues, the Richmond Olympic Oval, where the speed skaters race, and the curling venue at the Vancouver Olympic Center.

The best part? Once the Games wrap up Sunday, locals will have it all to themselves. Well, of course they'll still have to share it with visitors, just not an Olympic-sized amount.

Photo by Kzacher via Wikimedia Commons.