Wayfinding sign in the London Underground showing the location of a public washroom. (Shutterstock)
About two weeks ago, TransLink launched an online public consultation inviting the general public to submit their wish list for new and improved passenger amenities and services.
Now that the survey‘s open period is reaching its halfway point, with approximately two weeks to go until the consultation ends, the introduction of public washrooms onto the public transit network is the most common request to date. At the time of writing, roughly 10% of over 200 ideas submissions related to “washrooms” or “bathrooms.”
“These could be washrooms with on-site attendants (as seen in Europe) to deal with concerns about public safety, cleanliness or vandalism. As people’s transit commutes grow ever longer and the population ages, for the sake of public hygiene and to address human physical needs, this must happen,” reads one submission.
TransLink inviting the public to pitch ideas for new and improved amenities dailyhive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyhive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Project officials provided media with a technical briefing earlier today, giving greater detail on the years-long construction process to come.
Traffic disruptions have already been occurring for several weeks at the intersection of Main Street and Broadway for the bridge-like traffic deck being installed over the span of the city block, which will allow for the excavation and construction of Mount Pleasant Station below it. These disruptions with reduced lanes will continue for about six months, until the deck is complete to establish four temporary travel lanes over the construction site.
The four other new subway stations along Broadway Broadway-City Hall, Oak-VGH, South Granville, and Arbutus will also each have four-lane traffic decks spanning a block or more over the station construction site, replicating street level. Traffic deck installation and excavation at these other stations will begin later this year.
TransLink exploring extending SkyTrain station platforms for longer trains dailyhive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyhive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The subway is a continuous westward extension of the existing Millennium Line from VCC-Clark Station to a new terminus station at Arbutus Street. Six underground stations will be built along the 5.7-km-long route, including a major interchange hub to the Canada Line at Broadway-City Hall Station.
“This is an exciting milestone for a critical infrastructure project that will transform the way people travel in and around the Broadway corridor and create good-paying jobs to support BC’s economic recovery,” said Rob Fleming, BC Minster of Transportation and Infrastructure, in a statement.
“Investments in public transit infrastructure are crucial to improving commute times, reducing carbon pollution and laying the foundation for strong economic growth.”