Vancouver Transit At Its Best
Warren Anthony is familiar with crowded transit. Originally from London, England, Warren was used to a commute of packed travellers on trains and buses heading into work each day. However, when the Olympics came to Vancouver, he was amazed at the numbers - and the spirit - of travellers on our public transit system.
During the Olympics, 1.6 Million people used transit every day, helping to reduce traffic on our roads by a whopping 36%. Warren and his girlfriend were among those adopting TravelSmart ways, taking transit, walking and cycling to get to work, events and just out and about town in the excitement of the Games.
The Skytrain was full of singing people of all ages, everyone was having a great time
Although they've been active in TravelSmart behaviour for quite some time - before, during and after the Games - Warren noted the Olympics were truly something special for them to witness. "It's so amazing to have a moment like that. The Skytrain was full of singing people of all ages, everyone was having a great time, and the (TransLink) staff on the platforms were cheerily getting people where they needed to be, calmly and safely".
It was quite an experience to be on a transit system that was so incredibly busy, moving so smoothly and yet so fun. With easy to read maps, clear directions for services and routes, and helpful staff, Warren felt that throughout the Games, transit was the choice for transportation. In fact, the day Canada won Gold in Men's Hockey, Warren said the first thing he and Rachel did was to head to SkyTrain.
"When Canada won that Gold, we right away jumped on the SkyTrain downtown at Broadway/Commercial to get into the mayhem! Downtown was an ocean of red flags and smiling faces into the night. Much later, we headed home via the new Yaletown station without a hitch."
Warren calls Vancouver home, and is proud of how much we adopted TravelSmart during the Winter Olympics. Now, he thinks his past hometown of London has a lot to live up to - both in spirit, medals and to match the slick transit system during Vancouver 2010!
Do you have a story to share about cycling, walking or taking transit during the 2010 Olympics? Use our comments below to tell us your story, share memories, or just chant 'Ca-na-da' a few times online!