In a previous post I criticized TransLink decisions to use Google Transit while forgoing any kind of proper mobile application for looking up schedules. Now, thanks to Google and the latest release of Google Maps for Mobile, I have one less thing to complain about with TransLink.
That’s right: Google’s mobile mapping application now supports transit routing. And it works really well, too. Just pick a starting point (or if you’re device has GPS, you can use current location), pick a destination point, and you get a transit plan that gets you were you want to go. Just like the full version of Google transit, you can choose between multiple routes and you get step by step directions for transfers and what not, if you need them. Conveniently, you can also switch between driving and transit directions in case you want to compare times.
Is Vancouver an unfriendly city?
Friday, June 6th, 2008On the bus on my way to work this morning there was a piece in the “24 Hours” daily in which the reporter asked both men and women how easy it was to meet other people in the city. (I forget the exact wording, but you get the idea.)
Among the small group sampled, the consensus goes something like this: People you meet on the street (and I’m casting a broad, poorly sewn net here) are just generally not that outwardly friendly. In Montreal, according to one woman from the article, strangers you pass on the sidewalk are much more likely to make eye contact and smile. In Vancouver, chances are they’ll look the other way.
Now I don’t know if this is a recent thing or if I’ve only recently noticed it, but I think she’s right. Not only downtown, but in the suburbs too, the more I look for the friendly smile from passer-bys, the harder it is to find. Upon returning from a recent trip to a Midwest US state, the effect was more pronounced. People down there seemed “friendlier” and strangers on the street were at least more likely to acknowledge that you actually existed. (more…)
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