bhdavis1978

Hey all,

I recently got a new job in Vancouver and we're moving to Tsawwassen from Nanaimo soon. I am planning on commuting into work using a combination of my bike, bus, and the Canada line. My goal is to start work at 7:30 AM so that I can leave work at 3:30- this will allow me to avoid most of the rush hour traffic, and it'll allow me to get home early enough that I can spend some time with my baby girl before her bed time every day. In general my plan will be to take the 602 bus through the tunnel and into Richmond and then cycle in from there- but we'll see how it all works out- with the 602, the Canada Line and my bike, I'll have a lot of flexibility.

Anyone from Tsawwassen commute into downtown Vancouver by bike? Anyone have any advice for me? Can I use a 1 zone bus pass to get through the tunnel into Richmond, or will I need a two zone?

Thanks,
Brad

cowtown_cowboy

Haven't done it commuting, but take the one bus from Tsawwassen to the Canada Line in Richmond - I can't remember the bus # just look it up on Translink. From there it's a quick shot To Broadway. Takes about 1 hour.

lhbernhardt

For six months in 2010 I worked in Victoria, riding to the ferry on Friday afternoon for the trip back to the mainland, returning on Sunday by bike. During the summer, it's possible to take the bike shuttle thru the Massey tunnel on weekends. The rest of the year, the bike shuttle only runs during rush hour on weekdays. With all buses equiped with bike racks, though, it's pretty flexible. You can ride all the way, but you need to time the arrival at the shuttle. If you miss it, you can always bus thru the tube. You can also get on a Skytrain in Richmond; I believe there are no blackout times for bikes on the Canada Line, as there are on the Expo & Millenium lines, since the Canada Line cars have bike space built in (although it's usually occupied by air travellers with their baggage going to/from YVR).

I recall it would take close to two hours to ride from the ferry to my townhouse in Burnaby. Taking the shuttle, if you got the 4 pm shuttle, you'd get to the Delta side at about 4:05, and if you took the main highway and just booted it, you could get to the 5 pm ferry in enough time to load first. This is always the big advantage of being on a bike; you're usually first in line to the Pacific Buffet.

Also, (and I hesitate to reveal this little secret) if you are travelling as "foot traffic," you can avoid the lineups at the main passenger terminal by just boarding with the cyclists. Even better, if you're catching a bus at the other end, you can be close to first in line by disembarking with the cyclists and avoiding the crowds thru the terminal to get to the bus loop. But don't tell the ordinary passengers. Keep this info among cyclists only!

Luis