Game Day Thread - TiCats @ Lions - September 18

[sj-roc]

That is wrong, if one area is serviced by bus and skytrain then it is exactly the same as any area serviced by skytrain. Once you get on a skytrain, on any line your at the front of the stadium without any walking at all. Skulsky is wrong.. however it may be purrception that is the issue.

Skulsky is just not admitting the real reason crowds are shrinking, and that is that the team sucks. He will not say that publicly so he'll deflect to "transit" lol Of course it's the same skytrain/bus that brought the full houses earlier.

You were all a few posts ago, wondering why people weren't coming to games. Now you say the team sucks.

Moreover, do you have any idea how much FASTER the skytrain is than the buses?

It shaved 30 minutes off my trip last year from work in Richmond to BC Place when the Canada Line got running. Now this year to get to Empire, it's an extra 30 minutes from work (or home, more Sat games this year). And that's just getting there, when you don't have thousands of other people competing with you to get on board from your departure point, which is what happens at game's end and it adds even more time than that for the trip home. So for me and probably for many others, taking in a Lions game is about an extra 1.5 hr out of my day that I would definitely otherwise be putting to more productive use. I choose to tolerate that, but one can't expect everyone else to do likewise.

[Sir Purrcival]

Seriously too, the heavy prognostications for rain really didn't help. Despite some being so, most are not that spontaneous in deciding to come to a game particularly if you have kids. Lets face it, many remember those damp, chilly nights at Empire and despite considering myself the rugged type, I don't always feel so inclined to subject myself to an uncomfortable experience. I have people who I go to the game with (when I get the chance) who don't walk very well or fast and even the hike from parking to the stadium and back can be a drenching experience.

Hey SJ-Roc, welcome to my world. When they moved to BC place from the PNE, that became my permenant cross to bear (extra time to get there). Oh, and I don't have Skytrain handy either because for 10 plus years we have been waiting for the Evergreen line (We didn't get a fast tracked Canada Line) and even if it does eventually arrive, it still means two line changes (waits) and big crowds waiting at the end of the game to get back on the Skytrain. From my perspective, moving to BC Place was the biggest inconvenience they could have imposed on me and pretty much everyone else who lives out Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, PItt Meadows and even the Fraser Valley.

[sj-roc]

Hey SJ-Roc, welcome to my world. When they moved to BC place from the PNE, that became my permenant cross to bear (extra time to get there). Oh, and I don't have Skytrain handy either because for 10 plus years we have been waiting for the Evergreen line (We didn't get a fast tracked Canada Line) and even if it does eventually arrive, it still means two line changes (waits) and big crowds waiting at the end of the game to get back on the Skytrain. From my perspective, moving to BC Place was the biggest inconvenience they could have imposed on me and pretty much everyone else who lives out Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, PItt Meadows and even the Fraser Valley.

Definitely feel for you nowadays, going through my current "hardship". Yeah, I've heard about the delays on the Evergreen line. Not to take the discussion too far off track, but are they ever going to get that thing off the ground? I just checked here, says they're supposed to "begin in early 2011 and be completed in 4 years". I thought it was going to be even later than that:

http://www.evergreenline.gov.bc.ca/

And the transfers ARE a big hassle, true. Like, there's this bus that passes very close to me and takes me all the way to Renfrew/Hastings in about an hour. By comparison, it's incredibly more convenient for me to do that, have a seat the whole trip (read the paper cover to cover while I'm at it, can't do that standing) and then walk the rest of the way for some exercise, than it would be to go any other route to get past those few extra blocks to Empire (which involves waiting on transfers/full bus pass-bys).

If it makes you feel any better, the Canada Line hasn't saved me any time for the daily work commute, because I still have to make another transfer once I get out at Brighouse (wasn't really designed for people like me anyway, more for YVR and downtown).

[Lionheart]

sj-roc Ok, so now it's gone from "less options" to longer skytrain ride? ... and yours is only this past year. Well for the dome I take one skytrain and for Empire stadium one skytrain and one bus and it's faster by quite a bit. The point is, if your already getting on a skytrain to get to the dome then that same skytrain takes you to Empire. The buses that wait right at each station are Express, and are even faster as there's no stops and goes to right in front of the stadium.

Interesting how your "tolerance" level is quite high when the Lions are winning?? lol

[sj-roc]

sj-roc Ok, so now it's gone from "less options" to longer skytrain ride?

I don't remember saying anything about "less options" (for what?).

... and yours is only this past year.

... which is perfectly germane to the conversation because we've been talking about this year's attendance decline.

Well for the dome I take one skytrain and for Empire stadium one skytrain and one bus and it's faster by quite a bit.

Then wherever you're coming from is surely closer to Empire than to BCP. That's not the case for me.

The point is, if your already getting on a skytrain to get to the dome then that same skytrain takes you to Empire.

You seem to be implying here that there's a skytrain that goes all the way to Empire. At any rate, I generally don't use the skytrain for any part of my ride to Empire anyway, because it isn't the most convenient or even the fastest option from my location, mainly because Empire is nowhere near any of them. It isn't even in the top three when I use the google maps transit trip planner.

The buses that wait right at each station are Express, and are even faster as there's no stops and goes to right in front of the stadium.

I can see some merit in your arguments, but it just seems that the Lions haven't done a very good job in communicating them to the public. Which is not an easy task to begin with. Asking a large group of people to take the time and effort to change their habits that they have learned and become accustomed to over the years is always going to be a challenge. Some people simply aren't going to bother accepting the message when they've got so many other things of greater impact going on in their busy lives. New ideas are slow to win acceptance, especially when they lack a certain "stickiness." Changes in transit information that are of only occasional, sporadic use would fall into this category.

Interesting how your "tolerance" level is quite high when the Lions are winning?? lol

I'm not sure what you mean here. Tolerance for what?

[Stargazer_Girl]

That is wrong, if one area is serviced by bus and skytrain then it is exactly the same as any area serviced by skytrain. Once you get on a skytrain, on any line your at the front of the stadium without any walking at all. Skulsky is wrong.. however it may be purrception that is the issue.

Skulsky is just not admitting the real reason crowds are shrinking, and that is that the team sucks. He will not say that publicly so he'll deflect to "transit" lol Of course it's the same skytrain/bus that brought the full houses earlier.

What? Skytrain doesn't go anywhere near Empire. The closest station is Rupert & Grandview Highway. Empire's way less accessible by transit than BC Place. Plus, there's nowhere to hang out before or after the game in that area. The walk up crowd can go to the game at BC Place and then hang out at one of many pubs downtown afterward, maybe do some shopping beforehand. The lack of choice in the area around Empire makes the games destination events. Take away choice and you're going to turn off many people who aren't committed to making a night of the game alone.

[sj-roc]

That is wrong, if one area is serviced by bus and skytrain then it is exactly the same as any area serviced by skytrain. Once you get on a skytrain, on any line your at the front of the stadium without any walking at all. Skulsky is wrong.. however it may be purrception that is the issue.

Skulsky is just not admitting the real reason crowds are shrinking, and that is that the team sucks. He will not say that publicly so he'll deflect to "transit" lol Of course it's the same skytrain/bus that brought the full houses earlier.

What? Skytrain doesn't go anywhere near Empire. The closest station is Rupert & Grandview Highway. Empire's way less accessible by transit than BC Place.

They have added some extra buses that go directly from the skytrain to Empire (apparently without any stops in between) so I think Rob is treating that as a de facto extension of the skytrain itself. He's probably correct that these extra buses make getting to the games easier than otherwise but that message may not be reaching the public as I mentioned above.

[Stargazer_Girl]

They have added some extra buses that go directly from the skytrain to Empire (apparently without any stops in between) so I think Rob is treating that as a de facto extension of the skytrain itself. He's probably correct that these extra buses make getting to the games easier than otherwise but that message may not be reaching the public as I mentioned above.

Oh, okay. Well it's not helping those of us on the West Side. It took me an hour and a half to get there on the bus from Marpole a couple of games ago. I'm not sure how their market is distributed geographically, but if the West Side living/working people are a significant chunk of their walk up, then transit is an obstacle. Anyhow, my guess is transportation obstacles are just one factor. The lack of "adjunct" entertainment options in the area is another and then of course there's their underwhelming performance this season, like Rob says.