Following up on our post outlining Olympic transportation initiatives, the road has been slightly bumpy for the Games’ mass transit thus far.  As one reader attending the events commented, and as the media has reported, Vancouver’s attempts to move athletes and spectators efficiently and sustainably have met with several glitches.  Travelers have had to wait in long lines; buses have broken down and gotten lost; trips have been slowed by weather conditions.

However, officials claim to have met their goal of reducing traffic in the downtown core by 30%, and reports indicate that problems appear to be smoothing out.  The city’s Translink system has 160 extra buses standing by for use in trouble spots, and transportation planners are ready to respond to problems by adding new buses and adjusting departure or return times.  Let’s hope they maintain this flexibility and rapid-response capability so transit can put its best foot forward for the approximately 150,000 attendees that show up each day.