TTC: Other Items (catch all)

This is a catch all item thread for things that don't need their own thread.

As it stand from what I saw yesterday, TTC is going to have a hard time trying to widen the westbound platform on Fleet St at Bathurst to make it accessibility. Also, what to do with all the bikes lock to the railing on it.

The eastbound is done, but pole not up.

The Bathurst platform at Queen St has been rebuild considering it was only rebuilt about 5 years ago.

The Niagara platforms are ready to go into service once the traffic lights are turn on.

Looks like TTC installed new overhead switches for poles and pan compare to what they have being using to make the intersection ready for pans.

It going to be interesting next year what going to happen to the tracks on the Bathurst Bridge for the new Fort York intersection as only a small area of the existing sidewalk and railing on the east side is marked for removal and not enough room to drop the tracks to match the road on the east side. To keep the existing level on Bathurst St, part of the new road on the east side will have to be rebuilt to raise it to match the current level.

Niagara

What's more interesting is that they have to (eventually) cut down ALL of the platforms on the St. Clair streetcar line to fit the new streetcars. What a pain that will be! My thoughts: they should keep the current streetcars on St. Clair.

drum118 said:

This is a catch all item thread for things that don't need their own thread.

As it stand from what I saw yesterday, TTC is going to have a hard time trying to widen the westbound platform on Fleet St at Bathurst to make it accessibility. Also, what to do with all the bikes lock to the railing on it.

The eastbound is done, but pole not up.

The Bathurst platform at Queen St has been rebuild considering it was only rebuilt about 5 years ago.

The Niagara platforms are ready to go into service once the traffic lights are turn on.

Looks like TTC installed new overhead switches for poles and pan compare to what they have being using to make the intersection ready for pans.

It going to be interesting next year what going to happen to the tracks on the Bathurst Bridge for the new Fort York intersection as only a small area of the existing sidewalk and railing on the east side is marked for removal and not enough room to drop the tracks to match the road on the east side. To keep the existing level on Bathurst St, part of the new road on the east side will have to be rebuilt to raise it to match the current level.

Niagara

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Do it over three days. I would start by removing the rails without bicycles first. The next day, put sticky decals on any remaining bikes saying that they'll be removed the following day. Then cut the locks to remove them on the last day.

enelemcee said:

What's more interesting is that they have to (eventually) cut down ALL of the platforms on the St. Clair streetcar line to fit the new streetcars. What a pain that will be! My thoughts: they should keep the current streetcars on St. Clair.

Click to expand...

The new streetcars fit on St Clair, I've seen videos of them operating there, contrary to what the Toronto Sun would have you believe, the work that needs to be done to accommodate the wheelchair ramp at each stop is minimal, and is only needed if the platforms are not at the correct height.

Even if it was somehow impossible for this work to be done, it would still be for better off for the new streetcars to be used, they would just not be able to use the wheelchair ramp.

I noticed something peculiar during my commute yesterday.

I saw a bus shelter on Kennedy that had a LCD next bus arrival time display. This was my first time seeing one, has the TTC been doing this elsewhere?

datamouse said:

I saw a bus shelter on Kennedy that had a LCD next bus arrival time display. This was my first time seeing one, has the TTC been doing this elsewhere?

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Yes, they are being installed all over the place, lots on the downtown streetcar routes.

salsa said:

I noticed something peculiar during my commute yesterday.

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Because its night, those "STOP REQUEST" signs are readable. I have found that sometimes, during the bright daytime, those "STOP REQUEST" signs are unreadable. They are too dim against the sunlight pouring in.

id like to vent about a ttc bus route issue:

I live in markham near mccowan and steeles, very near to the 53 steeles bus route

They recently changed the route so that it no longer turns left at mccowan rd (coming into markham proper) and take elson across to markham rd, at which point it heads back towards steeles and on to finch station.

While I can sort of understand WHY they did this, I feel this was a bad change because elson was residential street with alot of people using the bus. Steeles ave in that stretch has very little bus usage (there is no where to get off between mccowan and middlefield except milliken park); between middlefield and markham rd, there is again little actual bus usage (stops are at shoppers drug mart, a gas station/walmart)...very frustrating that the route was altered in this way.

I felt they had it right before...1/2 the regular/express buses came onto elson rd, and half stayed on steeles.

So thats vent #1

Vent #2, and this speaks to the lack of integration between the TTC and Go/metrolinx:

The 53 express bus service has changed such that it only stops at major intersections, which I like as it speeds things up. However, the milliken go station is right on the 53 steeles bus route, but express buses cant be bothered to stop at the go stn at all! Talk about lack of the two systems working together.

Ugh...can't even get the small things right...very frustrating.

Though it may do no good, I recommend that you send both suggestions to the TTC online "complaints line" - from their website.

W. K. Lis said:

Do it over three days. I would start by removing the rails without bicycles first. The next day, put sticky decals on any remaining bikes saying that they'll be removed the following day. Then cut the locks to remove them on the last day.

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I say, no warning. Just immediately cut the locks and trash the bikes. Let the idots cyclists learn their lession.

well aren't you nice. Lets punish people for doing nothing wrong!

Give them a little time. If they're there after two weeks then junk them.

adeel said:

id like to vent about a ttc bus route issue:

I live in markham near mccowan and steeles, very near to the 53 steeles bus route

They recently changed the route so that it no longer turns left at mccowan rd (coming into markham proper) and take elson across to markham rd, at which point it heads back towards steeles and on to finch station.

While I can sort of understand WHY they did this, I feel this was a bad change because elson was residential street with alot of people using the bus. Steeles ave in that stretch has very little bus usage (there is no where to get off between mccowan and middlefield except milliken park); between middlefield and markham rd, there is again little actual bus usage (stops are at shoppers drug mart, a gas station/walmart)...very frustrating that the route was altered in this way.

I felt they had it right before...1/2 the regular/express buses came onto elson rd, and half stayed on steeles.

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The only service that was removed in the area, was on roads outside of Toronto. Neither York Region nor Markham were paying TTC to provide this service, unlike every other TTC route that enters York Region.

The decision and justification were laid out in http://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Com...2013/July_24/Reports/53_Steeles_East_and_.pdf

I'm sure some Markham residents might well be inconvenienced ... though as TTC pointed out, York Region already has service on this street. Route 2 - Milliken - which also seems to avoid Milliken GO station.

Probably best to complain to your councillor. Complaining to TTC won't have any use, as TTC has little mandate to provide on-street service outside of Toronto.

As for the Steeles express bus not stopping at the GO station. Seems to me that a complaint to TTC Customer Service is in order ... stopping there seems like a no-brainer!

nfitz said:

The only service that was removed in the area, was on roads outside of Toronto. Neither York Region nor Markham were paying TTC to provide this service, unlike every other TTC route that enters York Region.

The decision and justification were laid out in http://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Com...2013/July_24/Reports/53_Steeles_East_and_.pdf

I'm sure some Markham residents might well be inconvenienced ... though as TTC pointed out, York Region already has service on this street. Route 2 - Milliken - which also seems to avoid Milliken GO station.

Probably best to complain to your councillor. Complaining to TTC won't have any use, as TTC has little mandate to provide on-street service outside of Toronto.

As for the Steeles express bus not stopping at the GO station. Seems to me that a complaint to TTC Customer Service is in order ... stopping there seems like a no-brainer!

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I know it was markham service removed...and i understand markham/york wasnt paying anything, but I feel like the ttc is cutting the nose to spite the face:

Approximately 2,300 customer-trips are made each day at stops on the 53 STEELES EAST
on-street loop on Elson Street. Some of these customers, who live on or north of Elson Street,
would have a longer walk to or from their nearest TTC bus stop, which would be on Steeles
Avenue itself. Some customers who live between Elson Street and Steeles Avenue would have
no difference in the overall distance they walk to their nearest bus stop. Approximately 390
customer-trips each day begin at stops on Elson Street to travel westbound, and these customers
would have a faster trip, because they would no longer have to travel around the loop before
heading west. Approximately 480 customer-trips each day end at westbound stops on Steeles
Avenue, between Markham Road and McCowan Road, and these customers would have a faster
trip, as they would alight from an eastbound bus on Steeles Avenue, instead of riding around the
Elson on-street loop before getting to their stop.
Approximately 700 customer-trips are made on the 53 STEELES EAST service, which currently
operates eastbound on Steeles Avenue between McCowan Road and Markham Road. These
customers would have more-frequent service. As development increases along and south of
Steeles Avenue, the number of customers who would benefit from this routing change will
increase.
This route change would have no impact on the TTC’s operating budget.
York Region Transit service is currently provided along Elson Street, and this service would
continue.

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Its plain to me that more people are inconvenienced by this change than are better served by it. What's more, I imagine most of those inconvenienced aren't going to walk to steeles for the bus..i know its not suitable for my family...so i think that in net the ttc is just going to lose fares from this change...the rationale of yrt not paying anything is weak, and like i said speaks to the lack of integration and coordination in our transit systems that is a systemic problem

I do appreciate being linked to the report though, as I didnt know the justification before. I could understand if destinations/demand between mccowan and markham was really there, but coming from someone thats actually used this bus, there certainly isnt to justify this change.

Being a city of toronto taxpayer as well, how can I voice my concern the next time a meeting on this is held?

lets be honest...yrt other than viva sucks..its more expensive and less frequent...and the 2 milliken takes a strange route to finch station that takes it north/west before coming back south

Being in Markham, I guess ill try getting in touch with my councilor