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407 Transitway

BMO

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I've been trying to find info on the proposed 407 transitway that I keep hearing about but cannot find very much on it, I was wondering if anyone else knows of more info on this project or anything? seeing as how ths is supposed to turn into a really important east-west route in the future apprently.
 
The first PICs to launch the Environmental Assessment are coming up next month for the first section of 407 Transitway between Jane St (407 Transitway Subway Station) to Unionville GO Station, so watch for those.
 
Is it really going to be called 407 Transitway? Isnt there a better name they could give the station?
 
It's actually "407 Station" rather than "407 Transitway Station" internally. Some people have called it the latter in the past, but the former has been formally adopted.
 
It's confusing, though, insofar as the 407 Transitway subway stop will be perched at one particular point on a long 407 Transitway.
You mean, like the way that Bloor station is poised at one particular point along Bloor, or Queen station is at one particular point along Queen? ;-)

Sorry, but this approach to station naming is well established in Toronto.
 
Sorry, but this approach to station naming is well established in Toronto.
In which case, perhaps it should be 407 Transitway West - as in Sheppard West, Finch West, and Steeles West.

The problem is apart from the Transitway, there isn't much there on Jane, south of the 407. It's still farm fields on the west, and Beechwood Cemetery on the east. Beechwood?

What's the eventual land-use to the west? There must be some road coming in off Jane evenutally - perhaps the road and the station should share a name!
 
You mean, like the way that Bloor station is poised at one particular point along Bloor, or Queen station is at one particular point along Queen? ;-)

Sorry, but this approach to station naming is well established in Toronto.

Do you mean to say that, if it is well established, it shouldn't matter whether it is confusing? If so, I must disagree.
 
In which case, perhaps it should be 407 Transitway West - as in Sheppard West, Finch West, and Steeles West.
TTC has never used a "west" or "east" designation without first having a station without such a designation, though. Using it at the 407 might then confuse people who can't figure out where the 407 Centre or 407 East stations are. Still, it's an idea worthy of consideration.

In general, I'm of the view that people adapt to the nomenclature that's used, and that what really matters for station names is that they be unique. Beyond that, people resort to maps and other sources of information to figure out exactly which station to use and so forth.
 
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Do you mean to say that, if it is well established, it shouldn't matter whether it is confusing? If so, I must disagree.
I didn't say that at all - but if it's an issue at the 407, it's an issue with the majority of the stations on the TTC system, and riders seem to manage to figure out where they are.
 
I didn't say that at all - but if it's an issue at the 407, it's an issue with the majority of the stations on the TTC system, and riders seem to manage to figure out where they are.

Oh, I see. You're saying that having the 407 Transitway subway stop perched at one particular point on a long 407 Transitway will not, in fact, be confusing to anyone -- and that we know this because a long-standing practice in place at Queen and at Bloor is not confusing to anyone, either.

I guess I disagree on both counts. I find it confusing and I know folks who have been confused by it at Queen and Bloor. (They have generally been tourists or others who do not ride the system regularly, so possibly they just don't matter.) Similarly, this thread used to be about the 407 Transitway (I mean the highway BRT) and now it is about the 407 Transitway (I mean the subway stop) because, well, they have exactly the same name.

Queen and Bloor are, indeed, long-standing station names. It sounds quixotical to want to start renaming things when we have bigger fish to fry. But if you're building a brand new subway station that doesn't yet have a name, why not give it a name that isn't likely to be confusing to anyone? There's no cost involved -- it's not like we're renaming a subway station with a long-standing name or identity. It's a station that does not exist.

In general, I'm of the view that people adapt to the nomenclature that's used, and that what really matters for station names is that they be unique.

I will assume you mean unique with respect to other transit stops of the same mode on the same line, as opposed to unique among transit solutions. (Case in point being 407 Transitway and 407 Transitway, I guess.)
 
But if you're building a brand new subway station that doesn't yet have a name, why not give it a name that isn't likely to be confusing to anyone? There's no cost involved -- it's not like we're renaming a subway station with a long-standing name or identity. It's a station that does not exist.
Okay, so let's go with 407 Transitway West. Does that tell me if it's at Jane or Islington or in Burlington? I can't see how confusion is even marginally eliminated here. If I have to pick from the two choices, then, I prefer the one that is simpler and eliminates the possible confusion of where the missing non-west station is located.

The better solution is to do pick names that uniquely identify specific places. This can be done with intersection-based names (407-Jane or something like that) or neighbourhood-based names (which don't seem useful for a station whose primary value lies in a connection to a BRT mode running along a highway). Or we can accept that "407 transitway" does clearly identify the one critical point for this station: that it provides a connection to transitway routes.

I'm not against clear names, despite your attempts to characterize my position as such. What I'm against is needlessly-complex names that violate existing naming procedures all the while adding no extra value. Much better to come up with names that actually are clear and useful.
 
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407 Transitway West would be even more confusing for passangers, seeing as a 407 Transitway, and 407 Transitway East stations will not exist. Let's take the Yonge North extension. The stop nearest the 407 will be called Langstaff/Longbridge, not after the Transitway.
 

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