Brampton Transit/Zum

[Brampton Mom]

If they build the LRT, I'd like to see them close the same section they close for the Brampton Farmer's Market. The street parking is a bottle neck and the sidewalks are too small. Drivers seem to think they should be able to get through there at 50kmh when 10-20kmh would be more reasonable. The cars are the nuisance. Just an LRT, pedestrians and cyclists should be there.

 

[DKsan]

Sort of late, but last week, Brampton Transit unleashed a set of service improvements, starting on the 18th.

18 DIXIE
• Minor schedule adjustments to the weekday evening schedule (read: this ended up turning the 7-10 pm period from 30 minute frequency to 20 minute frequency AKA mid day service levels )

23 SANDALWOOD
• 2:28 pm westbound trip added to begin at Highway 50

51/51A STEELES WEST
•Weekday, Saturday and Sunday schedules adjusted to improve service reliability

53 OAKLEA
•Weekday, Saturday and Sunday schedules adjusted to improve service reliability

54 JAMES POTTER
•Weekday, Saturday and Sunday schedules adjusted to improve service reliability

And this was announced today:
Route 50 Gore Road Extension
Start: Wednesday, March 6, 2013
End: Monday, April 1, 2013

Route 50 Gore Road will be extended to the new Gore Meadows Community Center, located on The Gore Road, north of Castlemore Road.
MAP

 

[doady]

If they build the LRT, I'd like to see them close the same section they close for the Brampton Farmer's Market. The street parking is a bottle neck and the sidewalks are too small. Drivers seem to think they should be able to get through there at 50kmh when 10-20kmh would be more reasonable. The cars are the nuisance. Just an LRT, pedestrians and cyclists should be there.

Main Street is the only north-south throughfare in Downtown Brampton, I don't think closing it permanently to cars is a good idea. If there really is not enough space on Main, then have the LRT loop in downtown as was originally proposed.

 

[drum118]

Main Street is the only north-south throughfare in Downtown Brampton, I don't think closing it permanently to cars is a good idea. If there really is not enough space on Main, then have the LRT loop in downtown as was originally proposed.

I support the removal of on street parking south the the RR bridge and running the LRT in mix traffic. There is very little lost in the way of operation for running the line in mix traffic in the city centre. You can widen the sidewalks since they should be in the first place as well when other development take place there for residents.

When the line get extended north to the city limit in 25 years, you are going to need the line go under the bridge. By rights, the line should stop on the north side of the bridge when the line is built as it will feed the GO Station in the first place and cheaper than various option proposed for it.

Don't support moving the line either east or west as proposed by various group, as well the option for the west side.

The Farmer market can be relocated to the square.

 

[Transportfan]

Today I had an issue with a driver who refused to accept a specially-punched, issued in York Region (boarded at Steeles on 105 Dufferin North), TTC transfer at Queen and Kennedy. I was sort of expecting it. When I transferred to the Viva Purple and then to the 501 Zum at York U, the Zum driver said the transfer would be accepted in Brampton. I was skeptical, and sure enough, the driver wouldn't take it, even after pointing out the numerous punches on the transfer. He relented and let me stay on, but told me to "not give me anymore bullshit transfers."

It goes to show how little some bus drivers know.

But then again. the transfer issued was from the 104 Faywood. That seems like a wrong transfer for the Dufferin North bus. Is there a special case for that route?

 

[Evening]

According to the transfer policy on the Brampton Transit website transfers from TTC ("zone 3" punched transfers only) must be accepted by Brampton Transit drivers anywhere in Brampton. Now I do remember when I contacted Brampton when they got their new policy and asked them what the expiry time for the TTC transfers were, they said something about 45 minutes (or something like that -- dont remember the exact amount but it wasnt over 1 hour). Possibly that is the reason you were refused?

Most likely the driver was just ignorant of the transfer policy. I suggest you email BT just to clarify the expiry time of a TTC zone 3 transfer and possibly let them know the time, route, and location that this happened so that the driver can be reminded on the policy.

This used to happen all the time before they got the new transfer policy but afterwards it appeared that the drivers all knew what they were doing in regards to this.

 

[Transportfan]

Forty-five minutes isn't enough time to get hardly anywhere from York Region to Brampton to transfer. It took me about 90 minutes from Dufferin & Steeles. The validity period should be for an estimated trip time.

 

[DKsan]

PDF of the presentation of the 2013 Annual Service plan for the PICs is up: HERE

Changes:
23 Sandalwood will extend to Creditview Road and then go south to Mt. Pleasant GO. In the east, will go right to Hwy 50 before moving south.

4/4A Chingacousy extended north to Wanless Road. An option to keep the route soley on Chingacousy Road or to divert it onto Drinkwater Road.

12 Grenoble has two option for an entension north. One would be northward extension on Bramalea into a new bus loop in the commerical centre being built there. The other option is giant one-way loop going north on Bramalea, east on Mayfield (!!!) and south on Torbram.

29 William will be aligned to Sun Pac Road.

35 Clarkway realigned. Will loop in the south east end as usually, go up to Clarkway, travel east-west on Castlemore Road and then loop at Castlemore-Airport-Cotrelle-Humberwest.

56 Springbrook, which was just a feed route to Mt. Pleasant GO will be extended to the Flower City Campus, via Royal W Drive (north-south road) and Queen Street.

NEW 58 Financial Drive, which is a one way local loop serving the business area there.

Additional peak period service on all 3 Zum routes, as well as additional mid-day service on the 501/A Queen, weekday evenings on the 511 Steeles move from 20 minute to 15 minutes.

4/A Chingacousy moves to 8 minute combined frequency during peak.
7 Kennedy moves to 15 minute frequency during mid-day and Saturday.
15/A Bramalea moves to combined frequency of 15 minutes during mid-day.
23 Sandalwood become 30 minute frequency all days of the week in the evening.
29 William does the same as the 23.
31 McVean receives 60 minute Saturday day service.
35 Clarkway receives 50 minutes (UGH) weekday mid-day service.
50 Goreway goes to 15 minute peak service.
56 Springbrook receives 60 minute Saturday service.
51A Lisgar GO receives additional trips.

Also included are two options for the 2014 505 Bovaird Zum Launch.
Option one is from Mt. Pleasant GO to a loop using the commerical plaza at Airport/Bovaird.
Option two is from Mt. Pleasant GO to Humberwest Parkway, where it goes south and connects to the 501 Queen at Queen Street and loops on-road.

 

[ShonTron]

Pros and cons in this relatively unexciting set of changes. It's still all improvements, though, no YRT-like bloodletting.

The core routes are strengthened with frequency improvements - and the 23 and 29 are fully in the 30-minute minimum club. The core grid system is better than ever.

Brampton has trouble with the fringe routes, though like the 56, which has limited off-peak service and terminates short of downtown. The non-clockface schedules of the outlying routes like 31 and 35 are also frustrating. I'd also like to see the 50 go to even 30, rather than it's crazy 35 minute base headway.

The 58 - a strange circuit - seems to be more of an appendage to Mississauga's system, I'd rather it go up Mississauga Road to Mount Pleasant Station and rework with the 56 and make both more useful.

The 505 certainly should go to Queen Street - that's a crucial connecting point.

 

[TOareaFan]

The 505 certainly should go to Queen Street - that's a crucial connecting point.

The 505 going down to Queen seems to make sense. Certainly would make it easier for people in the north end of town to get to York University (now) and the Subway (in the future) by taking the 505 to a connection with the 501....on the same basis, though, I wonder if it could not also go down to Steeles and connect with that Zum? Then, off course, you wonder why not take it all the way to the airport?

I do think that eventually a Zum route from the airport up airport road would be a good route....a straight route (looping through the Malton GO station for fun) from the airport up to the north end of Brampton would connect with all 3 east west Zum Routes and provide a pretty decent way for Bramptonians to get to Pearson from just about anywhere in town....would also serve the employment lands between 407 and North Park.

 

[DKsan]

TOareafan: Under the city's transportation master plan, a Zum corridor on Airport Road has always been in the works, though after 2016.

However, it was always entertained as an extension of the 505 Bovaird, as opposed to its own route...

 

[Evening]

I am happy to see the 15's midday frequency doubled.

I feel like eventually the 11 and 51; 1 and 56; 5 and 35 would eventually be merged with their "companion" route when there is enough development. This should allow for further strengthening of our grid system.

@TOareaFan, according to a comment I saw on BTZum's fb page, the plan is to eventually have a route down Bramalea or Airport Rd that goes to Pearson. They said this could be an extension of the 505.

People in north Brampton going to York U or York Region are going to be really happy about the 505 (if it connects to Queen), it should really cut the commute time down especially with the express run down Humberwest.

The area I think Brampton should also focus on is trying make the radial/wonky community and industrial routes be more efficient designed. I have heard some people here talk about two way service on Rutherford and West Drive to replace the 10 and 40 and that seems like a good place to start. For the radial routes that can't be gridlined, it would be nice if they can differentiate them from the grid system somehow (possibly giving them a 300 route number) so that we have Zum routes with a set of minimum standards, grid routes with a set of minimum standards, and "community" routes that have varying standards.

 

[TOareaFan]

TOareafan: Under the city's transportation master plan, a Zum corridor on Airport Road has always been in the works, though after 2016.

However, it was always entertained as an extension of the 505 Bovaird, as opposed to its own route...

@TOareaFan, according to a comment I saw on BTZum's fb page, the plan is to eventually have a route down Bramalea or Airport Rd that goes to Pearson. They said this could be an extension of the 505.

People in north Brampton going to York U or York Region are going to be really happy about the 505 (if it connects to Queen), it should really cut the commute time down especially with the express run down Humberwest.

Thanks guys.

I am no transportation expert so I was worried that extending the 505 all the way to the airport might make that too long for a single line/route and might cause service issues. In any event good to hear/see that Zuming to the airport is in the plans.

Even though a walk to a 505 stop for me is real easy, I would have added the additional north/south route on Airport road first (connecting with the Steeles and Queen routes) for a bit of balance (when 505 launches there will be 1 n/s route and 3 e/w routes.) but knowing that, eventually (and 2016 is not really that far off) I will be a short walk and a single ride on a comfy Zum bus at municipal transit fares from the airport is kinda cool.....not too many municipalities can offer that to their constituents!

 

[DKsan]

http://www.brampton.ca/en/Business/planning-development/Documents/PLD/TransPl/2009/TTMP%20Final%20Report%20March%202010%20part3.pdf shows the ultimate transit masterplan. See the potential for Bramalea and Airport, as well as further north on Main, Mississauga Road (now part of the 501/A west extension), as well as a further west extension for the 511 Steeles (I've heard as far as Milton, though I doubt that).

 

[doady]

BRT for Bovaird seems excessive. What are the busiest corridors right now? Queen, Steeles, Main, Kennedy, Dixie, McMurchy... Bovaird isn't even top 5. You don't need BRT or LRT everywhere. That was the fact lost upon the people who came up with VIVA and Transit City, and Zum is the same. "Rapid transit" along Mississauga Rd? Don't make me laugh. And I can't help but notice they are not planning at all to make use of 407 Transitway (a real BRT corridor).