Liberty Village Crowd-funded bus?

[nfitz]

The trains are not at their doorstep. Platform 27 is not Union Station. From liberty Village, GO is garbage.

This is part of the reason using John Tory's SmartTrack as a replacement for the DRL won't actually work. (though it's not a bad idea in addition to the DRL).

That being said, I find the GO is a good way to get to Liberty Village in PM rushhour - even though I have to walk to Union from King and Sherbourne! I've checked more than once and still get to King and Atlantic quicker than the streetcar that I see when I start.

 

[Johnny Au]

It would be interesting to see the power of crowdfunding.

The TTC would have to compete with the likes of Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

 

[pstogios]

I can't believe the press these guys are getting. This is such a dumb idea because it totally breaks down when you factor in the traffic congestion on all possible routes from LV to Union. Why would anyone pay *more* than the TTC or GO to get stuck in traffic?

 

[Johnny Au]

I can't believe the press these guys are getting. This is such a dumb idea because it totally breaks down when you factor in the traffic congestion on all possible routes from LV to Union. Why would anyone pay *more* than the TTC or GO to get stuck in traffic?

Perhaps because the seats are comfier and that the coach buses have washrooms.

 

[TOareaFan]

Perhaps because the seats are comfier and that the coach buses have washrooms.

they should put washrooms on the GO....oops.

of course if you took the 10 minute train rather than the 20 minute bus then perhaps access to washrooms would be less of an issue.

 

[Tuscani01]

I can't believe the press these guys are getting. This is such a dumb idea because it totally breaks down when you factor in the traffic congestion on all possible routes from LV to Union. Why would anyone pay *more* than the TTC or GO to get stuck in traffic?

I did the drive for a year, and there are much less congested routes to Union than the routes most people take. In fact, one of their proposed routes is one of the routes I used regularly (Wellington). That, in addition to no stops means they will still be much faster. The walk to the GO station isn't easy for most of LV. The pickup spot for this bus is more central.

 

[dowlingm]

I've been wondering for some time whether TTC can be poked into using Springhurst Loop (Dufferin south of King) more, such as by extending 502/503 to turn back there, to add capacity along Queen/King West and into this vicinity. Not a gamechanger but it might help, and a desire to squash the slicing and dicing of TTC ridership by private disruptors might move the needle on it.

I do recognise that it would require additional cars to cover the extra running length on each route, but if the next council committed to fleet expansion to the 264 cars Andy wants then the pace of disposal of existing cars could reflect this, with fleet size gradually rising as more operators became available. Not sure what the net impact of moving turning cars from the core over to Dufferin would be - hoping for at least a wash.

As a side effect, if TTC short turned the 502/503 at their current loop points that would beat short turning them before the core as happens now...

 

[Jonny5]

This is part of the reason using John Tory's SmartTrack as a replacement for the DRL won't actually work. (though it's not a bad idea in addition to the DRL).

That being said, I find the GO is a good way to get to Liberty Village in PM rush hour - even though I have to walk to Union from King and Sherbourne! I've checked more than once and still get to King and Atlantic quicker than the streetcar that I see when I start.

It's true, PM and AM are a whole different animal. There's little to no congestion in the AM. King Street is deserted until about 8:15am. Queen never really gets busy. The afternoon rush is much different. I theorize it's because the choke points at the perimeter of downtown (Gardiner ramps especially) keep congestion out of the city centre in the AM and keep it inside in the PM.

 

[TOareaFan]

It's true, PM and AM are a whole different animal. There's little to no congestion in the AM. King Street is deserted until about 8:15am. Queen never really gets busy. The afternoon rush is much different. I theorize it's because the choke points at the perimeter of downtown (Gardiner ramps especially) keep congestion out of the city centre in the AM and keep it inside in the PM.

That and the fact that (contrary to popular opinion) the restrictions on left hand turns are known and respected by the vast majority of the drivers out there....so if your destination is north of King very few will drive along King to get there.

When I drive, I typically come along adelaide....with adelaide down to 1 lane at Simcoe now it is a nightmare....so now I use Queen even though it is north of where I am headed but I can turn right to go south again.

That aside...if King is so "deserted" why does the streetcar not work for these folks? A deserted King street should allow the King streetcars to move with a certain degree of rapidity.

 

[Tuscani01]

That and the fact that (contrary to popular opinion) the restrictions on left hand turns are known and respected by the vast majority of the drivers out there....so if your destination is north of King very few will drive along King to get there.

When I drive, I typically come along adelaide....with adelaide down to 1 lane at Simcoe now it is a nightmare....so now I use Queen even though it is north of where I am headed but I can turn right to go south again.

That aside...if King is so "deserted" why does the streetcar not work for these folks? A deserted King street should allow the King streetcars to move with a certain degree of rapidity.

He said King is deserted until around 8:15. Most people start work around 9. Hence the issue. It's true that King is pretty easy to get through before 8, but so are most streets in the city.

 

[TOareaFan]

He said King is deserted until around 8:15. Most people start work around 9. Hence the issue. It's true that King is pretty easy to get through before 8, but so are most streets in the city.

half of the 4 trips this private bus is scheduled to have would leave LV before 8

 

[Tuscani01]

half of the 4 trips this private bus is scheduled to have would leave LV before 8

Doesn't mean the earlier times are in demand. They will be adjusting service to meet demand after piloting the program.

 

[Jonny5]

That aside...if King is so "deserted" why does the streetcar not work for these folks? A deserted King street should allow the King streetcars to move with a certain degree of rapidity.

It is pretty well documented by Steve Munro that the King car fares much better in the AM peak than the PM peak with schedule adherence. The problem with capacity is simple: there are simply not enough streetcars to meet service demand. Even the TTC admits this is the problem. 100% of the available fleet has been scheduled for AM peak service for sometime now, and the available fleet shrinks every year due to accidents and new maintenance issues, and the demand goes up every year due to new construction. Plus I'm sure you know that crush-loaded streetcars take significantly more time at stops, of which there are many.

 

[TOareaFan]

It is pretty well documented by Steve Munro that the King car fares much better in the AM peak than the PM peak with schedule adherence.

That is observable even when not on the streetcar....but since this private bus is only scheduled to operate in the a.m. peak (between 7 and 9:15) the only thing that is relevant in determining if it is worth paying $5 for a private bus ride is how the streetcars operate in the a.m. peak.

 

[Tuscani01]

That is observable even when not on the streetcar....but since this private bus is only scheduled to operate in the a.m. peak (between 7 and 9:15) the only thing that is relevant in determining if it is worth paying $5 for a private bus ride is how the streetcars operate in the a.m. peak.

Again, it is just a pilot. If it is successful, they will likely add a PM route.