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TTC: New Fare Gate Installation

More seriously on topic.

I've had concerns about the new faregate fragility from accidental faregate door-forcing.

But recently, I almost ran through a faregate (exiting a station in a hurry) but it opened fully on time when I accidentally semi-jogged-through (super brisk walk still with too much momentum, slowing myself down too late) before I bumped hard into hesistating doors. Which, alas, I have done before, accidentally as a klutz myself. Maybe once every six weeks by accident.

But a few times recently, the faregate just whooshes right open on time, with no delay, despite my speed, seemingly faster than I remember.

Is it my imagination, but are some faregates opening a wee bit faster?
If so, is it just the newer installations or newer firmware?
Or am I just imagining things?

EDIT: Also -- with the new faregate / vending machine / Presto infrastructure piggybacking on the same new Internet backbone infrastructure that TCONNECT also piggybacks off, one thing I noticed recently is that TCONNECT is now authenticating faster on iOS devices than it used to. My messages/twitter/emails burst out during a subway ride everytime I go through a station -- it keeps auto-reconnecting to TCONNECT before the train slows down and data transfers now begin before the train fully stops and doors opens -- pretty neat -- as long as the train is not too crowded. With the longer connected time surges, I now even have time to load a new Safari browser tab (or three) sometimes, for reading between stations. I wonder what TTC or TCONNECT changed to improve WiFi auto-reconnection performance, or if that was an Apple update that did that. (Now, TTC, how about getting data reception in the tunnels or even directly on the train...)
 
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New fare gates have arrived at St. Patrick awaiting installation. Only one side of gates though.
 
mdrejhon said:
I wonder what TTC or TCONNECT changed to improve WiFi auto-reconnection performance, or if that was an Apple update that did that. (Now, TTC, how about getting data reception in the tunnels or even directly on the train...)
Click to expand...

It's an Apple software thing. Android phones have always been a lot faster in connecting than iPhones. I'm guessing Apple closed the gap a bit. And wi-fi & cell reception has to come from the train itself, it wouldn't work if they put it in the tunnels. From what I understand, cell reception is currently being tested & installed but wi-fi isn't coming for a few years. BAI wants to entice the big cell companies to pay them for reception in tunnels, and the cell companies don't have any reason to do so if free wi-fi is available.
 
mdrejhon said:
More seriously on topic.

I've had concerns about the new faregate fragility from accidental faregate door-forcing.

But recently, I almost ran through a faregate (exiting a station in a hurry) but it opened fully on time when I accidentally semi-jogged-through (super brisk walk still with too much momentum, slowing myself down too late) before I bumped hard into hesistating doors. Which, alas, I have done before, accidentally as a klutz myself. Maybe once every six weeks by accident.

But a few times recently, the faregate just whooshes right open on time, with no delay, despite my speed, seemingly faster than I remember.
Click to expand...

There are also some fare gates that are only plexiglass and others have stickers attached. I wonder if they have found any difference in the breakage of one vs the other.

I also noticed that the accessible gates break more often than the other gates (due to the size they open slower). Have they thought about locating them in the least traffic-ed area to minimize their usage? (they are currently on the ends and at some stations the most used). At least for new installs.

Or at least using blue paint on the floor to try and subconsciously steer people away from them (or slow them down)
 
Blue paint good. Big blue square with a white wheelchair logo in it.

Or even just solid blue, just like a bottomless pit full of water you don't want to fall through.

Momentarily stun sheeple (including me).

"Duh, I'm not supposed to go through the accessible gate, much like I can't park in an accessible space"
"Oh. It doesn't matter here." (Walks forward slowly and cautiously)
 
mdrejhon said:
Blue paint good. Momentarily stun sheeple (including me).

"Duh, I'm not supposed to go through the accessible gate, much like I can't park in an accessible space" .... "Oh, it doesn't matter." (Walks forward slowly and cautiously)
Click to expand...

LED strip would be even better. Almost nothing is more Pavlov than red/stop green/go.

AoD
 
mdrejhon said:
Blue paint good. Big blue square with a white wheelchair logo in it.

Or even just solid blue, just like a bottomless pit full of water you don't want to fall through.

Momentarily stun sheeple (including me).

"Duh, I'm not supposed to go through the accessible gate, much like I can't park in an accessible space"
"Oh. It doesn't matter here." (Walks forward slowly and cautiously)
Click to expand...

I mean it's not even in the same realm as parking in an accessible space which forces someone with a disability to use an inaccessible spot. Walking through an accessible gate does not prevent or take away the opportunity for a person with a disability to exit from an accessible gate. It's not against the law to use an elevator which is meant for persons with disabilities, and it's not against the law to push the button that automatically opens a conventional door to exit a building, nor is it against the law to stand on studded sidewalk corners (meant for the visually impaired). I don't understand where this notion that it makes any sense to dedicate an entire exit solely for the handicapped comes from. The beauty about accessibility is they are often improvements that can be used by anyone while also providing a more enhanced accessibility for persons with disabilities. I don't see why we should be encouraging people to exit from anywhere that isn't the quickest route out of the station? I think if accessible entrances are breaking down it says more about the durability of the product or their placement rather than the fact it's not being used correctly.
 
BMO said:
I mean it's not even in the same realm as parking in an accessible space which forces someone with a disability to use an inaccessible spot. Walking through an accessible gate does not prevent or take away the opportunity for a person with a disability to exit from an accessible gate. It's not against the law to use an elevator which is meant for persons with disabilities, and it's not against the law to push the button that automatically opens a conventional door to exit a building, nor is it against the law to stand on studded sidewalk corners (meant for the visually impaired). I don't understand where this notion that it makes any sense to dedicate an entire exit solely for the handicapped comes from. The beauty about accessibility is they are often improvements that can be used by anyone while also providing a more enhanced accessibility for persons with disabilities. I don't see why we should be encouraging people to exit from anywhere that isn't the quickest route out of the station? I think if accessible entrances are breaking down it says more about the durability of the product or their placement rather than the fact it's not being used correctly.
Click to expand...

I haven't really noticed it at other stations, mainly because I often dont have my son in the stroller - but the accessible gates only have Metropass swipes at Main Station and not Presto. Is this just an odd occurrence at Main or something they did in many places. I agree the larger "accessible" gates should be used at any time by anyone. In the odd situation where there is a line up of people trying to enter the station you may have someone who needs the larger gate to line up as well - this doesnt limit their accessibility. Those gates are good for strollers, or adults holding a young child's hand, or even someone with some large bags that may not want to squeeze through the gates.
 
coopEng said:
I haven't really noticed it at other stations, mainly because I often dont have my son in the stroller - but the accessible gates only have Metropass swipes at Main Station and not Presto. Is this just an odd occurrence at Main or something they did in many places. I agree the larger "accessible" gates should be used at any time by anyone. In the odd situation where there is a line up of people trying to enter the station you may have someone who needs the larger gate to line up as well - this doesnt limit their accessibility. Those gates are good for strollers, or adults holding a young child's hand, or even someone with some large bags that may not want to squeeze through the gates.
Click to expand...

At the stations I use regularly the accessible entrances are of the new fare gate variant and they accept presto and will allow you to exit just by walking toward them.
 
coopEng said:
I haven't really noticed it at other stations, mainly because I often dont have my son in the stroller - but the accessible gates only have Metropass swipes at Main Station and not Presto. Is this just an odd occurrence at Main or something they did in many places. I agree the larger "accessible" gates should be used at any time by anyone. In the odd situation where there is a line up of people trying to enter the station you may have someone who needs the larger gate to line up as well - this doesnt limit their accessibility. Those gates are good for strollers, or adults holding a young child's hand, or even someone with some large bags that may not want to squeeze through the gates.
Click to expand...

One of the gates at Main has a Metropass swipe reader, and the other has a Presto reader. Woodbine is set up the same way, as is Coxwell. I would assume that all stations are set up like this.

It seems that what they are trying to do is set up at least two gates for Metropass - an accessible one and a regular one - and all of the rest of the gates are set up for Presto.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
 
smallspy said:
One of the gates at Main has a Metropass swipe reader, and the other has a Presto reader. Woodbine is set up the same way, as is Coxwell. I would assume that all stations are set up like this.

It seems that what they are trying to do is set up at least two gates for Metropass - an accessible one and a regular one - and all of the rest of the gates are set up for Presto.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.
Click to expand...

There is only one large gate at Main - and it does not have Presto.
 
TransitBart said:
Yet.
Quibbling.
Click to expand...
sure, I mean it makes a lot of sense to install new equipment which can only be utilized by old passes - 2 gates one with presto and one with a metropass sure no problem. The whole point of "yet" just shows how poorly done this whole thing has been. I'm sure you didn't care when you got to stations that didn't have presto before and had to wait in line at the collector booth to get change.
 
This whole transition was going to be awkward. I think that everyone who has managed big change knows that indigestion comes with the territory. If you are an observer to big change, then rest assured, no matter how much input, modelling and planning happens, there are always things that come along and perturb the best laid plans. The quality of the transition is often measured by the response to the hiccups,
 
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