TTC: Transit City Bus Plan

[TheTigerMaster]

That's a good proactive way to look at the high-ridership bus routes.

Sure would like to see a north-south route on Kipling.

- Paul

Sorry Paul, going to post it again in a min.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Our transit network poorly serves trips with origin and destination points in the suburbs. These trips make up over half of all trips, yet in most cases, their public transit modal share is less than 20%. None of the options on the table, including the Transit City Bus Plan adequately address this.

My concept to address this problem is to a network of BRT and other enhance bus services. The BRT components would be 110 km in length, costing about $1.7 Billion, serving at least 278,000 trips per day. The length of the entire network is 181 km number of trips serving 403,000 riders per day, about 25% of TTC daily ridership. Total network cost will likely land between $2 and $2.5 Billion

There would be three service levels, depending on right-of-way availability:
BRT = blue, HOV = brown, all door boarding = black

TTC+ BRT

• 100% protected centre-of-road BRT
• Transit Signal Priority
• All Door Boarding w/ fare inspection
• Branded busses (primarily to identify busses with all door boarding0
• Heated shelters
• NextBus displays
• 5 minute or better peak service
• 10 minute or better off peak service
• Length:
• Customers served:

Criteria: All TTC bus routes moving more than 20,000 passengers per day along routes with right-of-ways 36 metres or wider, such that dedicated bus lanes can be added without removing car lanes.

Based on other BRT systems around the region, expected speeds would be 25 to 28 km/h. This is anywhere from a 25% to 40% speed increase compared to regular bus routes it would replace, and up to 25% faster than our current Rocket routes. Improvements in service reliability are harder to quantify, but we’d definitely see less bunching.

Note that the Jane BRT will run along Black Creek Drive to Mt. Dennis Station. This will require a new onramp. Also note the King Street transit mall

TTC+ HOV

• Coloured HOV lanes (similar to green bike lanes)
• HOV lane occupancy requirements would depend on it’s impact on traffic.
• Right turns allowed
• Transit Signal Priority
• Queue jump lanes where possible
• All Door Boarding w/ fare inspection
• Branded busses (primarily to identify busses with all door boarding0
• Heated shelters
• NextBus displays
• 5 minute or better peak service
• 10 minute or better off peak service

Criteria: All TTC bus routes moving more than 20,000 passengers per day along routes with right-of-ways widths between 27 and 36 metres.

Speed improvements will be smaller than the BRT, but we would certainly see improvements in service reliability, bunching and speed

TTC+ ADB

• All Door Boarding w/ fare inspection
• Branded busses (primarily to identify busses with all door boarding
• Queue jump lanes where possible
• Heated shelters
• NextBus displays
• 5 minute or better peak service
• 10 minute or better off peak service

All TTC bus routes moving more than 20,000 passengers per day along routes with right-of-ways widths less than 27 metres



This would be the lowest level service enhancement, for routes that don’t have room for dedicated bus infrastructure. Primary benefits will be reduced bunching thanks to All Door Boarding. Speed enhancements would be about 10%, according to TTC.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

That's a good proactive way to look at the high-ridership bus routes.

Sure would like to see a north-south route on Kipling.

- Paul

Kipling was just below the 20,000 threshold, but I think it would make sense to have on there to fill in the gap in Etobicoke.

 

[Towered]

Kipling was just below the 20,000 threshold, but I think it would make sense to have on there to fill in the gap in Etobicoke.

Absolutely. One of the huge, glaring gaps in Transit city and current plans is the lack of a north-south rapid transit separated ROW (either BRT or LRT) in Etobicoke. Either Kipling or Islington would be ideal.

 

[ehlow]

Makes me wish for more bus priority in Toronto:
- bus lanes
- bus queue jump
- all door boarding
- more articulated buses (the current TTC ones look great)

There are now presto readers at the back door, but I don't think I've seen all door boarding on buses yet, has anyone else?

I'd assume they would do that, otherwise why have the reader on the back door?

 

[W. K. Lis]

To do so requires funding from the city, province, and the feds. Unfortunately, the TTC remains underfunded.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Makes me wish for more bus priority in Toronto:
- bus lanes
- bus queue jump
- all door boarding
- more articulated buses (the current TTC ones look great)

There are now presto readers at the back door, but I don't think I've seen all door boarding on buses yet, has anyone else?

I'd assume they would do that, otherwise why have the reader on the back door?

So Seattle voters agreed to $54 billion over 25 years.

That is a regular $2.16 billion a year to spend on transit.

 

[Johnny Au]

Even Atlantans are unafraid of raising their sales tax by 0.5% to pay for upgrades to the MARTA and the Atlanta Streetcar (and that's in the heart of Trump country).

Why are we afraid?

 

[11th]

Even Atlantans are unafraid of raising their sales tax by 0.5% to pay for upgrades to the MARTA and the Atlanta Streetcar (and that's in the heart of Trump country).

Why are we afraid?

You might also have to ask: why is our government afraid to dedicate 0.5% from the existing HST to pay for municipal transit?