407 Transitway

[299 bloor call control.]

Any sense on how these services will be different? (And who will be running the Transitway-only service -- is that GO, too?)

I don't think it's been set in stone, it will likely be a GO service, but I think they're leaving their options open on the operator. I think there's a high probability that it might be siphoned off a la Viva to create a distinct brand for the service.

Based on the RTP and on some plans I've seen, it is extremely likely the407 Transitway services will link to Pearson, Square One, Brampton CC

 

[Railization]

I beleive the 300-series YRT express buses would use the transitway, seeing as how they use the 407 today.

 

[cowpie]

There is some interesting news in the paper today about this otherwise mysterious project.

http://www.yorkregion.com/article/90734

Hwy. 407 transit lanes back on planning table

Regional News
April 17, 2009 01:22 PM


David Fleischer
There are a lot of bold plans for public transit in the 905 but one of the biggest is still to come.

Viva has secured funding for its network of bus lanes along Hwy. 7 and Yonge Street, the Spadina subway extension is fully funded and approval for the Yonge extension could come soon.

Lost in the shuffle is the 407 Transitway, an express regional transit network in which buses will run along their own road.

Space for a median transitway was reserved in the original 407 plans but lost when the highway was privatized.

The new alignment runs right alongside that right-of-way, occasionally venturing into it.

...

 

[BMO]

it says it will be built with plans to possibly convert it to LRT. Does anyone know how fast LRTs can reach? Like can they go up to 100km/h in a secluded corridor like the 407 transitway?

 

[RedRocket191]

it says it will be built with plans to possibly convert it to LRT. Does anyone know how fast LRTs can reach? Like can they go up to 100km/h in a secluded corridor like the 407 transitway?

The SD-160s used in Edmonton can do 105 km/h, but consider this. Buses have the advantage of being able to leave and enter the corridor at will. You couldn't do the same type of service profile you have now with LRT. It's one of the things that has made the Ottawa Transitway successful.

 

[Rainforest]

The SD-160s used in Edmonton can do 105 km/h, but consider this. Buses have the advantage of being able to leave and enter the corridor at will. You couldn't do the same type of service profile you have now with LRT. It's one of the things that has made the Ottawa Transitway successful.

That's true; however, taking into account the proposed wide stop spacing, it would be possible to tunnel LRT tracks off the transitway into the station and then back into the transitway. That would substantially cut the time needed to service a station, compared to buses taking the exit ramp etc.

The proposed 2 min bus frequency makes one consider an LRT implementation from the onset. Of course, it is possible that they greatly overestimate the demand for the service. The ridership projections come entirely from some kind of modeling, as the existing 407 GO bus service comes nowhere near the 2 min frequency. Due to that risk, it might be prudent to start with a BRT transitway, and contemplate its upgrade to LRT if the demand warrants it.

 

[BMO]

does anybody know if maybe the speed limit will be increased for the transitways considering the driver would not have to worry about other cars or drivers, I was wondering if maybe the speed limit might max at about 110 or 120 possibly rather than 100km/h?

 

[catcher_of_cats]

does anybody know if maybe the speed limit will be increased for the transitways considering the driver would not have to worry about other cars or drivers, I was wondering if maybe the speed limit might max at about 110 or 120 possibly rather than 100km/h?

I doubt that the province will allow anything faster then 100km/h since nothing in this province has been that speed in decades. Vehicle speed regulators could be an issue here.

 

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

I doubt that the province will allow anything faster then 100km/h since nothing in this province has been that speed in decades. Vehicle speed regulators could be an issue here.

The PDF presentation is online here, including the preferred alignment.

I was at the presentation and I believe they said the road DESIGN will be for 100 km/h or 110 km/h. I presume the buses will run close to that but they're clearly trying to balance speed with how many stops they need to make (the York Region section was cut from 11 to 7 stations).

Given the 65km/h average WITH stops, one has to assume they'll be running up near that limit. Yonge St is the only station where they have to pull off the street.

They gave the sense that LRT is much further down the line but one councilor asked about high-speed trains in China and was basically told the Transitway will have stops about every 4 km so there is only so fast they can go.

Anyway, this is the first real detail I've seen on this thing.

 

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

They announced the PIC's.

May 26 at Black Creek Pioneer Village and May 28 at Premiere Ballroom in Richmond Hill. Both go from 4 to 8 pm.

 

[xtremesniper]

They announced the PIC's.

May 26 at Black Creek Pioneer Village and May 28 at Premiere Ballroom in Richmond Hill. Both go from 4 to 8 pm.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely try to get there. For PICs, it's just a drop in kind of event, right? No actual presentation?

 

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely try to get there. For PICs, it's just a drop in kind of event, right? No actual presentation?

Yeah. The notice says, "the PIC will consist of an informal drop-in centre," and there will be the usual panels with info about past studies, needs and justification, objectives, station sites, routing etc. Staff and consultants on hand to answer questions yadda yadda.

If anyone wants contact info, at the MTO it's Robb H. Minnes (robb.minnes@ontario.ca) or George Ivanoff (george.ivanof@ontario.ca).

 

[Mike in TO]

Public meetings are being held this week. The Ministry of Transportation plans for the transitway to ultimately run alongside the 407 from the FreemanI nterchange in Burlington to the Highway 35/115 interchange in Clarington, for a total of 150 kilometres. The public meetings currently being held are part of the planning and preliminary design EA. The EA covers only the initial 23 km of the transitway, to run between Highway 400 and Kennedy Road. The current plan is for a BRT, however the province is considering making
provisions to convert the road to accommodate LRT in the future. The transitway will include stations, parking lots and an operations, maintenance and storage facility.

 

[Disparishun]

Public meetings are being held this week. The Ministry of Transportation plans for the transitway to ultimately run alongside the 407 from the FreemanI nterchange in Burlington to the Highway 35/115 interchange in Clarington, for a total of 150 kilometres. The public meetings currently being held are part of the planning and preliminary design EA. The EA covers only the initial 23 km of the transitway, to run between Highway 400 and Kennedy Road. The current plan is for a BRT, however the province is considering making provisions to convert the road to accommodate LRT in the future. The transitway will include stations, parking lots and an operations, maintenance and storage facility.

Maybe it's just summer silly season creeping up on me, but I can't help but wonder: how much extra would it cost to add an adjacent separated bikeway?

 

[DavidH]

Public meetings are being held this week. The Ministry of Transportation plans for the transitway to ultimately run alongside the 407 from the FreemanI nterchange in Burlington to the Highway 35/115 interchange in Clarington...

It's worth noting that the 407 East extension EA has been dealing with the transitway east of Brock Road in Pickering and the facilities described in your summary (stations, maintenance facilities) have been allocated as part of the EA. Also, the two north-south connector highways between the 401 and 407 in Whitby and in Clarington will have transitway implementations as well.

It's reasonable to assume that the work in the east will be similar to what will be done on other other sections of the highway, so interested readers may want to look at the 407 east route maps at http://www.407eastea.com/pic5.html. The transitway facilities are all in purple.