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Brampton Transit/Zum

http://www.bramptonguardian.com/news/cityhall/article/1000929--safety-a-concern-at-terminal

Video link: http://www.bramptonguardian.com/videozone/1000927

I'm not sure but correct me if I'm wrong: this would be the 905's FIRST pedestrian scramble. Would be really nice if implemented because the terminal has been put in the wrong place and pedestrians require to walk a longer distance to reach the mall.

Safety a concern at terminal
By PAM DOUGLAS|May 01, 2011 - 3:04 PM

City staff is recommending a traffic light and “pedestrian scramble†be installed at the new Bramalea Transit Terminal in an effort to once and for all address serious pedestrian safety concerns.
The pedestrian scramble, or “Barnes Danceâ€, is a pedestrian crossing system like no other anywhere else in Brampton. It stops all traffic with the use of a light, and allows pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including diagonally. Add to that, handrails along the sidewalk that will prevent pedestrians from crossing anywhere but at the designated area, and city traffic staff hope to “consolidate the mid-block pedestrian crossing patterns to a single controlled point.â€
Pedstrians have been crossing Team Canada Drive from the new bus terminal willy-nilly ever since the terminal opened officially last September, creating a major safety concern.
Bramalea resident George Startup has been a tireless advocate for improved safety on the site, and his frustration reached a peak just recently when he called for Team Canada Drive to be shut down until a solution could be found.
“You would have thought that a designated crosswalk at the proper location with warning signs/stop signs would have been installed by now,†said Startup, who began sounding the safety alarm when the terminal opened last year. “Just shows how much our city folks are concerned. What does it take, the worst case scenario?â€
He was not alone in his concerns, and found support from Brampton Safe City Executive Director Larry Zacher who, in a letter to the city, called the situation an accident waiting to happen.
Startup has watched with alarm time and again as the elderly with canes and walkers, and mothers pushing baby strollers, have crossed the busy Team Canada Drive from the bus terminal to the grocery store or Bramalea City Centre at random spots along the road, sometimes emerging from between parked taxis, at other times faced with trying to climb over mounds of snow pushed to the curb by the snowplows.
But Brampton Transit Director Sue Connor points out that there is a pedestrian crosswalk a short walk south of the terminal that leads transit users right to the Bramalea City Centre. They just aren’t using it.
Startup has said it’s in the wrong spot, and he’s not alone in his concern. Several residents have complained about pedestrian safety in the area, too.
Adding to the problem, said Connor, has been the lack of a traffic light at the corner of City Centre Drive and Team Canada Drive where pedestrians could cross safely. A light was planned for that T-intersection, but an electrical issue has caused significant delay of its installaion. Connor said the problem has now been fixed, and the lights should be operational in May.
The pedestrian scramble recommendation will go before Committee of Council Wednesday. If adopted, it would go to the May 11 council meeting for final approval.
The report also recommends additional taxi stand space around the corner on the west side of Central Park Drive, south of the bus station. There are only two designated spaces for taxi pickups on the east side of Team Canada Drive and that has proven to be insufficient.
It is not known how long it will take to install a pedestrian scramble and light, if the measures are approved.
Click to expand...
 
This is interesting because the stats are comparing apples to apples - that limited stop buses with creative marketing can work to attract new riders. But it should be said that the one-seat ride to York U in itself is a big draw. But BT avoids something Viva is criticised for - just moving passengers from one bus to a shiny new one (like moving people from GO Yonge St. B and C routes to Viva.
 
The first scramble crossing in the GTA outside downtown Toronto has been approved for the new Bramalea terminal. Since most buses exit onto Central Park Drive, many using the transit phase light (that comes on for both the beginning or end of each cycle), it won't affect transit operations.

A scramble crossing does exist at Wyndham and Quebec in Guelph as that is where the Guelph Transit buses meet.

http://www.bramptonguardian.com/news/article/1013162--bus-terminal-safety-improved
 
ShonTron said:
This is interesting because the stats are comparing apples to apples - that limited stop buses with creative marketing can work to attract new riders. But it should be said that the one-seat ride to York U in itself is a big draw. But BT avoids something Viva is criticised for - just moving passengers from one bus to a shiny new one (like moving people from GO Yonge St. B and C routes to Viva.
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to see change in the 1 Queen ridership, and the total ridership of 1 Queen and Zum combined and how it changed in the past year. They don't provide the numbers at all, so it makes me suspicious.

I'd also like to know how much of that ridership growth is actually new riders and how much is due to economic recovery (and populaiton growth). If you look at stats post on Brampton Transit's website, it was experience huge ridership growth throughout 2010 compared to 2009, even before Zum, thanks to the recovery of the economy. York Region Transit and Mississauga Transit, both of which have hardly improved service at all, have been seeing large growth in ridership as well in the past year, thanks to the economy.
 
The FAQ there mentions that "PRESTO cards loaded with [Brampton] period passes can only be used in Brampton." Is it not possible to have a period pass and additional value on the card at the same time?
 
BMO said:
Nice stations, although I think they might take up too much of a foot print for what it is. It seems like all these Zum stops are the same size as VIVa's biggest stop at York U (not including the BRT station at Warden).
Click to expand...

This isn't the corner of King and Yonge in Toronto---if there's the space, why not have the footprint?

Part of making BRT work in an environment where the vast majority of potential riders already have a car option available to them is convincing them that this is indeed a step up from local buses. If you don't have rails to work with as an attractant, that's where some of the frills come in--some of which are probably dubious value-for-money from the perspective of a habitual bus user--like WiFi or fancy seat fabric. Sliding "the place where people board the vehicles" a few notches along the spectrum from "stop" towards "station" by spending a bit more and getting some walls and a bigger on-street presence is still a comparatively cheap way that improves the customer experience for everyone, surely?
 
You never used to see mobs of people on the Queen St stops before Zum installed their shelters. About a week ago, I recall seeing a crowd at Queen and Kennedy that never used to big that big, waiting for the bus.
 
Indeed. I found myself at Queen and Kennedy at 9PM one night two weeks ago and saw large crowds waiting, and the buses weren't held up either, it was just typical loads. The high service level at all service times goes a long way too.
 
http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/1014817--brampton-prepares-to-zum-zoom

Brampton prepares to Züm zoom

207aad5c426290d444dc71cb1eb6.jpeg

Brampton Transit launched Züm, a new express bus service on designated routes.
RICK MADONIK/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

Ryan Starr
Special to the Star

Zoe likes to Züm.

Zoe Leandro, a Brampton resident who works in customer service for a pizzeria chain, thinks Brampton’s new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, dubbed Züm (pronounced zoom), is a big improvement for her growing town.

“It’s so much better,†she says. “The buses are a lot faster, you never have to wait long, and they’re more comfortable.

“I think this is the best thing that Brampton could do for Brampton people.â€

The city’s first BRT line — which launched last September — runs along Queen St., connecting downtown Brampton to York University.

Züm is integrated with the transit systems of Brampton’s GTA neighbours. There are tie-ins with York Regional Transit, Mississauga Transit, as well as GO Transit and the Toronto Transit Commission.

Riders can connect to the TTC by taking the BRT to York University and on hopping an express bus to Downsview subway station.

Two additional Brampton BRT lines will be built over the next two years, one along Main St. and another on Steeles Ave.

The new Queen St. line, though only in its first year of operation, has already provided Brampton Transit ample evidence of the pent-up demand that had existed for better bus service on that busy corridor.

Ridership along the Züm Queen St. corridor in March 2011 increased by 26.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2010, according to Brampton Transit’s review of the BRT’s first six months of operation.

This spike contributed to a new all-time monthly ridership record of 1.398 million riders. All told in 2010, a total of 13.8 million riders used Brampton Transit, an increase of more than 1.5 million compared to 2009.

It was an all-time high for the system, and Brampton Transit attributes much of the growth to the launch of Züm.

“We think we’ve really attracted attention and they’ve seen our service as a new travel option,†says Brampton Transit director Sue Connor.

“We put a plan in place to improve the transit service in Brampton and clearly we’ve delivered what our residents want.â€

Though the BRT buses operate mainly in mixed traffic, the system is more efficient because it has a limited number of stops and employs “transit signal priority†technology. Buses can manipulate traffic lights — lengthen a green, shorten a red — to stay on time.

Signal controls are only triggered if the bus is running late, mind you. “It doesn’t make the bus go faster,†Connor says. “It keeps it to the schedule.â€

Once the bus clears the intersection it heads into a dedicated bus lane, allowing traffic to carry on.

Züm provides customers with real-time schedule information at all terminals and station stops, as well as online, by phone or on mobile devices.

“If for some reason we’re a little bit off schedule because of traffic, the person waiting at the station knows the time of the next three buses arriving there,†Connor explains. “From my personal experience when I use the service, you automatically get a sense of comfort when you can look over your shoulder and see what time the next bus is going to be there.â€

Plus, BRT waiting areas are heated and the buses have plush, high-back seats.

It’s all enough to make this TTC rider shed a tear.

Züm is eco-friendly, too. The buses have hybrid diesel-electric engines and are 10 per cent lighter than conventional vehicles so they’re more fuel efficient. The buses are also equipped with energy-saving LED headlights and interior lighting, and a high-efficiency climate control system.

Züm cash fare is $3.25, the same as the other Brampton Transit service. All Brampton Transit transfers, tickets and passes can be used for Züm. For riders who use the new PRESTO system, which was introduced in May, the Züm fare is $2.65.

PRESTO enables commuters to travel between multiple transit systems using a single card (it’s currently in use in Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville, and at select GO and TTC stations).

Riders load the card with a dollar amount and simply tap it when boarding a bus or train and the fare is deducted automatically (no need for exact change, tickets and transfers).

The first Züm line began operation in September along Queen St., which Brampton has identified as its priority corridor.

The city is working with Metrolinx — the regional transportation authority — to determine whether Queen might eventually need a BRT with dedicated lanes, or expand to accommodate a light rail transit line, if population densities warrant.

Connor says the city has already seen a number of development applications spurred by the launch of the Queen BRT. “Developers are using it as a marketing tool for their properties.â€

A second BRT line along Main St. will be completed this fall.

It will run from Sandalwood Parkway in the north end of Brampton and run down Hurontario St. to Mississauga Transit’s City Centre terminal, at the north side of the Square One shopping centre.

“Hurontario is already a very heavy transit user corridor,†Connor says. “So we are expecting another increase in ridership when we launch on Main St.â€

Given the heavy traffic along this corridor, planning is underway for a Hurontario/Main Street LRT line that stretches from Port Credit to Queen St. in Brampton.

The third Brampton BRT line, on Steeles, will be built by late 2012.

It will run from the Shoppers World Terminal at Steeles Ave. and Hurontario St. to Humber College’s north campus at Finch Ave. and Highway 27.

Phase two will include the extension of the existing Queen St. and Steeles Ave. lines to the west, and construction of a new BRT line running east-west along Bovaird Dr. through the northern sections of Brampton.

In all, the BRT project will cost $285 million for the two phases. This includes roadway infrastructure, intersection modifications, signal priority equipment and new terminals and station stops.

Both phases have received full funding from the three levels of government.

Connor admits the project has “a fairly aggressive timeline.†But so far, in light of the public’s early affinity for the Queen St. BRT project, so good.

“The before and after picture is so huge,†she says. “That whole corridor has been transformed.â€

For more information, got to www.brampton.ca.

Brampton buzz

Brampton Transit recently received industry accolades for its Züm marketing campaign.

In May, the organization won an award from the International Association of Business Communicators for its efforts to sell Züm to Brampton.

In its campaign to promote Züm, Brampton Transit made appearances at a hundred community events and activities, where residents were able to tour vehicles and talk to staff about the new service.

The organization redesigned its website to promote Züm and launched a social media strategy on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Brampton Transit also had a targeted media campaign and advertisements to help build buzz for Züm

“People were attracted to the way the buses were branded,†says Connor. “They saw it as something new and different in the community.

“I think we’ve really changed the perception of public transit.â€
 
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