Despite Toronto, Montreal gridlock, commuters reluctant to use transit

[SlickFranky]

Transit users who live outside of large urban centres fared even worse. It takes them an average of 51 minutes to get to work every day, compared to 36 for their big city counterparts. Longer commutes had a correlation with stress levels and overall happiness, the survey found.

My commute's a little longer than average (50min by car, 75min by transit) so I can confirm that long commutes make me less happy overall, regardless of mode. But, for me at least, stress level is entirely related to mode. My transit commute is 100X less stressful than driving.

 

[nfitz]

75 minutes by transit compared to 50 minutes by driving seems a pretty good deal. My old commute used to be about 65 minutes by transit, compared to 25-30 minutes by car ... and it was borderline ...

Now I'm about 25-35 minutes by transit, and 20-25 minutes by driving (if there's no major problem). It's a no-brainer ...

There's an equation in there somewhere ...

 

[SlickFranky]

I should mention that I commute from DT to the burbs (against the flow of peak travel) which means I get lots of space too. So I can either read an awesome book for an hour-and-a-bit or supress road rage for 45min....pretty easy decision

 

[ItsTehBean]

My commute from SQ1 to downtown takes me 1 hour by transit on ordinary day, 1 hr 30 mins in rush hour. Going there by car would be no more than 30 mins in non-rush hour and over 1 hour by rush hour.
Biking from SQ1 to downtown only takes me between 50 minutes and an hour & 15 minutes (non-stop, regardless of traffic conditions)!

 

[kkgg7]

People are reluctant to use public transit because it is inadequate.

1) People prefer subways, which is fast, yet Toronto has 2 subway lines. If you are not living close to these lines, you need the bus/streetcars, which are slow and infrequent.
2) In winter, it is painful to wait for 20 minutes for a street car which is supposed to have arrived 15 minutes ago.
3) It is too expensive, at $121, it is the most expensive in North America, yet far less extensive than Chicago or NYC.

 

[nfitz]

2) In winter, it is painful to wait for 20 minutes for a street car which is supposed to have arrived 15 minutes ago.

Why would any regular user wait 20 minutes for a streetcar? If the next vehicle information shows a 20-minute wait, people delay leaving for the stop, take a different route, etc. Winter or summer ...

It would be nice if the got the service gap issue sorted ... but I use the system every day, and it was early spring the last time I had to wait that long ... but I know I was waiting that long, so I just started walking for 15 minutes, and got a nice walk in without worrying that the streetcar was going to zoom past me between stops.

 

[JoeParez]

Why would any regular user wait 20 minutes for a streetcar? If the next vehicle information shows a 20-minute wait, people delay leaving for the stop, take a different route, etc. Winter or summer ...

If only people were this smart though, nfitz.

The text-stop program has been in use for quite a while now as is NextBus (which is very accurate) and other third-party GPS apps. Yet people huff and puff waiting for streetcars (and buses), then using their cell phones to complain via Twitter or Facebook. Why not just you the flippin' technology given to you to better plan your trip? If someone claims to take the 501 everyday and knows that in rush hour, it's going to be late, why the hell are you making the same mistake everyday? My girlfriend started using NextBus to time the end of her work day properly (she uses the Eglinton East bus) and she says it's a God send.

For crying out loud I use the TTC twice a week and I seem to be better prepared for my commute than other who claim to use the system everyday!

 

[kkgg7]

If only people were this smart though, nfitz.

The text-stop program has been in use for quite a while now as is NextBus (which is very accurate) and other third-party GPS apps. Yet people huff and puff waiting for streetcars (and buses), then using their cell phones to complain via Twitter or Facebook. Why not just you the flippin' technology given to you to better plan your trip? If someone claims to take the 501 everyday and knows that in rush hour, it's going to be late, why the hell are you making the same mistake everyday? My girlfriend started using NextBus to time the end of her work day properly (she uses the Eglinton East bus) and she says it's a God send.

For crying out loud I use the TTC twice a week and I seem to be better prepared for my commute than other who claim to use the system everyday!

well, to be fair, not everyone has internet access all the time on the street, right? You can't assume each and everyone owns a smart phone and pays $80 a month for the service.
It is TTC's responsibility to be at least somewhat on time. It is not its customers' responsibility to predict its completely random arriving schedule.

 

[kkgg7]

Why would any regular user wait 20 minutes for a streetcar? If the next vehicle information shows a 20-minute wait, people delay leaving for the stop, take a different route, etc. Winter or summer ...

It would be nice if the got the service gap issue sorted ... but I use the system every day, and it was early spring the last time I had to wait that long ... but I know I was waiting that long, so I just started walking for 15 minutes, and got a nice walk in without worrying that the streetcar was going to zoom past me between stops.

the problem is, what if it is not your routine commute from home? Imagine you went shopping or watched a movie and have to head back home. You wouldnot have access to that kind of information unless you own a smart phone and an expensive data plan. You can't expect everyone to be able to afford that. Plus, what about the seniors who are not that tech savvy.
I said 20 minutes as my own experience waiting for the 501 east bound after some shopping. It was so cold and more than ten people waited in the snow for 20 minutes.

If TTC doesn't want to spend money on more subways, at least buy more streetcars so that they can be more frequent. Right now, only the Spadina street cars are reliable.

 

[Jonny5]

Why would any regular user wait 20 minutes for a streetcar? If the next vehicle information shows a 20-minute wait, people delay leaving for the stop, take a different route, etc. Winter or summer ...

While I understand the nature of your reply is pointing out an exaggeration, you are pretty much exaggerating the same in the opposite direction. Using Nextbus to check which way to go often only shows me I have no choice but to wait the 20 minutes. Taking another route is rarely an option. If I'm at Gerrard and Jones, what other route do I take? Walk down to Queen? Take the bus to Danforth and then the subway? Those alternate routes take time, if they are even available, and they usually won't get me where I want to go. Despite the bredth of the network, taking another route is rarely an option, and for some trips it is simply not an option, like along Lake Shore or travelling east-west on St. Clair.

You don't always have the choice to not be at the stop and wait inside. If you're making a transfer, you have to wait. If you get short-turned you have to wait. It happens too often for many people.

 

[rbt]

well, to be fair, not everyone has internet access all the time on the street, right? You can't assume each and everyone owns a smart phone and pays $80 a month for the service.

If you are paying more than $40 for voice + data in Toronto then you need to switch service providers immediately.

 

[rbt]

3) It is too expensive, at $121, it is the most expensive in North America, yet far less extensive than Chicago or NYC.

I disagree with price being an issue.

Service reliability and crowding currently trump any price concerns. I do agree that people complain about price but it doesn't have much impact on actual TTC ridership.

 

[Filip]

If only people were this smart though, nfitz.

The text-stop program has been in use for quite a while now as is NextBus (which is very accurate) and other third-party GPS apps. Yet people huff and puff waiting for streetcars (and buses), then using their cell phones to complain via Twitter or Facebook. Why not just you the flippin' technology given to you to better plan your trip? If someone claims to take the 501 everyday and knows that in rush hour, it's going to be late, why the hell are you making the same mistake everyday? My girlfriend started using NextBus to time the end of her work day properly (she uses the Eglinton East bus) and she says it's a God send.

For crying out loud I use the TTC twice a week and I seem to be better prepared for my commute than other who claim to use the system everyday!

I have commented on this before, but the NextBus data is hardly accurate all the time, especially on streetcar routes. I routinely get 39mins for the next streetcar, then I wait, check again, and it's suddenly at 9mins. I had to run like the wind to catch the streetcar because out here you NEVER KNOW when the next one will come. It's like waiting for the Messiah.

 

[JoeParez]

I have commented on this before, but the NextBus data is hardly accurate all the time, especially on streetcar routes. I routinely get 39mins for the next streetcar, then I wait, check again, and it's suddenly at 9mins. I had to run like the wind to catch the streetcar because out here you NEVER KNOW when the next one will come. It's like waiting for the Messiah.

Chalk it up to personal preference/experience - I've had nothing but good results using NextBus. If it's off, it's usually 1 - 2 minutes.

 

[kkgg7]

I disagree with price being an issue.

Service reliability and crowding currently trump any price concerns. I do agree that people complain about price but it doesn't have much impact on actual TTC ridership.

You are right. Price is not the issue here, because it is public transit, people don't really have a choice. If TTC decides to raise to $200 tomorrow and $5 per trip, most of us will still need to take it.
Many argue that TTC is expensive because it doesn't get government subsidy and has to rely on fare. That has some truth in it, however, is TTC doing a good job reducing its cost? Only recently it is spending millions in advertising its new subway cars. I mean, what's the point? I am speechless. Nobody who don't take TTC will sudden switch to public transit because there are new subway cars, and existing customers will see those cars without the help of the ad. So that good does the ad do really? I am completely confused. I am not even talking about its ridiculous salary system for the low skilled union workers.