Despite what Ford says The Streetcar in Toronto is here to stay.

[Dan416]

I like streetcars as much as the next person, but the fact of the matter is that they're slow as hell and painful to ride on. They're great if you want a nice view of the traffic that you're stuck in though. Using them for long-distance travel is impossible unless you don't have anywhere to be. If Toronto learned from some European cities on the way to run a tram, then we'd be better off. If the City doesn't have the balls to ban cars from streetcar lanes, then they're never going to go anywhere fast.

 

[nfitz]

i'm intrigued by cities like london and new york because you can get virtually anywhere on the subway and it is super quick

Last time I travelled from the Bronx to Brooklyn on the subway, the words "super quick" didn't come to mind.

 

[nfitz]

I like streetcars as much as the next person, but the fact of the matter is that they're slow as hell and painful to ride on.

No slower than a bus. And painful? I find the seating quite comfortable. Seems a bit more spacious than buses, and certainly less bumpy. Perhaps you suffer from some painful illness that makes stairs difficult?

Using them for long-distance travel is impossible unless you don't have anywhere to be.

I don't think people use streetcars for long-distance travel. Personally I prefer flying.

 

[adma]

I think if we're to extend Eug's "Asian delegation" logic re tourism and transit infrastructure: sure, it may be "correct" in the most banal sense. But so is arguing that far more people go to London to see this

than to see this

I mean...yeah. That's right. But...

(Of course, there's a fair likelihood that Eug wouldn't have known or given a hoot about the latter before I posted it.)

 

[NIL OMNI]

I like streetcars as much as the next person, but the fact of the matter is that they're slow as hell and painful to ride on. They're great if you want a nice view of the traffic that you're stuck in though. Using them for long-distance travel is impossible unless you don't have anywhere to be. If Toronto learned from some European cities on the way to run a tram, then we'd be better off. If the City doesn't have the balls to ban cars from streetcar lanes, then they're never going to go anywhere fast.

Concur. If we MUST keep them, dedicated lanes only.

 

[Dan416]

No slower than a bus. And painful? I find the seating quite comfortable. Seems a bit more spacious than buses, and certainly less bumpy. Perhaps you suffer from some painful illness that makes stairs difficult?


I don't think people use streetcars for long-distance travel. Personally I prefer flying.

I don't mean painful in the sense of physical discomfort. I mean painful in the sense that its painful that it's sooooo slow.

If you're ever rode a Mississauga bus that was going 30-40 km/h just to maintain its scheduled times, you'll know what I'm talking about.

 

[nfitz]

I don't mean painful in the sense of physical discomfort. I mean painful in the sense that its painful that it's sooooo slow.

Doesn't seem to be any different than a bus on the same streets.

If you're ever rode a Mississauga bus that was going 30-40 km/h just to maintain its scheduled times, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Last time I took a Mississauga bus, it showed up over 20 minutes late, on a bus that only runs every 25-minutes (and no, it wasn't 5 minutes early, as the following bus wasn't to be for 6 hours). Mississauga transit isn't anything to write home about.

It's hardly comparable though ... buses running on major arteries with relatively few passengers, with traffic lights every kilometre or so, to streetcars running downtown with traffic lights every 200 m. I'm surprised your ignorance of how transit works is so high that you would even begin to compare the two!

 

[GraphicMatt]

Surface transit downtown is always going to average speeds in the low-teens. If you want to see a streetcar go fast, give the 501 a ride on the Queensway section. The thing zooms.

The vehicle shortfall is getting critical, though - doesn't help they lost a few cars due to collisions this past week.

 

[adma]

I don't mean painful in the sense of physical discomfort. I mean painful in the sense that its painful that it's sooooo slow.

If you're ever rode a Mississauga bus that was going 30-40 km/h just to maintain its scheduled times, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Actually, I'm the sort of person who, when travelling to New York or London or wherever, would much prefer to take such milk-run "locals" over tourist-oriented express runs. You see a lot more of the city, at a far more intimate pace, that way.

And if, like the proverbial bored-kid-in-the-back-seat-who-asks-are-we-there-yet, you don't like that kind of travel...shove it.

 

[adma]

Oh, and in terms of localized icons of transport infrastructure, here's another argument: streetcars are to Toronto what the Ampelmann is to (the former East) Berlin.

Of course, that, too, may be lost upon Eug's Asian delegations.

 

[junctionist]

I don't mean painful in the sense of physical discomfort. I mean painful in the sense that its painful that it's sooooo slow.

If you're ever rode a Mississauga bus that was going 30-40 km/h just to maintain its scheduled times, you'll know what I'm talking about.

It's very rare that I use Mississauga Transit, but the couple of times I used the 1 Dundas I hated it for going so slow. The driver also slowed down at every bus stop despite already driving so slow. When a police cruiser stopped a car, the bus crawled by at walking speed, despite being in separated by one other lane of traffic.

 

[GraphicMatt]

A 10-year-old girl reveals herself to be a total pinko in this letter to the Star:

Ford said: “Our subway plan is to go underground. That’s what I campaigned on, that’s what the people want. Excuse me. I don’t think most people in downtown Toronto voted for Rob Ford or like his plan.

I love streetcars, because they’re fun and when you ride on them you can look outside and get to know the streets better and how your neighborhood is connected to other ones. On the subway, you just ride in dark tunnels, not seeing anything, kind of like a mole.

The people who voted for Rob Ford must not live downtown, so they drive their cars here and they don’t like waiting behind streetcars. But sometimes I see big SUVs with just one person inside, making lots of pollution, while a streetcar, which runs on electricity, holds like 100 people.

I am 10 years old and, even if I can’t vote, I want Rob Ford to know that I don’t want to live in Mole City where grown ups drive around in SUVs hurting the environment, while kids like me have to go places underground.

Halina Katz, Toronto

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/908424--cuts-do-not-a-vision-make

 

[CDL.TO]

I invite anyone who thinks that buses are inherently faster (or more reliable) than streetcars to ride the Bay bus.

 

[ShonTron]

The Bay Bus is a great example, but the 29 Dufferin (particlarly the route south of St. Clair) is Exhibit "B". Frequent? Yes, at least on paper. It runs at least 3-4 times more frequent than the 6 Bay, but can bunch royally, even northbound at King, at the start of the route.

As for riding the subway from Bronx to Brooklyn on a local train, the Toronto equivalent is Islington to Warden. The subway isn't all that quick, but it beats driving and is at least reliable 97% of the time.

 

[Amy Rose]

Exhibit C is the YUS shuttle buses xD