Hamilton: General Service Discussion

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Over the next 25 years, Hamilton wants to get multiple LRTs built, beginning with the B-line. The five proposed lines are B, L, A
, S, T which stands for BLAST network.

Our current debate goes around the B-line, which is now currently an express bus. It is extremely efficient offpeak, but gets slow and crowded during peak when the bus gets full in the downtown sections (more population are complaining about that). While the population pleads for better bus service, our politicians are aligning as pro-LRT and anti-LRT. The expectation is fully Metrolinx funded for the B-line construction, given this city is a bit more cash-strapped than Toronto.

I can understand why some people say we shouldnt build LRTs for the "sake of building LRTs"... I hear some talk it may do less to help public transit than simply adding a bus lane to the full length of Main/King, and be far more expensive. And that it increases rents and house values to lock out poor suffering Hamiltonians. We are now increasingly a mixed city of longtime Hamiltonians and incoming "Toronto escapees", combined with immigrants. Some new residents whom have started real nice businesses like antibiotic-free burger places or cheap simple diners with nice sitdown meals costing almost less than McD, all the way through to expensive stuff near Locke. Mixed in with the depressed areas nearer the declining steel industry, and the mini condo boom and expanded recreational waterfront (as waterfront length very slowly turns over to recreation) with a popular hipster wonderful waterfront restaurant garnering noise complaints from nearby residents. One area high end, next area old depressed industry, and lots in between. We also have the usual gentrification with the pros and cons that goes with that, as well. And the "first time homeowners priced out of Toronto" people, where many still got the little known real estate steals here and there - Homes in Hamilton are still far more affordable than Toronto, even in 2014 some families with children found a mortgage in the three figures monthly (under 1000 a month! detached!) though that era is quickly ending except for lower city fix-me-uppers. Still cheaper than Pickering or even Oshawa, though, while being more urban. The nature of this mixed city, from low end to high end, guarantees vociferous debate for our LRT.

Now if you had my opinion, LRT would be good for the city if done properly.

This is the first LRT route: We have a main crosstown artery in the lower city, Main Street and King Street. Two sets of extremely wide five-lane-wide one-way streets (a block apart). Except for the narrowed area near James St, they are wildly efficient urban expressways with Canada's best and most efficient synchronized traffic lights (From Gage to 403, I can breeze 60kph through approximately twenty sets of green lights, zero red lights, if I am not driving at peak), taking me a mere 6 minutes to go fom near Gage Park through downtown to Highway 403. Great for those trips to Aldershot GO station, too. This is not an exaggeration. These are widely loved if you are a carowner Hamiltonian, but very hated by pedestrians and non-carowners (unless you found a seat on an B-line express bus). It also depresses the businessowners along this citystreet-turned-urban-expressway.

Building an LRT means de-synchronizing the traffic lights. Separate studies made before LRT was imagined, shows a big (gentrification style, even) business boom potential on Main-King when desynchronizing the traffic lights, increasing nearby property values. But it will lengthen crosstown car commutes. Imagine Toronto streetcars being installed in the middle of a wide Toronto artery such as Eglington Crosstown becoming 100% surface (no underground), stealing lanes of traffic. Except Main-King is more efficient (faster cars) than Eglington, while lined with many storefronts only 10 feet from whooshing cars (with some storefronts shuttered) and dangerous to people who stray off the sidewalk inches away from speeding cars. Optimizing for cars versus for pedestrians/transit/businesses. That is how some Hamiltonian carowners feel. But, with lots of shuttered businesses on Main-King, a business upturn would do Main-King good in the next 15 years. But we even have businessowners concerned about being priced out of their businesses too, some having been attracted by low rents. We will have a tough debate this year, probably, on the LRT.

I would be in the pro-LRT camp. I am willing to give up my quick 6-minute commute to the 403 from the middle of urbanity near Gage Park, provided (1) two Hamilton GO stations are built as currently ongoing, and (2) business boom on Main-King is encouraged with a reasonable balance between old unexpensive Hamiltonian-targeted business (e.g. seven dollar 4-star Yelp breakfasts!) and new hipster business (e.g. five dollar espressos in Parisian cafes). We have friends that want either or both. I will even be able to bike to either GO stations, leaving my car at home when I commute to Toronto for work. There is already a barrier-separated bike lane on Cannon street. (paralell street north of Main/King "urban expressway")

To whet LRT appetites, here is our city's proposed LRT network in 25 years:
(The first line is B-line within 15 years, if greenlighted. It is along the Main/King street corridor)

View attachment 39840

View attachment 39845
Source: City of Hamilton
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BLAST_network

The lights thing sounds very cool. I see Hamilton is very streamlined in terms of traffic, it's great to see. I think Bot the A and B lines should be built now, as that would show progress. I agree with you about the GO trains, but here's thing: Ancaster, Dundas, etc are at least 20 min from James North. How will they fix that so those customers don't continue to go to Aldershot?

From what I've seen from photo tours online, Hamilton seems to have a lot of character & history and some really nice architecture, houses and hoods. I also like that, unlike many other Ontario cities, it's near the Lake and therefore warmer in the winter and has beaches. I could imagine it being really popular for Toronto commuters when GO service improves.

I haven't been personally other than driving by and the waterfalls north/west of it, but I'll correct that mistake when it gets warmer. Too bad they never got a hockey team.

You've never been to Hamilton? Your missing out man

 

[mdrejhon]

I'm still having trouble believing that this flyover is really needed. The main routing needed by CN is from the Halton Sub at Burlinton West onto the Dundas Sub at Bayview.

I read somewhere that Metrolinx mentioned up the Hamilton junction (Bayview) at the December 11th meeting. Does anyone know what they said about the junction?

 

[Markster]

Actually, it was the September meeting. (Not the UPX price announcement extravaganza in December)

You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iWwp7CPh1c
They go in to more detail regarding the rail-rail separations in the video, than in the written documents.

 

[mdrejhon]

[video=youtube;7iWwp7CPh1c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iWwp7CPh1c#t=31m05s[/video]

OK, thanks for the video!
Jump to 31min08sec, which highlights page 14 of this PDF

I'm wondering if Metrolinx considers the Hamilton Junction a critical component.
Currently, that junction work is unfunded, as far as I know. This can mean the difference for getting the same service level as Aldershot (30-min all day all week long, even Sunday and Holidays + 20-min weekday peak).

 

[ehlow]

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5246097-don-t-axe-downtown-hamilton-bus-only-lane-report/

Apparently Hamilton is debating whether to destroy a bus-only lane.

They're cheap & quick to implement, and if enforced, they immediately improve transit, however, I wonder if this is a common problem with bus lanes, political pressure from drivers to convert it back. I've always thought that enforced bus-only lanes would be a cheap & quick way to improve transit.

Of course, I'd assume you don't get as much pressure to destroy bus lanes when it's an elaborate bus lane like the Viva Highway 7 ones, or the streetcar ROWs.

 

[mdrejhon]

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5246097-don-t-axe-downtown-hamilton-bus-only-lane-report/

Apparently Hamilton is debating whether to destroy a bus-only lane.

I have both a transit POV and a carowner POV, as I often use TTC (several times a week), GOTransit (daily), AND I also own a car. So here it is:

I drive the bonafide Hamilton urban expressway (King+Main which are 5-lane one-way streets with two dozen perfectly synchronized traffic lights) through Hamilton on my way to the Aldershot GO station from my home near Gage Park, going the full city speed limit without a single red light.

But....There's a bottleneck, thanks to the bus-only lanes.

However, the sole red light that I often get stopped by, almost always occurs at the James Street intersection, where it narrows to only 2 car lanes instead of 4 (because of the streetside parking and the bus lane). It's a MAJOR bottleneck on this urban expressway. The urban expressway is loved by drivers and hated by pedestrians. Imagine a freeway that suddenly temporarily narrows from 4-5 lanes, down to 2 lanes, then back to 4-5 lanes. Then YOU understand why, from a carowner perspective, we hate the bus lanes. But, businessowners there, it's mixed. The slower traffic downtown is simultaneously both good and bad for business, depending on where you are located and who you cater to. I see businessowners with placards saying "NO BUS LANE", right on the street with the bus lane.

Even though I hate the bus lanes that slow me down on my way to the GOtrain station, I'd vote to keep them. Why? I want the Hamilton LRT to come.

Then I can just take the LRT to the GO station, and leave my car at home. And of course, Hamilton benefits from me when I decide to linger during the transfer, as I eat dinners at Charred or grab a coffee at Mulberry Cafe, or places like that.

It's a love and hate relationship for the Hamilton bus lanes -- in a way.

_____

On the topic, there's another The Spectator article, as an opinion piece:
Get Real, abandon LRT in Hamilton
(new article, too)

Albiet an opinion piece, this would be very disappointing. I guess it will depend on who we vote for to government at the federal level. Toronto badly needs transit improvements for sure, but certainly out of the long-term Metrolinx "Big Move" pie, there's enough to throw Hamilton a bone on a population proportion basis. Provincial debt, a concern, I should point out the cost of LRT is less than per-capita that Toronto is already getting from Metrolinx for all the Metrolinx improvements that are happening now and over the next 15 years.

The LRT will be complementary to the GO train system, bringing people to James Street (within walking of lots of businesses, Jackson Square, Library Market, both GO train stations, and the main bus terminal). The area in recent years looks less depressed now (even if sometimes troubled, especially during slow season), and the dark days of the formerly-bankrupt City Centre Mall decimation is slowly behind us especially as I hear now bigger tenants are considering coming in, especially with the boom of James Street Super Crawl (100,000 people) and the two GO stations, and the brand new McMaster University expansion being set up above Jackson Square/City Centre (more business for the mall below! Parts of the mall is booming and other parts is depressed). Nearby, ten new fancy condo towers being built (some almost complete, some beginning to be built, including a formerly-structurally-unstable cathederal church now becoming built into a condo tower -- very fancy stuff being built in Hamilton downtown now). The semi-depressed area is now a mix of the old and new, the booming and the slightly-depressed, there's no more boarded-up places on James street anymore (though you do see lots on Barton). We shouldn't abandon our LRT plans. Such downtown improvement opportunities can spread to nearby areas such as east Barton (that area is still quite depressed) which connects James very near the very pedestrian-friendly JamesNorth GO station. The economic improvements tend to be infectious. As I am from Ottawa -- there's a good comparison too: James street-to-Barton street is sort of Ottawa's Hintonburg (ugly Mechanicsville), which is now the new Westboro (condos included!) as they connect to each other. And how Westboro business upturns spread all the way to Mechanicsville. Now, gentrification is somewhat different in Hamilton where the expensive businesses co-exist with the independent artisty businesses, and there's huge tons of low-rent business space nearby the high-rent gentrified areas, so we're getting an eclectric mix over time.

The LRT fits very well into Hamilton's long term upturn, and we have to keep a little bone from The Big Move (LRT isn't even asking for as many pennies per capita as Toronto) -- I feel it will help increase taxpayer revenues in the long run and the long term economic benefits of the LRT is far, far more than 1 billion (the cost of LRT). Our city has to continue to diversify in the light of steel downturn (thanks to some diversification, we're surviving the US Steel loss far better than during the early 1990s decimation), US Steel leaving town, but we have to benefit other ways -- we actually now have cleaner air measurements/statistics than Toronto downtown (surprise, surprise), the improving recreational section of waterfront, the other kinds of businesses, and even becoming new bedroom neighbourhoods for Toronto (thanks to better GO transit) brings economic benefits through higher property tax revenue and weekend economics, etc. Of course, even if more diversified away from heavy industry than twenty years ago, Hamilton is still too vulnerable to economic disruptions, and the LRT will be yet another piece of the puzzle helping improve Hamilton. I feel LRT should not be cancelled.

 

[ehlow]

I drive the bonafide Hamilton urban expressway (King+Main which are 5-lane one-way streets with two dozen perfectly synchronized traffic lights) through Hamilton on my way to the Aldershot GO station from my home near Gage Park, going the full city speed limit without a single red light.

But....There's a bottleneck, thanks to the bus-only lanes.

However, the sole red light that I often get stopped by, almost always occurs at the James Street intersection, where it narrows to only 2 car lanes instead of 4 (because of the streetside parking and the bus lane). It's a MAJOR bottleneck on this urban expressway. The urban expressway is loved by drivers and hated by pedestrians. Imagine a freeway that suddenly temporarily narrows from 4-5 lanes, down to 2 lanes, then back to 4-5 lanes. Then YOU understand why, from a carowner perspective, we hate the bus lanes. But, businessowners there, it's mixed. The slower traffic downtown is simultaneously both good and bad for business, depending on where you are located and who you cater to. I see businessowners with placards saying "NO BUS LANE", right on the street with the bus lane.

Even though I hate the bus lanes that slow me down on my way to the GOtrain station, I'd vote to keep them. Why? I want the Hamilton LRT to come.

Then I can just take the LRT to the GO station, and leave my car at home. And of course, Hamilton benefits from me when I decide to linger during the transfer, as I eat dinners at Charred or grab a coffee at Mulberry Cafe, or places like that.

It's a love and hate relationship for the Hamilton bus lanes -- in a way.

FYI.. You've got a quote of me in this post, but you've added a line of text which I didn't say in the quoted post. It makes it appear as if I wrote that line (which I didn't).



It's not really my issue since I rarely go to Hamilton, I just found it interesting from a transit politics perspective.

However, I do think that one of the key things that can make transit attractive is the ability to bypass traffic. Whether it's a subway, bus lane or LRT, the ability to not be in traffic makes transit attractive. Otherwise, why take a bus if you're stuck in the same traffic as you would be if you drove your car?

Just curious though: why wait for the LRT in order to take transit to the GO station? Why not take the bus then?

 

[TOareaFan]

^just a quick question...you seem to be saying you would take an LRT to the GO station and leave your car at home....is that not a current option with the buses that use those bus lanes (disclosure....not at all "up on" Hamilton transit).

Edit...was aimed two up....other post asking same question jumped in as I was posting it.

 

[mdrejhon]

FYI.. You've got a quote of me in this post, but you've added a line of text which I didn't say in the quoted post. It makes it appear as if I wrote that line (which I didn't).

Thanks! "Edit" mistake; I've moved the sentence.

 

[mdrejhon]

^just a quick question...you seem to be saying you would take an LRT to the GO station and leave your car at home....is that not a current option with the buses that use those bus lanes (disclosure....not at all "up on" Hamilton transit).

Just curious though: why wait for the LRT in order to take transit to the GO station? Why not take the bus then?

I already do, sometimes. I'll probably do it more often when JamesNorth opens. I'll even bike along the brand new Cannon Street barrier-separated bike lanes to get to the GO station during the summer (with the new JamesNorth GO, those bike lanes suddenly becomes more useful to me, it will become my much-needed daily exercise due to a sedentary desk job). Depending on the build quality of the SoBi bikeshare bikes (stations now installed, bikes coming 2015), I'll probably get bikeshare membership so I can "ride-and-forget" the bikes, taking public transit home if it's raining. They could theoretically upgrade the buses to trigger the traffic lights, and should (as an interim measure), to speed up the buses even further. But more bus capacity is needed, and that costs money -- it is sometimes overcrowded during peak. So why not, might as well plan to go LRT.

But I drive mainly because I go to Aldershot instead for the flexibility of all-day 30-min service (even on Sundays and holidays) as I can arrive at the station without looking at a timetable. But JamesNorth is close enough to bike/bus to, and eventually will have all-day service (not as early as hoped, but eventually).

An European-style LRT, with traffic lights synchronized to LRT, would be far more appealing. The easily traffic-light-synchronizable design of Main-King will make the Hamilton LRT very fast (much faster than Toronto streetcar). Also, the mix of express and non-express buses can get a bit confusing sometimes, and during offpeak, sometimes don't run frequently at all -- once I waited 20 minutes with zero buses on King St (offpeak) and gave up, catching a taxi. The LRT will bring much-needed dollars that produce a better quality all-day-all-week service than that, as there is no plan to run LRT that infrequently offpeak. A properly designed LRT (European style, speedier than Toronto streetcars) is also more pleasant and enjoyable, and I can stand on an European LRT train without holding a pole! Much easier and more comfortable to stand during peak. The buses can change lanes unpredictably and accelerate/decelerate differently, so not as comfortable a standee ride during peak. Ridership often goes up when LRT lines replace bus lines in European and other cities (with traffic-light prioritization given to LRT). It makes neighborhoods attractive, increases neighbourhood values, and will help reduce the number of boarded businesses in the more-depressed spots of the city. And as a fair disclosure, it affects me too (as a homeowner very near the LRT route). I'm here in Hamilton thanks to Metrolinx (GOtrains), who would be behind this LRT. We also have tons of non-homeowner non-carowner friends visit and they take so long to visit. The LRT will speed up them, too.

 

[ehlow]

So, based on your post, it seems like the bus lanes are enforced and work (actually keep cars out).

If that's true, then an LRT isn't necessarily that much better than the bus in a dedicated lane. I'm assuming we're talking about an LRT on the street here, not underground or elevated.

The main advantage of an LRT over bus in dedicated lane besides stuff like smoother ride & quieter, is that it has much larger capacity per vehicle. Is the vehicle capacity boost needed though?

I guess my question is: mdrejhon, what are the advantages the LRT over the current bus lane here? I'm not too familiar with Hamilton transit issues in general.

 

[mdrejhon]

I guess my question is: mdrejhon, what are the advantages the LRT over the current bus lane here? I'm not too familiar with Hamilton transit issues in general.

I just outlined the advantages in the last paragraph above, during editing my post (you posted your followup before I saved the edit). Also, to be clear, the bus lane is only through downtown. Only about a kilometer or so.

The capacity boost is needed during peak, yes. Offpeak, not yet but we will in 15 years (LRT timeline). Depending on time of day (e.g. McMaster University students, versus commuters). Offpeak, it's pretty fast (when you catch and jump on one) BUT they tend to not run enough buses offpeak to make waiting for them desirable over just jumping into my car. With the LRT, there will be more frequent offpeak service. If you're up early, like 7am before the buses are crowded, catching the B-Line Express can be a pleasure (frequent & express, accelerating to 60kph between stops, and getting me downtown in mere minutes), but it would just be preferable to expect a pleasant experience at all times (onpeak, offpeak) with the LRT in respect to waiting times and ride quality.

- Offpeak/weekends: More comfortable frequency, especially in the cold
- Onpeak/University/surge from one of the stadiums: More comfortable standing

So for a lot of transit users along the route, LRT is a no brainer for Hamilton's main crosstown route.
When I lived in Toronto, even I occasionally took the dreaded streetcars and left my car in my parking garage, if I was doing something near a major stop downtown, or going to an event

If it's like Toronto's non-traffic-prioritized streetcars, I don't want it.
But if it's like a good traffic-priority European LRT, it's a great fit for Hamilton's future.

An European-style LRT, with traffic lights synchronized to LRT, would be far more appealing. The easily traffic-light-synchronizable design of Main-King will make the Hamilton LRT very fast (much faster than Toronto streetcar). Also, the mix of express and non-express buses can get a bit confusing sometimes, and during offpeak, sometimes don't run frequently at all -- once I waited 20 minutes with zero buses on King St (offpeak) and gave up, catching a taxi. The LRT will bring much-needed dollars that produce a better quality all-day-all-week service than that, as there is no plan to run LRT that infrequently offpeak. A properly designed LRT (European style, speedier than Toronto streetcars) is also more pleasant and enjoyable, and I can stand on an European LRT train without holding a pole! Much easier and more comfortable to stand during peak. The buses can change lanes unpredictably and accelerate/decelerate differently, so not as comfortable a standee ride during peak. Ridership often goes up when LRT lines replace bus lines in European and other cities (with traffic-light prioritization given to LRT). It makes neighborhoods attractive, increases neighbourhood values, and will help reduce the number of boarded businesses in the more-depressed spots of the city. And as a fair disclosure, it affects me too (as a homeowner very near the LRT route). I'm here in Hamilton thanks to Metrolinx (GOtrains), who would be behind this LRT. We also have tons of non-homeowner non-carowner friends visit and they take so long to visit. The LRT will speed up them, too.

EDIT: Just happened 3 hours ago, vote on killing the bus lane failed by a single vote:
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5256986-king-street-bus-only-lane-survives-council-votes/
More city politics drama to continue next week. At least it's not bad as Ford was.

EDIT: Even more additional reasons at www.hamiltonlightrail.ca/the-facts ... One example quote: "Fact: LRT systems consistently outperform even optimistic ridership growth projections. Charlotte's Lynx line, which opened in 2007, was supposed to start at 9,100 daily passengers and reach 18,000 daily riders by 2025; but by Q1 2008 it already reached 18,600 daily passengers and has since increased to 21,000 as of 2010. A 2009 survey found that nearly three quarters of Lynx passengers were new to public transit." .... If you've been to Europe and ridden some of the better European LRTs, many of them are even better than TTC's subways, even the LRTs that take a car lane.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

I feel like Hamilton is a case of "build it and they will come". Right now there are too many incentives not to take public transit, many of which would be eliminated or reduced substantially with the LRT.

 

[Jonny5]

That King Street bus lane is also used by routes that won't be converted to LRT, including GO Transit buses (one every few minutes at rush hour) and Burlington Transit buses. Is it intended for them to be able drive on the LRT right of way through downtown?

 

[mdrejhon]

That King Street bus lane is also used by routes that won't be converted to LRT, including GO Transit buses (one every few minutes at rush hour) and Burlington Transit buses. Is it intended for them to be able drive on the LRT right of way through downtown?

LRTs and buses will share the same space. And cars changing lanes to the opposite side too (but will not block LRTs the way they do for Toronto streetcars).

My speculation, based on my Main-King experience, is that the LRT is not going to be able to be barriered from traffic. Concept art for Hamilton LRT shows no barriers between the LRT lane and traffic lanes. It'd probably be handled like an enforced bus lane. Cars will still be able to cross it, to turn or park, but not loiter. Turning lanes would be on the opposite side, so there will be absolutely no loitering in the LRT lane for a turn (unlike TTC streetcars where turning cars block streetcars). Buses will probably be allowed to run between the LRT trains, and the stoplight triggered to let the buses through if an LRT approaches behind a stopped bus behind a red light. (like a manual "turn light green" pushbutton in the LRT cab -- they use those on some systems in the world -- and is handy to clear congestion in front of the public transit vehicle and doesn't automatically turn the light green without manual intervention).

On that topic -- I really feel that TTC streetcars NEED that "Turn Light Green" pushbutton, to speed them up; they sometimes get stuck at stoplights for 3 stoplight cycles! They pick up passengers, but then a red light stops a car in front of them, they pick up more passengers, car in front goes, and the streetcar is still stuck another red light cycle, etc. With all-door boarding and traffic preemption, Toronto's streetcars can probably pierce through busy downtown intersections at least 50% faster. It will actually speed car commuters up too if the stoplight cycle is real-time tweaked a bit -- the ones that are stuck behind the streetcar for 3 stoplight cycles.

More information about the "Turn Light Green" systems:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption
In some cities in the world, the city bus and LRTs use this system... Hamilton LRT will be using something similiar...