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King Street (Streetcar Transit Priority)

reaperexpress said:
Sounds like symptoms of failed streetcar or bus detectors, resulting in priority interventions for non-existent transit vehicles. Normally the signal cycles downtown are about 60-80 seconds, but they can be increased if necessary to prioritize a TTC vehicle. If you see this occuring regularly in the absence of relevant streetcars/buses, let the City know because something's broken.
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I don't think it's that because the priority I normally see the "don't walk countdown" come on, and then it gets to zero but the light still stays green for a while. At these locations the walk sign stays on the whole time, streetcars or buses present or not, so it doesn't appear to be holding a green. Even if it did, that Queen street one would be a very long hold after a long green.
 
W. K. Lis said:
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As someone who visited Amsterdam and Rotterdam this year, I found the lights short and long as ours. I have a few videos showing how slow trams were leaving the train station due to lights.

Pedestrians are their own worse enemy at times as they fail to obey the traffic lights in the first place and cross the street on a red with on coming traffic at them, Saw this today at Hurontario and Dundas where there are advancing green for left turns, yet drivers couldn't make that turn due to Pedestrians crossing the street in front of them on a red. Have a few videos for Zurich where trams had those issues as well.

Try crossing a few streets in Copenhagen was fun.

I have an intersection where it can take up to 3 minutes between lights to cross the street even with next to no cars on the road in the first place. Even then, it only a short time to cross 9 lanes of traffic.
 
I visited the new cherry street bridge. The city shows they suck at traffic lights/management since there are 2 90 degree turns. One has no rights on a red despite there not being even a lane to the left! Just making drivers stop and idle for ZERO reason.
 
turbanplanner said:
I visited the new cherry street bridge. The city shows they suck at traffic lights/management since there are 2 90 degree turns.
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I didn't think they'd realigned most of it from Commissioners to Lakeshore yet - are the 90-degree turns temporary?

Looking at this figure, it sounds like you were on Old Cherry Street, and did two 90-degree turns to get onto the bridge which is on new Cherry Street.
1665383747867.png

I don't think we'll be seeing the 504 streetcar this far down Cherry for a long time!
 
Jonny5 said:
I don't think it's that because the priority I normally see the "don't walk countdown" come on, and then it gets to zero but the light still stays green for a while. At these locations the walk sign stays on the whole time, streetcars or buses present or not, so it doesn't appear to be holding a green. Even if it did, that Queen street one would be a very long hold after a long green.
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Only a small minority of green extensions occur after the countdown has finished. Most intersections with priority allow streetcars/buses to extend the green light by up to 30 seconds with a Walk display. For more information, see my previous post.

I suggest emailing 311 and noting that the issue may be related to a failed bus/streetcar detector. That will save some diagnostic time on their end by pointing them toward the actual issue.
 
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turbanplanner said:
I visited the new cherry street bridge. The city shows they suck at traffic lights/management since there are 2 90 degree turns. One has no rights on a red despite there not being even a lane to the left! Just making drivers stop and idle for ZERO reason.
Click to expand...
What does this have to do with King Street Transit Priority?
 
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turbanplanner said:
I visited the new cherry street bridge. The city shows they suck at traffic lights/management since there are 2 90 degree turns. One has no rights on a red despite there not being even a lane to the left! Just making drivers stop and idle for ZERO reason.
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This is a temporary diversion in the middle of a construction site. Patience!
 
The 504 has been back to running on King through Corktown since Friday now, yet many stops are still instructing passengers that it is not in service. The amount of uncoordination is becoming epically bad. There was a sign at John St too until recently that the stop wasn't in use (and that was from the TIFF closure almost three weeks earlier).
 
JasonParis said:
The 504 has been back to running on King through Corktown since Friday now, yet many stops are still instructing passengers that it is not in service. The amount of uncoordination is becoming epically bad. There was a sign at John St too until recently that the stop wasn't in use (and that was from the TIFF closure almost three weeks earlier).
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I still saw ads for TIFF in the subway this weekend too. They can't even turn around their ad space--though I know there is also a lack of interest in much of it.
 
Jonny5 said:
I still saw ads for TIFF in the subway this weekend too. They can't even turn around their ad space--though I know there is also a lack of interest in much of it.
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turbanplanner said:
Notice the new streetcars don't even have ads!
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@Reecemartin has a video out w/this thoughts on how to improve the streetcar system in Toronto.

t.co

A Plan to fix Toronto's Streetcars

Toronto is famous for keeping its streetcars when cities around the world ripped theirs out, but that has made us complacent. Our network needs some major fi...
t.co t.co

I don't agree on every point, but I do agree on many.

One thing he highlights is how primitive our transit stops are for the most part. Many systems around the world increasingly feature digital LCD panels with next vehicle arrival times, maps and even the ability to communicate
messages such as would needed for route diversions and delays.

If we had proper digital signage at stops it could be updated centrally without the need for paper notices that are subject to wear and tear, stops that never receive them, vandalism, and being dated.

Moreover, digital allows for real-time updates where paper notices do not.

****

In that same vein, I'm not a fan of advertising here, there and everywhere, I find it cluttery and a bit tasteless; that said, advertising in public space is a reality in some form or another almost everywhere.

As such, if and where we do that, it should, again, be digital. This allows for automatic removal of ads that are dated, and if no new ads have been sold for a given space it can revert to some sort of public service announcement
or charity ad that is relatively timeless; or even to 'art' with a set number of licensed pieces that simply flow whenever ads do not.
 
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Northern Light said:
@Reecemartin has a video out w/this thoughts on how to improve the streetcar system in Toronto.

t.co

A Plan to fix Toronto's Streetcars

Toronto is famous for keeping its streetcars when cities around the world ripped theirs out, but that has made us complacent. Our network needs some major fi...
t.co t.co

I don't agree on every point, but I do agree on many.

One thing he highlights is how primitive our transit stops are for the most part. Many systems around the world increasingly feature digital LCD panels with next vehicle arrival times, maps and even the ability to communicate
messages such as would needed for route diversions and delays.

If we had proper digital signage at stops it could be updated centrally without the need for paper notices that are subject to wear and tear, stops that never receive them, vandalism, and being dated.

Moreover, digital allows for real-time updates where paper notices do not.

****

In that same vein, I'm not a fan of advertising here, there and everywhere, I find it cluttery and a bit tasteless; that said, advertising in public space is a reality in some form or another almost everywhere.

As such, if and where we do that, it should, again, be digital. This allows for automatic removal of ads that dated, and if no new ads have been sold for a given space it can revert to some sort of public service announcement
or charity ad that is relatively timeless; or even to 'art' with a set number of licensed pieces that simply flow whenver ads do not.
Click to expand...
Vandalism is funny to mention because seeing how many smashed bus shelters I see, I'd imagine many screens wouldn't last very long?
 
turbanplanner said:
Vandalism is funny to mention because seeing how many smashed bus shelters I see, I'd imagine many screens wouldn't last very long?
Click to expand...

Many systems seem to be able to sufficiently vandal-proof their equipment. Part of that is design/material, part of that is placement. (fixtures at height are vandalized less)
 
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