RedRocket191
Senior Member
This crossover idea got me thinking: With today's location pinpointing technology in place wouldn't it be possible to create a virtual ROW using crossovers?
Streetcars would be able to pass traffic jams by favoring the traffic lights of oncoming traffic to stop while the streetcar moves on to the left lane and passes the stalled traffic.
This could also be used to pass a disabled streetcar.
Location based schedules could be implemented also. A driver would be instructed to remain 5 minutes behind the streetcar ahead and not need to follow a set schedule at all. People on each stop would simply know that a streetcar is always less than 5 minutes away.
Today I experienced an unnerving bunching. I waited for 20 minutes for a streetcar at Queen and Shaw and finally gave up. I walked all the way to Queen and University at which point 4 streetcars passed, one emptier than the other in front of it. grrr!
I like the virtual ROW idea, provided that streetcars can safely drive in oncoming traffic. It would make a mess of the line, but at least traffic would be able to get through.
Location based schedules only work when service is very frequent - more frequent than every 5 minutes. Anything less frequent would be hard to do, as someone who has to transfer onto an infrequent route needs concrete schedules to plan their trip.
If I need to transfer onto a bus that runs every 40 minutes (I live in Brampton), then I need to know exactly what time my bus will get me to the transfer point.