Poll: What Should The New Eglinton/Scarborough LRT/Metro Be Called?

[Platform 27]

I agree with a system similar to this. Toronto should have colour names for the lines. It sounds silly telling someone to get on the Yonge-Univeristy-Spadina line and then transfer to the Bloor-Danforth line. Telling someone to take the Yellow to the Green line is way more simple and to the point.

Um, you sort of can tell them to take the Yellow line and then transfer to the Green line. Sirens will not go off and men will not drag you away to a padded cell. And they ought to get where they're going just fine.

Granted, this would be more foolproof if the colour-coding of the signage in the transfer stations was a bit better---on signs the line names should always be accompanied by their colours, like London very successfully does, rather than the hit-or-miss signage at present. But so long as there's colour-coding consistently appearing alongside them, I don't see why anyone would want to get rid of the additional information the geographic names provide. For wayfinding, particularly for people not familiar with the city, there's value in knowing the "Yonge" line is more or less under Yonge, no? "Line 1" or "Yellow line" with no further information could run anywhere, but "Yonge" tells me that it may be of use to me getting to such places as "Yonge and St. Clair" or "Yonge and Finch."

 

[smarches]

Um, you sort of can tell them to take the Yellow line and then transfer to the Green line. Sirens will not go off and men will not drag you away to a padded cell. And they ought to get where they're going just fine.

Granted, this would be more foolproof if the colour-coding of the signage in the transfer stations was a bit better---on signs the line names should always be accompanied by their colours, like London very successfully does, rather than the hit-or-miss signage at present. But so long as there's colour-coding consistently appearing alongside them, I don't see why anyone would want to get rid of the additional information the geographic names provide. For wayfinding, particularly for people not familiar with the city, there's value in knowing the "Yonge" line is more or less under Yonge, no? "Line 1" or "Yellow line" with no further information could run anywhere, but "Yonge" tells me that it may be of use to me getting to such places as "Yonge and St. Clair" or "Yonge and Finch."

I was looking at some other systems around the world. I agree with you. A combined colour coded and name system would be a great solution. I think the most important thing is to not create a number system for the lines.

 

[gweed123]

I was looking at some other systems around the world. I agree with you. A combined colour coded and name system would be a great solution. I think the most important thing is to not create a number system for the lines.

Technically the Toronto system is numbered as well. YUS is Route 1, B-D is Route 2, etc. It's not used very often, really only in TTC reports, but it's there.

But I agree with you: Come up with a standard naming convention, colour each line, and then have consistent signage that shows BOTH on it. Sheppard did a good job of this, all the stations have the purple band at the top of all the signage.

 

[pw20]

Technically the Toronto system is numbered as well. YUS is Route 1, B-D is Route 2, etc. It's not used very often, really only in TTC reports, but it's there.

But I agree with you: Come up with a standard naming convention, colour each line, and then have consistent signage that shows BOTH on it. Sheppard did a good job of this, all the stations have the purple band at the top of all the signage.

All future stations (and stations which are being renovated) should have that signage on top. The Union station renderings, for example, have that signage. The signage is ridiculously expensive - something like 2.5 million - per station, so it will be implemented on an ad hoc basis...

 

[Towered]

Seeing how the west end has once again been given the annual screw-job with regards to receiving rapid transit expansion in order to build subways to nowhere on the east side, I hardly think including the name Etobicoke will be necessary.

 

[Platform 27]

The signage is ridiculously expensive - something like 2.5 million - per station, so it will be implemented on an ad hoc basis...

There's expensive, then there's public-sector expensive, then there's TTC expensive, but I think that's into the category of "so expensive I actually have a hard time believing it."

Unless they're painted with the same stuff that's on the space shuttle. You never know when a subway station has to be specced to survive re-entry.

 

[gweed123]

Seeing how the west end has once again been given the annual screw-job with regards to receiving rapid transit expansion in order to build subways to nowhere on the east side, I hardly think including the name Etobicoke will be necessary.

The west side already got their downtown relief line, it's called the University-Spadina subway.

 

[CDL.TO]

The west side already got their downtown relief line, it's called the University-Spadina subway.

No matter what some people may say, University is completely packed during rush hours. It also provides no relief to the crowded downtown streetcars (the 504 west of University is the busiest section of the busiest surface route in the entire city). Yonge may be the most crowded subway route in the city, but the numbers say that over the course of a full day Bloor is the second busiest.

With the financial core centred on Bay St, I think it is clear that Toronto has one "orbital" line in its downtown core, and now it requires a second one.

Sure, we may be focussed on the urgency of lower Yonge. But the reality is that we now have a large segment of the system where people are left behind on the train platform because they can't get on their train during rush hours. This area stretches from at least Bathurst to Pape on Bloor-Danforth, St. Clair or Eglinton to Queen on Yonge, and St. George to Queen's Park on University.

 

[M II A II R II K]

Then add a Bay Street subway line even if it's just a few kilometres long.

 

[sixrings]

I agree the simplest solution to a DRL is simply making a Bay Strret subway to Union. It would be the shortest subway and all the people west of St George and East of Yonge Bloor could transfer to Bay when heading downtown...

 

[Amy Rose]

I find it ironic how Bay is about the only route downtown that uses buses excluding the premium express buses. I guess one point in time, there was a streetcar line.

 

[Dan416]

I don't think a Bay line is very needed or practical or cost-effective. Build the eastern DRL first.

 

[M II A II R II K]

Make use of the existing rail corridors where the existing GO Trains are just for express services to the 905 and then separate trains can travel more locally on the same corridors with extra stations like a London Overground type setup. They would act as additional subway lines with far apart stations only.

 

[Thoughtless Miscreant]

Yeah I feel like building a subway 200m away from one subway and 400m from another kinda might be a complete waste of money.

 

[toraerach]

The west side already got their downtown relief line, it's called the University-Spadina subway.

I think his point was that, with the cancellation of the FWLRT and the aputation of the ECLRT, Etobicoke is the only former borough not getting any investment in rapid transit any time soon.