Toronto Spadina Subway Extension Emergency Exits | ?m | 1s | TTC | IBI Group

Cross posting from the fantasy thread: would it have been viable to end the TYSSE at Steeles and build a Jane BRT from Major Mac to PV terminal within the same funding envelope?

Depends what you mean by BRT. If you mean full BRT, completely grade separated, then I strongly doubt it, and at any rate that would be unjustified from Major Mack. If you mean partial BRT, like Viva Rapidways (or BRT lite, just regular Viva service) then yes, absolutely, it would have been substantially cheaper.

However, I don't think that would have been a good solution. The subway would inevitably end up getting extended to meet with the 407 transitway, and the lack of a subway would have prevented real intensification from occurring at VMC, it's also a huge boon to the Highway 7 rapidway. And BRT is IMO overkill north of 7 until at least 2050...they don't even have BRT Lite Viva service running there yet, it's slated for about 2023 as I recall. I think regular Viva service is ample for Jane from 7 to Major Mack.
 
What I think could have been viable would be to combine VMC and Highway 407 stations by building VMC station south of Highway 7. What is now the main entrance would be the north entrance. A south entrance could be built at Jane/Interchange Way, along with a bus terminal (possibly combined GO/YRT) and commuter parking. The upside to this is one less station to build/maintain and to avoid having a station in the middle of nowhere (as well as easier GO/YRT connections). The downside is increased property acquisition costs (since there are buildings in that area) and no direct transitway connection (but the 407 transitway probably won't be built in the foreseeable future anyway).
 
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Too bad the games play for more than two hours. Could get back within the 2 hour transfer time limit, in August.
I.m not expecting much from the Jays this year.
It could be they will be losing badly by the 4th inning and you can still make it.
 
It looks like there is some severe misunderstanding of parking and drop off locations for the subway. Apparently the 407 lot is regularly overflowing onto illegal street parking, while the Pioneer Village lot remains mostly empty. Similar thing at Vaughan Metro Centre, and they are actually charging for parking there. There needs to be a lot more communication that the primary commuter lot is at Pioneer Village, not Vaughan or Highway 407.
 
Well there's also rush hour and York U students, but I'm not sure how much that does for Highway 407 station.
The station will be busy enough once Metrolinx gets its goddamn act together and uses it, and when they build more parking; there is no development potential there so the land might as well be used for something useful.
 
The station will be busy enough once Metrolinx gets its goddamn act together and uses it, and when they build more parking; there is no development potential there so the land might as well be used for something useful.
And bite the bullet by stop serving York U (bus and train) and subsidize GO to TTC transfers for Highway 407 and Downsview Park Stations.
 
And bite the bullet by stop serving York U (bus and train) and subsidize GO to TTC transfers for Highway 407 and Downsview Park Stations.
That was also part of it. The best option here is having a sort of presto tap thing within the fare paid area at York University. You tap in at HWY 407 or Downsview Park, then before you exit the station at York University, you tap a "fare recovery" pad that refunds you say 1$ or 1.5$. This, or either make Downsview Park/HWY 407 GO zones a dollar less expensive.
 
It looks like there is some severe misunderstanding of parking and drop off locations for the subway. Apparently the 407 lot is regularly overflowing onto illegal street parking, while the Pioneer Village lot remains mostly empty. Similar thing at Vaughan Metro Centre, and they are actually charging for parking there. There needs to be a lot more communication that the primary commuter lot is at Pioneer Village, not Vaughan or Highway 407.

Pioneer Village is too far from both the 400 and 407.

Also, it is really easy to accidentally drive into the bus terminal at Highway 407 when you're trying to access the drop off. Coming from the north, there's a bus-only entrance that's fairly clearly marked and easy to spot if you're paying attention, but driving past that, people let their guard down, thinking that they've already passed the bus entrance. So they miss the other bus-only entrance (exit?) next to the drop off.
 
Pioneer Village is too far from both the 400 and 407.

Also, it is really easy to accidentally drive into the bus terminal at Highway 407 when you're trying to access the drop off. Coming from the north, there's a bus-only entrance that's fairly clearly marked and easy to spot if you're paying attention, but driving past that, people let their guard down, thinking that they've already passed the bus entrance. So they miss the other bus-only entrance (exit?) next to the drop off.
Poor designs the TTC and contractor’s part. Can’t the entrance be moved south a bit?
 
Poor designs the TTC and contractor’s part. Can’t the entrance be moved south a bit?

Well the issue stems mostly from the fact that the station is new and underutilized, meaning that most of the time, there's not a single bus in the terminal. People will get used to driving to the station, or they will see buses in the terminal once it gets busier. You would have to be drive-into-Queens-Quay-Station levels of stupid to drive where the buses are.
 
Well the issue stems mostly from the fact that the station is new and underutilized, meaning that most of the time, there's not a single bus in the terminal. People will get used to driving to the station, or they will see buses in the terminal once it gets busier. You would have to be drive-into-Queens-Quay-Station levels of stupid to drive where the buses are.
I wouldn’t say the two levels of stupidity are comparable. The bus terminal entrance has poor signage, while the portal HAS SO MANY SIGNS AND FLASHING LIGHTS.
 

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