Transit Fantasy Maps

[Bureaucromancer]

A no-brainer to everyone but the TTC it seems.

Although there are apparently structural issues with a Castle Frank loop. Honestly though, this and Coxwell are just pills that need to be swallowed at some point.

 

[north-of-anything]

I hadn't really considered taking Dufferin north of Downsview before, but I like that. Maybe cut it back to Finch West though, between the Finch LRT connection and the University's desire to keep out surface transit; a new ROW into the campus seems like a hill not worth fighting over, let alone dying on.

What I keep coming back to on Dufferin though is that even BRT isn't going to have space for dedicated lanes on the places it's most needed, and that capacity is as critical as speed and reliability here. Light rail in the true sense isn't likely (if it's even doable), but how about a very high end streetcar? Use the curb lane and eliminate parking, but continue in mixed traffic where necessary for traffic flow. The biggie though is building double length platforms. Keep this as part of the city system, but order a number of MU capable cars for train operation (or Edmonton length single units). This should do more for the capacity problems and at least as much for bunching than surface BRT is capable of given the ROW constraints.

A streetcar could work, and would allow the south end of the route to skip the detour through Liberty Village, but it would also make the utilization of the York U Busway almost impossible. The line would probably need to end in a loop somewhere on the Downsview lands. I was inclined to lay out a BRT system for Dufferin partially because I wanted to see some more utilization of the busway in the Finch corridor, and partially because it's a tried and true technology and Toronto hates being the first to do something.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

A streetcar could work, and would allow the south end of the route to skip the detour through Liberty Village, but it would also make the utilization of the York U Busway almost impossible. The line would probably need to end in a loop somewhere on the Downsview lands. I was inclined to lay out a BRT system for Dufferin partially because I wanted to see some more utilization of the busway in the Finch corridor, and partially because it's a tried and true technology and Toronto hates being the first to do something.

I'd disagree with the BRT ROW being a no-go for streetcars. So far as I can see the only real obstacle is Hydro objecting to overhead, and frankly, for all my hate of it on GO, batteries are quite capable of handling a section of that length today. Given my version already would involve a specific subfleet that doesn't seem a big issue to me.

 

[Rainforest]

View attachment 252260

Hearing about the city's plan to expedite bus lanes on a number of streets was good to hear, and I think the most important corridor for that is Dufferin, as it's a very busy one but unlikely to get a light rail line. This is how I would mark out the completed route.

NORTH END: York University - The Pond Road - Murray Ross

These "stations" would be curbside stops along the York University Busway. Murray Ross would not have a direct connection to Finch West, as the two stops immediately before York University would be designed to be optional and for the convenience of York University students.

NORTH OF 401: Finch - Steeprock - Sheppard West - Allen - Home Road - Wilson

Somewhere north of Allen Station, the buses would ideally shift from curbside to middle-lane, running through the Downsview Airport redevelopment. Ideally the bus lanes would go through this area as straight as possible, with the two stations positioned at high density nodes.

MIDTOWN: Yorkdale - Orfus - Lawrence - Glencairn - Castlefield - Fairbank (Eglinton) - Preston (/ Gibson) - Rogers - St Clair - Davenport

Maybe the busiest part of the line? Dedicated bus lanes all the way through here, without detouring to the Yorkdale bus terminal.

SOUTH of the TRACKS: Dupont Lappin - Bloor - College - Bank (/ Stonehouse) - Queen - King - Liberty - Exhibition

A station would be positioned on the east edge of the Galleria development as opposed to on either corner. Bank, Queen, and King stations could potentially be skipped if the space is needed to end dedicated bus lanes. The route turns onto Liberty Village and stops curbside across from the Lamport Stadium parking lot, and terminates at Exhibition.

I decided to extend the line through Downsview as it would be the most natural route to serve the future developments there, perhaps detouring through Transit Road and Allen Road before that route is built. I also chose York University as the terminus because the York University Busway branches off Dufferin right as the development potential peters off.

The map is cool, and the shortcut from Sheppard West to Wilson through the former Downsview Airport lands is a great idea and is certainly doable.

But south of Eglinton, I am not sure how the BRT will operate. There is no space for 6 lanes. Maybe, transit can operate with a soft priority: 2 out of 4 lanes for transit, the other 2 for general traffic, but if a blockage occurs in the general-traffic lane, then the cars are allowed to enter the transit lane just to bypass the blockage.

 

[Rainforest]

Or, maybe we shouldn't totally reject an underground streetcar option for Dufferin. If we can afford a 6-km long tunnel under Eglinton West in Etobicoke; then, well, a 7-km tunnel from roughly Eglinton to the Ex can solve the Dufferin transit problem. North of Eglinton (or north of the former Belt Line to be precise), there is room for 2 dedicated transit-only surface lanes.

 

[north-of-anything]

Big image for big brain time. This is the only valid Line 2 extension and you cannot convince me otherwise.

This connects Line 2 to the Lakeshore East GO line, and also brings the line to a terminus at a triangle of arterials that's ripe for redevelopment. This will also allow a marginally faster route to UTSC, and allow BRT lanes on Kingston to continue down through Cliffside to Danforth Avenue.

This extension may not serve as many people overall, but it brings a larger area of the city within striking distance of the subway, doesn't disrupt as many single-family homes along Danforth/McCowan, and redirects westbound traffic onto an electrified Stouffville GO line.

I contemplated adding a fourth station at either McCowan or Mason, but going with just these three stops is cheaper,while still hitting virtually every possible north-south connection.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

I'd have stops at McCowan and Bellamy for a 4-stop extension. The Bellamy stop should be close enough to Eglinton GO to have a shared station.

I do like this direction for the extension, effectively closing it off as an east-west route/corridor. Though much of the same route is serviceable (with more stops) via Crosstown East LRT extension. That said, if we interlined the Scarborough LRT with Eglinton Crosstown, we could connect STC with Kennedy, and therefore Line 2.

 

[north-of-anything]

I'd have stops at McCowan and Bellamy for a 4-stop extension. The Bellamy stop should be close enough to Eglinton GO to have a shared station.

If the Bellamy stop was on the other side of the GO tracks, then a stop at McCowan would make sense. But the bus route that serves McCowan Road already stops at the station building side of Eglinton GO, and this extension is partially designed to bolster the case of a Kingston Road-based rapid transit route.

I don't know if interlining the Crosstown with the current Line 3 is possible, unless you're referring to some other future Scarborough LRT. I think it would be better to connect STC directly to either Stouffville GO or Sheppard East. That way there is only one transfer necessary to get to Union Station instead of two, because for some reason that's a criteria Scarborough uses.

 

[JSF-1]

View attachment 253377

Big image for big brain time. This is the only valid Line 2 extension and you cannot convince me otherwise.

This connects Line 2 to the Lakeshore East GO line, and also brings the line to a terminus at a triangle of arterials that's ripe for redevelopment. This will also allow a marginally faster route to UTSC, and allow BRT lanes on Kingston to continue down through Cliffside to Danforth Avenue.

This extension may not serve as many people overall, but it brings a larger area of the city within striking distance of the subway, doesn't disrupt as many single-family homes along Danforth/McCowan, and redirects westbound traffic onto an electrified Stouffville GO line.

I contemplated adding a fourth station at either McCowan or Mason, but going with just these three stops is cheaper,while still hitting virtually every possible north-south connection.

I'd consider renaming the Cedarbrae station to something else as the Cedarbrae name is more associated with the mall at Markham and Lawrence (and to a lesser extant the High School).

 

[mdu]

Big image for big brain time. This is the only valid Line 2 extension and you cannot convince me otherwise.

This connects Line 2 to the Lakeshore East GO line, and also brings the line to a terminus at a triangle of arterials that's ripe for redevelopment. This will also allow a marginally faster route to UTSC, and allow BRT lanes on Kingston to continue down through Cliffside to Danforth Avenue.

This extension may not serve as many people overall, but it brings a larger area of the city within striking distance of the subway, doesn't disrupt as many single-family homes along Danforth/McCowan, and redirects westbound traffic onto an electrified Stouffville GO line.

I contemplated adding a fourth station at either McCowan or Mason, but going with just these three stops is cheaper,while still hitting virtually every possible north-south connection.

How would you feel about running this route as the other terminal branch of the Bloor Subway, given that the SSE is likely to be only served by alternating trains?
(Unfortunately, I don't think this would get built anytime in the next few decades)

 

[kali]

Great map; do you have any fantasy designs for the Finch and Scarborough hydro corridors?

 

[north-of-anything]

I'd consider renaming the Cedarbrae station to something else as the Cedarbrae name is more associated with the mall at Markham and Lawrence (and to a lesser extant the High School).

Really. I would have thought that area would be associated with the name Woburn. I chose Cedarbrae because Bellamy Road North at that intersection is actually a southern extension of Cedar Brae Boulevard, but I admit my names might not be the best choices as I haven't even stepped foot in Scarborough before.

How would you feel about running this route as the other terminal branch of the Bloor Subway, given that the SSE is likely to be only served by alternating trains?
(Unfortunately, I don't think this would get built anytime in the next few decades)

They... they want to do what with the SSE? Ideally, no, I would have every train reach Markham/Kingston and not have an SSE at all. If track was already being laid, though, I would say that makes sense, since the two terminal spurs would have the same number of stations. I have my doubts that we're going to see any progress at all on Line 2, except possibly ATC and platform screen doors, within the next 10 years anyways.

Great map; do you have any fantasy designs for the Finch and Scarborough hydro corridors?

Short answer, no.

Long answer, the Finch hydro corridor has quite a few obstacles, for example the lake in G. Ross Lord Park and the bus terminals and substation near Finch Station, that I think are better off untouched. It would be more practical to develop Finch Avenue itself, which doesn't have a shortage of lanes. The Scarborough hydro corridor, meanwhile, doesn't lead anywhere. It mostly cuts through the yellow belt, falling short of reaching nodes like UTSC, the zoo, and STC. I think preserving a long, uninterrupted stretch of greenspace in the corridor is more important than using it for public transit.

The Etobicoke hydro corridor south of the 401 would be the best choice for designing a line there, but even that would be of more use as an express route than actually serve the people who live near it.

 

[Rainforest]

Long answer, the Finch hydro corridor has quite a few obstacles, for example the lake in G. Ross Lord Park and the bus terminals and substation near Finch Station, that I think are better off untouched. It would be more practical to develop Finch Avenue itself, which doesn't have a shortage of lanes.

Except between Yonge and Leslie. Space is relatively tight there, and the Leslie Hill is not optimal for a surface transit line, especially an LRT line.

I would like to see Finch LRT extended from Keele to Yonge in the Finch Avenue middle lanes. If it gets extended east of Yonge, I would not rule out using a section of the Hydro corridor from Yonge to Leslie, or Don Mills, or perhaps the 404 (serving the Seneca College from the north in the latter case). East of that, the line can return to the Finch proper.

 

[Shining Tree]

View attachment 253377

Big image for big brain time. This is the only valid Line 2 extension and you cannot convince me otherwise.

This connects Line 2 to the Lakeshore East GO line, and also brings the line to a terminus at a triangle of arterials that's ripe for redevelopment. This will also allow a marginally faster route to UTSC, and allow BRT lanes on Kingston to continue down through Cliffside to Danforth Avenue.

This extension may not serve as many people overall, but it brings a larger area of the city within striking distance of the subway, doesn't disrupt as many single-family homes along Danforth/McCowan, and redirects westbound traffic onto an electrified Stouffville GO line.

I contemplated adding a fourth station at either McCowan or Mason, but going with just these three stops is cheaper,while still hitting virtually every possible north-south connection.

I recall this being discussed back when Eglinton LRT was to be connected with the SRT. It did make the most sense.
The problem is - this is a network. When Eglinton LRT was put in the median from Brentcliffe to Kennedy, it forced domino's to fall in many directions - and not all for the better.

 

[north-of-anything]

If any line is to be split in two at the end, I think it should be this one. Both branches are closer together and would probably not require full service, but the section from Yonge to Pharmacy will hopefully grow to warrant 3-4 minute service. Alternating branches can remain on Sheppard or detour to Scarborough Centre. The issue with extending the Sheppard subway further west is that Sheppard is fairly constrained when it comes to redevelopment potential as is. East of the GO tracks you have more backyards fronting onto arterials, and those areas would be more suited for a lower frequency.... the line could be brought above-ground here, or be transformed into a TTC gauge Crosstown-like service.