News   Nov 25, 2024
Highwire Act
 122     0 
News   Nov 22, 2024
National Housing Day: City of Toronto and Riverdale Co-op Open Affordable Homes
 806     1 
News   Nov 22, 2024
Bauhaus Condos Rising in Toronto's Old Town
 1.4K     5 

TTC: Bloor Danforth Line 2 West Extension(s)

"Due to the Oct 26 fiscal update (basically an attempt to lower expectations) and the lack of federal support the Sheppard funding will likely have to wait until the second mandate..."

Miller and the Scarborough councillors don't want it either...their vision is the web of streetcars.
 
Exactly. People don't seem to have clued into the fact that the reason subways only are proposed for the distant suburbs is that they have the only politicians who support them. Sorbara, York Region, and York U all demand a subway. Downtown (and Scarborough) councillors don't say a peep about subways. It's all-streetcars-all-the-time for them.

As a supporter of streetcar ROW construction, I find the current overselling of their potential to be quite dangerous. People are essentially being promised that this Scarborough Web of Streetcars will end congestion in that borough, and that a Don Mills ROW will unclog the DVP. Those are both patently false. While a ROW can improve transit service, it would take grade-separated rapid transit to have an appreciable dent on traffic. When they're built and people see no improvement, public support for more ROWs will certainly decrease. This is compounded by the TTC's heretofore refusal to implement real transit priority, making time savings on the much-ballyhooed ROWs rather negligible.
 
"This is compounded by the TTC's heretofore refusal to implement real transit priority"

Although I've been avoiding the commentary on LRTs and streetcars from you and Scarberian, at very least it should be noted that it isn't the TTC blocking implementation of transit priority (why on earth would they?), but instead the Works Department.
 
Of course you're right about that. I should have said that it's the city's problem. They had just better implement transit priority on St. Clair or they will have a real problem getting public support for the next project.
 
Even if they do implement priority (and let's hope that they do) I still question the ability of the TTC to schedule in such a way that takes full advantage of it. With a private ROW, even without priority there should be no reason (none, none, none, none, NONE!) for schedule time-killing through intentionally slow driving and delaying at stops.

I've been meaning to invite you and/or Scarberian for coffee at the Tim's at Bathurst and Dundas... an intersection with so-called "transit priority", so we can watch and discuss how it actually manages to both make the transit slower (seriously) and watch as streetcars sit there are refuse to take advantage of the extended green just to kill schedule time (clogging traffic in the process). It's merely a design issue... and it manages to cause so many problems.
 
I'd love to.
Why on earth does the TTC encourage them to do that?
 
"With a private ROW, even without priority there should be no reason (none, none, none, none, NONE!) for schedule time-killing through intentionally slow driving and delaying at stops."

Maybe they're just so used to doing this on suburban bus routes that it's transferred into standard practice for streetcars (and roads like Steeles, McNicoll, Midland, and Brimley are de facto ROWs at night, and often during the day, too). Of course, some of those stops are scheduled based on Tim Horton's locations rather than time(...speaking of which, has anyone ever seen a streetcar driver get out for coffee (or burgers)?). If a TTC vehicle can make 8 round trips during a driver's 8 hour shift or whatever, using pretty much the same amount of gas, why don't they shed the time-killing and make 9 trips?
 
"That would make for one weird looking line."

Maybe but it's very practical on many levels. In my opinion the VIVA routes are an indication of heavily used corridors in YR suitable for subway service. VIVA Orange already proves this to VCC and the other stations: Weston-Colossus, Ansley Grove, Pine Valley, Woodbridge East (Islington) and Woodbridge would be spaced far apart causing urban density around these stops. And since the motive of this line is mainly politically-based it kills two birds bringing the subway out to a 905 voter stronghold like Woodbridge.

Kipling ends just north of Steeles replaced by vacant fields 'til Hwy 7 meaning it the perfect place to run back into Toronto. At Steeles West a terminus for all routes west of Jane and a new transit option for northern Etobicoke. Depending on the density between Steeles and Finch the line could remain above ground on an elevated platform running the median of Kipling. Albion Mall naturally is the next stop as its a major destination.

The Hwy 27/427 portion would be similar to the Allen Exwy portion with stations looking most like Glencairn (no bus terminal just passenger pickup/dropoff) but in addition to connections to the street above there'd be underground walkways under the highway to attract more riders afraid to cross overhead.

I encourage constructive feedback.
 
It certainly makes sense for Burnhamthorpe buses to continue to terminate at Islington, since burnhamthorpe goes right to the station.

The disadvantage of MT buses switching to Kipling or East Mall is that Islington is a real destination, with offices and residences. All the mississaugans who work there will soon be required to pay a TTC fare and take the subway one stop.

It makes sense to send buses to destinations, not just arbitrarily placed subway terminals.
 
East Mall might be somewhat justified, but Kipling? No way the buses on Burnhamthorpe should terminate at Kipling; it would just increase travel times and force unneccessary transfers. The 20/26/76 should take over service from the TTC route 50. Service on route 50 pales in comparison to the service MT provides. Too bad it is against the law for MT to provide service for Toronto residents...

Other than that, East Mall is the best location possible for all of the other MT buses (except maybe route 3). It is the most westward location that is suited for a regional bus terminal. Sherway is too far south and would be practically useless for MT. That's why I think the new terminal at Kipling is a mistake.
 
jwill said:
The disadvantage of MT buses switching to Kipling or East Mall is that Islington is a real destination, with offices and residences. All the mississaugans who work there will soon be required to pay a TTC fare and take the subway one stop.
Click to expand...

For the umpteenth time, we will have fare integration by that time.
 
Fare integration doesn't matter. The problem is adding a one-stop transfer on the subway for people going to Dundas and Islington. It makes transit less attractive for those people.
 
jwill said:
Fare integration doesn't matter. The problem is adding a one-stop transfer on the subway for people going to Dundas and Islington. It makes transit less attractive for those people.
Click to expand...

It reduces two problems from one problem. Frankly, I think the fare is the greater barrier since there will always be instances where you'll have to travel a single stop to complete your journey. If I live at Yonge & Lawrence and I want to go to Eglinton and Bayview (to pick two completely random points, as is so popular on this venue) I'm going to have to transfer.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top