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TTC: Flexity Streetcars Testing & Delivery (Bombardier)

nfitz:

I am quite certain you would have experienced bunching mid-day on both Dundas and Carlton. Scheduled service is one thing, lived experience is another.

re: wheelchair

It has AODA in mind, and of course it will enable wheelchair users to utilize the streetcars - whether it will make that much of an impact is an open question.

AoD
 
hawc said:
He pretended not to hear because he had his headphones in. He never looked up.
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And you wouldn't speak louder, wave a hand, move his bags? I've never had that response from someone ... You don't really come across as being that meek here.

AlvinofDiaspar said:
I am quite certain you would have experienced bunching mid-day on both Dundas and Carlton. Scheduled service is one thing, lived experience is another.
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I've even seen it on Kingston Road with the 20-minute service. But certainly not as frequently as you see it in peak. It's most unusual at 10 pm at night. And do we really want the current 10-minute service then to be cut to 15 minutes? Which means a 20-minute gap because of bunching becomes a 30-minute gap.

AlvinofDiaspar said:
It has AODA in mind, and of course it will enable wheelchair users to utilize the streetcars - whether it will make that
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Based on what I've observed in Vancouver, where I've frequently seen more people in a wheelchair on a single Skytrain, than I've seen on a Toronto subway in my entire life. Which is quite stunning, given I've only had about a dozen Skytrain rides in the last decade. I'll easily rider than many Toronto subway trains many weeks.
 
nfitz:

I've even seen it on Kingston Road with the 20-minute service. But certainly not as frequently as you see it in peak. It's most unusual at 10 pm at night. And do we really want the current 10-minute service then to be cut to 15 minutes? Which means a 20-minute gap because of bunching becomes a 30-minute gap
Click to expand...

So perhaps the issue is selective decrease in frequencies during periods of the day where bunching occurs? And if you had a 30 minute gap due to bunching, I suggest one should prioritize dealing with that issue instead of throwing more resources and doing things in the same manner and end up with increased waste and no improvement in service.

re: Vancouver experience

I have a feeling that difference needs to take into account travel patterns - a good chunk of the most important stations on the subway network are not accessible - that by default limits utility for those on a wheelchair. Accessible vehicles are only part of the solution - and one certainly shouldn't expect miracles so long as key barriers persist.

AoD
 
Is there any statistic on how many wheelchair bound people use the bus routes that are capable of transporting them?
I don't use the TTC very often but I do drive the same streets everyday and have never noticed a wheelchair at a bus stop.
 
I can't imagine how they would keep track of that info. Anecdotally I have seen consistent usage of accessible buses by those on wheelchair and motorized carts on MT.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
So perhaps the issue is selective decrease in frequencies during periods of the day where bunching occurs?
Click to expand...
I don't find off-peak bunching to be predictable. It's normally related to accidents, delays, etc. It's an irregular occurrence, albeit one that may happen frequently.

Yes, where it is a regular occurrence, then something should be done. But I don't think that this is happening in locations where there is currently only an 8-minute frequency.

AlvinofDiaspar said:
Accessible vehicles are only part of the solution - and one certainly shouldn't expect miracles so long as key barriers persist.
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Agreed! Though TTC has currently scheduled all stations to be accessible by 2025 (the most recent schedule is on the final page of http://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Com...013/March_27/Reports/Old_Mill_Station_Pri.pdf). Looking at the list, at some point you start to hit the critical mass when the majority of the system is accessible. Perhaps 2016 when King, St. Patrick, Bay, and Yorkdale all come on-line (along with others). Perhaps in 2018 when only 13 stations won't be accessible (assuming the SRT is closed by then), and all the streetcar routes are accessible.

AlvinofDiaspar said:
I can't imagine how they would keep track of that info. Anecdotally I have seen consistent usage of accessible buses by those on wheelchair and motorized carts on MT.
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I'd think the simplest thing is if the driver kept a tally - not sure if they do, but it would hardly be difficult to tick off something, while waiting for a chair to load/unload.

I've seen consistent wheelchair use as well. Particularly when I used to commute on the 25. The peak usage seemed to be outside of rush-hour ... and on occasion I saw more than one wheelchair while riding the same bus (but not actually at the same time). It certainly wasn't unusual to see them at 9:30 AM.
 
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4400 is supposed to be move to Russel either next week or later along Queen St. TTC staff doesn't know at this time when 4401 will be ship from Ottawa and weren't aware it was up there for wind testing. I was told from other sources it was supposed to be in Ottawa, but haven't had the time to verify it if it is true.

All Streetcar movement/testing info is on https://twitter.com/StreetcarTO now.

Not sure if this has been mention, but there is a cab control at the rear of the car to allow the driver to travel backward. It is under lock and key and never saw that when I shot the inside of 4400 at Hillcrest last year.

Kind of hard for the driver to reach over the seats to get at the controls and operate the car backwards from this photo I shot.
8471511354_73440876be_b.jpg
 
For comparison purposes, check out this video [video]http://www.gpsvideocanada.com/tyl8-dvd-torontos-yonge-line-trailer-trains-to-subway[/video] on Toronto's Yonge Line - Trailer Trains to Subway. Look at the streetcar and trailers to see what one of new low-floor streetcar would look at in length.

There are other videos on streetcars as well.
 
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