TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[smallspy]

Why doesn't the TTC use artic buses for subway shuttles?

They frequently do. I didn't get a chance to see the shuttles today, but if there weren't any it may be because there weren't any/many buses from the divisions that have them.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[WillTo]

Actually the line wasn't nearly as long when I left the office!

And I saw a couple of empty arctic buses south on Yonge at Eglinton. Must be sent down to provide relief.

 

[TransitBart]

They've mentioned this in a few places. One is that the artics are badly needed on the routes where they usually operate, switching them to regular buses would result in extremely poor service around the city, and for many of those routes there are not necessarily useful alternate routes vs. certain subway closures where there are many alternates.

Additionally, many of the subway closures are in environments where the artics would be difficult to maneuver. This is compounded by the sheer number of shuttle buses needed--it can already be hard for regular buses to work their way in and out of their stops, in tight environments like downtown yonge it would be very difficult to handle a ton of artics at every stop.

They use them on Line 2 shuttle service all the Time from St George to Pape on the Danforth.

 

[Steve X]

They've mentioned this in a few places. One is that the artics are badly needed on the routes where they usually operate, switching them to regular buses would result in extremely poor service around the city, and for many of those routes there are not necessarily useful alternate routes vs. certain subway closures where there are many alternates.

The routes and numbers required on weekends are as follows:
17 on Route X: Mount Dennis Garage Parking Lot
35 on Route Y: Arrow Road Garage Parking Lot
46 on Route Z: Malvern Garage Parking Lot
While on these three routes, artics are expected to be operating in powered off situations without any operators for 48 hours straight! Otherwise the customers on these routes would be extremely upset they have to see 40 foot buses in the parking lot instead of artics. Let's not talk about the impacts across the city this change will bring.

Meanwhile in other parts of the city on Saturdays afternoon:
40 are scheduled on the 29 Dufferin which regularly assigned 20 artics and 20 40 ft buses
0 is scheduled on the 7 Bathurst which regularly assigned 10 artics and 5 40 ft buses
On Sundays afternoon:
0 is scheduled on all TTC routes. The 7 and 29 are regularly assigned some artics.

 

[amnesiajune]

Why doesn't the TTC use artic buses for subway shuttles?

They do use them. There were several yesterday. I think there just aren't enough articulated buses available to only use those.

Now here's another question... Why didn't the TTC have cops directing traffic where buses need to turn? A few interesections yesterday - Yonge & Lawrence, Yonge & Church and Yonge & Charles in particular - were a mess. Also, why didn't the TTC get an exception to the right turn ban from WB Bloor to NB Yonge? Having to get on a bus that went all the way down to Charles and then walk farther into Bloor station easily made the trip 5-10 minutes longer.

 

[crs1026]

Now here's another question... Why didn't the TTC have cops directing traffic where buses need to turn? A few interesections yesterday - Yonge & Lawrence, Yonge & Church and Yonge & Charles in particular - were a mess. Also, why didn't the TTC get an exception to the right turn ban from WB Bloor to NB Yonge? Having to get on a bus that went all the way down to Charles and then walk farther into Bloor station easily made the trip 5-10 minutes longer.

There was a plan approved by Toronto Council a couple meetings back to delegate the HTA authority to TTC security personnel so that they could do this kind of thing themselves. I suspect it's still in the bureaucracy somewhere.

But yeah, you'd think they would have this planned out with police in the meantime.

- Paul

 

[amnesiajune]

There was a plan approved by Toronto Council a couple meetings back to delegate the HTA authority to TTC security personnel so that they could do this kind of thing themselves. I suspect it's still in the bureaucracy somewhere.

But yeah, you'd think they would have this planned out with police in the meantime.

That would be great for when there are sudden subway closures, but there's no reason why the TTC can't get some paid-duty officers to help with this closure that's planned months in advance.

 

[Voltz]

That would be great for when there are sudden subway closures, but there's no reason why the TTC can't get some paid-duty officers to help with this closure that's planned months in advance.

Maybe there were not any cops who wanted to do it, and I think I heard that mentioned one of the last times there was a shutdown.

 

[crs1026]

No branch of the City's administration should be enabling expanding the use of pay duty officers - the whole pay duty scheme is an appalling get-rich entitlement for cops that the City should be trying to control. There is too much of this already. Letting city departments trigger its use is incestuous.

But, being between a rock and a hard place, yeah, some traffic control is needed, the cops are currently the go-to people for that.

- Paul

 

[DSC]

No branch of the City's administration should be enabling expanding the use of pay duty officers - the whole pay duty scheme is an appalling get-rich entitlement for cops that the City should be trying to control. There is too much of this already. Letting city departments trigger its use is incestuous.

But, being between a rock and a hard place, yeah, some traffic control is needed, the cops are currently the go-to people for that.

- Paul

In general I agree that (expensive and highly trained) paid-duty police should be used very sparingly and the City seems to be trying to do this - some changes involve the Province. The TTC is trying to get the ability to use their security to deal with some traffic things. In many places parking control officers can deal with many things now dealt with by police on paid duty at construction sites or with things like traffic directing at diversions and this is something the Province needs to look into, soon.

 

[drum118]

If one notice the construction site these days, the security personal are more than security during the work day to the point they are flag men and other things.

Most of the time, you don't need paid police on site, but someone who knowns how to control traffic when it has to be stop or what. Even then, they aren't needed at all for a fair number of them..

A lot of police personnel love these off duty job as it helps the pocket book and give them something to do.

I see nothing wrong in TTC wanting to use their enforcers on their project. Over the years, I have been that traffic cop until one shows up for various things as someone needed to step in to prevent more serious problems. I have not been the only one to do this as we have seen others doing it on the news.

So who control the traffic should be left up to the company needing one as long the rules are follow. If the Providence need to rewrite standards, then the time is here to do it.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Toronto's subway isn't the only system to get flooding.

So does Paris.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Well Toronto, unlike Paris, has sharks in its subway when it floods.

 

[Johnny Au]

Toronto's subway isn't the only system to get flooding.

So does Paris.

Well Toronto, unlike Paris, has sharks in its subway when it floods.

New York City's subway system got flooding:

It was during Hurricane Sandy.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Well Toronto, unlike Paris, has sharks in its subway when it floods.

Oh, you mean Kevin O'Leary?

From Wikipedia.