TTC York University BRT

[RLU]

Once the subway extension is running, could they extend the busway east through the Hydro corridor to Finch station? The subway extension won't be terribly useful for York students coming from the northeast. Or, in the same vein, extend it to Yonge and Finch and run a frequent express bus between the two sides of YUS. As it stands it's a pain to get from one to the other when you're north of Bloor.

I hope that the TTC can extend the ROW in both directions instead of building Finch West LRT.

East along Finch, Torresdale and Hydro corridor to Finch Stn, and west along Hydro Corridor to Jane in order to connect future Jane LRT. Constucting a Hydro ROW would be faster and more cost-efficient.

 

[autopilot]

This whole project is a waste of money. I don't care what anyone says. The only time my trip to York (the bus portion) has been longer than 15 minutes was in the fall when somebody pushed someone out of a car on the 401 and all the traffic was diverted to Sheppard. Once the Toronto-Spadina-York U subway extension is done, this is going to be a useless piece of infrastructure. I'm sure they'll find something to use it for, but odds are it will won't be that practical.

 

[Rainforest]

I hope that the TTC can extend the ROW in both directions instead of building Finch West LRT.

East along Finch, Torresdale and Hydro corridor to Finch Stn, and west along Hydro Corridor to Jane in order to connect future Jane LRT. Constucting a Hydro ROW would be faster and more cost-efficient.

A few issues:

Reservoir just east of Dufferin

Missed trip generators between Dufferin and Bathurst: highrises on the south side of Finch; hospital; school; plazas at Finch / Bathurst

Houses sitting pretty close to the hydro corridor between Bathurst and Yonge

 

[Rainforest]

This whole project is a waste of money. I don't care what anyone says. The only time my trip to York (the bus portion) has been longer than 15 minutes was in the fall when somebody pushed someone out of a car on the 401 and all the traffic was diverted to Sheppard. Once the Toronto-Spadina-York U subway extension is done, this is going to be a useless piece of infrastructure. I'm sure they'll find something to use it for, but odds are it will won't be that practical.

Although this busway will be useless once the subway extension is built, it will be very useful for the duration of the subway construction. Imagine how the construction of the subway station at Finch / Keele will affect the traffic flow and transit operations.

 

[SunriseChampion]

OC Transpo has a busway that crosses a railway at grade on the new section near Fallowfield VIA Station. That track also has 10-12 trains a day total, but trains are slower as they are either accelerating or declerating to/from the station.

You know what? I can't believe myself. I used to take a bus in this corridor you mention when I lived in Ottawa and never found the crossing to be a problem.

 

[urbanfan89]

On a tangent, I have another question for those in the know: will the Finch West LRT have an underground and barrier-less transfer with the subway at the Finch West and Finch subway stations?

Not having one is really, really stupid.

 

[lead82]

urbanfan89, I have asked that same question in the public meeting they had last summer. For Finch West, I believe they are looking at an underground connection since this station is not built yet, they can look at constructing it with the direction underground connection to the mezzanine level. As for Finch station, I asked if there would be a direct connection, the planners suggested several options, one of which was to drop off passengers in the middle of Yonge street just north of Finch in a middle of the street stop. I though that was completely retarded and mentioned that the only option they should consider is underground.

The one caveat is the the engineers haven't determined yet if there is enough vertial space on the mezzanine level to allow for the LRT vehicle + overheard wires/poles to fit within what is there now. That could be a technical problem.

I'm waiting for the next meeting to see what progress has been made on this.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Will the BRT have a bike path next to it?

L.A.’s Orange Line: Bus Rapid Transit (plus bike path!)

Check out this video on the Los Angeles Orange Line (BRT) at http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/las-orange-line-bus-rapid-transit-plus-bike-path/

Who would have thought that one of the best Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in the U.S. would be in its most crowded, congested, sprawling city? Well check this out. It's really fabulous.

In October 2005, the Los Angeles County Metro Authority (or Metro) debuted a new 14-mile BRT system in the San Fernando Valley using a former rail right-of-way. Unlike many "rapid" bus transit systems in the U.S., the Orange Line is true BRT - it features a dedicated-roadway that cars may not enter, has pre-boarding payment so buses load quickly and efficiently, and uses handsome, articulated buses to transport passengers fast - sometimes at speeds approaching 55 mph! The roadway is landscaped so ornately you could almost call it a bus greenway.

But that's not all. The corridor also boasts a world class bike & pedestrian path which runs adjacent to the BRT for nearly its entire length, giving users numerous multi-modal options. Each station includes bike amenities, including bike lockers and racks, and all the buses feature racks on the front that accommodate up to three bikes.

Perhaps the biggest problem is it's soaring success: ridership numbers have some calling for the BRT to be converted to rail and Metro is exploring ways to move more passengers including buying longer buses. Plus: expansion plans are also underway. But whatever way your slice it, this is truly a hit with Angelenos, a formerly 81 minute trip now takes 44-52 minutes. That's over an hour round trip savings, and that makes a bonafide impact in the lives of people.

BTW How do I embed a video in Urban Toronto? Seems I can't unless there's a secret way.​

 

[Hipster Duck]

^Sigh. There are other ways of increasing the ridership capabilities of a BRT (that has 25,000 riders/day or about half of the Dufferin 29). Just buy more buses. That probably costs, what? 1/100th of converting the line to LRT?

 

[doady]

The Orange Line is not even a "true" BRT as the article suggests, since the busway is not grade separated.

26,000 riders per weekday on a 14 mile route is actually not that high for a bus route in a city of Los Angeles' size, especially one that has its own ROW...

 

[W. K. Lis]

The Orange Line is not even a "true" BRT as the article suggests, since the busway is not grade separated.

26,000 riders per weekday on a 14 mile route is actually not that high for a bus route in a city of Los Angeles' size, especially one that has its own ROW...

14 miles is 22.5 km. Compare the Orange Line with the 510 Spadina at 5.2 km and about twice the riders.

 

[taal]

Right ... clearly you guys aren't familiar with the transit situation in southern California. In many ways this is a big accomplishment for them ...

Yes it doesn't compare to Toronto ... actually it does make a good point regarding t he 196 ... which I think carries roughly 20-25 thousand over a 5-6-7? KM distance MAX ... if they're having issue imagine the issues were having now without a BRT

 

[ShonTron]

The Orange Line is not even a "true" BRT as the article suggests, since the busway is not grade separated.

26,000 riders per weekday on a 14 mile route is actually not that high for a bus route in a city of Los Angeles' size, especially one that has its own ROW...

I've rode the Orange Line. It is true BRT as much as the San Diego or St. Louis or Calgary are true LRTs. It's a dedicated corridor, with full signal priority (the equivalent if it were LRT would be full railway signals or pre-emptive traffic lights) and wide stop spacing. Ottawa happens to be the the highest level of BRT.

Quasi-BRT, or what I call 'quality express bus' is more like Viva or Acceleride or LA's 700-series routes, operating in mixed traffic with some bus priority measures, limited stops, and premium branding or services.

 

[doady]

I've rode the Orange Line. It is true BRT as much as the San Diego or St. Louis or Calgary are true LRTs. It's a dedicated corridor, with full signal priority (the equivalent if it were LRT would be full railway signals or pre-emptive traffic lights) and wide stop spacing. Ottawa happens to be the the highest level of BRT.

Quasi-BRT, or what I call 'quality express bus' is more like Viva or Acceleride or LA's 700-series routes, operating in mixed traffic with some bus priority measures, limited stops, and premium branding or services.

Yes you are right. I know what you say is true. For some reason I think Ottawa's BRT is the standard of BRT.

It was not my intention to belittle the Orange Line, quite the opposite actually. I think W. K. Lis posted that article to show how little capacity BRT has, but I say even regular bus routes have more capacity, so how can the Orange Line be at capacity? ROWs and signal priority increase the capacity of any transit line, and so I think the Orange Line could probably handle 3-4 times more riders no problem.

This just seems to me like another knee-jerk by the anti-bus people. I think it is sad how many transit activists, and Americans in general, are anti-bus and anti-BRT. That's why Canada has so much higher transit ridership than America. We actually consider buses to be a viable form of transit.

 

[W. K. Lis]

I know that the BRT is for buses, specifically TTC buses, but what about other buses. Could GO buses, York Region Transit buses, and school buses use the bus rapid transit lanes?