YRT/Viva Construction Thread (Rapidways, Terminals)

[amnesiajune]

"Cars are driving faster, but because of that you never end up in anyone's blind spot"...errr...OK. You've never driven truck for a living, have you?
Well even York Region doesn't claim what you do, which give me cause to believe you have a false sense of safety.

As always, you know best and anyone who disagrees with you, including myself, is an idiot. Have you also spent three months biking up and down Highway 7 every day?

 

[steveintoronto]

As always, you know best and anyone who disagrees with you, including myself, is an idiot. Have you also spent three months biking up and down Highway 7 every day?

If you are unaware of the dangers, and the very well documented and cautioned "blind spot" for especially trucks, then getting snarky with my pointing that out only makes you look foolish, not me.

As to how you can equate increased speed of traffic to safety boggles the mind, let alone the principle behind Vision Zero, which is actually an unfortunate play on words.

I posted what York Region and Markham Council themselves stated for that stretch of road
and design exercise.

Markham council voiced its opposition to the plan, arguing for greater segregation of traffic.

I take it you know more than they do because you haven't gotten hit yet? You're also on record of stating you cycle through red lights. I rest my case on your outrage...

 

[Transportfan]

I'm sorry to go against well-intended posters, but this depicts a very dangerous situation *more dangerous* in ways, than just sharing the road. Why? Because those cyclists are sitting ducks with absolutely no protection, no idea what's coming up behind them, and a very false sense of safety. I can tell just looking at their body English they're almost or completely unaware of the dangers.

Just ask a Dane of Nederalander what this picture represents. Fail! Big Time. At least give them a concrete barrier. Not every motorist, but I'd say for the sake of argument one in ten will pull into that lane with no sense of consequence, and in some cases, with a sense of entitlement.

These types of lanes have been proven killers time and again in Ontario.

Cycling advocates are more paranoid now than when there were no bike lanes at all!! When is enough enough? Put up concrete barriers and a truck will crash through one and kill a cyclist. Then cyclists will start advocating for ten-foot high and thick titanium walls. This bike lane charade is a classic can of worms.

 

[steveintoronto]

Cycling advocates are more paranoid now than when there were no bike lanes at all!! When is enough enough? Put up concrete barriers and a truck will crash through one and kill a cyclist. Then cyclists will start advocating for ten-foot high and thick titanium walls. This bike lane charade is a classic can of worms.

I see. So the rest of the developed world is wrong? Oddly, concrete barriers are the norm in nations with cycling accidents a fraction of Ontario's.

Maybe the can of worms is doing it?

Meantime, if anyone cares to Google, there's lots of critical comment on the Hwy 7 bike lanes. There was pressure from Markham Council themselves, I linked it in a post prior. They have a term for what they recommend. They're called "Physically Separated Bike Lanes".

Works very well in many other nations. Works well in Ontario where used. Odd that...

Gosh, do the RCMP know that putting up concrete barriers won't stop trucks crashing through? We must be in more trouble than initially thought...

Addendum:

EDITORIAL
Separated bike lanes are the way to go
Open this photo in gallery:
A cyclist yells at the driver of an illegally parked car during rush hour in Toronto that the bike lane "isn't a parking spot.” Separated bike lanes can prevent this kind of incident and make cyclists feel safer.

DEBORAH BAIC/THE GLOBE AND MAIL


PUBLISHED JULY 22, 2012UPDATED APRIL 30, 2018
On a recent weekday morning, a line of about two dozen bicycles was stopped along a side street in the Plateau district of Montreal, waiting for a red light to change so they could continue their commute along a bike path into downtown. The crowd is a daily event along this route, one of the main arteries for bicycles to make their way into the centre of the city from the east end. The reason for this is clear: Montreal has created an efficient network of separated bike lanes, which make residents feel safe enough to use bicycles as their primary means of transportation to work or school.

Designing bike lanes physically separated from other traffic – like those now popping up in Montreal, Vancouver and other cities across Canada – is the key to shifting commuters out of cars or buses and on to bicycles. Studies suggest that worries about safety are the main factors keeping people off bikes, and being protected from traffic is the top priority for cyclists. Montreal is proof that providing linked bike routes with separated lanes will get more people in the saddle.

In Montreal, many of the bike lanes are on secondary streets, which decreases the impact on car capacity. That has been a problem of bike lane designations in Toronto, where major arteries already congested with traffic have been made worse by the removal of car lanes, including turning lanes, in a clumsy imposition of bike corridors. But Montreal, even though the city is old and many streets are narrow, has cleverly managed to make room for both cars and bikes. Promotion of bike use does not have to mean a war on cars.


And Toronto has plans to install some separated lanes – a move that will be welcomed by both cyclists and drivers, who now are forced to uncomfortably share space on busy roads.

It is clear that more people will choose to bike to their destinations provided they feel safe. It is unclear, given our severe winters, that Canada could rival European countries for bike commuting, but the potential for improvement is there if cities install more separated lanes.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opi...-bike-lanes-are-the-way-to-go/article4431730/

Good intentions, bad design make Hwy. 7 a jumble of contradictions: Hume
By CHRISTOPHER HUMEUrban Issues and Architecture
Mon., May 29, 2017

If there’s one place where Markham took a wrong turn, it was on Highway 7. The clash of intentions and confusion of consequences that play out on this unfortunate thoroughfare point to a city busy making every mistake in the book.

Is it a highway? A road? Is it designed for cars? Buses? Cyclists? Pedestrians? The answer is all of the above — and none.
[...]

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ke-hwy-7-a-jumble-of-contradictions-hume.html

Lots more online...

 

[wilson_wu]

For those questioning the safety of the Highway 7 bike lanes, there a two things going for these lanes that make them feel safe.

1) No Left Turns on Hwy 7 during through phase. No need to worry about a car turning out of nowhere from the other side and whacking you.

2) The signal phasing is staggered across the entire corridor for everyone, cars, bikes, transit. Notice when you drive on Highway 7, you usually hit red, after red, after red. It's almost the same speed riding on a bike. I always catch up to cars at the red light. Because of this traffic staggering, you hit reds almost 75% of the time. This is safer because Highway 7 doesn't have dedicated right turn lanes. Because you keep hitting reds, the car in the right most lane is almost usually going straight by the time the light hits green.

 

[amnesiajune]

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ke-hwy-7-a-jumble-of-contradictions-hume.html

This article is pretty awful

For example, at some intersections passengers have to cross multiple lanes to reach a bus stop.

Yes, that's how BRT works. It's also how any transit with dedicated lanes works - passengers on the 510 and 512 have to cross multiple lanes to get to their stop, and so will passengers on the Eglinton and Finch LRTs.

Cyclists, of which there are precious few, use in their allotted space at their own risk. Much safer to ride on the sidewalks, which are equally empty.

"Much safer" by which metric? Serious accidents? As far as I'm aware there hasn't been a single one on the new part of Highway 7.

It also means a street that offers little beyond a way to get from A to B. This is another issue Markham has yet to resolve. Same thing with sidewalks. It’s great to have them, but there’s nowhere to walk to. Despite the addition of trees and planters, this road is a decorated dead space that leads from one parking lot to the next.

This is where the article goes from bad to outright stupid. Chris Hume seems to think the real world is a game of SimCity where you can just raze 4 kilometers of street and rebuild it the way you think is best. The obvious fact that it'll take decades to redevelop the entire Highway 7 corridor is beyond him.

 

[Leo_Chan]

This article is pretty awful



Yes, that's how BRT works. It's also how any transit with dedicated lanes works - passengers on the 510 and 512 have to cross multiple lanes to get to their stop, and so will passengers on the Eglinton and Finch LRTs.



"Much safer" by which metric? Serious accidents? As far as I'm aware there hasn't been a single one on the new part of Highway 7.



This is where the article goes from bad to outright stupid. Chris Hume seems to think the real world is a game of SimCity where you can just raze 4 kilometers of street and rebuild it the way you think is best. The obvious fact that it'll take decades to redevelop the entire Highway 7 corridor is beyond him.

That link gives the "Page Not Found" page. Does that mean the article was deleted? And looking at the quotes you added, it does seem flawed with not much information or research.

 

[amnesiajune]

That link gives the "Page Not Found" page. Does that mean the article was deleted? And looking at the quotes you added, it does seem flawed with not much information or research.

I guess the link didn't copy over properly. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ke-hwy-7-a-jumble-of-contradictions-hume.html

 

[Leo_Chan]

I guess the link didn't copy over properly. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ke-hwy-7-a-jumble-of-contradictions-hume.html

Oh, that's an old article that I think has already been discussed here before.

 

[steveintoronto]

There's a lot of information in the article. Perhaps Sean Marshall's articles might add more?
http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/09/12/york_region_rapidways/
https://seanmarshall.ca/2017/01/04/thoughts-on-newmarkets-new-rapidway/

I'll add more later. There's an irony in California being way ahead on these sorts of projects, and at least in Southern CA, (I'm most familiar with San Diego) almost every highway has a parallel cycle track. Physically separated, and this has been the case for decades.

Think what you may about the safety of the York Region Hwy 7 busways. There are separated bike lanes in parts, for good reason.

Bike lanes separated from a highway (or isn't it?) even with reduced speed, by painting lines on the road. What could possibly go wrong?

Next we'll have posters claiming that going through red lights on bikes is safe.

York Region risks empty bike lanes as legacy
OPINION Apr 05, 2012 Newmarket Era

[...]But what was revealing about the survey was that Vaughan ranked dead last in the walking or biking to work category. Even places such as North Bay, Ontario and Red Deer, Alta. scored better.
Getting on a bike in most suburbs is fraught with danger. In Vaughan, it is especially hazardous due to the large number of transport trucks that dominate our roads.
That’s why I was disappointed by a recent decision by York Region to favour bike lanes along Hwy. 7 that would not be physically separated from vehicular traffic. Instead, paint will be used to separate you and the 18-wheel transport truck in the next lane.
In a recent Vaughan Citizen story about the proposed painted Hwy. 7 bike lanes, the region’s director of traffic management Steve Kemp stated: “A novice cyclist wouldn’t want to try Hwy. 7 any more than a novice driver would start on Hwy. 401.”
Unfortunately, the region is investing in cycling infrastructure that it expects very few people to use. Mr. Kemp believes the number of cyclists will grow over time after this bike lane is created.
This seems highly unlikely because the same barriers that will make cycling dangerous along Hwy. 7 will always be there.
The region should be promoting cycling as a viable transportation option over the car.
To do this requires a bike lane segregated by a curb or one raised to the pedestrian sidewalk level.
A bucket of paint will not accomplish this. Clearly, your safety and promoting cycling doesn’t seem to be the focus.
Meanwhile, York Region already has a progressive plan to convert car commuters into public transit users.
Ridership on regional transit grew by 25 per cent from 2005 to 2011 and had its busiest year in 2011, despite the strike.
The region needs to learn from its promotion of public transit and apply the same lessons to its cycling infrastructure.
Passengers here pay the highest fares in the GTA and taxpayers pay the highest subsidies to support and grow public transit.
If you want to get people out of their cars and reduce traffic congestion, it will cost money up front. But the long-term gains are worth it.
Ottawa, which ranked No. 1 in the Money Sense survey, has created the very type of segregated cycling lane that would provide safety for cyclists and convince more users to choose a bike as a viable means for transportation, whatever their riding skills may be.
A pilot project along Ottawa’s Laurier Avenue has a curb separating cyclist from cars and also helps create a buffer for pedestrians.
It’s a simple idea that’s proven to make cyclists safer and encourages people to get on a bike.
What’s happening in Ottawa is not revolutionary by any means. Segregating people from cars is simply common sense.
[...]

https://www.yorkregion.com/opinion-story/1459125-york-region-risks-empty-bike-lanes-as-legacy/

In California Cities, Drivers Want More Bike Lanes. Here’s Why.

• By Tanya Snyder
• Jun 13, 2013

Whenever street space is allocated for bicycling, someone will inevitably level the accusation that the city is waging a “war on cars.” But it turns out the people in those cars want separate space for bicycles too, according to surveys conducted in two major California metropolitan areas. Bike lanes make everyone feel safer — even drivers.

Rebecca Sanders is a doctoral candidate in transportation planning and urban design at the University of California-Berkeley. She’s spent a lot of time asking people — drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians — what kinds of street treatments would make them feel safer, giving them a list of safety improvements to choose from. Most drivers said their top priority was bike lanes. (In the Los Angeles area, the top choice was for improved pedestrian crossings, but bike lanes were a close second.)
[...]

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2013/06/13/in-california-cities-drivers-want-more-bike-lanes-heres-why/

The GTA might catch up with the rest of the developed world at some point, but perhaps not at this rate...

 

[adrianaliu]

hwy 7 is too wide to attract many pedestrians cyclists and transit users. it includes everything which is good but 6 lanes of general traffic just shows how hard they tried not to dissatisfy motorists. as a result, u have to cross in 2 stages and the bus is rarely faster than cars. the high density development is also set too far back from the street to make it walkable.

 

[Northern Light]

There's a lot of information in the article. Perhaps Sean Marshall's articles might add more?
http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/09/12/york_region_rapidways/
https://seanmarshall.ca/2017/01/04/thoughts-on-newmarkets-new-rapidway/

I'll add more later. There's an irony in California being way ahead on these sorts of projects, and at least in Southern CA, (I'm most familiar with San Diego) almost every highway has a parallel cycle track. Physically separated, and this has been the case for decades.

Think what you may about the safety of the York Region Hwy 7 busways. There are separated bike lanes in parts, for good reason.

Bike lanes separated from a highway (or isn't it?) even with reduced speed, by painting lines on the road. What could possibly go wrong?

Next we'll have posters claiming that going through red lights on bikes is safe.

https://www.yorkregion.com/opinion-story/1459125-york-region-risks-empty-bike-lanes-as-legacy/


https://usa.streetsblog.org/2013/06/13/in-california-cities-drivers-want-more-bike-lanes-heres-why/

The GTA might catch up with the rest of the developed world at some point, but perhaps not at this rate...

Just imagine civilizing roads and highways across the GTA, shrinking the 401 foot print by 6 lanes, and adding a parallel bike path with triple-row trees and a sound barrier separating it from the highway/

Then adding a GO Train Corridor on one-side, creating a straight-shot link from the exiting Pickering GO to Pearson, with stops at Morningside (UTSC), Scarborough Town Ctr, going off-path to integrate directly w/the subway, then Victoria Park, Don Mills, Yonge (integrated w/subway), Spadina Line, one more intermediate stop, then Pearson.

Have it do fly-unders and minor off-corridor jaunts as required.

For the remaining 10 lane corridor, deck over at key nodes for parks.

Sorry, a tad OT there, I'm getting all Utopian. But the notion that every form of transporation ought to be considered in every corridor is just so obvious and the thought of that being taken seriously here (a feat of imagination in its own right) spurs one to dream. LOL

 

[Leo_Chan]

Cornell Terminal is finally starting construction!

Construction starts on new bus transit terminal in Markham
For immediate release
July 31, 2018

MARKHAM, ON — Today the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, Paul Calandra, Member of Provincial Parliament for Markham-Stouffville, Wayne Emmerson, Chairman and CEO of The Regional Municipality of York, and Frank Scarpitti, Chair of the Board of York Region Rapid Transit Corporation and Mayor of the City of Markham, joined together to mark the start of construction on a new bus transit terminal in the City of Markham.

Cornell Bus Terminal is being built at Highway 7 and Ninth Line within walking distance to Markham-Stouffville Hospital and the Cornell Community Centre & Library. It is an 11-bay bus terminal for YRT and Viva buses, with provisions for GO Transit and Durham Regional Transit in future. The terminal features a naturally-ventilated design with cyclist and pedestrian-friendly features.

“The Government of Canada recognizes how important affordable and efficient transit infrastructure is to growing the middle class and getting Canadians to work on time and back home quickly at the end of a long day,” said the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “This is a very exciting time for York Region, and the Government of Canada is proud to support the Viva system. When the project is complete, the rapid transit system will help riders get around the Region faster while curbing greenhouse gas emissions.”

“Today’s announcement is good news for residents in Markham and I am happy to see that progress is being made on this project. Premier Ford’s new government is committed to expanding transit throughout this province. We will make sure that people can travel more efficiently along their daily commute because our economy depends on this,” said John Yakabuski, Minister of Transportation.

“Today’s groundbreaking demonstrates York Region’s ongoing commitment to build a world-class transit system,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson. “Transportation hubs, like the Cornell Terminal, further strengthen the efficiency of our network and create more sustainable options for our growing communities.”

“We are connecting communities and improving the overall transit network because transit is a driving economic force,” said Frank Scarpitti, Chair of the Board of York Region Rapid Transit Corporation and Mayor of the City of Markham. “By investing in new transit hubs like this, we will better serve our existing communities while attracting even more investment that benefits residents and businesses throughout Markham and York Region.”

On June 18, 2018, a $16.7 million contract was awarded to Orin Contractors Corporation for construction of the terminal. This new terminal will serve as a transit hub, connecting customers to destinations in York Region and neighbouring regions.

The total project cost is $36.8 million, with the Government of Canada contributing $10.4 million, the Province of Ontario providing $10.8 million and The Regional Municipality of York providing $15.6 million.

York Region Rapid Transit Corporation (YRRTC) is responsible for the planning, design and construction of the full vivaNext rapid transit network and related infrastructure to deliver on the transit priorities set out in the York Region Transportation Master Plan. YRRTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary and share capital corporation of The Regional Municipality of York. For more information, please visit www.vivanext.com

The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns, and provides a variety of programs and services to 1.2 million residents and 51,000 businesses with 620,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/regionalservices
MARKHAM, ON — Today the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, Paul Calandra, Member of Provincial Parliament for Markham-Stouffville, Wayne Emmerson, Chairman and CEO of The Regional Municipality of York, and Frank Scarpitti, Chair of the Board of York Region Rapid Transit Corporation and Mayor of the City of Markham, joined together to mark the start of construction on a new bus transit terminal in the City of Markham.

Cornell Bus Terminal is being built at Highway 7 and Ninth Line within walking distance to Markham-Stouffville Hospital and the Cornell Community Centre & Library. It is an 11-bay bus terminal for YRT and Viva buses, with provisions for GO Transit and Durham Regional Transit in future. The terminal features a naturally-ventilated design with cyclist and pedestrian-friendly features.

“The Government of Canada recognizes how important affordable and efficient transit infrastructure is to growing the middle class and getting Canadians to work on time and back home quickly at the end of a long day,” said the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “This is a very exciting time for York Region, and the Government of Canada is proud to support the Viva system. When the project is complete, the rapid transit system will help riders get around the Region faster while curbing greenhouse gas emissions.”

“Today’s announcement is good news for residents in Markham and I am happy to see that progress is being made on this project. Premier Ford’s new government is committed to expanding transit throughout this province. We will make sure that people can travel more efficiently along their daily commute because our economy depends on this,” said John Yakabuski, Minister of Transportation.

“Today’s groundbreaking demonstrates York Region’s ongoing commitment to build a world-class transit system,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson. “Transportation hubs, like the Cornell Terminal, further strengthen the efficiency of our network and create more sustainable options for our growing communities.”

“We are connecting communities and improving the overall transit network because transit is a driving economic force,” said Frank Scarpitti, Chair of the Board of York Region Rapid Transit Corporation and Mayor of the City of Markham. “By investing in new transit hubs like this, we will better serve our existing communities while attracting even more investment that benefits residents and businesses throughout Markham and York Region.”

On June 18, 2018, a $16.7 million contract was awarded to Orin Contractors Corporation for construction of the terminal. This new terminal will serve as a transit hub, connecting customers to destinations in York Region and neighbouring regions.

The total project cost is $36.8 million, with the Government of Canada contributing $10.4 million, the Province of Ontario providing $10.8 million and The Regional Municipality of York providing $15.6 million.

York Region Rapid Transit Corporation (YRRTC) is responsible for the planning, design and construction of the full vivaNext rapid transit network and related infrastructure to deliver on the transit priorities set out in the York Region Transportation Master Plan. YRRTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary and share capital corporation of The Regional Municipality of York. For more information, please visit www.vivanext.com

The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns, and provides a variety of programs and services to 1.2 million residents and 51,000 businesses with 620,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/regionalservices

 

[Leo_Chan]

Is this the beginnings of the Highway 7 Subway? I can’t reason reason with this person, gonna just stop.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Is this the beginnings of the Highway 7 Subway? I can’t reason reason with this person, gonna just stop.
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Ultra Face Palm...