Despite what Ford says The Streetcar in Toronto is here to stay.

[sodapop]

the bay and dufferin buses are ridiculously slow, i would never dream of riding the bay street bus, i'd rather walk to the yonge subway.

 

[spider]

I once rode a 95 bus that was so far ahead of schedule it was driven into every bus bay where the doors were opened even if no one was there. Work to rule I guess.

The 95A bus runs from the York Mills subway to Victoria Park where it short turns and heads back west to the subway in peak periods. Run time from the Yonge to Victoria Park is 20 minutes, every bus pulls into a bus bay on Victoria Park between York Mills and Parkwoods Village, turns on the 4 ways, and sits for 10-15 minutes before continuing it's run.

 

[Eug]

I actually like riding the streetcar, mainly because I still feel like I know where it's going when I don't ride a specific route a lot, sort of like with a subway (or LRT). I'm sometimes less sure with a bus. Roads are everywhere, but there are tracks are present on only very specific routes.

However, the bus NOT being faster or more reliable than streetcar isn't a very strong endorsement of streetcars.

 

[GraphicMatt]

However, the bus NOT being faster or more reliable than streetcar isn't a very strong endorsement of streetcars.

Why not? The current reality is very much streetcar or bus for our downtown routes. Now if someone came along and said they were going to remove the 504 and replace it with a subway, I doubt you'd get many complainers.

 

[Eug]

Why not? The current reality is very much streetcar or bus for our downtown routes. Now if someone came along and said they were going to remove the 504 and replace it with a subway, I doubt you'd get many complainers.

Why not? Because people complain that streetcars mean:

1) Tracks
2) Overhead wires
3) Blocked traffic

#1 and #2 don't exist with buses, and people perceive less of #3 with buses. That's why. I may personally actually prefer taking a streetcar than a bus, but if it's no faster or reliable than a bus, that preference is going to fall on deaf ears.

BTW, what's the cost difference these days?

 

[sodapop]

i would have liked it better if the ttc had made that deal with bombardier in the 50's for the buses

 

[Dan416]

Actually, I'm the sort of person who, when travelling to New York or London or wherever, would much prefer to take such milk-run "locals" over tourist-oriented express runs. You see a lot more of the city, at a far more intimate pace, that way.

And if, like the proverbial bored-kid-in-the-back-seat-who-asks-are-we-there-yet, you don't like that kind of travel...shove it.

How mature.

 

[Amy Rose]

i would have liked it better if the ttc had made that deal with bombardier in the 50's for the buses

It was GM to be honest, and why? most streetcar routes are running near or at streetcar capacity and buses are so small in length.

 

[junctionist]

Why not? Because people complain that streetcars mean:

1) Tracks
2) Overhead wires
3) Blocked traffic

#1 and #2 don't exist with buses, and people perceive less of #3 with buses. That's why. I may personally actually prefer taking a streetcar than a bus, but if it's no faster or reliable than a bus, that preference is going to fall on deaf ears.

It's the stack of overhead wires and transformers on the big wooden poles by the side of the street that are most controversial in terms of aesthetics (number 2), not the single thin wire for streetcars.

 

[adma]

How mature.

Get Frank Lloyd Wright's "An Autobiography", read the Prelude, and you'll get an idea why I resort to such immaturity.

 

[paraone]

Why not? Because people complain that streetcars mean:
3) Blocked traffic

I would argue that traffic blocks streetcars, which sound like the chicken and the egg arguement, but think about how many people are on a streetcar and how many people are in the handful of cars being blocked, I would think the ratio would be around 30:1 or greater. I have a hard time feeling sorry for people in single occupancy vehicles trying to commute down queen st, especially at the expense of hundreds of locals on transit.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

I actually like riding the streetcar, mainly because I still feel like I know where it's going when I don't ride a specific route a lot, sort of like with a subway (or LRT). I'm sometimes less sure with a bus. Roads are everywhere, but there are tracks are present on only very specific routes.

However, the bus NOT being faster or more reliable than streetcar isn't a very strong endorsement of streetcars.

The route sign on the front and side of the bus don't assure you of where the bus is going? Have you had a history of riding buses that suddenly decided to take a completely different route without notifying you and the other passengers? How do you feel about random short turns on streetcar lines?

 

[GraphicMatt]

Most people haven't memorized all the city's bus routes.

Short-turns suck.

 

[gweed123]

Most people haven't memorized all the city's bus routes.

But they do usually know the ones that will get them from their home to the subway station.

Short-turns suck.

Agreed, especially when it isn't posted on the front of the streetcar. I waited for over 20 minutes on Queen West at 10pm one night for a streetcar to go to Lansdowne, and he decided on-route to short turn just after Ossington. I had to wait another 10 minutes for the next streetcar to show up, which was of course then jammed full. This delay caused me to miss the Lansdowne bus by about 30 seconds, so I had to wait another 20 minutes for that bus. All and all, a trip that should have taken me 20-30 minutes took me an hour and a half. Would have been faster to walk.

 

[spider]

It's the stack of overhead wires and transformers on the big wooden poles by the side of the street that are most controversial in terms of aesthetics (number 2), not the single thin wire for streetcars.

If the overhead Hydro is removed from the street your single thin wire is still supported by lots of other wires and -quess what- lots and lots of poles.