Fixing the Rundown TTC

[Whoaccio]

LA Metro is not great but it probably should get an award for the most improved transit system in North America and not for their light rail system, which is continuously expanding, but for their innovative Rapid bus routes which traverse the city on major arterials. An Angeleno friend of mine told me recently that the Wilshire rapid bus route alone cut 20 minutes off his commute.

Just for disclosure, I've never used the rapid network. That said, I think it could have a good impact on some of Toronto's arterial routes (Dufferin, Finch, Lawrence East ect...). I doubt it would cost much to implement, maybe a few articulated buses and some beefed up stops (next arrival info?), so it is at least worth a shot. Every time I take a rocket bus, I am pleasantly surprised by it's efficiency and speed. My only problem is that I almost never come across them.

Just don't call it BRT.

 

[Le Gique]

Just don't call it BRT.

I think we're calling the next notches down from BRT; Quality Express and Bus on Express Route.
- Double bus passing lanes (to get above 2,000 ppl per hour, according to TTC) define Quality Express -- and the TTC Rockets/expresses branches are just BER ... unless these definitions were revised in the Glossary.

-one reason i think we haven't heard of a Bus City plan is that BER is often not much faster than local, and there is so little room for four bus lanes at intersections for Quality

-but do these obstacles preclude finding many suitable corridors in 416 and 905 where ridership can justify partially-exclusive bus lanes -- i.e. something between the existing mixed-traffic bus service and Transit City? -- basically the 2,000 to 5,000 per hour range

--the only BRTs confirmed are York U (was delayed -- now due Sept. 2009); Yonge north to Steeles (delayed -- who knows why)
-plus VIVA, Acceleride and the GO 403 thing

PS- LA's Orange line BRT -- didn't they find that thing went over its max capacity in Year One? ... but it was cheaper to build than LRT or subway...

 

[ShonTron]

VIVA Phase 1 is jsut a quality express route, just like Acceleride. The 403 transitway may be real BRT because it is supposed to come with all the bells and whistles of grade separation, fancy stations, etc. Ottawa, Curitiba, Bogata, Pittsburgh, Boston Silver Line Phase II, are "BRT".

By the way, GO Transit is already fashioning its coach services as "BRT" because they run partially on freeways, though this is farily new. Don't try to tell me that the Brampton Local GO bus is "BRT"! Or the Hamilton QEW bus!

 

[Hipster Duck]

Yeah, there is a huge difference between BRT - which in Canada only exists in Ottawa - and premium bus service in the Viva, Acceleride, iXpress mould. It's like comparing the St. Clair ROW to the Calgary C-train.

 

[Whoaccio]

It's like comparing the St. Clair ROW to the Calgary C-train.

That hasn't stopped anybody before... I hear Croydon and Spadina LRTs are identical, btw.

More seriously, I thought Acceleride was supposed to be bona fide BRT, with stations and reserved ROWs and such. Guess I haven't been following it much. Is it just a Brampton version of VIVA?

 

[ShonTron]

That's pretty much it, except that it will have queue jumps, of which many are already built with recent road widenings. The trade off is that some of the stops will be a bit distant from the intersection it is meant to serve. Brampton's planning transit priority measures (lanes and jumps) along its portion of Queen Street for that work that will take place next year. But it's not BRT.

 

[khris]

Acceleride isn't BRT? lol that sucks.
I haven't been paying attention to it at all though. Nothing about Brampton is good. Nothing.

 

[urbanfan89]

Acceleride isn't BRT? lol that sucks.
I haven't been paying attention to it at all though. Nothing about Brampton is good. Nothing.

 

[khris]

Okay maybe Russell Peters...

 

[adma]

Or maybe, for you horny hetero male Liberals, Ruby Dhalla

 

[RedRocket191]

Or maybe, for you horny hetero male Liberals, Ruby Dhalla

That's Doctor Ruby Dhalla to you!

 

[GTS]

A positive note about TTC fixing it's stations

This isn't part of the MoveOntario 2020 monies but a separate project called the Station Modernization Program. The station that I use most is Victoria Park station and they have started construction on the new station. Soon we commuters will be able to get off the subway and then travel down one flight of stairs to get to the bus platform. The plans are to get rid of those bulky separated bus platforms they presently use and have an indoor waiting are for us bus patrons all one level down from the subway. I think with the elevators being added and the comfort of transferring in the future that this too might increase ridership.

They used to have this on the TTC website but if you want to see the artists rendering of what the new Vic.Park St. is going to look like the renderings are hanging on the wall inside Victioria Park Station. I think the plans are great for this station.

 

[junctionist]

That's an exciting project because it's very extensive with quite a few upgrades planned. The station is supposed to get green roofs, platform windows, and the pedestrian bridge is supposed to be upgraded. Importantly, the renderings showed that the original tiles at platform level will be spared, with art added.

 

[GTS]

Vic.Park Station reno.

The green roofs are a bonus but what I like best about the design of the new station is that it will be a real indoor bus station all on one level. It will be like Main St. station but it will have an L shape where you can pick, from indoors, the bus you wish to board. Each bus that uses this station will dock somewhere along the shared L platform where passengers can get off the bus or board the bus. They are getting rid of those cumbersome stairs you presently have to climb. They are also installing elevators on both east and westbound train platforms so that passengers of all abilities will be able to use this station.

The TTC is planning to get rid of the separate bus platforms at Kipling Station and Islington as well. Hopefully all stations with those cumbersome innefficient typ ofe separated bus platforms are soon all designed more user friendly. It is comfortable at a well designed station, like Scarborough Town Center to wait indoors for the bus you need. Steve Munro told me but I haven't read anything from the TTC itself that they are going to modernize Warden Station as well.

Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star just wrote an article concerning one of the Transit bosses in London, the head of Piccadilly Line, really appreciate the design of some of Toronto's bus stations. We need lots of KM's of track to compete with Londons transit system but at least this one aspect of Toronto growing system was praised. Since moving here to Toronto from Vancouver I have always really liked the design of some of the stations such as Kennedy, STC, Main, Finch, Don Mills...their are so many well designed stations that I am glad that the TTC is investing in Vic. Park Station and the others to modernize them. I am sure this too will help increase ridership.

 

[junctionist]

It's too bad that the TTC isn't installing platform doors as part of the modernization. Surely the ventilation issues could be addressed in the extensive plans.