Toronto Union Subway Station: Second Platform and Concourse Improvements | ?m | ?s | TTC | Arcadis

nfitz said:
Are there any examples of this used in signage elsewhere?
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That's how all of the DC Metro is set up. There's no mention of east/westbound or north/southbound because all of the lines snake through the city. Instead when you board the Red Line (for example) you'd see signs for Shady Grove or Glenmont, and it's up to the rider to know which way they need to go. It's really easy if you know the city and surrounding area, and if you're unfamiliar with it there's maps everywhere
 
That's how I navigated the trains in Paris, by their destination. And gladly the place by the stairs shows a map showing where the subway is going so you know immediately if it's the right platform or not.
 
Same thing in Spain and Chile, where I've lived, and most of the Spanish-speaking countries, if I'm not mistaken.
"Línea 4, Dirección Argüelles", "Línea 1, Dirección Los Dominicos", and so forth, very practical when you have lines that don't roughly follow a straight line North/South, East/West or whatever.
 
Johnny Au said:
I use the terms Downsview-bound and Finch-bound when describing direction on Line 1.
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My girlfriend who's from the east coast and has only lived in Toronto a few years had no idea where Downsview or Finch were and yesterday had to ask a TTC employee which side would take her to College.

When she got home I told her, remember the Radiohead concert that got cancelled, that's Downsview. And remember when you said, 'Is this still Toronto?' that's Finch. :D
 
whatever said:
That's how all of the DC Metro is set up. There's no mention of east/westbound or north/southbound because all of the lines snake through the city. Instead when you board the Red Line (for example) you'd see signs for Shady Grove or Glenmont, and it's up to the rider to know which way they need to go. It's really easy if you know the city and surrounding area, and if you're unfamiliar with it there's maps everywhere
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I don't recall using the word "bound" on any signage in DC.

APTA-2048 said:
I'm surprised Montreal didn't come to mind. "Direction Montmorency", etc.
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It crossed my mind actually - having lived there (back when it was Direction Henri-Bourassa and Direction ... well it kept changing .... St-Henri to Cote-Vertu.

But it neither uses a hyphenated form, nor does it use the word "bound".

I'd think "Towards Finch" or "Northbound to Finch" works better.

hawc said:
My girlfriend who's from the east coast and has only lived in Toronto a few years had no idea where Downsview or Finch were and yesterday had to ask a TTC employee which side would take her to College.
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How did she know which side of the platform to board previously?
 
nfitz said:
I don't recall using the word "bound" on any signage in DC.
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Ah. I thought you were talking about systems where destinations were used to indicate direction of travel, not systems where the word "bound" is specifically used. I think most systems just use a combination of the destination and line indicator.
 
whatever said:
Ah. I thought you were talking about systems where destinations were used to indicate direction of travel, not systems where the word "bound" is specifically used. I think most systems just use a combination of the destination and line indicator.
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There's plenty of examples of where the terminus is used in signage. It was the klunkiness of the -bound that I was reacting to. There's certainly merit in using the terminus name ... which is why the Montreal one's are burnt into my mind - well, those not on Jesus Island ...
 
Used the new platform today for the first time and I have to say I'm all around pleased with it! Some points in particular:

1. The tile and the overall look and feel of the station is great. It lends a modern, sleek feel to what used to be one of the most ghetto-feeling stations on the TTC.

2. The addition of the new western bank of stairwells and doors is hugely welcomed, since it provides a direct access to the station without having to cut across the constant flow of people heading for the PATH and just passing through Union.

3. That new western bank also includes a huge number of turnstiles - no more waiting for the crowds to squeeze through the three (four?) that were there before. Better yet, about 2/3 of those turnstiles are equipped with Presto readers :D

4. Extra signage directing you to Yonge / University lines really helps. The update of the station with the Line 1 signs keeps with the new modern theme too. Side note: I'm liking the use of just "University" instead of "University-Spadina". With the TYSSE up to Vaughan (past York University) on its way, I would almost hope the whole line was renamed "Line 1 Yonge-University" to drop the Spadina misnomer entirely.

5. Undoubtedly the station is still a bit confusing to navigate, what with all the new entrances and stairwells. It'll take time and practice but already I can feel that the passenger flow is far improved.

Lastly it's sort of funny - I came through Union last Thursday and then again today. I know that 99% of the work was being done behind the scenes and out of public view, but wow. What a difference a weekend makes :p
 
Woodbridge_Heights said:
Will eventually become this:

012east_moat.jpg
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nfitz said:
Bingo!

If you look in that rendering, you'll see that the existing doors from the moat into the GO concourse are now on the second floor, and become entrances from that suspended walkway into the GO.
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Sorry, that's not correct. The Bay Concourse will be one high-ceilinged level at the north end, lowered to Union subway concourse level. That means the "doors" you see on the second level will just be windows, and that walkway will be a bridge connecting the centre moat level with Bay Street sidewalk level.

42
 
interchange42 said:
Sorry, that's not correct. The Bay Concourse will be one high-ceilinged level at the north end, lowered to Union subway concourse level. That means the "doors" you see on the second level will just be windows, and that walkway will be a bridge connecting the centre moat level with Bay Street sidewalk level.
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All of them? Hmm.

I stand corrected then ... the old doors will be second-story windows.
 
The problem is that there had been at least 3 iterations of the moat area and it's not even 100% what's the end product will look like to the general public.

AoD
 
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