TTC during the July 8 2013 storm

[TOperson]

I found the TTC's communications during the storm to be a dog's breakfast - and that's putting it charitably. There were all kinds of inconsistencies in the information posted on the TTC website, in its tweets, in the info on the platform screens, from the guy in the collector booth to the guy making announcements on the train. Mostly, the TTC didn't communicate much at all - some postings are hours old, but there are still people trying to get home.

What gives? The TTC supposedly has people specially trained to handle communications during emergencies and crises and this time it's like they hardly tried. I think they just gave themselves an out by saying "there are lots of delays, expect a longer travel time" and left everyone to fend for themselves.

How well prepared is the TTC for something bigger? What if just as many people were stranded, but it was -20C?

The TTC is becoming (I know, HAS become in some people's eyes) an embarrassment to Toronto.

 

[taal]

hmm, they seemed to update the alert relatively frequency, so were the official twitter sites ... I actually follow Brad Ross' twitter account and he had updates throughout the night.

 

[TOperson]

hmm, they seemed to update the alert relatively frequency, so were the official twitter sites ... I actually follow Brad Ross' twitter account and he had updates throughout the night.

Nope. I was checking both the site and the official TTC twitter throughout the night. Both were updated minimally. Brad Ross's twitter might have been more active but then WHY wasn't the official TTC twitter ALSO updated? Why aren't Brad's tweets posted on the TTC website then, if he is the only reliable source of info? And it shouldn't be like that - a whole city shouldn't have to rely on one individual's twitter account. And then there was the contradictory info posted on the platform screens and announced over the PA system. It was a mess.

 

[ShonTron]

I took the 501 last night from Carlaw to Bathurst (then transferring to a northbound 511). The streetcar driver had issues with getting communications from transit control, so she didn't know what the status was as to the subway closures (I told her by way of Twitter and I get email TTC media releases, which were updated several times last night), and had to ask a driver in the other direction about service on the other side of Humber Loop (the answer: there was none, as Lake Shore Blvd was flooded, and to direct passengers to connect with the 80 Queensway at Windermere). At Bathurst, a TTC supervisor told us that the car heading southbound was going to be our northbound car, as half the cars on Bathurst broke down by 10PM. At least we knew.

Earlier, I got off a southbound subway at St. Andrew around 6PM and on the mezzanine level was when the lights went out. Just before, the train was holding for about 5 minutes at Osgoode, but the operator was good to tell us that signal problems and power-out issues at stations had Control hold all trains for the time being.

It was a rough night, but I felt relatively well-informed. There were definitely some failures to communicate though.

 

[davyasdf]

The TTC is becoming (I know, HAS become in some people's eyes) an embarrassment to Toronto.

Totally agreed. And I never saw Karen coming out and apologize for this worst public service.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tra...pands_quiet_zones_to_all_rushhour_trains.html

About time! Nobody wants to hear phone conversations about "Dude Iwas so wasted last night" or "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!" or "Tell Mom to take the steaks out of the freezer". Thumbs up GO!

It really does put things into perspective considering the TTC is doing nothing to expand their transit, but they are rewiring the tunnels so that by 2015 people will be able to talk on their cell phones while on the subway. GO has upped the frequency of their trains and late nighth buses, no need to adjust any wiring as their trains are already above ground, and they discourage the talking on cell phones while commuting. Torontonians are already annoyed with each other in that rush-hour sardine can of a subway, can you imagine adding talking on cell phones into he mix? I shudder, i truly shudder!

yet another example of how GO transit is doing far more for communters commuting into Toronto, than the TTC is doing for people living and commuting within Toronto. GO Train Burlington to Toronto: 50 minutes, chill quiet ride, people are for the most part polite to each other, because of how the GO train set up is there are rarely issues where people hit others with their large bags, no one leaves their junk like newspapers around, there are litter receptacles on cars. TTC Neville Park to Bay St: 35 minutes A ride filled with lurching and jerking forward, by the time you hit leslieville the car is usually packed, talking on cell phones or loud conversations are at this point generally accepted, as are people wearing large bags and almost always hitting someone as they refuse to be aware of their surroundings on a crowded car people treat the streetcar like a garbage can by 7am there are dailies, and discarded McDonald's and Tim Hortons. Please tell me, which is the nicer ride?

Sooooo true. Im a daily GO train user and had to take the TTC to the east end of Toronto one day recently and I have to say I was a little nervous. WOW what an eye opener

Correct - a bad ride on the GO is better than the average ride on the TTC. What's with the width of seats on the TTC? Were they expecting only school children?

Very good point! It normally doesn't matter as most Torontonians think the other seat is reserved for their bag. As a Torontonian, I have to say it truly irritates and disgusts me how people are on a common commute to or from work. It will be interesting to see how Torontonians interact when the new streetcars come out. Apparently the TTC has borrowed from GO's seating plan and Torontonians will have to face each other on their daily commutes now. I truly can't say whether this is a good or a bad thing, it works on the GO, but i have learned that GO commuters are a different breed than TTC commuters.

GO looks so much better right now!

 

[Swarley]

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tra...pands_quiet_zones_to_all_rushhour_trains.html


GO looks so much better right now!

How is it fair to compare the two systems, they're totally different. TTC carries almost 10 times the number of passengers, and I'm sure operates WAAAAAAAAAAY more km per day than GO does. Also has a lot more crumbling infrastructure to deal with.

That being said, TTC communication still does need to get better, hopefully they learn from this experience.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

They should start with their PA system - in these circumstances they should avoid automated messages altogether and cede it to control by local workers who actually know what's going on on the ground but have absolutely no way of communicating it to riders at the station other than by yelling (or speaking to them individually). And test the system constantly - there can be no excuse that a critical life safety equipment only functions intermittently with poor audibility.

And yes, Y+B is a deathtrap - no offense subway musicians - but they have absolutely NO place in an already overcrowded space like this playing over the PA announcements. Also, once a system is halted, they need a way to keep people OUT of the stations while people are simultaneously exiting. I'd be very curious to know how long it takes them to "flush" a station like Y+B under real life conditions with real life complicating factors (e.g blocked entrance, misinterpreted commands, smoke, etc.). I have a feeling the results will be sobering.

AoD

 

[Electrify]

Perhaps GO is better, but they were hardly perfect last night. From what I've read, it took 8 hours to rescue people from the Richmond Hill GO train! I was coming back from London, Ontario last night and at about 12:45 AM I was going past the GO station as a train was pulling in! I'm shocked that GO isn't under more heat to explain the length of the rescue.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Perhaps GO is better, but they were hardly perfect last night. From what I've read, it took 8 hours to rescue people from the Richmond Hill GO train!

Not to mention that they drove a train into a lake of flood water. It's not like Toronto was hit by a Tsunami. Why didn't the engineer stop the train before the lake, and then obtain instructions to back up to safely disembark.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I think they did stop and was trying to reverse the train but the floodwater overtook it.

AoD

 

[nfitz]

Not to mention that they drove a train into a lake of flood water. It's not like Toronto was hit by a Tsunami. Why didn't the engineer stop the train before the lake, and then obtain instructions to back up to safely disembark.

Simply watching my Twitter feed here in Seattle last night, it was quite clear that wasn't how it happened. Why post such completely outrageous statements?

As for the suggestion that making the upper floors of GO trains noise free is a step forward? Really? That sounds more like a police state than anything else. It's not like GO trains in rush hour are that loud to begin with!

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Simply watching my Twitter feed here in Seattle last night, it was quite clear that wasn't how it happened. Why post such completely outrageous statements?

As for the suggestion that making the upper floors of GO trains noise free is a step forward? Really? That sounds more like a police state than anything else. It's not like GO trains in rush hour are that loud to begin with!

So how is Seattle transit compared to Toronto transit.

 

[gabe]

Anyone who thinks noise free zones is a bad idea must have never been stuck on a train with someone with no sense of speech-volume control! Aka "the loud talker" Also cell phone etiquette should be taught in schools. I have seen too many high school and college kids on the trains talking loudly on their phones while using profanity and racial slurs in front of families with young kids. You want to talk dirty? Wait till you get off the train!!

 

[Johnny Au]

Anyone who thinks noise free zones is a bad idea must have never been stuck on a train with someone with no sense of speech-volume control! Aka "the loud talker" Also cell phone etiquette should be taught in schools. I have seen too many high school and college kids on the trains talking loudly on their phones while using profanity and racial slurs in front of families with young kids. You want to talk dirty? Wait till you get off the train!

Though tangential, this is a must read: http://www.thestar.com/living/techn...-to-watch-adult-material-on-screens-in-public