TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[DSC]

The TTC will no longer run buses along Spadina Avenue during weekday afternoons after travel times on the route tripled following the suspension of streetcar service last month.

The TTC began replacing streetcars with buses on June 23 to allow crews to complete “critical” track work that is expected to take until December.

However, because buses cannot operate in the dedicated lane used by streetcars it has worsened gridlock along the busy corridor and the TTC is now taking action.


In a news release on Friday, the TTC said that 510 Spadina replacement buses will no longer operate between Front Street West and Queen’s Quay from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, with the change taking effect next week.

Instead, buses will turn left on Front Street and right on Blue Jays Way to loop back around to Spadina Avenue. They will then continue their route northbound to Spadina Station.

“In the first week of this planned six-month service change, the TTC has seen southbound afternoon travel times triple to more than an hour from approximately 20-25 minutes at other times of day. Buses running south of Front Street are getting caught in congestion and gridlock as motorists attempt to get on the Gardiner Expressway,” the TTC noted in its release. “This change is the result of on-going monitoring of the route since June 23 when buses replaced streetcars to accommodate essential infrastructure work.”

The TTC says that it continue to monitor the situation along Spadina Avenue and is “is looking at other possible improvements and modifications” as well.

The change to service along the route comes after former One Direction member Niall Horan posted a video last week which showed him walking to the Scotiabank Arena for a performance because the city’s traffic was “too bad.”

In the video, which was sped up and had The Proclaimer’s “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)” playing in the background, Horan was seen walking from just west of Yonge Street to an underground entrance of Scotiabank Arena past Bay Street.

“In all the years I’ve been playing shows, I don’t think I’ve ever walked into a venue,” Horan said in the video.

The changes to service along the 510 Spadina route take effect July 8.

The TTC says that accommodations will be made for customers with mobility needs who need to travel south of Front Street and they will be picked up by another bus.

 

[generalcanada]

The TTC will no longer run buses along Spadina Avenue during weekday afternoons after travel times on the route tripled following the suspension of streetcar service last month.

The TTC began replacing streetcars with buses on June 23 to allow crews to complete “critical” track work that is expected to take until December.

However, because buses cannot operate in the dedicated lane used by streetcars it has worsened gridlock along the busy corridor and the TTC is now taking action.


In a news release on Friday, the TTC said that 510 Spadina replacement buses will no longer operate between Front Street West and Queen’s Quay from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, with the change taking effect next week.

Instead, buses will turn left on Front Street and right on Blue Jays Way to loop back around to Spadina Avenue. They will then continue their route northbound to Spadina Station.

“In the first week of this planned six-month service change, the TTC has seen southbound afternoon travel times triple to more than an hour from approximately 20-25 minutes at other times of day. Buses running south of Front Street are getting caught in congestion and gridlock as motorists attempt to get on the Gardiner Expressway,” the TTC noted in its release. “This change is the result of on-going monitoring of the route since June 23 when buses replaced streetcars to accommodate essential infrastructure work.”

The TTC says that it continue to monitor the situation along Spadina Avenue and is “is looking at other possible improvements and modifications” as well.

The change to service along the route comes after former One Direction member Niall Horan posted a video last week which showed him walking to the Scotiabank Arena for a performance because the city’s traffic was “too bad.”

In the video, which was sped up and had The Proclaimer’s “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)” playing in the background, Horan was seen walking from just west of Yonge Street to an underground entrance of Scotiabank Arena past Bay Street.

“In all the years I’ve been playing shows, I don’t think I’ve ever walked into a venue,” Horan said in the video.

The changes to service along the 510 Spadina route take effect July 8.

The TTC says that accommodations will be made for customers with mobility needs who need to travel south of Front Street and they will be picked up by another bus.

Couldnt they uturn at front?

 

[DSC]

on a related note i find it appalling but unsurprising how after over 10 years they still havnt converted everything to pantos yet... more dragging of their heels on infrastructure upgrades

View attachment 577842

This overhead plan (from the Audit Report noted below). dates from fall 2023. Broadview was all converted last year when they did the new rails and Adelaide/Richmond/York is underway and anyway is impassable as MLX has not yet finished the track on York. Victoria north of Richmond is impassable due the Ontario Line. There is LOTS one can complain about with TTC management and converting the overhead was a total screw up but ... Now the system uses only pantographs BUT they now need to adjust all the overhead so that the pantograph moves across it and does not get worn down in one spot - this could not be done while they used poles. Are they doing this work efficiently? I doubt it based on the revelations in the Auditor General's report. See https://stevemunro.ca/2023/11/29/ttc-streetcar-overhead-maintenance-audit/

 

[turbanplanner]

Couldnt they uturn at front?

are buses allowed to u-turn? This way you still pickup people south of front (albeit going north)

 

[drum118]

Cross posting

I will be walking than try using the bus south of Queen as its a nightmare for traffic then with the streetcars were running. Maybe they could setup the ROW to allow turns to run in opposite direction than trying this new plan

TTC modifying 510 Spadina bus replacement service on weekday afternoons

July 5, 2024

Starting Monday, July 8, the TTC is modifying the 510 Spadina bus replacement service to improve reliability while navigating afternoon gridlock and congestion on the south end of the route.

From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday only, 510 Spadina buses will no longer operate on Spadina Avenue between Front Street W. and Queen’s Quay W. During these hours, buses will instead turn left on Front St. and then right on Blue Jays Way, looping around back to Spadina Ave. to go north to Spadina Station. There will be no 510 service during these hours at stops on Spadina Ave. at Fort York Blvd./Bremner Blvd. and at Queen’s Quay W.

This change is the result of on-going monitoring of the route since June 23 when buses replaced streetcars to accommodate essential infrastructure work.

In the first week of this planned six-month service change, the TTC has seen southbound afternoon travel times triple to more than an hour from approximately 20-25 minutes at other times of day. Buses running south of Front St. are getting caught in congestion and gridlock as motorists attempt to get on the Gardiner Expressway.

During the afternoon rush hour, southbound bus operators will announce the turn, allowing customers to exit the bus and continue their journey south on foot if they can. Supervisors will be on site on southbound Spadina at King St. and Front St. for customers with mobility needs or anyone with strollers, packages or large bags needing assistance to travel south of Front St. In these cases, the supervisor will relay a message to another southbound bus advising of an accommodation requirement. With buses running every two to three minutes at this time of day, we believe that in most cases customers getting off a turning bus will only be waiting approximately 10 minutes for service.

New stops will be placed on the south side of Front St. east of Spadina Ave. to offload southbound customers, and on the north side of Blue Jays Way east of Spadina Ave. for customers wanting to travel north.

Customer service representatives and TTC supervisors will be available at the new stops and key locations in the area to assist with directions and with accommodating accessibility needs.

The TTC continues to monitor route performance and is looking at other possible improvements and modifications.

The TTC and City of Toronto are working together to explore additional longer-term measures to reduce congestion and enhance transit priority and cyclist safety along Spadina Avenue. Subject to City Council approval, additional measures will be implemented in late July.

The City has already deployed Traffic Agents at key intersections along the 510 Spadina route from Monday to Friday between noon and 7 p.m. to assist with traffic flows and will adjust traffic signals as needed to support buses to make turns along the diverted route while the TTC operates modified bus replacement service. The City is proactively monitoring traffic on Spadina Avenue and surrounding streets and will make additional adjustments as necessary.

The TTC reminds customers that 511 Bathurst and Line 1 offer alternatives for north-south travel with east-west connections at College St., Dundas St., Queen St. and King St. All road users are encouraged to plan their journey in advance and consider alternate routes based on travel time projections.

 

[Northern Light]

Cross posting

I will be walking than try using the bus south of Queen as its a nightmare for traffic then with the streetcars were running. Maybe they could setup the ROW to allow turns to run in opposite direction than trying this new plan

I was thinking the very same thing.

Two options. One is to run in which direction serves more customers at a given time of day in the ROW, for argument's sake SB in the AM and NB in the PM or alternatively, hold six buses at a time or so and run them in an intentional convoy up the ROW and as soon as they clear it, the other direction goes.

 

[drum118]

I was thinking the very same thing.

Two options. One is to run in which direction serves more customers at a given time of day in the ROW, for argument's sake SB in the AM and NB in the PM or a alternatively, hold six buses at a time or so and run them in an intentional convoy up the ROW and as soon as they clear it, the other direction goes.

That is a good option.

In PM, you run all southbound buses from Queen to QQ in the ROW with northbound in the curb lane. Do the opposite in the AM. Where there is issues during the day, do the hold for X in one direction then follow by the opposite direction. Need some good line management who can do things on the fly than wait for someone to tell them what to do.