TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[PinkLucy]

As a pedestrian and cyclist, I’d like to have a fighting chance so I wouldn’t want to see intersection lights done away with.

 

[steveintoronto]

That's why I prefer removing the transit lights from the public realm.

lol...well I up you one. Let's block drivers from crossing streetcar tracks. Or making left hand turns. Obviously, they might get very confused and not know where they are, which way is up, or even what day it is.

Can't have that.

Under the Ontario HTA, this is the only extant reference to the only exception to orthodox red, amber, green lights allowed:
Exception – white vertical bar indication
(19.1) Despite subsection (18), a driver operating a bus or street car on a scheduled transit authority route approaching a traffic control signal showing a white vertical bar indication may, with caution, proceed forward or turn right or left. 1994, c. 27, s. 138 (13).
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90h08

If anyone doesn't like this for whatever reason, I encourage them to access the King Street Pilot forum where this has been discussed at great length. https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/king-street-pilot-streetcar-transit-priority.19816/

I note @reaperexpress here so as to flag his opinion on this. He and @KevinT are intimate on the subject, albeit how K-W got the exceptions they did is a very good question, I suspect it was federally, not provincially since the route is inclusive of a federally regulated railway spur.

 

[Neil]

A healthy debate. Till next year.

 

[DSC]

The TTC has 'always' (at least in my recollection) been very poor at the small things that may not actually make the transit system better but which DO set a 'tone'. They appear to be making strides in getting rid of the (often outdated) hand-written signage plastered all over things but I notice recently a large number of problems with the concrete that surround streetcar tracks. More and more locations have sections of very poor concrete between the tracks and the asphalt - these may not slow down streetcars but they are dangerous, particularly for those on bikes or motor-bikes. I heard from the TTC that they inspect all surface track every 90 days but I suspect they are inspecting from a street-car's 'point of view' not a cyclists. This kind of thing, and far worse:

Surely better to repair before it gets worse? Stitch in time and all that stuff!

 

[TransitBart]

The TTC has 'always' (at least in my recollection) been very poor at the small things that may not actually make the transit system better but which DO set a 'tone'. They appear to be making strides in getting rid of the (often outdated) hand-written signage plastered all over things but I notice recently a large number of problems with the concrete that surround streetcar tracks. More and more locations have sections of very poor concrete between the tracks and the asphalt - these may not slow down streetcars but they are dangerous, particularly for those on bikes or motor-bikes. I heard from the TTC that they inspect all surface track every 90 days but I suspect they are inspecting from a street-car's 'point of view' not a cyclists. This kind of thing, and far worse:

View attachment 148758

Surely better to repair before it gets worse? Stitch in time and all that stuff!

They have repaired a lot of that on Gerrard while the 506 is bus this summer, but I am disappointed at how crappy the flanges are on Queen east of Broadview to Coxwell. They are not great when biking. Kinda rough when driving too really.

 

[TransitBart]

The TTC are doing trackwork on Broadview for the next few months and have announced the following:

• 504A Dundas West Station to the Distillery Loop will operate at all times of the day with low-floor streetcars.
• 503/504B Dufferin Gate Loop (Exhibition) to Bingham Loop (Victoria Park) will operate during the daytime, Monday to Friday.
• 504C Dufferin Gate Loop (Exhibition) to Woodbine Loop (Queen St. and Kingston Rd.) will operate in the evening, Monday to Friday, and all day Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
• 504D Broadview Station to Parliament St. buses will replace streetcar service on Broadview Ave.
• 514 Cherry service will be temporarily replaced by 504 King service during the summer months.

So far so good BUT I have yet to see a Streetcar with a letter actually added to the route number. (The signage for the 504A seems to say 504 Short Turn, To Distillery). Can the streetcar signage not deal with number suffixes?

Now wouldn’t that loop at Broadview and Queen in the Green P lot come in handy about now? Or that tangent connector track up Jones from Queen to Gerrard? Stay tuned boys and girls, 260 Flexities is gonna’ need new tracks for turnin’.

 

[steveintoronto]

The TTC has 'always' (at least in my recollection) been very poor at the small things that may not actually make the transit system better but which DO set a 'tone'. They appear to be making strides in getting rid of the (often outdated) hand-written signage plastered all over things but I notice recently a large number of problems with the concrete that surround streetcar tracks. More and more locations have sections of very poor concrete between the tracks and the asphalt - these may not slow down streetcars but they are dangerous, particularly for those on bikes or motor-bikes. I heard from the TTC that they inspect all surface track every 90 days but I suspect they are inspecting from a street-car's 'point of view' not a cyclists. This kind of thing, and far worse:

View attachment 148758

Surely better to repair before it gets worse? Stitch in time and all that stuff!

I was just going to mention that the track is like that on King, only to realize, written in giant letters in the pic, it *is* King.

Now couple that tightrope given to cyclists, at the City's invitation along the King Pilot, to avoid the tracks one foot one side, street furniture one foot the other, and not just the uneven concrete, but the crack caulking between the concrete and asphalt...which in itself is *very* dangerous to ride on. Your front wheel is shot off in any direction but straight forward.

Then add the yellow 'tactile strips' when reaching streetcar stops, add a little rain, and you're going for a ride alright, but not where intended.

It absolutely boggles me that the City does so many things completely oblivious of bike safety. I watch John Tory's lips move. I don't even have to turn the sound down, I mentally just block all the platitudes that slither out of his mouth.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

Now wouldn’t that loop at Broadview and Queen in the Green P lot come in handy about now? Or that tangent connector track up Jones from Queen to Gerrard? Stay tuned boys and girls, 260 Flexities is gonna’ need new tracks for turnin’.

Will the TTC build more loops and restore connecting tracks??

 

[TransitBart]

Will the TTC build more loops and restore connecting tracks??

Sometime between when hell freezes over and an armed insurrection of forlorn and desperate commuters takes over city hall and Queen’s Park threatening all with death who do not ascribe to a supporting a better commute.

In all seriousness, there is an article on this in Steve Munroe’s blog and 504 running to Bingham Loop is a good reason to revisit this. There is only one place between the two to turn back a car. It will take a lot of work to get city council to this point. But anything is possible with enough effort.

 

[Richard White]

Apparently the two hour transfers already took effect. I got on the TTC at around 6 am but at still had a transfer at 640 am.

 

[Voltz]

The current transfers are already limited to two hours, that is probably what you are seeing.

 

[Andy T]

Apparently the two hour transfers already took effect. I got on the TTC at around 6 am but at still had a transfer at 640 am.

View attachment 148774

Now that you mention it, I did get a free transfer on the 506 the other day when it was supposed to charge me again. I thought it was a system glitch like always but the location and whatnot was a correct.

 

[DSC]

Will the TTC build more loops and restore connecting tracks??

The only new loop I know about as being actually 'planned" (if not funded!) is the one on the Green P lot on Broadview @ Queen. They also have a list of additional curves that they would like to add to make diversions work better. In theory they say they will add them when they next rebuild that junction …. we shall see! They have not actually said that they are totally abandoning Adelaide west of Victoria but it seems unlikely it will be rebuilt and they removed the curve from York to Adelaide when they re-did York a few years ago. (At that time they said they would install the curve again 'when the Adelaide track is done".)

 

[Richard White]

The only new loop I know about as being actually 'planned" (if not funded!) is the one on the Green P lot on Broadview @ Queen. They also have a list of additional curves that they would like to add to make diversions work better. In theory they say they will add them when they next rebuild that junction …. we shall see! They have not actually said that they are totally abandoning Adelaide west of Victoria but it seems unlikely it will be rebuilt and they removed the curve from York to Adelaide when they re-did York a few years ago. (At that time they said they would install the curve again 'when the Adelaide track is done".)

What they really need is more diversion trackage across Downtown. Extending the Bay Street track to King in the south would be immensely useful. Creating additional trackage along streets like Richmond, Peter is also helpful.

Even restoring City Hall loop would be helpful the if the Bay St tracks were extended as it would permit Dundas, Queen and College cars to turn at Bay St.

 

[LNahid2000]

The current transfers are already limited to two hours, that is probably what you are seeing.

Yep, 2 hour transfers have always been there as long as you don't use the same route twice or tap into the subway more than once. I've been doing round-trips for one fare on the TTC for years when keeping these 2 restrictions in mind.