TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[LNahid2000]

In respect of Canada Day service, I happened to pass through Woodbine Stn on Sunday, at around 8:30pm. The service could not handle all the would be fireworks goers.

I used Bike Share to get to the beaches on Sunday evening and while biking on Queen Street, there were tons of people waiting at every stop. I barely made it for the fireworks, so I doubt most of the people waiting made it since I passed tons of full streetcars.

 

[mdrejhon]

On our TTC Andy Byford who got poached by NYC to fix their subway system:



ARTICLE (long): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/09/can-andy-byford-save-the-subways

A fascinating read, and also to look back at what he has done to improve TTC culture and reputation.

And is now working the monumentally titanic task he has set himself up with, with a system much bigger but much more broken and creaky than TTC's - seventy thousand late trains. Ouch.

 

[drum118]

TTC subway closures this weekend

July 3, 2018

This weekend, July 7-8, Metrolinx requires a closure to Line 1 Yonge-University between Lawrence and St Clair stations for construction of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

Shuttle buses will run frequently along Yonge St., stopping outside each station along the route. Customers can use the 97 Yonge bus, in addition to the University side of Line 1 as alternatives during the closure.

On Saturday, parking will be restricted on the west side of Yonge St. between Eglinton and St. Clair Aves. to keep transit and traffic moving.

Wheel-Trans will be available upon request from any station through the weekend. Customers can speak with any TTC staff member for more information about service frequency.

Current work on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project includes construction below the existing Eglinton subway station.

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is scheduled to open in 2021.

In addition, this Sunday only, Line 2 Bloor-Danforth will open late between St George and Broadview stations while City of Toronto and TTC crews perform subway track work and maintenance on the Prince Edward (Bloor) Viaduct. Subway service is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

Castle Frank, Sherbourne and Bay stations will be closed but all other stations will remain open for fare sales and transfers. Shuttle buses will run throughout the morning and will board and offload outside each station, as follows:

- St George Station - board on Bedford Rd., disembark on St. George St.
- Broadview Station - board on Danforth Ave., disembark on Broadview Ave.
- All other stations - board and disembark on Bloor St.

Customers requiring an accessible connection can speak with any TTC staff member to request a Wheel-Trans shuttle.

The TTC is committed to keeping customers informed about work and events that impact service and about alternative routes. For the most up-to-date information, follow @TTCNotices on Twitter or sign up for eAlerts.

Weekend subway closures had been paused following notice from the TTC's largest union, ATU Local 113, that it was no longer agreeing to allow overtime beyond 48 hours as of April 30 (workers were able to work up to a maximum of 64 hours a week). The TTC has since hired more bus operators to ensure these necessary subway closures can continue, as shuttle bus operators are critical to ensuring people can still navigate the city during a planned subway closure.

 

[44 North]

In respect of Canada Day service, I happened to pass through Woodbine Stn on Sunday, at around 8:30pm. The service could not handle all the would be fireworks goers.

They moved the buses onto the adjacent sidestreet and had people line up on the sidewalk as the station was too jammed. They brought in artics.

The line went down the side street to Woodbine, down Woodbine to Danforth and beyond. It was a more than 25m wait to load on a bus.

Fortunately, that was not my destination.

Woodbine's tiny capacity again a serious fail.

I have previously been at Woodbine when service was terminated there due to an emergency further east.

The station was so jammed it was literally impossible to get off the platform.

It was incredibly unsafe, several people almost fell on the tracks.

I used Bike Share to get to the beaches on Sunday evening and while biking on Queen Street, there were tons of people waiting at every stop. I barely made it for the fireworks, so I doubt most of the people waiting made it since I passed tons of full streetcars.

This is unfortunate to hear, and seems an annual occurrence. Here we have this great spectacle for families, free no less, and it's unreachable for many. Wonder if there's a better way of bringing people in/out safely and reliably.

 

[Northern Light]

This is unfortunate to hear, and seems an annual occurrence. Here we have this great spectacle for families, free no less, and it's unreachable for many. Wonder if there's a better way of bringing people in/out safely and reliably.

Addressing the size of Woodbine Station would be good for this, and other reasons.

But I think if they seriously want to address this, at these kinds of volumes, it may be time to restrict vehicle access to Queen east of Coxwell, and to Woodbine from the Lake to Woodbine Station, on fireworks days, during the evening hours.

Assuming fireworks are at 10.

Restrictions kick in at 7pm and stay till midnight.

For people who live directly on the affected street they can obtain permits for limited window access if needs be.

Its 5 hours, 2 or 3 times per year.

 

[LNahid2000]

But I think if they seriously want to address this, at these kinds of volumes, it may be time to restrict vehicle access to Queen east of Coxwell.

This is a good idea. This section was a parking lot on Sunday night, and most of the cars seemed to be cabs or ubers driving people who got tired of waiting for full streetcar after full streetcar.

 

[WillTo]

Does anyone know how Presto works on shuttle buses?
Is it safe to tap on the bus, then tap at St. Clair again?

 

[drum118]

I had a look at Broadview and Dundas intersection work on Sunday and should be done by this weekend. First time in about a year that I had a look at intersection work and it was going gang busting.

Watching the news tonight, it show concrete was been pour to anchor the rails down.

Onto the next one

 

[Richard White]

Addressing the size of Woodbine Station would be good for this, and other reasons.

But I think if they seriously want to address this, at these kinds of volumes, it may be time to restrict vehicle access to Queen east of Coxwell, and to Woodbine from the Lake to Woodbine Station, on fireworks days, during the evening hours.

Assuming fireworks are at 10.

Restrictions kick in at 7pm and stay till midnight.

For people who live directly on the affected street they can obtain permits for limited window access if needs be.

Its 5 hours, 2 or 3 times per year.

I gave up taking the bus to woodbine from the fireworks many years ago. I walked to Woodbine Station and then eventually to VP and Kingston Road via the Beaches.

This is a known issue and like you said, they need to close off Woodbine from the station to the lake in order to make this work. As it stands right now with all the people leaving the event buses get stuck in traffic.

 

[crs1026]

Posted here rather than in the Flexity thread, it pertains generically.

The issue is the length of time between when the TTC knows something is wrong and when they tell us.

In the private sector, there are laws requiring management to disclose bad news promptly in financial statements. The Sarbanes Oxley Act (US, but a lead followed in Canada) is a longstanding example. Obviously, where stock is being traded daily, investors have the right to know about problems that might impact earnings, dividends, and stock price. We have seen what happens when this principle is ignored.... Enron, Nortel, 2008, etc.

The more egregious example of this was when the TYSSE went over budget. There was a day of reckoning... but only when the overspend hit $400M. That didn’t happen overnight, so there must have been a point where the project was known to be $100M in the hole, then $200M, then $300M.... but TTC management kept quiet.... and continued to issue auditor-approved reporting that said everything was fine. In the private sector, this silence would get the CFO, and the Board, and the auditor, in hot water. I have not done any detailed research to find whether any specific TTC issued documents might be criticised in this way, but more generally, the principle of “no surprises” was clearly violated for a time, until TTC was ready to fess up.

Any organization, public or private, will carefully time when bad news is released, sure. I just wonder if TTC is accustomed to playing faster and looser than they ought to. The same applies to Metrolinx, frankly. As public sector entities, they are exempt from securities law, but most high performing public agencies apply the same processes as a matter of earning public trust by holding themselves to an equal standard. In my view, knowing for 9 months that a key capital program (the Flexity order) had a known quality issue, and saying nothing publicly, borders on egregious.

Without a regulator monitoring things, it’s up to us in the bleachers to speak up to keep these agencies honest.

Anyways, I tweeted this question to Brad Ross. I will be interested to see his reply.

- Paul

 

[DSC]

Does anyone know how Presto works on shuttle buses?
Is it safe to tap on the bus, then tap at St. Clair again?

It won't matter in about 6 weeks when 2-hour 'passes' will start. (And by all accounts they are in effect now in most cases.)

 

[TransitBart]

They are

I had a look at Broadview and Dundas intersection work on Sunday and should be done by this weekend. First time in about a year that I had a look at intersection work and it was going gang busting.

Watching the news tonight, it show concrete was been pour to anchor the rails down.

Onto the next one

They are working nights.

 

[DSC]

Posted here rather than in the Flexity thread, it pertains generically.

The issue is the length of time between when the TTC knows something is wrong and when they tell us.

In the private sector, there are laws requiring management to disclose bad news promptly in financial statements. The Sarbanes Oxley Act (US, but a lead followed in Canada) is a longstanding example. Obviously, where stock is being traded daily, investors have the right to know about problems that might impact earnings, dividends, and stock price. We have seen what happens when this principle is ignored.... Enron, Nortel, 2008, etc.

The more egregious example of this was when the TYSSE went over budget. There was a day of reckoning... but only when the overspend hit $400M. That didn’t happen overnight, so there must have been a point where the project was known to be $100M in the hole, then $200M, then $300M.... but TTC management kept quiet.... and continued to issue auditor-approved reporting that said everything was fine. In the private sector, this silence would get the CFO, and the Board, and the auditor, in hot water. I have not done any detailed research to find whether any specific TTC issued documents might be criticised in this way, but more generally, the principle of “no surprises” was clearly violated for a time, until TTC was ready to fess up.

Any organization, public or private, will carefully time when bad news is released, sure. I just wonder if TTC is accustomed to playing faster and looser than they ought to. The same applies to Metrolinx, frankly. As public sector entities, they are exempt from securities law, but most high performing public agencies apply the same processes as a matter of earning public trust by holding themselves to an equal standard. In my view, knowing for 9 months that a key capital program (the Flexity order) had a known quality issue, and saying nothing publicly, borders on egregious.

Without a regulator monitoring things, it’s up to us in the bleachers to speak up to keep these agencies honest.

Anyways, I tweeted this question to Brad Ross. I will be interested to see his reply.

- Paul

Though the latest BBD screw-up is certainly bad news for TTC it is FAR worse news for BBD who have to pay real $$ to fix the Flexities and their reputation for quality takes another hit. You say "In the private sector, there are laws requiring management to disclose bad news promptly in financial statements." Did BBD do this? I think not and I bet their reasoning was that they were still working out exactly what needed to be done and how best to do it. The TTC could say exactly the same.

 

[nfitz]

It won't matter in about 6 weeks when 2-hour 'passes' will start. (And by all accounts they are in effect now in most cases.)

I'm still seeing lots of additional charges on 506 when changing direction, or getting on a different vehicle.

And I've heard reports of people who tap on two different 504 vehicles getting extra charges.

If there's a 512 shuttle or short-turn, then don't tap on the second vehicle. Until August ...

 

[steveintoronto]

Does anyone know how Presto works on shuttle buses?
Is it safe to tap on the bus, then tap at St. Clair again?

My experience is patchy. Do not believe the assurances of drivers. If you don't have to tap, don't. I've been charged *three times* in one shuttle trip for a 504 that looped at Sunnyside, charged again getting on a 504 that continued up to Dundas West, but was then in an accident on Roncesvalles. Shuttle bus came, (about half an hour later, I could have walked up in ten mins) and I was charged again. Trying to get through to the TTC was hopeless. I gave up, and cheated twice thereafter to get my money back.

Bottom line: Always check your Presto account on-line. The system is far from perfect, albeit trying to get things straightened out is often not worth the half an hour you spend playing silly phone games with agencies continually throwing the ball into someone else's court. Just become aware of where things glitch, and use your own system to get around it happening next time, and if anyone tries to call you on it, give them a mouth full, and a challenge: "Take me to court". They will lose when a JP or Justice hears what you've been through.