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TTC: Other Items (catch all)

dowlingm said:
One notion I have had is placing bright (enough to discomfort) lights focused where people would be standing to block people exiting the doors, then turn them off when the doors open.
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Like this?
0619INDEPENDENCEDAY3-blog427.jpg
 
jje1000 said:
If anyone's interested in having their very own H-series subway car:

Browse items for sale - Closed bidding

Search for federal government surplus using keywords, location, category and posting/closing date
www.gcsurplus.ca www.gcsurplus.ca
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It is only one car and made surplus by the Government of Canada. I wonder if this was part of some training exercise such as anti-terrorism.
 
Richard White said:
Hold up..

Is this the car that was sitting in the field between Wilson and Sheppard West for years?
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Nope. That one has been gone for years.

The auction posted above is for one of two cars located at one of NRC's testing facilities outside of Ottawa. They were used for testing fire fighting apparatus' and techniques, apparently.

Dan
 
Neutrino said:
In London, I noticed buses have announcements to explain when vehicles are stopped to even out gaps in service. Something for Toronto to implement?
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How about just not having the gaps in the first place.
 
Neutrino said:
In London, I noticed buses have announcements to explain when vehicles are stopped to even out gaps in service. Something for Toronto to implement?
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London is phenomenal when it comes to dealing with even the slightest delay in service. The drivers there will let you know what the reason is for whatever the issue may be no matter how minor it is (ie: if there is a red signal, service adjustment, etc..).

The TTC on the other hand is just plain inconisistent since management doesnt require that drivers announce anything unless there is a significant delay. Some drivers here are really good and will let passengers know what's going on regardless of the situations, while others simply couldn't care less to announce anything. I've seen hundreds of instances where trains would crawl or stop in tunnels for at least 10 mins without a single announcement being made to customers. Simply put, when it comes to customer communication the TTC has A LOT of work to do.
 
Neutrino said:
In London, I noticed buses have announcements to explain when vehicles are stopped to even out gaps in service. Something for Toronto to implement?
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Amare said:
London is phenomenal when it comes to dealing with even the slightest delay in service. The drivers there will let you know what the reason is for whatever the issue may be no matter how minor it is (ie: if there is a red signal, service adjustment, etc..).

The TTC on the other hand is just plain inconisistent since management doesnt require that drivers announce anything unless there is a significant delay.
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There's a more than altruistic reason for this. London's buses are privatized, and their franchise is conditional on 'on time performance'. Whether 'privatizing the buses' was a good move or not is still highly controversial there (I'm neutral with caveats), and that experience can't be directly analogized with rail services in London (TfL is all for increasing ownership and/or direct control over 'rail services in and out of London', but is satisfied that now that all the buses are 'London Transport Red' again, it works well.) (Privatized in franchise form, but to users, as seamless as London Transport buses always were. Almost all the same routes as were being run half a century ago are still run now)
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP
United Kingdom May 9 2018

The Bus Services Act 2017 (the Act), which came into force on 27 April 2017, introduced new powers for Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) to create a franchise system for their local bus networks in an attempt to regulate and modernise the UK bus network. These powers did not become available to MCAs until the publication of the Department for Transport's (DfT) guidance note on bus franchise creation in November 2017 (as updated in March 2018).[1]

We discuss below the key elements of the DfT's guidance note, as well as exploring the extent to which Local Authorities outside of London have sought to exploit the franchise model.

What is the new system and why is it needed?

In short, the new system is very similar to the one currently in place in London, where Transport for London governs how buses are run. The MCAs are now able to determine the details of the services to be provided in their catchment areas (including where and when they run, and the standards of services to be upheld). This is in contrast to the current system where, subject to obtaining the applicable authority's consent, any private company can operate in an area.

There was a range of views on whether the legislation was required. However, the theory is to provide a new framework to allow bus operators and local authorities to work collaboratively to improve bus services and realise untapped growth potentials in regional and rural areas. The franchise model would also prevent other services from operating in a certain area once a franchise is agreed, with the aim of giving the MCAs greater control over how their bus services are provided. [...]
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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=7d45c03a-95e3-46fc-b323-2ddb7f24efa2

Article written by a legal firm (solicitors), very detailed, and I suggest reading the entire thing and Googling for more. Bear in mind, the Governing body for TfL is clearly 'left of centre' so the following is all the more pointed:

It comes down to accountability and a seniority that has to prove their worth to hold the franchise. There are many operators:
Operators
Bus services in London are operated by Abellio London, Arriva London, CT Plus, Go-Ahead London, London Sovereign, London United, Metroline, Quality Line, Stagecoach London, Sullivan Buses, Tower Transit and Uno.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Buses

Again, keep in mind that it was a national Labour regime that brought in this legislation: (From the UK Parliament)
[...]
The local bus market in England was deregulated in the 1980s. This involved local authorities being forced to sell the municipal bus companies that they owned and opening the market to commercial operators. Ever since then there has been an ongoing debate about whether deregulation has delivered more and better bus services in local areas. Those who contend that deregulation has been unsuccessful (and in some cases damaging) have continually called for local authorities to be given powers to operate franchised services, much like what happens in London. The Labour Government legislated to give local authorities franchising-like powers to implement what are known as Quality Contract Schemes. No local authority has ever used these powers, or even got to the point of making a formal application to the Secretary of State to use them, though there are constantly stories in the press that one or more area is about to do so. Alongside the provisions for Quality Contracts, the Labour Government also legislated for statutory Quality Partnerships. This is an arrangement whereby local authorities and bus companies enter into mutual agreements to provide services and infrastructure. These have been more successful. In December 2011 the Competition Commission published a report into the local bus market in England, which rejected mandatory franchising as a solution to the problems in that market. The Coalition Government published its proposals for the future of the bus industry, including its response to the Competition Commission, in a March 2012 green paper. As bus policy is devolved, this paper focuses only on policy in England. Information on other bus-related matters can be found on the Buses Topical Page of the Parliament website.
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Buses: franchising - Parliament UK
Buses Topical Page: https://www.parliament.uk/topics/Buses.htm

Could the TTC operate like this? Oh boy....I'd say yes, and I'd favour privatization, even being a dyed in the wool Centrist, I think it would actually be far more accountable than the present TTC or Metrolinx. Do I favour a Doug Ford style of Mussolini with cream filling? Absolutely not. No investor with a strand of integrity would have anything to do with Ford fascionistas (apologies to fascists and fashionistas)(Popcorn meets Populism...For The People).

This is a conversation badly needed, as like it or not, we can either deal with this with aplomb and dignity before the fact, or have our noses rubbed in it after Ford's way. Or up the tax rate...and we all know how popular that is with Joe Average.
 
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On Saturday, May 25, the TTC is opening its doors to Bay Lower Station as part of Doors Open Toronto. This is the sixth time that the public will get to visit our “ghost station” below Bay Station. Bay Lower will be open between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and usually attracts upwards of 5,000 curious visitors when featured during the popular city-wide event. Bay Lower has made numerous cameo appearances in many major motion pictures and television
 
drum118 said:
On Saturday, May 25, the TTC is opening its doors to Bay Lower Station as part of Doors Open Toronto. This is the sixth time that the public will get to visit our “ghost station” below Bay Station. Bay Lower will be open between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and usually attracts upwards of 5,000 curious visitors when featured during the popular city-wide event. Bay Lower has made numerous cameo appearances in many major motion pictures and television
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I find Lower Bay to be done to death in terms of Doors Open. It would be much more interesting at this point to open something like Danforth Division, Davisville Yard or even McCowan Yard. Lower Bay has been done so many times there is not much else they can do with it.

It would have been interesting to have a shuttle service to Lower Bay for the weekend though. Direct trains from Kipling and Kennedy to St Andrew via the Wye.
 
Richard White said:
I find Lower Bay to be done to death in terms of Doors Open. It would be much more interesting at this point to open something like Danforth Division, Davisville Yard or even McCowan Yard. Lower Bay has been done so many times there is not much else they can do with it.

It would have been interesting to have a shuttle service to Lower Bay for the weekend though. Direct trains from Kipling and Kennedy to St Andrew via the Wye.
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I agree, but would be nice to have TTC display the various work trains equipment than the TR. Will give the public an idea what is needed to keep the system running every day.

They did the McCowan Yard a few years ago.
 
drum118 said:
I agree, but would be nice to have TTC display the various work trains equipment than the TR. Will give the public an idea what is needed to keep the system running every day.

They did the McCowan Yard a few years ago.
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The problem with the work equipment is the nature of it. It was not designed to have people climb all over it. Some of it may even have Asbestos and other nasty things all over it.

Not the sort of things you want people exposed to. They would likely need to scrub down the equipment before letting people touch it.

Also... there are various pieces of machinery on the work cars that are not exactly safe to play with.
 
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