TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[smallspy]

That is such a BS response. The TTC should demand Alstom to get the signalling correct considering they are the client paying for an expected product. This bending backwards just shows how pathetic the TTC has gotten.

At the same time, heads should be rolling at the TTC as there was no due diligence to actually fix the problem and just slap speed restrictions as a response to all the problems. This self sabotaging needs to stop ASAP. There should be no reason why commuting times should get longer when considering how lengthy existing times already are. Public transit needs to be fast considering how poor congestion is in the city. This is the only way to draw people from automobile usage.

As I understand it, the TTC is still working with Alstom. This is hardly a closed file.

But to claim that there was "no due dilligence" isn't correct, either. This was done as a stop-gap to prevent a bad issue from getting worse and causing more delays. The other option was to leave things as they are, and have all sorts of random stops and starts of trains because they've lost their location.

Dan

 

[Bordercollie]

As I understand it, the TTC is still working with Alstom. This is hardly a closed file.

But to claim that there was "no due dilligence" isn't correct, either. This was done as a stop-gap to prevent a bad issue from getting worse and causing more delays. The other option was to leave things as they are, and have all sorts of random stops and starts of trains because they've lost their location.

Dan

Having operators manually drive them wasn't an option? It worked for 40 years...

 

[smallspy]

Having operators manually drive them wasn't an option? It worked for 40 years...

It doesn't matter who is driving the train if the signal system loses track of where the train is.

Dan

 

[Voltz]

Having operators manually drive them wasn't an option? It worked for 40 years...

Not if the signal system supposedly doesn't know where they are.

 

[Richard White]

Not if the signal system supposedly doesn't know where they are.

They could but keying by is neither ideal nor quick.

@smallspy Dan, do you know if they still do key-by operation with ATC and if so, would there be grief given if they did it over an extended distance?

 

[IRT_BMT_IND]

They could but keying by is neither ideal nor quick.

@smallspy Dan, do you know if they still do key-by operation with ATC and if so, would there be grief given if they did it over an extended distance?

Trains can operate in emergency mode without supervision of the signal system. The question is whether it is a good idea, the TTC using emergency mode to deal with problems with the CBTC system would be what they call a "normalization of deviance".

 

[turbanplanner]

Update on our friend with a Jerry can,

Donald McFarlane, 47, of Toronto. He has been arrested and charged with:

• ⁠Assault with a weapon,
• ⁠arson/damage property,
• ⁠two counts of common nuisance,
• ⁠causing a disturbance and
• ⁠four counts of failing to comply with probation.

He is scheduled to appear in court at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre.

Who could have guessed he was on probation already?

 

[Steve X]

Update on our friend with a Jerry can,

Donald McFarlane, 47, of Toronto. He has been arrested and charged with:

• ⁠Assault with a weapon,
• ⁠arson/damage property,
• ⁠two counts of common nuisance,
• ⁠causing a disturbance and
• ⁠four counts of failing to comply with probation.

He is scheduled to appear in court at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre.

Who could have guessed he was on probation already?

Until they figure out that these dangerous people need to be locked up, he'll be on probation soon again till he actually seriously injures or kills someone. Our society is fast to lock up those that are associated with foreign terrorist planning while these local mental beings committing unsuccessful "terrorist" attacks are free to go. They are committing attacks on society which is no different than those associated with terrorist.

 

[nfitz]

They are committing attacks on society which is no different than those associated with terrorist.

They are entirely different than those associated with terrorist (sic). I don't think spreading false theories is the best approach.

 

[EYorker]

***

Part of the reason for the schedule bloat above is certain key congestion points on route that have variable time impacts. The most notable of these is the Main/Danforth intersection where there is no advance left-turn signal. This can result in left-turning cars or buses unable to clear the intersection one cycle, in turn, blocking the 506 Carlton from fully exiting Main Station, which, when the happens mid-=turn, also blocks all incoming buses and streetcars from Danforth and all outgoing buses in both directions.

The entire mess is easily rectified by a relatively brief 10 second advance signal at key times and would result in substantial times savings and reliability improvements across multiple routes.

***

Excellent post @Northern Light

This reminds me of some low hanging fruit I suggested to the City a number of years ago where I suggested advanced left turn arrows be added or extending times they are active where installed to streetcar routes.

There are arrows installed at EB Jarvis and EB River on the 506 Carlton. These arrows are only active 3:00-6:00 PM. There are considerable left turn volumes at most times of the day that delay streetcars. Changing these to all hours will have an effect.

I suggested a new left turn arrow at EB Carlton at Parliament matching the one at Wellesley due to the amount of left turns heading north to get to Bloor and the DVP. There are significant motor vehicles queues for this turn, delaying the streetcar quite a bit. Instead the City added a leading pedestrian interval here causing even more delay.

The response I got from the city was standard boilerplate "we'll look at it." Yet it seems my suggestions had fallen into the void. Super frustrating...

 

[Jonny5]

Excellent post @Northern Light

This reminds me of some low hanging fruit I suggested to the City a number of years ago where I suggested advanced left turn arrows be added or extending times they are active where installed to streetcar routes.

There are arrows installed at EB Jarvis and EB River on the 506 Carlton. These arrows are only active 3:00-6:00 PM. There are considerable left turn volumes at most times of the day that delay streetcars. Changing these to all hours will have an effect.

I suggested a new left turn arrow at EB Carlton at Parliament matching the one at Wellesley due to the amount of left turns heading north to get to Bloor and the DVP. There are significant motor vehicles queues for this turn, delaying the streetcar quite a bit. Instead the City added a leading pedestrian interval here causing even more delay.

The response I got from the city was standard boilerplate "we'll look at it." Yet it seems my suggestions had fallen into the void. Super frustrating...

There's one that always irked me WB Dundas at Parliament. A signal with the capability for an advance left turn arrow was installed many years ago, sometime around 2012, but it is literally never active as far as I can tell. This would be of great benefit to helping the many times streetcar detours have happened and will happen again here, and I imagine that may have been the intent of putting it there, but no one has ever bothered to turn it on.

 

[zang]

Until they figure out that these dangerous people need to be locked up, he'll be on probation soon again till he actually seriously injures or kills someone. Our society is fast to lock up those that are associated with foreign terrorist planning while these local mental beings committing unsuccessful "terrorist" attacks are free to go. They are committing attacks on society which is no different than those associated with terrorist.

You're making a lot of assumptions here.

If he's on probation, there's a good chance he served whatever time he previously earned, or committed a non-violent crime and that a judge deemed he wasn't a danger to others.

Denying people probation assumes everyone's going to be a recidivist, which is frankly not the case.

 

[smallspy]

Trains can operate in emergency mode without supervision of the signal system. The question is whether it is a good idea, the TTC using emergency mode to deal with problems with the CBTC system would be what they call a "normalization of deviance".

Precisely. It's not something that you want to do on a normal basis, and even less so on a system where there are no more wayside devices protecting the preceding and following trains.

The good thing is that the signal system does seem to have a fair amount of flexibility built in to it, and does allow for these special zone "overlays" which enforce speed limits on-the-fly. In theory, this does also allow for the use of beacons to enforce work zones and track walks, although I'm not sure they've started doing this yet.

Dan