TTC: Streetcar Network

[steveintoronto]

Agree strongly with you. Parkside stop is needed for that plus 80 transfers.

@W. K. Lis is correct though on Parkside being next to impossible for pedestrians to cross to/from the western side under the bridge to the eastern. Many times as a pedestrian walking east along the path out of High Park and wishing to continue east towards Roncy, I've given up in frustration waiting for a gap in traffic and walked north instead. Compared to Roncy itself, Parkside Drive is highway speed, which makes it that much more apt as a north/south connection subway to Queensway for bus shuttle. The challenge is the lack of pedestrian entrance on the western side, which then renders the building a bus loop in the empty gap as detailed prior as an obvious answer. It would be far easier and rational to build than a new stairway access on the west, and provide a loading platform off of Parkside doing it.

Space exists just barely, to accommodate a left turn lane for a southbound Parkside shuttle with a traffic light, possibly priority, to enter the proposed loop:

The sidewalk on the west side could be moved slightly to allow lane width to remain the same while adding more width to the turn lane.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Building an entrance on the west side of Parkside Drive at the Queensway would be helpful. Maybe add an elevator on the east side (closer to St. Joe's). However, the suburban councillors would consider it "gravy" if they catered to transit.

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

Building an entrance on the west side of Parkside Drive at the Queensway would be helpful. Maybe add an elevator on the east side (closer to St. Joe's). However, the suburban councillors would consider it "gravy" if they catered to transit.

Well, they are going to have to make it accessible, or people from AODA ( the government)will be be mad/complain that it is not accessible,

 

[felix123]

Why do streetcars stop at green lights and wait for the other streetcar coming in the opposite direction to clear the intersection, often waiting an additional light cycle to pass through it? Like what's the point of having 2 tracks if you won't use them?

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Well, they are going to have to make it accessible, or AODA will be be mad.

AODA is the law, not an old person shaking its fist.

 

[nfitz]

Why do streetcars stop at green lights and wait for the other streetcar coming in the opposite direction to clear the intersection, often waiting an additional light cycle to pass through it? Like what's the point of having 2 tracks if you won't use them?

Normally, because the stop is placed at the light, so they have to stop even if it's Green.

Is there a particular location/route you are thinking of here? It's very common to see two streetcars pass each in intersections. Even when both are turning (I often am on the 504 turning at Broadview/Queen and we pass another 504 turning through the intersection simultaneously).

 

[steveintoronto]

AODA is the law, not an old person shaking its fist.

This is one more advantage to doing a bus loop the unloads and loads from the same entrance/exit, as if elevators are going to be installed at that stop, a separate one will be needed for each platform (east and westbound) and far better to maximize usage and reduce cost by having a loop needing just those two, and not two more on the west side. The cost of twinning the present ingress/egress would be more than building the bus loop and bay, or roughly equal to at best, not to mention further disruption of the Queensway RoW (ostensibly the RoW could be kept running while work is done on the present facility to add elevators).

Parkside can get very busy, and already is sometimes jammed with traffic, but no matter how bad it can get at times, it's still a magnitude better than Roncy for moving transit north/south. And remember, what '504 extended west' allows is *various other shuttle routes* as well, something that Roncy at present doesn't offer. Roncy is the antithesis of what the King Pilot is all about. The Queensway is the pro-thesis of it.

 

[W. K. Lis]

AODA is the law, not an old person shaking its fist.

From link.

 

[smallspy]

Why do streetcars stop at green lights and wait for the other streetcar coming in the opposite direction to clear the intersection, often waiting an additional light cycle to pass through it? Like what's the point of having 2 tracks if you won't use them?

That's only at intersections where there are switches/crossings. The TTC enacted a rule a year ago that states that only one streetcar can occupy an intersection containing "specialwork" - meaning swtiches, crossings, etc.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[nfitz]

That's only at intersections where there are switches/crossings. The TTC enacted a rule a year ago that states that only one streetcar can occupy an intersection containing "specialwork" - meaning swtiches, crossings, etc..

So how does that work at Broadview/Queen where it's not unusual to see two 504s both turning simultaneously?

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

AODA is the law, not an old person shaking its fist.

I know it is a law, I was just joking

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

So how does that work at Broadview/Queen where it's not unusual to see two 504s both turning simultaneously?

Same with Roncesvalles and Queen.

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

Obviously, if the 504 was extended to Humber, then what would happen to 501L along Lake Shore ?

 

[W. K. Lis]

Obviously, if the 504 was extended to Humber, then what would happen to 501L along Lake Shore ?

The 501L should be renumbered to 507 LONG BRANCH, run from the Long Branch Loop to Dundas West Station. However, they will need to reconfigure the Dundas West Station layout to handle more streetcar routes first.

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

The 501L should be renumbered to 507 LONG BRANCH, run from the Long Branch Loop to Dundas West Station. However, they will need to reconfigure the Dundas West Station layout to handle more streetcar routes first.

The 505 platform is currently being used by buses, the 505 buses can serve the old 193 platform at Dundas West ( for now ), and 501L ( basically the 507 ), can serve 505 platform.