It is superior. I don't dispute that. Cost is the worry though. And the perception that the plan is too east-centric. Even ditching Ellesmere for this, I still don't see it being as cheap.
It's not about being cheap; it's about delivering real results, real solutions to the average everyday transit user. If Transit City was about really improving the quality of service for the majority I would've supported it; but AFAIK it's primarily a political tool being used to advance the careers of the few while everyone is almost compelled to drive the way the transit service in this city is deteriorating. 15kms of tramways along a few select suburban arteries only helps those whom live close to it, no one's going out of their way to transfer onto a tram to then transfer onto a subway when buses can carry people directly straight to the subway today. Giving up some shoulder lane space or converting rolling pastures beside a highway spanning all of 4 kms isn't a filibuster, its complimentary transit upgrades for a part of the 416 that's overdue to have some. And a proper BRT network would cost only a few hundred million, far less than the pricetag of one Transit City project to implement yet cover far more mileage.
Ever been stuck in gridlock trying to cross the 401 or to get from McCowan/Ellesmere to the SCC Stn during rush hour on the bus? I have, and it's not pretty. Giving buses their own unobstructed lanes will remove thousands of motorists from our streets over time as drivers start to notice:
"Gee, look over there, those buses are moving pretty fast while I stuck in this never-ending conga line of smoggy cars and trucks! Guess I'll be late again. Maybe I'll leave the car at home tomorrow and save on gas... and time."
As for splitting Morningside. That's an easy call. The demand is completely different. Malvernites who live along Morningside take the 116 to access Kennedy station. They would gladly take a different route if offered one. The southern half of Morningside consists of West Hill residents and UTSC students. This is why the city is proposing servicing one set with LRT and another set is probably going to get a bus to STC.
Fair enough. When I thought up the idea for a Hwy 401 BRT busway I envisioned splitting up the Markham and Brimley bus routes as well, so Morningside would make sense too. Of particular interest with that idea is the option to siphon off the Littles Rd/Old Finch section of the 131 route to the new 116N bus since I'm guessing there aren't a lot of Rogue Valley residents whom work along Nugget.
Neilson is different. A mere 1.5 km lies south of the 401. The demand is almost entirely from Malvern for that bus route. If you were to split it, you would seriously harm service to those residents who are south of the 401.
Well no actually. The 133 bus would be absorbed by the BRT routes running north and south along Neilson. So service, particularly during peak hour, would be far more frequent (The 133 runs every 13 minutes compared to every 3-5 minutes for the combined headway of BRT routes plus 38 Highland Creek buses). With run times like this anyone forced to transfer at the 401 to continue either north or south would not be left stranded for very long. I suspect it wouldn't take much to have buses serve all stops south of the 401 (Keeler, Military, Purpledusk and a stop south side Ellesmere for the Hospital). This section could be a curbside ROW with smart signals to give buses the right of way. North of the 401 the ROW would be dedicated in the median with stops at midway between Milner/Sheppard, Wickson, Sewell, McLevin, Crow Trail and Finch before entering the Finch Hydro Corridor and running westwards.
There's a lot of things better. Unfortunately, our hands are tied on this one. You've seen how hard it is to sell a plan cancelling Sheppard to people who understand transit. Imagine briefing a mayoral candidate or getting the public onside with that.
No, not cancel SELRT; more like cancel the SRT extension in favor of a Neilson BRT that then continues west through the Hydro Corridor to Finch Stn. Instead of having one Finch bus for all users along Finch we can stratify the service. So Yonge-Warden local/limited, Warden-McCowan local/limited (express west of there in the busway), McCowan-Neilson local/limited (express west of there in the busway) trippers could exist getting commuters from Scarborough to their destinations in less time.
I fully agree. But how do you sell this to Metrolinx who wants a network. We've already canned the link between Sheppard and Don Mills. Now we'd be disconnecting another two lines. Is that sellable? Personally, I'd support ditching the Finch East portion and using that money to get bus lanes on Finch East. For once, a major bus route that works in this town should get an upgrade.
Metrolinx actually is on record stating that they’re interested in providing transit services in the Hydro Corridors right across the 416. One of their charts explicitly states that peak hourly demand for transit in the FHC would exceed 30,000. Source:
http://www.metrolinx.com/MetrolinxDocuments/1/Strategic Transit Directions_2007-01-29.pdf (pages- 27, 32, 34, 41, 54). Their only concern is the proximity of the 407 Transitway as competing for the same riders. However I disagree; Rexdale to Morningside Heights passenger demand travel cannot be better served via having to travel all the way up to Markham then through Vaughan first.
It’s a missed opportunity to link the Zoo – M Hts/Malvern – Markham Rd – Woodside – Bridlewood – Vic Park – Seneca – Old Cummer –Bayview – Finch Stn –Finch West – Jane-Finch with the one line, then alternately switch down towards Etobicoke North GO and the ACC or run on the street along Finch Ave/Humber College Blvd through Etobicoke. GO Transit per MoveOntario2020 is slated to get funding for use of the FHC between Renforth Gateway and York University. We only have two original board appointees, Miller and Giambrone, to thank for letting this proposal lose some of its political clout. Maybe now with the shake-up, projects like these can be reprioritized.
Is grade separation really needed though? That's money that can go elsewhere.
Well if we want to encourage a lot of Markham residents to use the DRL at Don Mills/Eglinton as a rapid alternative to using the Yonge subway, it’d be wise to make the commute down to Eglinton as rapid as possible. I also wonder how the DMLRT would provide access to Don Mills Stn and then continue north along DM proper. Turning the ROW off DM for 200 metres to access the station directly makes me wonder whether it wouldn’t be better to just continue the line on a guideway overlooking the left side of the DVP/404 and leaving local #25 bus service along DM north of Sheppard? Just a thought.
