New HSR bus maps

[JoeyColeman]

A bus driver handed me a copy of the new HSR transit map reflecting all the changes occurring in September.

It shows the re-routing of the 10 Beeline (I know they call it the B-Line now but as a kid I thought the original signage was cool - of course it could have also been the good articulated buses that made it cool). The Beeline will now stop in front of Westdale High School at Longwood and Main, Dalewood and Main, and two separate stops near McMaster.

Eastbound, there will be two stops. One at on the west side of Main and Emerson. The other will be at the hospital. Combined with a very poorly constructed intersection, it's only a matter of time before someone is hit trying to run to the other stop after realizing their at the wrong stop.

The two new buses to nowhere are also on the map. That surprised me since the HSR is clearly lining these buses up for failure. The Rymal bus will NOT service Redeemer University College, will NOT service Valley Park and does NOT service either Meadowlands. Instead of servicing places people want/need to go to, the bus will run from the Glancaster Loop to Pitchard Rd. Expect this bus from to be the first to go in the winter "service improvements."

The Waterdown bus will skirt the town going up the Escarpment and then west on Hwy. 5 to Hwy. 6, north on 6 to Parkside Dr., East on Parkside to Evans Rd., south on Evans to Hwy. 5, west on Hwy 5 to Mill St., south on Mill St. to Aldershot GO station.

I haven't seen a schedule for this bus or the fourth GO train out of Hamilton. I'd assume the HSR is only putting one bus out there which means there will likely only be one trip that actually connects to a train. After that, the HSR will kindly drop people off at a train station with no trains instead of getting people to the trains at Burlington GO. Add to this inconvenience that GO has added a lot of parking at both Aldershot and Burlington, this will would be an empty bus if it were not for the driver.

The HSR has also taken out the dashed lines that showed areas of limited service.

Back to the Beeline changes, it will be interesting to see how the Beeline is timed with Westdale high school's dismissal bell. It's one bus that doesn't have any time to goof around so it will run on-time. What will be interesting to see is if the other buses hold back even longer to avoid picking students up or take advantage of the length of the articulated bus as an excuse to completely bypass the stop.

[markbarbera]

Just as a point of clarification, the Lakeshore West line now runs to Aldershot as part of its regular weekday and weekend service, so the Waterdown bus will be making regular connections to GO trains at Aldershot station.

[raisethehammer]

I don't get that Rymal route. why even bother starting a route just to stop short??
Run the extra 5 minutes in each direction and make it worthwhile.

[miketoronto]

Thats the only changes? I was in Hamilton on the weekend and they had a sign saying the new bus map was not out yet due to major changes and services improvments. I was expecting more than just what was listed in this thread.

I thought HSR was really going to shake things up with route design, etc.

[raisethehammer]

for the HSR this IS major changes and service improvements.
This is probably more new routes (along with the extended B-Line and new Keith neighbourhood route) than they added throughout the entire decade of the 90's.

[DC83]

Yep. It's the 1st time since I can even remember (started taking HSR around 97-98) that there have been routes added and not canc'd.

The Rymal route seems dissapointing? Do they think that people only need to be connected to Downtown? Ppl take the bus to work, which unfortunately, may be Meadowlands or Summit Park.

So when they create the 'Centennial' route, is it going to stop at Barton & not service the beach & new *shudders* wal mart development?

The city seems to try, yet always fall so short. I don't get it!?

[matt602]

The waterdown route seems like it will be fairly useful, though I'll probably still be using the Stoney Creek GO shuttle.

[miketoronto]

Waterdown is so needed. Do you know how many riders I deal with who want to take GO TRANSIT to Waterdown.

[raisethehammer]

Waterdown is so needed. Do you know how many riders I deal with who want to take GO TRANSIT to Waterdown.

really?? Where do you work?

[miketoronto]

really?? Where do you work?

GO Transit. :)

[DC83]

really?? Where do you work?

GO Transit. :)

Now it ALLLLL makes sense!! hahahaha

Sweet job, Mike! You weren't at Union Bus Term last night around 11pm, were u?

I've heard of Waterdowners (haha downers) who take the York U GO bus from TH&B to/from work downtown Ham. So maybe they should connect an HSR route to the waterdown route as BT's 1 Plains route SUCKS!

[JoeyColeman]

Just as a point of clarification, the Lakeshore West line now runs to Aldershot as part of its regular weekday and weekend service, so the Waterdown bus will be making regular connections to GO trains at Aldershot station.

During rush hour Aldershot has limited service. After the 0702 out of Hamilton, there are no trains out of Aldershot until after 11am.

For just under four hours, there is no service in the morning.

[JoeyColeman]

Now it ALLLLL makes sense!! hahahaha

Sweet job, Mike! You weren't at Union Bus Term last night around 11pm, were u?

I've heard of Waterdowners (haha downers) who take the York U GO bus from TH&B to/from work downtown Ham. So maybe they should connect an HSR route to the waterdown route as BT's 1 Plains route SUCKS!

What's really needed, in my opinion, is a connection from McMaster to Waterdown. Coach Canada does alright for passenger loads between Waterdown and Mac.

In terms of the 407 situation, it be great if they build a full interchange or even a controlled bus-only access at Waterdown Rd that the 407 bus could use to connect with the Lakeshore Line.

The HSR's Waterdown bus is limited rush hour service only.

Almost as bad as GO's every other hour bus from Nash to Burlington. (Why one would get off the Red Hill, park their car in an strip mall, wait for the bus to leave and then be dependent on that infrequent bus coming back is beyond me.)

[JoeyColeman]

I don't get that Rymal route. why even bother starting a route just to stop short??
Run the extra 5 minutes in each direction and make it worthwhile.

The bus drivers have been telling them the exact same thing. They have lobbied for a Meadowlands to Meadowlands service.

Redeemer tried to lobby for the bus to go the extra two minutes to the university campus. A lot of students walk from the 34 to the campus right now.

[JoeyColeman]

Forgot to mention - Hamilton will continue to proudly not provide bus service to it's airport! :koko:

[markbarbera]

GO Trains Eastbound (towards Union) leave from Aldershot at 5:35AM, 6:07, 6:29, 6:49, 7:19, and then hourly from 10:08 until 3:08PM, then at 3:54, 4:45, 5:50, 6:14, then back to hourly from 8:08 to 11:08PM. Westbound GO Trains arrive hourly from 9:44AM to 3:44PM, then at 5:24, 5:56, 6:28, 7:29, then hourly again from 7:44PM to 1:44AM. The longest stretch without a GO train arriving at Aldershot is between the 7:19AM eastbound departure and the 9:44AM westbound arrival, just under 2.5 hours.

Let's not forget about VIA. They have trains arriving at Aldershot at 6:00AM, 6:01, 7:50, 7:57, 9:39, 10:00, 12:10PM, 1:41, 3:32, 5:06, 5:15, 5:45, 7:05, 7:15, 9:42 and 9:55 on any given weekday.

[matt602]

Remember that Burlington Transit offers a service (Route 1 Plains East) from downtown Hamilton that makes a stop at Aldershot and Burlington GO. It's not at all impossible to get from Hamilton to Aldershot. If you're downtown you can take the BT service (which is actually cheaper than the HSR right now I think). If you're in Stoney Creek you can start your GO journey at Nash/Barton.

[miketoronto]

Almost as bad as GO's every other hour bus from Nash to Burlington. (Why one would get off the Red Hill, park their car in an strip mall, wait for the bus to leave and then be dependent on that infrequent bus coming back is beyond me.)

There are many people who do not want to catch GO TRANSIT in downtown Hamilton, because the parking is not free, etc. So they are using the Stoney Creek Park & Ride. People just want to ditch their car and this allows them to do it. It also intercepts people from Niagara who also want to catch GO Transit, but who know the train station parking lots are full.
And there are the residents who are scared to go into downtown Hamilton. This allows them to catch the service without risking their safety with the drug dealers downtown(yes people say those things).

[raisethehammer]

There are many people who do not want to catch GO TRANSIT in downtown Hamilton, because the parking is not free, etc. So they are using the Stoney Creek Park & Ride. People just want to ditch their car and this allows them to do it. It also intercepts people from Niagara who also want to catch GO Transit, but who know the train station parking lots are full.
And there are the residents who are scared to go into downtown Hamilton. This allows them to catch the service without risking their safety with the drug dealers downtown(yes people say those things).

yea, Barton and Nash takes away those risks. :haha:

[hamiltonguy]

Hmmmm, 44 Rymal Stops right before Both Ancaster and Stoney Creek...

AREA RATING STRIKES AGAIN

[JoeyColeman]

GO Trains Eastbound (towards Union) leave from Aldershot at 5:35AM, 6:07, 6:29, 6:49, 7:19, and then hourly from 10:08 until 3:08PM, then at 3:54, 4:45, 5:50, 6:14, then back to hourly from 8:08 to 11:08PM. Westbound GO Trains arrive hourly from 9:44AM to 3:44PM, then at 5:24, 5:56, 6:28, 7:29, then hourly again from 7:44PM to 1:44AM. The longest stretch without a GO train arriving at Aldershot is between the 7:19AM eastbound departure and the 9:44AM westbound arrival, just under 2.5 hours.

Let's not forget about VIA. They have trains arriving at Aldershot at 6:00AM, 6:01, 7:50, 7:57, 9:39, 10:00, 12:10PM, 1:41, 3:32, 5:06, 5:15, 5:45, 7:05, 7:15, 9:42 and 9:55 on any given weekday.

Thanks for the times. I thought the 10:00 to Toronto originated out of Burlington, my error. So, a 2:50 gap between Toronto bound trains. (I doubt anyone will be going from Aldershot to Waterdown in the morning).

We'll have to wait to see the schedule. I was told that it would be four hours in the morning and then four hours in the evening.

[JoeyColeman]

There are many people who do not want to catch GO TRANSIT in downtown Hamilton, because the parking is not free, etc. So they are using the Stoney Creek Park & Ride. People just want to ditch their car and this allows them to do it. It also intercepts people from Niagara who also want to catch GO Transit, but who know the train station parking lots are full.
And there are the residents who are scared to go into downtown Hamilton. This allows them to catch the service without risking their safety with the drug dealers downtown(yes people say those things).

My primary point about this shuttle is that it's infrequent. The great thing about GO's Lakeshore service is the all day service. If I'm in Toronto, I don't have to worry about train times because I can get an train all day. I take the McMaster shuttle to the train all the time and I know that if I take the train out of Union before 10pm, I can get a bus to McMaster on each trip.

I was excited about the "Stoney Creek" service until I realized that I'd have to carefully plan my trip and if I needed to be in Toronto for any extra time I would be SOL waiting at Burlington. I get a ride into Hamilton each time now.

Great in concept, but I would never trap myself at Burlington GO by diverting off the highway and parking my car at Barton and Nash in order to get on a bus which doesn't get me to Burlington quicker.

This bus does help the people who used to take the HSR downtown but it will not attract new ridership. If the service were every hour, then it would be worth taking. It be better if they created a bus by-pass lane getting out of Burlington GO - nothing sucks more than being stuck in the traffic behind the cars of other passengers on the train.

[JoeyColeman]

Hmmmm, 44 Rymal Stops right before Both Ancaster and Stoney Creek...

AREA RATING STRIKES AGAIN

Good point. However, the area rating issue is not consistent across the city. Dundas gets just as poor of service as people on Mount Albion/Quigley/Upper Paradise/Garth and pretty much everywhere else which operates on 30 minute service.

This city is dysfunctional because we also these boundaries to continue to define everything. Why is a vote in Ancaster worth twice as much as a vote in East Hamilton? (I know I'm preaching to the choir)

[fastcarsfreedom]

Even pre-amalgamation Dundas funded HSR service--I would not deem the service there "poor"--consider it's status as a "suburb"==the 52 Dundas Local still operates, does it not, in addition to the King/Delaware route.

I think the "problems" with what is seen as inconvenient expansion by GO and new routes by the HSR are good problem to have to be frank. As part of the great catchment of the GTA, Hamilton is in an enviable position as far as transit expansion/funding and the potential for revolutionary growth going forward. If the demand and appetite are there (as everyone here has been saying for ages) these services will succeed and further growth and expansion will follow. I know everyone wants everything to happen yesterday--all in due time--there are plenty of other cities/regions in this province that envy the transit growth opportunities Hamilton has right now.

[flar]

Bus service isn't bad in Dundas itself, but there is poor service in the sprawling subdivisions around Dundas. It is practically impossible to properly service those areas, and ridership would be very low even if they did. The Dundas local bus is still in service but I've never had the occasion to take it, and whenever I see it go by, it's empty, and I mean completely empty in most cases. I've always wondered why they don't get little mini buses for such routes.

[go_leafs_go02]

I still can't believe Rymal ends at Glancaster. Redeemer is literally 1.5-2 km down the road from there. Amazing they couldn't work that out even with the Area Rating System.

[JoeyColeman]

Even pre-amalgamation Dundas funded HSR service--I would not deem the service there "poor"--consider it's status as a "suburb"==the 52 Dundas Local still operates, does it not, in addition to the King/Delaware route.

I think the "problems" with what is seen as inconvenient expansion by GO and new routes by the HSR are good problem to have to be frank. As part of the great catchment of the GTA, Hamilton is in an enviable position as far as transit expansion/funding and the potential for revolutionary growth going forward. If the demand and appetite are there (as everyone here has been saying for ages) these services will succeed and further growth and expansion will follow. I know everyone wants everything to happen yesterday--all in due time--there are plenty of other cities/regions in this province that envy the transit growth opportunities Hamilton has right now.

The GO expansion will be permanent. The MTO owns land along the rail line in the area, eventually the train will go there.

The HSR planners will point to the low ridership, cancel those buses and use it as an excuse to not create proper bus routes in the area.

[raisethehammer]

if the frigs in Ancaster don't want to pay for bus service then screw 'em.
They can live in their cars.

[miketoronto]

Good point. However, the area rating issue is not consistent across the city. Dundas gets just as poor of service as people on Mount Albion/Quigley/Upper Paradise/Garth and pretty much everywhere else which operates on 30 minute service.


Sadly, I think 30 min service is here to stay in most of Hamilton. And it just has to do with the make up of the city and density. Most neighbourhoods
just can not support high frequency service on every route. I rode the 21 bus on Saturday, and it goes through mostly single family neighbourhoods. The density is just not there.
Even similar routes in Toronto right in the inner city operate on 30 min frequency also.

[miketoronto]

Now it ALLLLL makes sense!! hahahaha

Sweet job, Mike! You weren't at Union Bus Term last night around 11pm, were u?


I don't work at Union Bus Term. I work at Head Office.

[hamiltonguy]

30 minute service is def NOT here to stay. Even in the middle of the day lately buses have been at least half full. Only the Ancaster and Dundas services seem to have a ridership issue off peak. Dundas will improve with the LRT comming right close to Downtown Dundas.

Unfortunately we can't serve some important destinations without increasing Ancaster and Stoney Creek transit levies. if the new area rating system is chosen as an urban/rural split, or a one size fits all rate, I expect the 44 will be expanded both ways.

In the east it would serve Medowlands east and Valley Park and in the West Redeemer and the Medowlands (Redeemer University shuttle would prolly end).

I do think that the 8 should be expanded along the 403 express from York Blvd to Aldershot. The 18 should be kept independent, however, in order to allow scheduling independence.

It would be nice though if once presto was out GO offered an in Town discount if you've already used the local transit services. (subtracting the local far from the local GO fare or something).

[JoeyColeman]

I loved living in Winnipeg, once you accepted that you could not memorize the routes and had to use the NaviGo system, you could get from point A to point B no matter where it was in the city. During the peak times of the day, you could do this very quickly.

Here's the bus map in the area of the University East: http://winnipegtransit.com/pdfs/systemmap/200505/9.pdf

University West: http://winnipegtransit.com/pdfs/systemmap/200505/9.pdf (The university is just east of the Safeway park n' ride lot legend on the map)

Winnipeg doesn't have an entire system map on their site for some reason, but you can find all the zones here: http://winnipegtransit.com/systemmap.jsp

You'll note on Map 9 there are two hubs on the map - the university and St. Vital Centre.

Basically, the "green routes" are local feeders which go to a hub. These are serviced using 40' buses. "Red routes" are your local main street routes. "Blue routes" are either express or super express routes. "Black routes" are cross-town buses, they are local main street routes that do not go downtown.

Generally speaking, the "Red routes" operate 7 days a week. Depending on the route, they can start as early as 4:30am and end as late as 3:00am. The 60 Pembina which serves the university runs really late - aka after the bars close.

"Greens" operate from about 5/6 am until 7-10pm-ish depending on area. Most operate on Saturday. They do not operate on Sunday.

"Blues" have two categories. Most expresses operate all days on weekdays and some operate on Saturdays. They be eqv. to our Beeline. The super-expresses are rush hour only one-way services. The 54 bus you can see on Map 9 does local service for the area you see on the map and then goes <del>non-stop</del> express to the downtown core in the morning. (http://winnipegtransit.com/TIMETABLE/MAPS/54V4.gif) Not all of them go downtown however. The 36 actually connects the west end of the city to the university. OOPS - the 54 is an express and the 37 is not a crosstown route. The 37 is a superexpress. The map's not to scale (http://winnipegtransit.com/TIMETABLE/MAPS/37V1.gif) but the distance between Osborne and Plaza is actually on par with the distance from downtown to the Queenston traffic circle here.





This is all fairly confusing, but the trip planner Winnipeg uses is really easy to operate and gives very accurate information. It's called Navigo and you can use it by clicking the logo on the main transit page: http://winnipegtransit.com/index.jsp

Give it a try. Select any point (such as the zoo) and then another point (maybe a library, hospital or golf course). if you select the university, it will ask you which building your going to/from. It's a million times better than what the HSR calls a trip planner.

[JoeyColeman]

It would be nice though if once presto was out GO offered an in Town discount if you've already used the local transit services. (subtracting the local far from the local GO fare or something).

It would be even better if complete fare integration occurred. I really hope they create an unlimited GTHA option. Take the highest cost route to Union add 10 bucks and make that the unlimited option. No matter where you go, if the city has GO Service, you can use your pass to go there and ride the local transit service. Call it the complete car replacement option.

[raisethehammer]

I loved living in Winnipeg, once you accepted that you could not memorize the routes and had to use the NaviGo system, you could get from point A to point B no matter where it was in the city. During the peak times of the day, you could do this very quickly.

Here's the bus map in the area of the University East: http://winnipegtransit.com/pdfs/systemmap/200505/9.pdf

University West: http://winnipegtransit.com/pdfs/systemmap/200505/9.pdf (The university is just east of the Safeway park n' ride lot legend on the map)

Winnipeg doesn't have an entire system map on their site for some reason, but you can find all the zones here: http://winnipegtransit.com/systemmap.jsp

You'll note on Map 9 there are two hubs on the map - the university and St. Vital Centre.

Basically, the "green routes" are local feeders which go to a hub. These are serviced using 40' buses. "Red routes" are your local main street routes. "Blue routes" are either express or super express routes. "Black routes" are cross-town buses, they are local main street routes that do not go downtown.

Generally speaking, the "Red routes" operate 7 days a week. Depending on the route, they can start as early as 4:30am and end as late as 3:00am. The 60 Pembina which serves the university runs really late - aka after the bars close.

"Greens" operate from about 5/6 am until 7-10pm-ish depending on area. Most operate on Saturday. They do not operate on Sunday.

"Blues" have two categories. Most expresses operate all days on weekdays and some operate on Saturdays. They be eqv. to our Beeline. The super-expresses are rush hour only one-way services. The 54 bus you can see on Map 9 does local service for the area you see on the map and then goes <del>non-stop</del> express to the downtown core in the morning. (http://winnipegtransit.com/TIMETABLE/MAPS/54V4.gif) Not all of them go downtown however. The 36 actually connects the west end of the city to the university. OOPS - the 54 is an express and the 37 is not a crosstown route. The 37 is a superexpress. The map's not to scale (http://winnipegtransit.com/TIMETABLE/MAPS/37V1.gif) but the distance between Osborne and Plaza is actually on par with the distance from downtown to the Queenston traffic circle here.





This is all fairly confusing, but the trip planner Winnipeg uses is really easy to operate and gives very accurate information. It's called Navigo and you can use it by clicking the logo on the main transit page: http://winnipegtransit.com/index.jsp

Give it a try. Select any point (such as the zoo) and then another point (maybe a library, hospital or golf course). if you select the university, it will ask you which building your going to/from. It's a million times better than what the HSR calls a trip planner.

it would have to be pretty bad to be worse than the HSR's trip planner.

[raisethehammer]

geez...that does work good.
WAY better than the HSR trip planner.

[JoeyColeman]

geez...that does work good.
WAY better than the HSR trip planner.

There even have a few hubs with Navigo computers that print out your trip for you.

I didn't realize they added liquor stores to the landmarks! I know a few people that call the new B-Line to Univ. Plaza the Liquor Store express.

They also have dedicated bus lanes into the downtown core and their eqv. to King William is a bus only street.

They also use Winnipeg Police to control traffic after major sporting events with ad-hoc public transit lanes. I went to a Bombers game (which Hamilton won) in 2004. I remember after the game getting on the bus 25 mins after the game and it leaving 5 mins after that. Everywhere around the stadium was gridlock but the police maintained lanes for public transit and my bus went express to the university area. I was especially happy about this because I was wearing my Ticat gear and didn't feel too popular with the locals.

- Joey

[raisethehammer]

Hamilton WON the game??? Wow.

[raisethehammer]

that's the only problem I see with us doing LRT on James North in shared lanes. After festivals or events it'll be stuck in traffic with everyone else.
I'm thinking they should use Hughson and McNab for LRT to the waterfront so it can be in its own lane the entire way. It would still service James North wonderfully.

[JoeyColeman]

From today's Speculator page A6:

Sometimes, the items tell you exactly who is missing them, such as the wallet found at Jackson Square that contained every piece of identification for a family of five from India.
But sometimes the story is more subtle.
Such as the collection of walkers the Hamilton Street Railway has amassed. People who use walkers are entitled to ride the bus for free, but somehow many of them are mysteriously able to walk perfectly again when the get off the bus.
“We wonder if they were really in need of (a walker),” says Colin Kerr from HSR.

[mishap]

The bus drivers have been telling them the exact same thing. They have lobbied for a Meadowlands to Meadowlands service.
You mean just sit there, or travel in a circle? ;-)

Seriously though, they'd like to see Duff's Corners to Elfrida, Wal-Mart to Wal-Mart. The general opinion is that Elfrida needs (and can support) bus service. Recognizing that the Duff's may not need two routes, there's also the idea of heading up Southcote into the Meadowlands at the west end. Redeemer should be the "bare minimum" option.

Apparently, there will be service to Elfrida in 2009, probably Fall. According to a city document (I think it's the same one that calls for A-Line and B-Line funding), that's the plan anyway. They've already scouted the area for good places to get a bus turned around.

[mishap]

that's the only problem I see with us doing LRT on James North in shared lanes. After festivals or events it'll be stuck in traffic with everyone else.
I'm thinking they should use Hughson and McNab for LRT to the waterfront so it can be in its own lane the entire way. It would still service James North wonderfully.
How about going up the west side of Bay St? When Bay bends to the east, continue roughly straight to the CN line. Have a stop near Cannon, one near Barton, then run alongside the train tracks to LIUNA Station.

Or, to throw another option out there, assume the LRT will be using the Claremont Access. From the bottom of the Access, run the line north along one side of Victora to the CN tracks, and then turn toward LIUNA Station. Maybe not ideal, but it still allows north-south movement

Now let's try something really odd. Imagine both options built simultaneously. You end up with a loop around the downtown. And while it seems large, it's less than a mile across east-to-west. It's about the same north-to-south, even if the B-Line were as far south as Hunter.

Once the loop is in place, you could add other services to it in the future. A Barton line (the D-Line?) could tie in to the northeast corner, while the Halton BRT line ties into the northwest. How each service runs within the loop, that's another discussion.

Within this loop, you could provide any number of services... shuttles, trolleys, streetcars, etc. Maybe inside the loop is a free-fare zone. Could you imagine the development possibilities within such an area?

Sorry to get off-topic, rth, but you went and got me thinking, darn it.

[the dude]

i've considered james north. all the on-street parking would have to be removed for it to function well as an lrt route. i have no issue with that but i can imagine others having some major problems. macnab and hughson is certainly a less painful solution.

[markbarbera]

After coming down the Claremont, have the LRT travel west on King to Hughson, then north along Hughson from King to Murray, east on Murray to John, north on John to Guise, west on Guise to James, south on James to Murray, west on Murray to Hughson, then back south on Hughson to Hunter, then east on Hunter to rejoin the route up the Claremont.

[miketoronto]

Check out my map for the Hamilton Mountain.

http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=43.228695,-79.856701&spn=0.083551,0.153809&z=13&msid=102251676755671311847.00045443fd94a5e923ac3


The route layout is centred on Limeridge Mall. Notice the thick red lines. Those are SUPER EXPRESS routes, that riders from the local routes would transfer onto at Limeridge.

One SUPER EXPRESS would operate from

Limeridge to Hamilton General stopping only at Mowhawk College and downtown Hamilton.

Another express would operate from Limeridge to McMaster.

These two express routes would operate every 5-10 minutes at all times.

-------

Anyway let me know what you think. In addition to the routes operating to Limeridge, bus routes could operates on all the main north-south routes to downtown if the demand is there.

Enjoy.

[coalminecanary]

Why not john instead of james? the space is there and the streets needs the ec dev help much more than james. it could even run all the way up jolley - they ahve said the grade and turn radius is acceptable...

[raisethehammer]

Why not john instead of james? the space is there and the streets needs the ec dev help much more than james. it could even run all the way up jolley - they ahve said the grade and turn radius is acceptable...

yea, I thought of that....it might be a little too removed from James though for LRT riders.
At least Hughson and McNab are both equal distance from James - one block.

[coalminecanary]

not sure what you mean "too removed from james"? people currently walk about the same distance just to switch buses from one end of gore over to macnab. it's not a very long block ...

[markbarbera]

it would have to be pretty bad to be worse than the HSR's trip planner.

The HSR planner may not be very pretty or intuitive, and the site as a whole can do with a major redesign but it isn't that bad to use. I have used it quite often myself, and it's better than what many Ontario municipalities offer. Look at the TTC for example. They have no trip planner whatsoever.

[raisethehammer]

true enough.

I like this site:

www.trimet.org

[JoeyColeman]

Anyway let me know what you think. In addition to the routes operating to Limeridge, bus routes could operates on all the main north-south routes to downtown if the demand is there.

Enjoy.

That's the idea, spoke and hub. If people can quickly get to their local hub and then quickly connect between hubs, public transit becomes more attractive. Right now, to get from Limeridge to Eastgate or McMaster is the better part of an hour.

The LRT will help with things - if the HSR doesn't screw it up. LRT stops should be de facto hubs. There should be local buses out of each LRT stop to feed people in and out of the system. For example, an elimination of the Rosedale from downtown would be in line. Instead, have a bus from the Ottawa LRT station that services the residential area south of King which loops into Rosedale and back out to connect with the LRT at Parkdale and vice-versa.