Calgary Public Transit II - Page 25

frinkprof · #**481** Posted **May 5, 2010, 5:28 AM**

Nevermind.

MalcolmTucker · #**482** Posted **May 5, 2010, 11:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by frinkprof

Self censorship?

Anyway, quitcherbitchen and comment on my map!

I have heard the deep southeast called the 'homesteads' before, actually quite recently in an article to describe all the communities in that area. I think it works.

frinkprof · #**483** Posted **May 5, 2010, 11:49 AM**

Nevermind.

MalcolmTucker · #**484** Posted **May 5, 2010, 12:30 PM**

I thought we (everyone in general making fun of Royal Oak and Tuscany etc ) were trying to get to names that were tied to history in Calgary rather than transplanted on a piece of bald prairie.

frinkprof · #**485** Posted **May 5, 2010, 12:40 PM**

Nevermind.

freeweed · #**486** Posted **May 5, 2010, 2:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by frinkprof

^Yeah, I've heard that name before for the area. My guess is it harkens back to what was once there (single farm houses on areas no smaller than a quarter section). Not a fan of that name for an area now populated by vinyl-sided stickframe houses a few feet apart and acres of asphalt.

[/stereotypical bitter urbanist]

If you'd prefer, Calgary could develop communities more in line with the old ways. Single houses on large sprawling tracts of land. You know, like Bearspaw or Springbank.

[/stereotypical amused realist]

freeweed · #**487** Posted **May 5, 2010, 2:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir.Humphrey.Appleby

I thought we (everyone in general making fun of Royal Oak and Tuscany etc ) were trying to get to names that were tied to history in Calgary rather than transplanted on a piece of bald prairie.

Yeah, like.. "Calgary" - transplanted from Scotland to a piece of bald prairie. Or "Brittania" - transplanted from Britain to a piece of bald prairie. Maybe "Bonnybrook" or "Manchester" - no wait, transplanted from England to a piece of bald prairie.

Inglewood? Kensington? Connaught?

Damnit. What DIDN'T we steal from the UK/Ireland and transplant to a piece of bald prairie?

MichaelS · #**488** Posted **May 5, 2010, 2:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

Damnit. What DIDN'T we steal from the UK/Ireland and transplant to a piece of bald prairie?

Tuscany.

freeweed · #**489** Posted **May 5, 2010, 2:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelS

Tuscany.

And we're finally diversifying.

There's a long-standing joke about Canada - everything here is either named after something from the British Isles, France, or a Native word. Actually the same holds true for the US in large part, too. Especially after we got rid of all the Germanic names post WW1.

frinkprof · #**490** Posted **May 5, 2010, 2:53 PM**

Nevermind.

freeweed · #**491** Posted **May 5, 2010, 3:16 PM**

We should scrap all of this faux-historicism nonsense and just go with utilitarian names. District 1, 2, 3, etc.

We all know where the aliens will live.

frinkprof · #**492** Posted **May 5, 2010, 3:21 PM**

Nevermind.

fusili · #**493** Posted **May 5, 2010, 4:02 PM**

Yeah, regarding the catchment areas, is that based on certain routes catchments, LRT stops etc- or just something conceptual to represent general geographic areas?

frinkprof · #**494** Posted **May 5, 2010, 4:17 PM**

Nevermind.

fusili · #**495** Posted **May 5, 2010, 4:46 PM**

I see. Great map in that case. I think the different areas also speak to the type of transit best used to serve them - outlying areas with LRT/BRT and feeder buses, inner city areas with circulators (Streetcar etc).

You Need A Thneed · #**496** Posted **May 5, 2010, 6:09 PM**

Quote:

Commuter buses, intercity express included in Calgary region transit plan

Region seeking $153M in funding
BY JASON MARKUSOFF, CALGARY HERALD MAY 5, 2010

The pitch from Calgary-area politicians includes public commuter buses for Okotoks, Cochrane, High River, Chestermere and Strathmore, along with bolstering the soon-to-be-launched Airdrie intercity express service.

Calgary would get dozens of elongated buses and light-rail vehicles as part of the first phase of a regional transit program, which is firming up as the Stelmach government prepares to start accepting proposals.

The local pitch includes public commuter buses for Okotoks, Cochrane, High River, Chestermere and Strathmore, along with bolstering the soon-to-be-launched Airdrie intercity express service.

After announcing the $2-billion Green Trip transit fund two summers ago, the province said it would release grant criteria that fall -- getting regional politicians excited about intercity rail and fast-tracking Calgary's southeast LRT.

Alberta's fiscal woes have kept the money from trickling out, and short-term enthusiasm has dampened.

But with the 2010 budget offering $470 million over three years, the province expects to issue those criteria in mid-June.

Ahead of the long-awaited details of how the fund works, the Calgary Regional Partnership board clarified how it would use its requested $153 million.

Cochrane Mayor Truper McBride, who leads the region's transit push, remains frustrated with the delays and Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette's repeated complaints that most transit ideas haven't been "innovative" enough.

McBride confronted the minister Monday night in Kananaskis during a question-answer session -- part of the Tory cabinet's listening tour.

"He said he wants to see 'innovation,' not transit systems," McBride said.

"So I asked him flat out: minister, what does innovation mean to you, because you have a transit fund . . . and you're saying you're not looking for transit?

"So it certainly concerns me that the minister doesn't seem to know what he's going to be doing with Green Trip. And I hope the province gets a grip on this soon, because we need leadership from the province.

"It doesn't seem to be there now."

Ouellette explained in an interview that he was hoping for unique ideas to get commuters out of their cars.

"If I knew, then I wouldn't have to ask them to come up with something innovative," he said Tuesday.

Because he's not hearing them, his ministry will look for well-designed traditional bus and train networks, as long as they can prove how they will reduce a community's carbon footprint.

The minister noted that on a 2008 trip to a San Diego transit conference, he was impressed with digital signs at stops that explained which buses were coming and when.

Those signs are coming to the LRT system shortly, thanks to the federal stimulus, and are proposed for the city's BRT, or bus rapid transit, hubs in the region's proposal.

The lion's share of regional transit funding would go to Calgary Transit improvements, since all regional buses would drop off at Calgary LRT or BRT stations.

The proposal includes 15 light-rail cars and 100 long or "articulated" buses over three years to handle those new passengers.

[email protected]

- - -

How Regional Transit Would Be Rolled Out

Year 1

Cochrane: Four intercity buses plus terminal, small park-and-ride lot;

Airdrie: Two terminals for soon-to-be-launched intercity service, two more buses;

Calgary: Three light-rail vehicles.

Year 2

Calgary: 20 city buses, real-time schedule displays at BRT stations, 12 light-rail vehicles.

Year 3

Airdrie: Two intercity buses;

Strathmore: Three intercity buses, local transit service;

Cochrane: Local transit service;

Calgary: 80 city buses;

High River: Four intercity buses, park-and-ride lot, local transit service;

Okotoks: Four intercity buses, park-and-ride lot, local transit service;

Chestermere: Four intercity buses, park-and-ride lot, local transit service;

- Airdrie launching transit service fall 2010; Cochrane to launch in 2012; other towns in following years.

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Link

Bolding mine.

Radley77 · #**497** Posted **May 5, 2010, 6:59 PM**

Has City of Calgary ever looked at partnering retail in some of the LRT stations?

I would love to grab a Timmy's coffee on the LRT platform on the way to work. Besides the convenience of having amenity retail, these shopkeeps could provide some much needed security as eyes on the platform to report crime and/or suspicious behaviour to police.

mersar · #**498** Posted **May 5, 2010, 7:12 PM**

Yes, and the first tries were miserable failures and as such the kiosks have been closed for a long time now (15+ years?). That said, they issued an RFP for one of the south stations last year to re-open the kiosk but I haven't heard anything since. And the kiosk at Whitehorn is actually being torn out, and I'd suspect it will be removed at the other NE stations that are the same design as Whitehorn when they get their renovations.

The downtown stations (specifically 6th Street which has the little Quincy's pickup window, and in the future 8th street if/when the Century Gardens tower goes ahead) will be the only ones that I can see much retail being open onto the platforms

freeweed · #**499** Posted **May 5, 2010, 7:28 PM**

I'm pretty sure Brentwood had its retail open as recently as 2003, unless I'm completely out to lunch. Either way, it's been closed for years and the new stations don't really have anywhere to put this sort of thing. I think the assumption is that everyone can just walk the half kilometer through the parking lots to the neighbouring retail.

The Quincy's window is pure genius and I really wish the city had made more of an attempt to replicate that on other 7th Ave stations.

Speaking of which, those intercity Park and Ride lots better be paid parking.

frinkprof · #**500** Posted **May 5, 2010, 10:41 PM**

Nevermind.