Winnipeg City Transit/Rapid Transit

[reallycoolguy]

frequency was pretty good (when I took it last year to work every day), every 3-5 minutes. Like FactaNV said there are a lot of single busses so that could be improved. We will probably exceed the capacity for BRT within the next 10 years with Southwood Circle and Railside being built. We should start the studies for upgrading to LRT NOW so that they have a chance of keeping up with capacity by 2034.

[njaohnt]

Originally Posted by kaimonmok

I for one like using BLUE. Before, I would wait for the one bus that only comes every 30 mins, hope it isn’t randomly cancelled, isn’t full, or I don’t miss it, and then be on my way after sitting in traffic for another 30 mins. If I wanted to take the same route in the middle of the day, or on a weekend, well… I couldn’t.

Now I just wait for <5 mins for the BLUE. If I miss it, no biggie, another one is coming 5 mins later. In 20 mins, I’m out of the city centre and I get off and wait maybe 10 mins for the next bus, and 10 mins later, I’m home. The key here is consistency; I almost never have to look at a schedule. Sometimes it’s slower, sometimes it’s faster. But at least I can count on it whether it’s rush hour, late in the evening or on weekends.

I got so used to it, in fact, that once I had to take the bus from downtown to St. Vital instead, using the 58 “Express” route. I sat in traffic along Osborne for 40 mins and then remembered why people hate Winnipeg Transit so much.

Alright, you are the first person I've seen who likes it. For me, when I took route 180, it was very consistent. Rarely late, and never any pass-ups.

But, I can see that not using a schedule can be a good thing. However, for me I would rather look at a schedule and get where I need to go faster.

I'm not sure what sitting in traffic for 40 minutes has to do with the route "upgrade". Except that with the new routes you will be sitting in traffic on a non-express bus, since they are removing them from Osbourne.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by reallycoolguy

frequency was pretty good (when I took it last year to work every day), every 3-5 minutes. Like FactaNV said there are a lot of single busses so that could be improved. We will probably exceed the capacity for BRT within the next 10 years with Southwood Circle and Railside being built. We should start the studies for upgrading to LRT NOW so that they have a chance of keeping up with capacity by 2034.

Imagine how busy the BRT would have been right now, if Katz had not been bribed to route it to the suburban Parker Lands, and ran it straight parallel down the more densely (and faster way), Pembina Highway, like any other city would have done.

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

Imagine how busy the BRT would have been right now, if Katz had not been bribed to route it to the suburban Parker Lands, and ran it straight parallel down the more densely (and faster way), Pembina Highway, like any other city would have done.

Not faster due to lower speeds and added road crossings. Added benefit of 2 large park and rides. Go for a ride and see how it is. What's missing is the Parker Lands residential development.

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

I think the vehicles are a concern here. Far too many so gle buses going down the Blue line. It should be nothing but articulated buses for Blue service imo.

WT doesn't have enough articulated buses, although the new order of 22 buses, replacing the 22 buses which were acquired from Ottawa and now retired. Only problem is the new buses have a lot of problems to be fixed.

But, even with articulated buses they are full to capacity during morning rush hour inbound and afternoon rush hour outbound from St Norbert, and during fall and winter University terms too and from the U of M, often with buses being only 3 or 4 minutes apart.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by Kinguni

Not faster due to lower speeds and added road crossings. Added benefit of 2 large park and rides. Go for a ride and see how it is. What's missing is the Parker Lands residential development.

That's not true. Civil planners concluded that the dog leg would take the same time, or possibly add time to the route, unlike building it all on the rail ROW.

The way it deviates from point A to point B, probably increases the ride time as much, or more than just running an express bus down Pembina Hwy. Not to mention that the density of the Pembina Highway strip, and the fact that many people are apartment dwellers, and residents who are either shopping along Pembina, or even from schools like Vincent Massey, would have made it a better option.

All one has to do, is to look at the LRT in Calgary that runs parallel to Macleod Trail to see a properly built route. Additionally, the city could have made the lot at 1111-1117 Chevrier ( the St Mark Coptic Church site) a park and ride, as well as 1/2 the parking lot south of McGillivary and Pembina (the old Safeway lot).

[FactaNV]

So does anyone have any idea when they actually plan on starting the new infrastructure either downtown or alongside the 2 other rapid lines? There's been no real timelines as far as in aware beyond the TMP implementation plan.

[njaohnt]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

That's not true. Civil planners concluded that the dog leg would add time to the route, unlike building it all on the rail ROW.

The way it deviates from point A to point B, probably increases the ride time as much, or more than just running an express bus down Pembina Hwy. Not to mention that the density of the Pembina Highway strip, and the fact that many people are apartment dwellers, and residents who are either shopping along Pembina, or even from schools like Vincent Massey, would have made it a better option.

All one has to do, is to look at the LRT in Calgary that runs parallel to Macleod Trail to see a properly built route. Additionally, the city could have made the lot at 1111-1117 Chevrier ( the St Mark Coptic Church site) a park and ride, as well as 1/2 the parking lot south of McGillivary and Pembina (the old Safeway lot).

That's definitely not true, if I remember correctly it was a 70-second increase. The main reason 161 was faster is because of all the stops on the transitway.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by njaohnt

That's definitely not true, if I remember correctly it was a 70-second increase. The main reason 161 was faster is because of all the stops on the transitway.

Yet still, it defeats the purpose of "rapid" transit, if one can get from point A to point B on an express bus, rather than route designed only for buses. At any rate, they built phase I correctly, and hopefully they plan the next line out better.

[borkborkbork]

Dumb question but do we actually think the dogleg involved bribes to Katz and cronies?

Like we know he was on the take (police HQ, land swap, etc)

But my impression is that the dogleg came down to not wanting to have to make the changes that would be needed to Pembina (you'd need to remove a bunch of median turn lanes which would enrage local businesses).

Who was the beneficiary of the dogleg route?

[EdwardTH]

At the end of the day, you couldn't do much on Pembina anyway other than a glorified bus lane, which if I understand correctly is essentially part of the master plan anyway. Putting a grade-separated line on Pembina would cost billions and would simply never happen. With the dog leg we get an actual separated line which is (slowly) creating TOD, and we'll still get the souped-up bus lane on Pembina too.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

So does anyone have any idea when they actually plan on starting the new infrastructure either downtown or alongside the 2 other rapid lines? There's been no real timelines as far as in aware beyond the TMP implementation plan.

Preliminary design of downtown corridor in 2025-2026. Then the city needs to find $500 million plus to build it. Plus money for P&M reconfiguration. Plus, plus.

It'll be a while yet.

[bomberjet]

The problem with the BRT is paying fares at the bus door. Need to pay the fares prior to boarding to eliminate the delays associated with 80 people paying the fare at the door.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Preliminary design of downtown corridor in 2025-2026. Then the city needs to find $500 million plus to build it. Plus money for P&M reconfiguration. Plus, plus.

It'll be a while yet.

Man that's fucking depressing. Member when the plan was initially released and they were basically ready to approve and start to build when interest was low? I member.

[reallycoolguy]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

The problem with the BRT is paying fares at the bus door. Need to pay the fares prior to boarding to eliminate the delays associated with 80 people paying the fare at the door.

This is the obvious way to do it but I wonder how they will retrofit that into the existing stations, especially ones that aren't specifically on the BRT corridor

[bomberjet]

Fences, railings and enforcement. You don't get in without scanning your ticket/card/whatever. If you want to jump the turnstyle, you are banished to the gulag.

There would likely need to be a dedicated BRT boarding area for stops not on the tranistway.

[pegster]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

The problem with the BRT is paying fares at the bus door. Need to pay the fares prior to boarding to eliminate the delays associated with 80 people paying the fare at the door.

I would settle for multi-door boarding with tap terminals on the articulated busses along the Blue. It would also help spread riders throughout the bus, instead of bunching up at the front

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by reallycoolguy

This is the obvious way to do it but I wonder how they will retrofit that into the existing stations, especially ones that aren't specifically on the BRT corridor

When I last took the TTC it was any-door boarding, and you just had to tap your card (or your phone) on a reader. Since the only real enclosed "station" with doors is Osborne, I can't imagine making the stations throughout the line fare-paid zones. Onboard payment seems like the only way.

I believe the enforcement mechanism is spot checks by fare inspectors. If you get caught without tapping to pay when you get on, there's a $400+ fine.

[optimusREIM]

Our cheapness when it comes to building stuff drives me nuts. Fare-paid zones are the golbal standard for good transit.

[bomberjet]

Really we dont need anything. Just people to be honourable and pay the fare prior to boarding. But ya we know how that goes around here.