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Originally Posted by biguc
It's not competitive at all with driving if you live on top of it and can't walk to it in a reasonable amount of time. 800 m stop spacing is the gold standard for metro lines because evryone who lives directly on top of the line can walk to it in 5 minutes (assuming they can walk) and, therefore, will use the line.
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There isn't any "gold standard" for a metro line, and if there was it would be at least 1km. The average stop spacing of both the Montreal Metro and Toronto Subway is about 1km, while it's about 1.5km on the Expo line, the oldest and busiest Skytrain line. A line like Yonge - the country's busiest, oldest, and arguably most successful rapid transit service - has several gaps of over 2km in lower density stretches. For instance, the stretch between York Mills and Lawrence and between Lawrence and Eglinton.
Claiming it has to have one particular arbitrary goal is just dogmatism which has no place is transit planning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by biguc
Building a subway line under an area without providing service is a waste. If the line is meant to achieve something else, build something else. Like a light rail line.
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Crossing longer distances quickly is exactly what many metro lines are meant to achieve. So it's actually a light rail line that's more suited to local transit with shorter stop spacing than an underground metro line. Surface stations are much cheaper to build making it easier to afford more of them, and it takes less time to enter and exit them compared to going underground making them more suited to shorter trips. So if anything, if you want short stop spacing you should build an LRT rather than a metro. But that would also be an over generalization since both LRT and metro can provide slower local service or faster express service. The best option depends on the density of the corridor, available surface alignment, the destinations served, and the cost of each option. The takeaway is it's certainly not a waste if a line is successful in carrying out its goal which is up to a city and planners choose.
The Canada Line gets excellent ridership relative to its length and upfront cost while connecting downtown with the airport and an important suburb. The fact that it doesn't carry out other potential goals - at millions in additional cost - isn't an issue. Maybe some people on the line aren't a short walk to a station, but they still have a much shorter bus trip compared to if the line wasn't there. And in lower density areas dominated by detached housing, feeder buses are as - or more - important than walk-ups. It's definitely still competitive with driving if it allows people to bypass congestion and avoid the cost and hassle of parking. I'd actually say that it's a waste to spend millions of extra dollars and add extra journey time to countless trips just to attract a few more walk-ups in low density areas. It's providing walk-up service in low density areas that isn't what rapid transit is intended for.