Quote:
Originally Posted by raisethehammer
we NEED these A,B-line routes to run on weekends. The city doesn't shut down just because suburbanites aren't all flocking to their 9-5 jobs in the core. They aren't the ones using transit anyhow...for true rapid transit service, it needs to run a full schedule from 5am-2am or whenever the HSR timetables start/finish.
I hate not having the B-Line option on Sat/Sundays or Holidays. Imagine TO not using some of their subway lines or Scarborough RT on weekends...let's do this right.
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You can't jump to full B-Line service right away. However, you can begin to establish the B-Line as
the primary service in its corridor. Here's what can be done, within reason, to work toward that in the near term:
1) Add a couple of strategic stops. Some drivers will hate the idea but, you can't have two stops two blocks apart in the core, then the next stop a mile away (Wentworth). You have to add a stop at Wellington. Casual riders assume Wellington is a stop anyway. While you're at it, add Gage. Aside from stop spacing, the stops in front of Gage Park are busy. If a B-Line stop were closer than Ottawa St, some of these people would consider leaving the King bus behind. As we get closer to LRT, also consider the Queenston circle and somewhere around RHVP (Reid or Potruff), again for spacing, plus the potential for passenger drop-off facilities.
2) Switch King buses to B-Line. No, not all of them. But you have 8 Kings and 6 B-Lines per hour during the rush, so reverse that. Now the odds are the first bus to reach your stop will be a B-Line. Makes it worth walking a little further to that stop, doesn't it? Another reason to add the stops mentioned above. West of Downtown, some University buses would be replaced.
3) Extend service to 8:00pm on weeknights, then beyond. The problem with a 7:00pm finish is that it's dead between 6 and 7, then people come out again. There are 6 Kings an hour from 6 to 9. Maybe go with 4 Kings and 4 B-Lines, or just 3 Kings. Again, you want the public to favour the B-Line. Eventually, keep extending the hours as the B-Line gains popularity.
4) Add Saturday service. To begin, have B-Line service from 10 until 6, while the stores are open. On Saturday afternoons, there are 8 King buses each hour. Switch 4 of those to B-Lines. Eventually, run just as late as on weekdays, because Saturday nights are busy. And gradually move the starting time back as ridership demands. This also means that the McMaster-Eastgate corridor would finally have single-bus service on Saturdays.
5) Scrap the Stoney Creek interlining. It's supposed to be a rapid transit corridor. You're supposed to just go out and catch a bus. Any bus, not the second or third one because it continues to your final destination. Make the transfer at the appropriate terminal. Unless it's a low-service period, you shouldn't need a schedule to figure it out. Schedules are for local buses. This also allows the flexibility to slot in an extra bus if required, or close the gap in the event of a breakdown.
As for the A-Line, I've heard that the HSR has some ideas that would immediately put riders on that route. At least part of it. No idea what the hours/ days are, but it could work seven days a week. You don't need 24-7 A-Line service, as Upper James trips can be pretty quick late at night, but at least maintain a minimum service level when A-Line isn't running. Hourly service on Sunday nights isn't good enough. You have to have overall confidence in the corridor, whichever route is servicing it.
Keep in mind that some of these changes do require additional service, not just reallocated service. Money is a factor, so it may depend more on the city than the HSR itself.
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