Blair:
Quote:
Recommended Design
The recommended design for Blair Station follows the approved “LRT on Lower Level” design alternative and incorporates the following major elements:
• Conversion of the existing lower level local bus platforms to 180 m long LRT platforms, in a centre platform configuration, to accommodate 4-car trains initially and 6-car trains in the future
• Construction of an expanded upper level bus platform in a centre-island configuration to accommodate BRT and local bus service
• Rehabilitation and re-use of the existing pedestrian overpass structure
• Retention of existing station access points
• A crossover and pocket track to the west of the LRT platforms
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Although I expect a lot of thought has been put into the design of this station, I think a better station layout could be achieved. This will be a major transfer station with a twin-tracked LRT, two busy BRT Transitways, and local buses all converging here. It will be the western termination of those Transitways while local buses will continue to have access to City Park Drive to the west. A major shopping mall and a business park are connected to this station.
The big problems I have with the presented design are:
- All buses cross twice to have their doors facing the central-island. Buses going to the Lay-by cross the traffic thrice.
- All buses, Transitway and local, will be using the same platforms which will make the stops very crowded, potentially leading to bus jams.
- Virtually all pedestrians will have to cross the LRT/bus platform/island.
I will elaborate a bit on each of these points:
Since buses have their doors on the right side, the buses must cross to a ‘counter-flow’ direction to allow riders access to a central, island platform. After the buses have circled the island, they must then revert to their normal side of the road by crossing again. Thus every bus must cross a traffic lane at least twice. As I mentioned above, if a bus is to wait in the Lay-by area, then it needs to cross the inlet stream a second time to get to the Lay-by area. Worse still would be if the station were modified to permit the local buses to exit the station to the west. This adds a second inlet/outlet stream that needs to be crossed by every bus, at least once. It is not clear in the rendering as to whether buses will have a path to the west.
On my second point, there will be two bus platforms to handle all of the buses using the station. Currently there are two for the Transitway buses and two for local buses for a total of four. The new station will have half the current number, yet it appears that the platforms will be no longer than the current local bus platforms. This will mean that there will be more buses assigned to each stop, which will cause more frustration for the riders, and the likelihood that buses will back up to across other stops.
The third point is perhaps less obvious, but it will increase the crowded nature of the LRT platform. The vast majority of people arriving by bus from Orleans in the morning will want to continue their journey to down town. They will disembark their buses on the south platform and descend to the LRT platform where they will want to move to the north platform to get their train. In the evening, they will arrive by train at the south LRT platform and then move to the north bus platform.
In fact, most people will be continuing in the same direction as the transit vehicle they just got off of so side platforms for both the buses and the LRT would be more suitable. And, since there will continue to be escalators/stairs/elevators from the bridge to the bus platform, these could be extended one more level down to side LRT platforms.
This now brings up the track geometry. In the text, it states that there will be “a crossover and pocket track to the west of the LRT platforms”. If the central platform were built 12 metres wide, there would be room for two pocket tracks between the running tracks, but the text talks in the singular. However, my point is that these are to the west of the station which means that loaded trains will be running over at least two sets of switches, at slow speed. If the switching were done to the east of the station, then the trains travel straight into the station, unload their passengers, then continue onto an eastern tail track to switch sides and then pick up people at the other platform before heading straight out of the station. This removes the mechanics of the trip from the rider’s experience and provides faster, smoother service. It also simplifies the way-finding since there are clearly defined east-bound and west-bound platforms and the west-bound train will always be empty when it arrives at that platform. If the track is switched before the station, the passengers will be trying to exit the train into the crowd trying to board it.
Either side- or central-platform stations will work with the switching after the station. This should be used at both Tunneys Pasture and at Blair stations.
Unfortunately, the renderings presented do not extend beyond the immediate station area so there is no information about how the buses and Transitways will be routed to the station. It needs to be done in a manner that allows the LRT to be extended east in the future without cutting off bus access to the station. Personally, I would like to see more of the ‘big picture’ plan. The following idea allows for future Transitways or LRT routing and compresses the station area to encourage future development and integration of the station into the mall.
Since the ramps from the 174 currently terminate at signal controlled intersections with Blair, I have kept that system, but changed the configuration. These ramps are shown in yellow. The bus routes are in blue. The ones I recommend are in dark blue, and alternative options are in light blue. Using the dark blue route might require pushing the 174 over a bit, but it opens up a second route under Blair.
The Staff station plan could be used, but moved south, directly with the dark blue, or in mirror image (flipped) for the light blue. However, I’d like to see a simplified stacked, side-platform station arrangement.
Local buses could use the existing ramps south of the 174 which I have Xed out. This could also be an access to the Cumberland Transitway.
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