Calgary Public Transit II

[bigcanuck]

...or the actual arrows on the photos...

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

I feel like such a complainer, but I hate albums where you have to click on each photo, then click it closed, rather than Next Next Next Next...

That's easily solvable by the almost-invisible right arrow on the side that only appears when you hover over the picture.

The bigger sin here is the ever-changing size of the "window" the photos are displayed in. So you constantly have to move the mouse around finding the UI elements.

Really folks, this isn't rocket science - put an f'ing fixed-size border around things, with the controls on said border, and you get the best of all worlds. You can see the entire photo without covering things up, controls are very easy to find, and your overlay doesn't keep jumping around and resizing itself like some epileptic on speed.

But hey, style over substance is the new Internet way. Gotta have teh bling.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by The Avid Pedestrian

Other than the Primary network and possibly ELRT, we'd just need a few BRT routes to interconnect the 6(7?) LRT lines. An inner ring and an outer ring.

This link shows the City's BRT plan, which I think, except for a few tweaks, makes a lot of sense

[frinkprof]

I posted all the pictures in the West LRT thread anyway. No clicking, just scrolling.

[suburb]

Originally Posted by freeweed

That's easily solvable by the almost-invisible right arrow on the side that only appears when you hover over the picture.

The bigger sin here is the ever-changing size of the "window" the photos are displayed in. So you constantly have to move the mouse around finding the UI elements.

Really folks, this isn't rocket science - put an f'ing fixed-size border around things, with the controls on said border, and you get the best of all worlds. You can see the entire photo without covering things up, controls are very easy to find, and your overlay doesn't keep jumping around and resizing itself like some epileptic on speed.

But hey, style over substance is the new Internet way. Gotta have teh bling.

How they have it is pretty standard guys. It is not like there was a secret research project on how to post pictures that will be annoying to the free, dizzy and weedy.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by suburb

How they have it is pretty standard guys. It is not like there was a secret research project on how to post pictures that will be annoying to the free, dizzy and weedy.

My complaint is about the "standard", not this particular website. Because you're exactly right - a lot of places do it that way.

However, that doesn't make it good, correct, attractive, or any way intuitive.

[kw5150]

The view of the beltline from the West LRT is going to be stunning especially in the summer. It is a view that no one has really had before. All you will see is trees and condos! The view over top of bow trail is pretty cool as well.

I really hope there is a good lunch place near the end of the West LRT line so that I can at least have lunch everytime I ride it just for fun......I hope many mid - tall condos pop up along the West LRT. Very cool project.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by bigcanuck

...or the actual arrows on the photos...

Grr.. show me navigation elements right up front, not when I move the mouse all around, but touche, there it is.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

I posted all the pictures in the West LRT thread anyway. No clicking, just scrolling.

I saw that!, many thanks.

[RicoLance21]

Very interesting article to read...


Transit problems across Canada prompt calls for politicians to address issue
SIRI AGRELL, LES PERREAUX, WENDY STUECK AND JOSH WINGROVE
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Mar. 25, 2011 9:50PM EDT
Last updated Saturday, Mar. 26, 2011 1:31PM EDT


Commute times in Canadian cities are no longer just a source of rush-hour irritation, but a national liability affecting the economic performance of our urban centres and requiring immediate intervention from Ottawa.

A new ranking of international cities by the Toronto Board of Trade saw major Canadian municipalities fall dramatically behind in the realm of transportation and transit, prompting big-city mayors and transit experts to call on all federal parties to address the issue in the election, or suffer the consequences.

More here:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nati...ticians-to-address-issue/article1957897/

[monocle]

Originally Posted by RicoLance21

Very interesting article to read...


Transit problems across Canada prompt calls for politicians to address issue
SIRI AGRELL, LES PERREAUX, WENDY STUECK AND JOSH WINGROVE
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Mar. 25, 2011 9:50PM EDT
Last updated Saturday, Mar. 26, 2011 1:31PM EDT


Commute times in Canadian cities are no longer just a source of rush-hour irritation, but a national liability affecting the economic performance of our urban centres and requiring immediate intervention from Ottawa.

A new ranking of international cities by the Toronto Board of Trade saw major Canadian municipalities fall dramatically behind in the realm of transportation and transit, prompting big-city mayors and transit experts to call on all federal parties to address the issue in the election, or suffer the consequences.

More here:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nati...ticians-to-address-issue/article1957897/

Nice to see Calgary ranking highly. How does this make sense?

Calgary, too, is having trouble keeping up. The city received a D ranking from the Board of Trade largely because 76.8 per cent of its population drive to work, the highest of any Canadian city.

Still, about 270,000 commuters pile onto Calgary’s 30-year-old C-Train light-rail system each day, and it’s at the limit.

-76.8% drive to work... 1,071,515 * 76.8% = 822 924 people
-270 000 commuters on the C-Train... 270 000 + 822 924 = 1 092 924 ???

Obviously, not every human being in town works, so the numbers are skewed, but surely, some of those driving to work also use Transit.

And, is the C-Train "at it's limit"? I thought adding 4 cars increases capacity? The way it's stated in the article, it sounds like the C-Train is on it's last legs.

[MalcolmTucker]

The numbers for transit are skewed since they are comparing apples to oranges

76.8 per cent of its population drive to work

you have to use the base working population (579,310) which is much lower than the total population. Whereas the transit 'trips' is from all trips.

The workplace travel data is from 2006 census.

This is a vertical bar graph comparing counts of 'mode of transportation to work' for both sexes, Calgary, Alberta.
The Y axis shows counts.
The X axis shows 'mode of transportation to work'.
The counts of total respondents reporting 'mode of transportation to work' for Calgary, Alberta are the following:

• Car, truck, van, as driver: 364,090
• Car, truck, van, as passenger: 40,870
• Public transit: 90,415
• Walked or bicycled: 37,535
• All other modes: 5,485

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population.

How to cite: Statistics Canada. 2007. Calgary, Alberta (Code4806016) (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Released March 13, 2007.
http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E
(accessed March 27, 2011).

As for using LRT stats in the article, it is also disingenuous as those a trips, not people. And are all trips, not work trips. Plus it ignores buses (even if a large portion of bus traffic does feed the LRT)

[Rusty van Reddick]

They're REALLY comparing apples to oranges when the "report card" gives Calgary a C and the article says it's a D. More great writing from Josh Wingrove (the guy who forecast that we'd have "dozens, if not hundreds" of neo-nazis at last weekend's white supremacist pop stand).

[Radley77]

Thought some people may be interested in the current forecast mix of capital spending from the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Plan (TIIP). Total transportation spending over this 10 year horizon is $3.7 billion. Footnote: it doesn't include the St. Patrick's Island pedestrian bridge or airport trail underpass.



And how it compares to the historical and current modes of commuting to work:

Modal Split for the Trip to Work
Choice of Travel Mode to Work in Calgary

[fusili]

Part 2 of the Transitcamp blog on the Centre Street Subway. An interesting read for many of you I am sure.

Link

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by fusili

Part 2 of the Transitcamp blog on the Centre Street Subway. An interesting read for many of you I am sure.

Link

Shocking, but there is now more investigative analysis on the Transitcamp blog than I have ever read from the City of Calgary on the NCLRT alignment. Thanks for sharing and good work!

I recognize that there is considerable opportunity to a Centre Street route instead of Nose Creek but am not sure what the balance is in terms of a capital efficiency metric. I would be excited about the opportunity for looking at elevated rail for the Centre Street route because if this option is much more capital efficient than the Nose Creek alternative, that is what I would think would be a compelling argument for the Centre Street alignment.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by Radley77

Shocking, but there is now more investigative analysis on the Transitcamp blog than I have ever read from the City of Calgary on the NCLRT alignment. Thanks for sharing and good work!

I recognize that there is considerable opportunity to a Centre Street route instead of Nose Creek but am not sure what the balance is in terms of a capital efficiency metric. I would be excited about the opportunity for looking at elevated rail for the Centre Street route because if this option is much more capital efficient than the Nose Creek alternative, that is what I would think would be a compelling argument for the Centre Street alignment.

Thanks. There is still an incredible amount of work to do re: costing, alignment, station location, technology selection etc etc etc. But we have to start somewhere. Might as well start that conversation now.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by fusili

Thanks. There is still an incredible amount of work to do re: costing, alignment, station location, technology selection etc etc etc. But we have to start somewhere. Might as well start that conversation now.

Thanks for shining a light on this. I hate the thought that it could be such a lost opportunity. I liked the map with catchment areas that was done in the first blog post, especially for a transit layperson like me.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by Radley77

Thanks for shining a light on this. I hate the thought that it could be such a lost opportunity. I liked the map with catchment areas that was done in the first blog post, especially for a transit layperson like me.

Thanks. It is amazing what you can do with google earth, adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator.

[You Need A Thneed]

I think the lost potential capacity for the NE line issue is more than enough reason in and of itself to throw out the Nose Creek route right now.

Interline, and the NE line will require an expensive upgrade in the future. Don't interline, and there's likely no need to ever upgrade.

Personally, I like the idea of a P3, where the contractor can design the whole thing, including pick the technology. The contractor would then operate the lint for 30 years. We just give some parameters, such as some general station locations. Do it for the whole line from MacKenzie Towne/South Hospital to Northpointe.