The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[habfanman]

lol at Canadian transit! I'm in Berlin for the next month and believe me: you could combine all transit systems from all Canadian cities, lump them into one system, and they wouldn't make up half of Berlin's. It's actually quite embarrassing as we're at least 40 years behind.

Berlin has 10 subway lines (U Bahn-173 stations), 15 urban rail lines (S Bahn-over 100 stations, 9 LRT lines, 13 tram lines, 150 regular bus routes, 54 night bus routes, 17 Metro bus routes (limited stops connecting with other modes), 13 express bus routes, 6 ferries, and countless regional and international rail lines including high speed ICE trains. They all interconnect, run frequently and exactly on time. All rail is electric, buses run on natural gas. Double decker and articulated buses abound. They use one fare system across all networks which is an automated, turnstile-less honour system. The stations are spotless (even the washrooms!) as are the vehicles, which are of the latest technology. Mobile phones work in all stations and tunnels (since 1995!!). Even if you don't speak German it's very easy to navigate as everything is clearly marked and there are digital signs everywhere.
And they don't bitch incessantly over Bombardier providing most of the vehicles!

All this in a city of 3.4 million.

I shudder to think what Germans (or any Western Europeans) think when they travel to Canada and see our dismal, antiquated, half-assed attempts at transit. I am going to ask though and prepare myself for the ensuing laughter!

Note to Caltrane: If any Germans give you a hard time about the decrepit TTC, point out to them that the TTC subway cars are much wider than Berlin's. That'll put them in their place!

[Ramako]

European cities generally put North American cities to shame when it comes to transit. We're still recovering from the explosion of suburban/automobile culture.

[habfanman]

Originally Posted by Ramako

European cities generally put North American cities to shame when it comes to transit. We're still recovering from the explosion of suburban/automobile culture.

As is Berlin, as well as recovering from being completely flattened in WWII and inheriting a TTC-like system from the eastern half only 20 years ago.

We've run out of excuses.

[caltrane74]

We have an excuse:

People in Canada refuse to pay for proper transit. - There is nothing we can do about this.

People in Europe value public transit and are willing to pay for proper systems.

North America is far more auto centric than Europe. This being the case the focus of government spending here will rest with Health Care, as everyone is so lazy and drives everywhere, we will all die of heart attacks and cancer in the worst way.

[Ramako]

When it comes to Subway lines, Toronto should have at least twice as many as it does; an Eglinton line, an Queen or Dundas line, and a Downtown Relief Line connecting Union Station to the Bloor line east and west of the Yonge-University line.

When it comes to bus service, however, I'm very pleased. Almost every mid-size street in Toronto has regular bus service.

[habfanman]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Even with this fact, the TTC still moves more people than the Berlin Transit system: gasp!

Really? Where'd you hear that? (so, you know, an actual source that isn't your ass.)

If Berliners don't drive, there are 3.4 million of them, and they're not using transit.. how are they getting around? There may be more walking and biking here but I'm absolutely certain that dude who lives in Potsdam or Brandenburg isn't walking or biking to the Bundestag or Potsdamer Platz every day.

[agrant]

The traffic isn't bad enough yet for Canadians to give a damn about spending more money on transit. Cities like Berlin have probably had to deal with brutal transportation back in the early 1900s, while Canadian cities of that time were in their childhood years. I still think to this day, Berlin has major traffic problems despite all the public transit. I think it's just a matter of time though, before Canadian cities figure something out.

[jigglysquishy]

I really hope Canadian cities pick up their transit. We need to density as work towards making transit affordable, quick and accessible to all.

[habfanman]

Originally Posted by agrant

The traffic isn't bad enough yet for Canadians to give a damn about spending more money on transit. Cities like Berlin have probably had to deal with brutal transportation back in the early 1900s, while Canadian cities of that time were in their childhood years. I still think to this day, Berlin has major traffic problems despite all the public transit. I think it's just a matter of time though, before Canadian cities figure something out.

Have you not read a paper in the last year or so? There are umpteen articles addressing the issue. Traffic congestion is costing the economy billions of dollars a year.
Here's one. Google "traffic problems Canada" for a dozen more.

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

That's the problem with this country: We make excuses until we can no longer. There is no problem until it becomes a massive problem, and then we scurry to play catch up. Given the lead time between planning transit expansion and actually implementing it, we're always solving a problem that has existed for a decade and is already inadequate by a decade by the time it's finished. Then we start the process all over again.

We look south and act all smug because "Well you know, we're not as bad as Los Angeles vis à vis traffic" whereas we should be looking at the top performing places for inspiration rather that simply being satisfied with outperforming the worst. That, and nobody wants to pay increased taxes if it will result in them not being able to buy a third car or 90 inch bigscreen for their cookie cutter house/condo, 20 km's from downtown.

[agrant]

Originally Posted by habfanman

Have you not read a paper in the last year or so? There are umpteen articles addressing the issue. Traffic congestion is costing the economy billions of dollars a year.
Here's one. Google "traffic problems Canada" for a dozen more.

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

Yea, I know. But news articles declaring there is a problem is one thing, while getting people to help pay and fix it with major transit projects is another. I was just saying it is only a matter of time before people start getting serious about paying for it. So far, I haven't seen a lot of progress, just proposals which seem to get slammed by the public.

[The_Architect]

Originally Posted by habfanman

We look south and act all smug because "Well you know, we're not as bad as Los Angeles vis à vis traffic" whereas we should be looking at the top performing places for inspiration rather that simply being satisfied with outperforming the worst.

Actually, the Santa Monica Freeway has nothing on us.. the busiest stretch of highway in the Western Hemisphere is the 401 through Toronto.

We also have the worst commute times in the world! Yay!

This is why Transit City was provided as a beginning answer to the problem, but nooooooo Toronto had to go and elect Mr. Car to scrap the idea for idiocy!

[habfanman]

Originally Posted by agrant

Yea, I know. But news articles declaring there is a problem is one thing, while getting people to help pay and fix it with major transit projects is another. I was just saying it is only a matter of time before people start getting serious about paying for it. So far, I haven't seen a lot of progress, just proposals which seem to get slammed by the public.

Oh I agree. Getting people in this loser country to care for anything but their condo values or yard space (or dumbass skyline on this site!) is next to impossible.

The time to get serious about it is NOW because even if we do get serious NOW, we're still going to have to wait a decade before anything concrete happens.

We're being left behind by virtually every nation on earth, regardless of our 'banking rankings'.

[habfanman]

Originally Posted by The_Architect

Actually, the Santa Monica Freeway has nothing on us.. the busiest stretch of highway in the Western Hemisphere is the 401 through Toronto.

We also have the worst commute times in the world! Yay!

This is why Transit City was provided as a beginning answer to the problem, but nooooooo Toronto had to go and elect Mr. Car to scrap the idea for idiocy!

Transit City, although better than nothing, only addresses a problem that was identified 20 years ago and won't be finished until 10 years from now (if ever). In the meantime, 20 years of new problems have developed and 10 more years will have accumulated. And still no DRL, but subway to Vaughn.

*golf clap*

[SFUVancouver]

In Canada we don't even have a federal government that has committed a national transit strategy, which is little more than a cheque mailing calendar.

At least in Vancouver we have a single regional transit system so we're not having to manage multiple rail and bus systems across the 21 cities that make up Metro Vancouver. So there's that.

[BretttheRiderFan]

Originally Posted by habfanman

Oh I agree. Getting people in this loser country to care for anything but their condo values or yard space (or dumbass skyline on this site!) is next to impossible.

The time to get serious about it is NOW because even if we do get serious NOW, we're still going to have to wait a decade before anything concrete happens.

We're being left behind by virtually every nation on earth, regardless of our 'banking rankings'.

Yes, we are all satan because we care more about our living spaces than how we get to work in the morning

[caltrane74]

Awesome 1950's photos of the Toronto subway and the people

http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/03/when_the_subway_system_was_shiny_and_new/


stylish chicks...




rush hour





enjoy!

[caltrane74]

BREAKING NEWS

http://www.thestar.com/article/965947--queen-s-park-and-toronto-have-12-4b-ttc-deal?bn=1

Queen’s Park and Toronto have $12.4B TTC deal


The Better Way will get a lot bigger under a new $12.4 billion plan to extend the Sheppard subway line in both directions and build a new Eglinton light rail line from Jane St. to Kennedy station, the Star has learned.

Premier Dalton McGuinty is to announce Thursday that the province is giving Toronto $8.2 billion to pay for the TTC’s new 20-km Eglinton Crosstown Metro. It would run underground all the way from Black Creek to Scarborough Centre and continue above ground along the existing Scarborough Rapid Transit route, which would be converted to the same LRT technology.

But it will be up to Mayor Rob Ford and city council to determine how to finance the $4.2 billion it will cost for the Sheppard subway extensions he wants to build west to Downsview station and east to Scarborough Centre.

Questions remain about whether it is feasible to raise that much money using development charges and tax increment financing to boost the Toronto Transit Commission.

“There are only four ways to do it: existing revenue tools, like property taxes; a private-public partnership; increased federal funding; or, down the road, some kind of new funding arrangement with the province,” one source confided.

The provincial funding had previously been earmarked for Transit City, which was a plan for more extensive light rail on Eglinton, Sheppard, Finch and the Scarborough RT.

But Ford declared that deal dead as soon as he took office last October, vowing there would be no more tracks down the middle of Toronto’s streets like the St. Clair Ave. line.

As a result of the mayor’s objections, the proposed Finch line from the upcoming Finch West station to Humber College has been scrapped.

While Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne was tight-lipped Wednesday, she confirmed a deal was “close.”

“There’s no more money, but on the Eglinton line we want to get going,” said Wynne, mindful that the Liberals hold 19 of Toronto’s 23 seats and face re-election on Oct. 6.

“It’s been a back and forth conversation for a number of weeks,” she said of the weeks of ongoing negotiations between Queen’s Park and city hall.

“The whole point of this ... has been to find the common ground, to find a way to preserve our principles and to allow the city to move forward on what it wants to do.”

Construction will start this year, with completion set for 2020.

Ford’s dream of an extended Sheppard subway will be the city’s $4.2 billion responsibility alone — in the west, it will run 5.45 km from Downsview station to Yonge; in the east, it will go from Don Mills to Scarborough Centre. It should be finished in 2019.

The plan would take traffic off the Bloor-Danforth line, according to one provincial source. Studies show many people would switch to Eglinton to travel to the Yonge and Eglinton area.

Under former mayor David Miller’s administration, Metrolinx was prepared to fund about 56 km of light rail on separate lanes running down the middle of the road by about the end of the decade.

[miketoronto]

Has transit ridership in Toronto gotten poorer or do people just not care about how they dress anymore?

I always find historic photos of the subway and TTC interesting, because everyone is usually dressed very well, and it does not seem like anyone is on the TTC because they have to take it.
Things just look so much more perfect

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Awesome 1950's photos of the Toronto subway and the people

http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/03/when_the_subway_system_was_shiny_and_new/


stylish chicks...




rush hour





enjoy!

[caltrane74]

Reminds me of Mad Men....

very cool. Toronto was so cool back then. Everyone was white.. lol!

(not that blacks, Chinese, philipinos, Indians, Arabs or Russians aren't cool)


Almost doesn't seem real anymore.



Iphone Photos

[Ramako]

I think it's a matter of culture. You'll see older folk dressing nicely just for a trip to the grocery store. No sweatpants in their time.