West LRT | 7 Stations | 8.0 KM | In Service

[fusili]

Originally Posted by Riise

True say.

Some people might attempt to justify calling Calgary a transit city as one does not need a car in Calgary but, to be honest, in a true transit city it goes beyond not needing a car. In places like Paris and Manhattan, not only do you not need a car you probably don't want a car.

Quoted for truth. In a true "transit city", taking transit is not only a viable option, it is the most viable option for most trips. Many European cities fall into this category. I know in Barcelona, that was definitely the case.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by J-D

Arguably the best transit system for a North American city over 1 million? Really?

It's not a luxury to own a car here. It's a necessity outside of commuting to the downtown core.

I think they meant the best transit system for a city around 1 million.

[J-D]

Originally Posted by Elbownian

Uhh, over four years car free here. Doing fine thanks! There's a limited number of places in the city with adequate transit options to make it feasible, and I recognize that it's not for everyone, but it can be done.

I agree - it really depends. I'm going to admit that I live in a very poor transit neighborhood (I suppose I could always move) and that affects my judgement to an extent.

To give you context, I live in a somewhat established neighborhood in the southeast, I think the oldest houses here are from 1978. I'm 5km away from Canyon Meadows station - the nearest LRT. Before they extended the SW LRT, transit was actually better in this neighborhood and buses were more frequent. Anyways, in non-peak hours buses are every half an hour. On Sundays they run every hour.

With a car, I can stop at the store for 5 seconds on the way to a friends house. Taking the bus? Oh that'll add an extra 55 minutes on to my journey. Often when I am looking for directions on Google Maps I'll hit the transit button just out of curiosity, and my 15-20 minute drive would have been over 2 hours should I have taken transit.

[DizzyEdge]

re: "transit city", I'd call Calgary a transit city when
- routes are predictable (ie a bus going up a street or along an ave more or less stays on that street or ave, good for cross city travel)
- routes are 10-15 mins frequency ( or less)

both of those are achievable, but I think you have to limit the area you're applying this to, most cities which are transit cities (NYC, Toronto, etc) don't include suburbia like Calgary does, so if you were to consider the car2go area, ie glenmore to deerfoot to 24th ave N to Sarcee (or crowchild) if my points above were true within that area I'd call Calgary a transit city.

For reference, "old toronto", about a 42 sq km area of Toronto, has that, with buses/streetcars every 5 mins, or 10 mins at night. The key is once you get that frequency, you stop caring about scheduling, you just go to a stop and wait even if you don't know exactly when the next bus is coming, because it's often enough it doesn't matter. That to me is the key for "transit city"

[5seconds]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

The key is once you get that frequency, you stop caring about scheduling, you just go to a stop and wait even if you don't know exactly when the next bus is coming, because it's often enough it doesn't matter. That to me is the key for "transit city"

This. When I lived in London, I never once looked at a schedule, and I never once drove. It's the ease of use, both in timing and coverage, that makes the difference.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

re: "transit city", I'd call Calgary a transit city when
- routes are predictable (ie a bus going up a street or along an ave more or less stays on that street or ave, good for cross city travel)
- routes are 10-15 mins frequency ( or less)

both of those are achievable, but I think you have to limit the area you're applying this to, most cities which are transit cities (NYC, Toronto, etc) don't include suburbia like Calgary does, so if you were to consider the car2go area, ie glenmore to deerfoot to 24th ave N to Sarcee (or crowchild) if my points above were true within that area I'd call Calgary a transit city.

For reference, "old toronto", about a 42 sq km area of Toronto, has that, with buses/streetcars every 5 mins, or 10 mins at night. The key is once you get that frequency, you stop caring about scheduling, you just go to a stop and wait even if you don't know exactly when the next bus is coming, because it's often enough it doesn't matter. That to me is the key for "transit city"

Originally Posted by 5seconds

This. When I lived in London, I never once looked at a schedule, and I never once drove. It's the ease of use, both in timing and coverage, that makes the difference.

This is exactly the thinking behind Jarrett Walker's idea of "Frequency is freedom." For most transit users, frequency is far, far more important than travel speed. Who cares if you save 5 minutes on your trip duration when you have to wait 20 minutes just for the bus to come.

Frequency is the least understood aspect of transit by non-transit users.

[kw5150]

In terms of frequency of LRT, Calgary does pretty well. But yeah frequency is key.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by kw5150

In terms of frequency of LRT, Calgary does pretty well. But yeah frequency is key.

Exactly. And in order to provide frequency, you need to focus transit on high ridership routes and create a grid. Everywhere to everywhere service can never get to a sufficient frequency.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by kw5150

In terms of frequency of LRT, Calgary does pretty well. But yeah frequency is key.

Yeah LRT frequency is fine, although I'd prefer the 15 mins frequency times to be 10 mins instead. Just need to get the buses to get closer to route 3 frequency.

[Ferreth]

Originally Posted by fusili

Exactly. And in order to provide frequency, you need to focus transit on high ridership routes and create a grid. Everywhere to everywhere service can never get to a sufficient frequency.

I would happy with a main core frequency of at least 10 minutes. I can always time my arrival at my local bus stop from home. If I have to do a 3 leg trip of feeder route > core route > feeder route, I may not be able to time the second transfer that well, but at least it's only one 20-30 minute wait rather than two.

Frankly, I wouldn't take transit with two transfers to feeder routes; that second wait would kill me. That's me speaking as a car owner. I don't like driving in the rush, but I'll do it to save over 1 hour round trip on my commute. If you're living without a car, it is still an improvement - especially since the core grid should allow you to pick a more direct route to your destination.

If most employment is on a core route, I could do a feeder route > core route > core route trip, since the maximum time I would lose on transfers is 20 minutes. We have that right now with the trains - and people do use them to move between quadrants. I take the train these days to work if my employment is within 15 minutes walk of a station. Unfortunately, the new west line doesn't have much in terms of employment, but for those people living close to the line, it opens up commutes to the NE, NW, and south via the train rather than sitting in traffic.

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by kw5150

In terms of frequency of LRT, Calgary does pretty well. But yeah frequency is key.

Totes ma-goats. One thing that has unexpectedly increased my reliance on transit is the google maps transit app on my phone. It makes it a lot easier to improvise my route. Maybe it would be worth installing something like this at high-use stops and stations...

The new timers at LRT stations are awesome too. They should try installing them at some bus stops too. Or at least post a paper schedule. And map!

[kora]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

Yeah LRT frequency is fine, although I'd prefer the 15 mins frequency times to be 10 mins instead. Just need to get the buses to get closer to route 3 frequency.

Agreed. I use the #3 bus more than any other and I never check the schedule, not even Sunday evenings.

[SubwayRev]

Here's my video from the opening last Saturday....Downtown to 69th in five minutes...

• Video Link

[RicoLance21]

Originally Posted by SubwayRev

Here's my video from the opening last Saturday....Downtown to 69th in five minutes...

• Video Link

The pace of the video is perfect for a silent film.

[YYCguys]

Originally Posted by RyLucky

... the google maps transit app on my phone.

Just tried to search for this app. It produced a bunch of American cities. Typing in Canada as well didn't produce anything. What is this app exactly? Thanks!

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by YYCguys

Just tried to search for this app. It produced a bunch of American cities. Typing in Canada as well didn't produce anything. What is this app exactly? Thanks!

I have iPhone and its called "google maps". There's a map of San Fran in the cover picture. The transit directions are 10^999 times better than apple's.

[Rusty van Reddick]

If you have a Nokia smartphone (Lumia WP8 or WP7.5 or if you're one of the three Canadians with a Symbian Anna or Belle phone), Nokia Transit is a godsend. Every route of Calgary Transit is available. Absolute gold standard for transit apps- and transit routes are one of the mapping options in Nokia Maps too. Then you HAVE Nokia Maps, with lifetime nav and offline options for every map for almost every part of the planet. Destroys Google Maps, one of the best reasons to switch to Windows Phone.

[Wooster]

Thanks for the video. Well done!

[YYCguys]

Thanks for the google maps app tip! It's slick! Was really cheesed when Apple removed their transit app but this is way better!

[You Need A Thneed]

Just heading out with my kids for a Saddletowne - 69th Street and back joyride. What stations on the west line have a good place to stop for a snack?