West LRT | 7 Stations | 8.0 KM | In Service

[bigcanuck]

Originally Posted by RyLucky

I think the line is great. I'm getting the sense that most people are pretty impressed, and the few times I've used it, it was fairly busy for the middle of the day (about 1/3 to 1/2 of the seats taken + a handful of straphangers). Has anyone commuted during rush hour? Was it busy? I imagine volumes will increase in January...

I've been a rush-hour rider for the past week. I catch the train at roughly 7:35am every morning - only 1 day during the past week was it actually what I'd call 'full'. This morning, I had a seat all to my self for the full journey inbound with maybe a half dozen straphangers scattered throughout the car.

Not full but still somewhat busy. Nowhere near what I'd expected to be honest. Plus, I do see cars still heading into the 69th Street parkade around 7:30am (and no cars leaving) - my assumption is that there are still a few stalls available at that time, which is also unexpected to me.

[Bigtime]

Still haven't had a chance to ride the new line yet, hoping to do it with the family on Friday.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by You Need A Thneed

Under 6 is free.

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Still haven't had a chance to ride the new line yet, hoping to do it with the family on Friday.

I am going to take one of my nephews on the train for a play-date, but he just turned 6, so I'll have to pay. He loves Thomas, as I am sure every child does, so we can talk about how the train is like Thomas and his friends. Really, it's just an excuse for me to ride the west LRT.

[MichaelS]

Originally Posted by bigcanuck

I've been a rush-hour rider for the past week. I catch the train at roughly 7:35am every morning - only 1 day during the past week was it actually what I'd call 'full'. This morning, I had a seat all to my self for the full journey inbound with maybe a half dozen straphangers scattered throughout the car.

Not full but still somewhat busy. Nowhere near what I'd expected to be honest. Plus, I do see cars still heading into the 69th Street parkade around 7:30am (and no cars leaving) - my assumption is that there are still a few stalls available at that time, which is also unexpected to me.

Do people normally sit on your lap

[bigcanuck]

Originally Posted by MichaelS

Do people normally sit on your lap

Ummm - bench seats are 2-wide...

[DizzyEdge]

Do any of our city moles have any numbers on ridership yet?

[kw5150]

We were able to all of our shopping on the train yesterday....well the part that we hadnt done yet......regardless, it was amazing. The stress removed by not having to navigate busy parking lots and roads was amazing, and we got a good workout in by climbing the stairs at the stations.

Who needs a car in this city? Now if I could just get my suburban friends to move back into the inner city or near a train line.

[DizzyEdge]

I had an early meeting last week at the mall that's about a 5-10 min walk south of 69th street station, I could have expensed a cab but instead I took the #2 -> WLRT to the end of line, easy peasy.

[floobie]

Gave it whirl on Saturday. Random impressions:

- The stations are NICE! Makes basically every other station look sort of junky/cheap in comparison.
- The above grade portion made for some great city views, Sunalta station included.
- Both the above and below grade portions made for a truly quick ride. It gave me a bit of a flashback to riding the Skytrain in Vancouver.
- So quick! West Kirby to 69th street took about 10 minutes. Frankly, if you live along this line, and you're commuting by car, you must love pissing away your life in traffic (and paying for the privilege).

[MMMBeer]

Originally Posted by bigcanuck

I've been a rush-hour rider for the past week. I catch the train at roughly 7:35am every morning - only 1 day during the past week was it actually what I'd call 'full'. This morning, I had a seat all to my self for the full journey inbound with maybe a half dozen straphangers scattered throughout the car.

Not full but still somewhat busy. Nowhere near what I'd expected to be honest. Plus, I do see cars still heading into the 69th Street parkade around 7:30am (and no cars leaving) - my assumption is that there are still a few stalls available at that time, which is also unexpected to me.

My guess is that we're winding down to holiday mode so ridership is going to be lower right now.

As for parkade usage, i parked there last week and there was barely any top deck parking left at 7:40am.

Also all the 69 St parkade and surface reserved parking has now sold out. Lots left at Sirocco though. I snagged a parkade spot.

[Northski]

Originally Posted by MMMBeer

My guess is that we're winding down to holiday mode so ridership is going to be lower right now.

As for parkade usage, i parked there last week and there was barely any top deck parking left at 7:40am.

Also all the 69 St parkade and surface reserved parking has now sold out. Lots left at Sirocco though. I snagged a parkade spot.

Ridership on the NE line was 64,000 per weekday in 2010 and the west lrt is forecasted to be 35,000. Since they aren't short turning trains, the west lrt is always going to be a spacious ride. The NE line is about twice as long for reference.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by bigcanuck

I've been a rush-hour rider for the past week. I catch the train at roughly 7:35am every morning - only 1 day during the past week was it actually what I'd call 'full'. This morning, I had a seat all to my self for the full journey inbound with maybe a half dozen straphangers scattered throughout the car.

Not full but still somewhat busy. Nowhere near what I'd expected to be honest. Plus, I do see cars still heading into the 69th Street parkade around 7:30am (and no cars leaving) - my assumption is that there are still a few stalls available at that time, which is also unexpected to me.

Give it time. People don't all change decades of commuting behaviour overnight.

I suspect (from random observation although I have no actual hard evidence) that ridership right now is "clumpy". Lots of people at a very specific time, then a lot fewer for 15-20 mins or whatever, and then another clump. Because I've seen jam-packed trains heading west in the evening, but I've also seen half-empty trains at times. It will take people a while to start staggering their departure times to smooth out the bumps. We really noticed this when Crowfoot station opened and a ton of new people started taking the NWLRT. Took a couple of months for people to realize that if they just left work 5 minutes earlier (or later), they could get a seat - or at least not be crammed in like sardines.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Give it time. People don't all change decades of commuting behaviour overnight.

I suspect (from random observation although I have no actual hard evidence) that ridership right now is "clumpy". Lots of people at a very specific time, then a lot fewer for 15-20 mins or whatever, and then another clump. Because I've seen jam-packed trains heading west in the evening, but I've also seen half-empty trains at times. It will take people a while to start staggering their departure times to smooth out the bumps. We really noticed this when Crowfoot station opened and a ton of new people started taking the NWLRT. Took a couple of months for people to realize that if they just left work 5 minutes earlier (or later), they could get a seat - or at least not be crammed in like sardines.

Though I don't have the information on-hand, I believe of all the BRT routes that were implemented to help introduce areas to LRT type service, the most successful by far was NC (IE the North leg of the 301 BRT). Second most successful was W (IE West leg of the 301). Last place was the SE. While the success of 301N has been pointed to as a reason to defer the NCLRT, it is precisely this success that will directly translate into a heavily used line. I'm sure the West will come along also, but the West is somewhat close to the DT already, and the more affluent areas may be housed with those who have paid parking. I'm also curious as to proportion of areas that work downtown. I suspect the SE would be last in this regard, rather, having more people working in the area (EG South Health Campus) or in the general area (cross-town BRT serviced Foothills Industrial). You'd think that people with brains and who work downtown would not choose to live in a spot so difficult to commute from!

The success of the WLRT will be over time, and it will be built upon a major TOD, the evolution of the West Village, and lastly, densification at and beyond 69th street.

[shogged]

Originally Posted by suburbia

You'd think that people with brains and who work downtown would not choose to live in a spot so difficult to commute from!

deerfoot northbound at 7am on a weekday disagrees haha!

I do agree about the foothills aspect however doesnt the brt to the se run through a good chunk of industrial? Or does 52nd need to be serviced directly?

I'd bet money that the amount of downtown workers is pretty spread out, hence the sprawl + central core vs density + polycore

[fusili]

Originally Posted by suburbia

You'd think that people with brains and who work downtown would not choose to live in a spot so difficult to commute from!

Surprisingly very few people do much research into transportation and especially transit service when they move. Most people will drive out to the show home on say, a Saturday afternoon, think the traffic isn't bad at all and then be completely shocked by the level of traffic on their first day commuting.

I only have so much sympathy for those living in the SE who complain about traffic or the lack of transit. It is an area far, far away from much of anything else and to expect the same level of transit just isn't rational.

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by fusili

Surprisingly very few people do much research into transportation and especially transit service when they move. Most people will drive out to the show home on say, a Saturday afternoon, think the traffic isn't bad at all and then be completely shocked by the level of traffic on their first day commuting.

I only have so much sympathy for those living in the SE who complain about traffic or the lack of transit. It is an area far, far away from much of anything else and to expect the same level of transit just isn't rational.

Newly weds get it in their head that they need a backyard and a house under 300k. Or, someone with a young family gets a job offer in Calgary, coming from Belville or Prince Albert or St John, and they might not consider the traffic hell they could be getting into.

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by fusili

Surprisingly very few people do much research into transportation and especially transit service when they move. Most people will drive out to the show home on say, a Saturday afternoon, think the traffic isn't bad at all and then be completely shocked by the level of traffic on their first day commuting.

I only have so much sympathy for those living in the SE who complain about traffic or the lack of transit. It is an area far, far away from much of anything else and to expect the same level of transit just isn't rational.

Newly weds get it in their head that they need a backyard and a house under 300k. Or, someone with a young family gets a job offer in Calgary, coming from Belville or Prince Albert or St John, and they might not consider the traffic hell they could be getting into.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by RyLucky

Newly weds get it in their head that they need a backyard and a house under 300k. Or, someone with a young family gets a job offer in Calgary, coming from Belville or Prince Albert or St John, and they might not consider the traffic hell they could be getting into.

I would agree with that in general.

While I take some flack for having the suburbia handle, I'm somewhat of a hybrid in this regard, IE I want it all. I've never stayed in a location without thought about commutes and being close to where I need to be, and on one occasion, declined a job offer for location (I gave them the option of paying me an extra two hours per day, one hour for each direction, which they rejected). And yeah, I've never taken a job in the downtown, save a work term while in school.

People moving out for the first time, irrespective of if they are going to buy or rent, need to consider quality of life and the concept of time is money. Consider the following calculations (these are rough numbers) If you live in Airdrie, as an example, the premium is 15km*2trips*250day*2people = 15,000km extra per year, which including gas, wear and tear, and depreciation is at least $0.50/km IE $7,500 extra cost per year, PLUS an extra 40min*250 = 160hrs * whatever you want to pay yourself. And that doesn't count increased risk of accidents, and the odd time where you're stuck for an hour. Basically, there is a premium of about $900 extra per month if you live out there, so if your rent is $200 or $400 less per month to live in Airdrie, it doesn't make sense. But people don't use their heads and think it through.

Don't argue the numbers - just used round numbers for incremental to prove a point.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by fusili

I only have so much sympathy for those living in the SE who complain about traffic or the lack of transit. It is an area far, far away from much of anything else and to expect the same level of transit just isn't rational.

The real problem is that not everyone can live on an existing train line, and the city won't build a new line until demand is there. So you have the annoying situation where people have to live with crappy transit for a decade or two or three, and then finally see the LRT.

I'm not sure what the answer is, either. I'd be furious if the city spend billions running a new line into the middle of nowhere, when we have areas that could be serviced today - but the inevitable result is people living without decent transit.

Personally, I'm with suburbia in terms of planning. Although I do live in the remote NW and work downtown, I don't mind the commute in the slightest. It's my only real "free" time many days. My house was chosen specifically because it's near the intersection of 2 major free/expressways, and it's right next to the train - or will be in 2014 anyway. Driving to work in this city is something I'd never do unless it was 5-10km away, MAX.

[Chadillaccc]

My last job was in Heritage Meadows SE (costco) and I lived in Ranchlands NW... the transit commute was an hour and a half... did it every day. What a nightmare. Now I work at SEC downtown and the commute is only 40 minutes on transit. Only 25 when me and my landlord go to work at the same time (because he gives me a ride). Not bad I guess!