West LRT | 7 Stations | 8.0 KM | In Service

[fusili]

Originally Posted by Bassic Lab

Well, if ridership growth on the other lines corresponds with the opening of the WLRT, then it would be safe to attribute that growth to the network effect. Of course if capacity constraints limit growth until four car trains exist, then we'll have no way of knowing if that growth can be attributed to the network effect of opening the WLRT or if it is simply latent demand that existed prior to the WLRT.

Personally, I'd expect to see a more obvious change in reverse flow and off peak numbers on the other lines since they would not be constrained at all. That might only really apply to the NW line though as the closure of Chinook will presumably screw with 2013 Q1 numbers.

I'm just hoping that the WLRT will push us over the 300 000 weekday riders mark on a monthly basis. It seems pretty safe to say that it will push us over it during the seasonal peak. Given what we've heard so far.

Also hard to tell this even without capacity constraints. Was it the West LRT enticing new riders, or gas prices, or new offices downtown, or traffic, or lifecycle effects of the transit riders. Without knowing where the people are going, it is hard to tell why they using transit. And we also don't know how many would have used the 301 previously.

[Riise]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Wouldn't be perfect, but I doubt you wouldn't get a high enough tap out rate without financial incentive anyways.

I got nailed with a 'failing to tap-out' fine at London Bridge after walking through opened gates without taping. I guess that even though they were opened to ease congestion they still wanted us to tap out for accounting purposes. Luckily I used my Canadian accent and didn't have to pay the fine.

As CT wasn't planning on demanding tapping in and out for monthly pass users with their now deceased smartcard, its demise may have had at least one benefit.

[Innersoul1]

I feel like there is a major issue with crossing 17th to Sirrocco Station. Due to the timing of the lights if you are attempting to cross 17th and a train comes it cancels the crossing signal. I have stood trying to cross 17th for up to 3 cycles of lights before being able to cross. Major pain in the ass.

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by Innersoul1

I feel like there is a major issue with crossing 17th to Sirrocco Station. Due to the timing of the lights if you are attempting to cross 17th and a train comes it cancels the crossing signal. I have stood trying to cross 17th for up to 3 cycles of lights before being able to cross. Major pain in the ass.

I agree, there seems to be a few lights (sirocco being one and 11th street being the other) where the timing is off. I guess the challenge is that their would be no car flow if pedestrians are allowed to cross 17th with the crossing signal down other than sirroco turning W-E on 17th. But is still a major pain. I wonder how they would optimize it ?

I would be ok with a pedestrian only scramble, but I doubt that it would be justified given the car traffic in other directions.

11th street is even worse because it has 2 issues: a light and an arm. The light and arms operate independently : i.e. it is red when no arm is up probably to tie into the light-cycle network of the other intersections nearby. The other challenge is the arm drops way too soon (30 secs) and lifts way to late (15 secs past the train). It makes sense at level crossings away from the stations, but this one is with a train slowing down as it enters so they could reduce to 20 or 15 secs lead time i would think.

The red light when no trains are nearby is the biggest issue though. Often the other intersections (11th st and 9th, 11th street and 6th) will have no cars queuing but a whole swack-load of them at 7th for no reason to proceed other than the light itself as there is no chance of cross traffic.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Innersoul1

I feel like there is a major issue with crossing 17th to Sirrocco Station. Due to the timing of the lights if you are attempting to cross 17th and a train comes it cancels the crossing signal. I have stood trying to cross 17th for up to 3 cycles of lights before being able to cross. Major pain in the ass.

Everything about the signals at 17th and Sirocco is awful. Want to turn left? Sorry, a train arrived 10 seconds before you were to get your left, which reset the whole cycle! Enjoy that three minutes of waiting.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Everything about the signals at 17th and Sirocco is awful. Want to turn left? Sorry, a train arrived 10 seconds before you were to get your left, which reset the whole cycle! Enjoy that three minutes of waiting.

Maybe this is 'social engineering' to discourage driving & use the train instead?

[Nudrock]

Originally Posted by Innersoul1

I feel like there is a major issue with crossing 17th to Sirrocco Station. Due to the timing of the lights if you are attempting to cross 17th and a train comes it cancels the crossing signal. I have stood trying to cross 17th for up to 3 cycles of lights before being able to cross. Major pain in the ass.

MacLeod and 25 ave is like that too. Been that way for decades.
You will see many people cross there against the light during rush hour.

[mersar]

I had heard (and seen somewhere on the city website too) that they are aware of the issue but the controller system that was installed for those locations isn't quite up to snuff to make things better, so they are looking at replacing it already with a more advanced system. When this happens (supposedly this fall) they will be able to sync the signals, lights and traffic sensors together to actually make things work.

[PPAR]

Same issues exist up the hill at 17th and Simcoe. They really FUBAR'd the access to/from Signal Hill with the train/light over-ride system. We can expect more from a $1.3 billion project.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Innersoul1

I feel like there is a major issue with crossing 17th to Sirrocco Station. Due to the timing of the lights if you are attempting to cross 17th and a train comes it cancels the crossing signal. I have stood trying to cross 17th for up to 3 cycles of lights before being able to cross. Major pain in the ass.

That's a regular occurrence in multiple places on the NE leg. Nothing new IMHO.

[Wentworth]

Originally Posted by PPAR

Same issues exist up the hill at 17th and Simcoe. They really FUBAR'd the access to/from Signal Hill with the train/light over-ride system. We can expect more from a $1.3 billion project.

There is something messed up there. I went through there on Thursday or Wednesday and there was a huge backlog of traffic NB on 17th. We waited forever for the light to turn green at Simcoe, and then when it finally turned green it was only green for a few seconds, then it was red for 10 seconds, then green again. I didn't see a train nearby, but if there was, I'm not sure how it should impact NB traffic. If anything, a train coming across Simcoe should mean the NB green signal for 17th stays green longer?

This was the same day as the "Rhino Realty" stunt, just to add insult to injury!

[whiteford]

Originally Posted by MasterG

Yes I am inclined to agree. Peace Bridge & Sunalta station are my two favourite pieces of new infrastructure. Man.. this city is awesome.

easily one of the most modern cities in the world.

[SubwayRev]

Originally Posted by Innersoul1

I feel like there is a major issue with crossing 17th to Sirrocco Station. Due to the timing of the lights if you are attempting to cross 17th and a train comes it cancels the crossing signal. I have stood trying to cross 17th for up to 3 cycles of lights before being able to cross. Major pain in the ass.

Couldn't agree more. I find the problem is that whenever a train is coming, Southbound Sirocco gets and advance green, which I assume is to clear the tracks.

I think they could just scrap the advanced green (except Friday afternoons) and the intersection would still clear. It isn't as if there is that much traffic coming out of Christie, or crossing from Signal Hill into Christie. Almost all the traffic in either direction is turning onto 17th.

[uptown]

I happened to get off at Westbrook on Thursday and was surprised at the condition of the track level part of the station. Since the opening it looks to be 20 years older. Platform very dirty, lighting very dim. I'm guessing there is no way for them to increase lighting on cloudy days when the sky lights are not useful.

[RicoLance21]

Originally Posted by whiteford

easily one of the most modern cities in the world.

Sadly, our public transit technology is still lagging and will continue to do so due to money allocated to expansion to keep up with Calgary's growth. Cities with similar ridership levels to ours have either Metro lines or heavy rail. Also, smart cards should have been implemented five years ago. Next stop announcement systems should have been implemented in every bus by now.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by whiteford

easily one of the most modern cities in the world.

It's a nice thought and goal, but would we even be in the top 50 'most modern' cities in the world?

[fusili]

Originally Posted by RicoLance21

Sadly, our public transit technology is still lagging and will continue to do so due to money allocated to expansion to keep up with Calgary's growth. Cities with similar ridership levels to ours have either Metro lines or heavy rail. Also, smart cards should have been implemented five years ago. Next stop announcement systems should have been implemented in every bus by now.

Which is why, IMO, we should be putting as much $ into transit capital and operating expenditures as possible.

However, I don't think heavy rail or metros (subways) are necessary. Third rails necessitate grade separation at all points, and that is damn expensive. Our implementation of LRT is a good example of how we can use light rail to move large amounts of people without full grade separation. We just need more of it.

[ByeByeBaby]

Originally Posted by RicoLance21

Sadly, our public transit technology is still lagging and will continue to do so due to money allocated to expansion to keep up with Calgary's growth. Cities with similar ridership levels to ours have either Metro lines or heavy rail. Also, smart cards should have been implemented five years ago. Next stop announcement systems should have been implemented in every bus by now.

I agree with you on the need for smart cards (seriously, why is it so hard to implement something that everywhere else already has?) (Also, while on the subject, why is there no standard that has emerged? There are dozens of transit operators all doing the exact same thing with their smart cards, why can't a card from Calgary be usable on a PRESTO reader in Toronto or a Clipper reader in San Francisco?) Next stop announcements on buses are in my mind a lot less important than next bus announcements at stops. But both would be improvements; or even at key stops.

But I don't see any reason why you would insist on heavy rail. The South LRT is our busiest transit corridor and will likely always be the busiest. Sure, we need four cars to handle the volumes, and sure, we'll need to go to an underground subway on the line. (I think sooner rather than later, but the politics is hard on this.) With those two changes, the south LRT can handle well over double today's volume (let's say double today's with a little more elbow room during rush hour). So why would we have heavy rail, other than to check a box during transit nerd discussions? Either we shut down our busiest route and convert it to heavy rail, or we build much more expensive heavy rail on other lines that have fewer passengers than a line that uses light rail successfully.

[MalcolmTucker]

The Presto card project is about to get to the half billion dollar mark with huge IT overspend. Calgary ditched our first vendor because it turned out to be unworkable. These things are hard to do.

[Full Mountain]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

The Presto card project is about to get to the half billion dollar mark with huge IT overspend. Calgary ditched our first vendor because it turned out to be unworkable. These things are hard to do.

[rant]
Given that most downtown commercial buildings in Calgary has an access control system, I'm confused as to how this is a hard project. Could we not purchase a copy of a successful implementation (i.e. Clipper)? I realize that IT projects are screwed from the get go, but what sort of system costs you half a billion? Have they forgotten the KISS principle for projects? Could they not borrow some development from the ParkPlus system, they seem to have the account management part down, add a card and some card readers instead of the road side stations and away you go.
[/rant]