Calgary Public Transit II

[ByeByeBaby]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I think where they are discussing the narrow configuration, they should also be mindful of future traffic. Given increased densities, their well could be more traffic on Centre street in 20 years. Since the goal is to increase population around the trains, wouldn't it be wise to maintain road capacity as well? Are their any other sections of the Ctrain line in Calgary with only a 2 lane road? Let alone a fairly major road like Centre?

I would suspect if it is cut to 2 lanes 4th st will see large increases in commuter traffic as drivers choose to turn off centre there. I'm not sure 4th has much extra capacity further south. I've been stuck lined up from centre, around 12th ave, up to 16th many times.

The point of increasing population around the transit corridor is that they take the transit and don't significantly impact the road. If there is enough development, you can get the kind of mixed uses like retail and office that provide attractive alternates to people who used to drive. Maybe you increase the population on the corridor and a grocery store gets built somewhere between 20th Ave and Northmount (56th); now even if people drive for groceries, they can make a shorter trip.

There are sections of the Ctrain with only cul-de-sacs running along it (Martindale); a nice thing about a train is it doesn't need to follow the exact same route that cars go.

For what it's worth, Beddington Trail has provided a boundary; everyone north of there is funneled onto the Deerfoot, which has largely capped the demand on Centre St. South of say 20th or 24th, it's hard to think that the train can coexist with traffic, particularly the 16th Ave intersection.

If you're worried about traffic, remember that in 2001 the Centre Street Bridge was completely closed to traffic for an entire year; the city didn't grind to a halt or fall apart. Parallel routes that had excess capacity absorbed the volume; Edmonton Trail in particular. In fact, a temporary lane reversal was installed; there's no reason a permanent one couldn't be put into place. If it was extended north to McKnight, there could be no net loss of traffic lanes in the corridor in the peak direction.

[Full Mountain]

Originally Posted by polishavenger

Not sure if this was addressed by earlier posts (dont feel like reading dozens of pages to find out), but what pisses me off about this decision, is the ridiculous idea of parring down centre street to one lane each way south of mcknight. This will be a major cluster f***. Also, im peeved that the option of doing an elevated section from 16th ave to mcknight was not even considered. Something like the canada line or the section of the west lrt would run nicely along the east side of center street, and enable grade seperated, rapid transit.

I would hate to see the lrt become a damn street car that is bogged down by street level traffic and crossings. that would entirely eliminate the point of this whole exercise.

Originally Posted by H.E.Pennypacker

These are my two biggest concerns about it actually too .. Anyone have any insight into this?

Keep in mind that there will be signal preemption or priority along its entire route and it will have dedicated lanes this is not a mixed traffic street car.

[Full Mountain]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I think where they are discussing the narrow configuration, they should also be mindful of future traffic. Given increased densities, their well could be more traffic on Centre street in 20 years. Since the goal is to increase population around the trains, wouldn't it be wise to maintain road capacity as well? Are their any other sections of the Ctrain line in Calgary with only a 2 lane road? Let alone a fairly major road like Centre?

I would suspect if it is cut to 2 lanes 4th st will see large increases in commuter traffic as drivers choose to turn off centre there. I'm not sure 4th has much extra capacity further south. I've been stuck lined up from centre, around 12th ave, up to 16th many times.

Keep in mind your key assumptions here one that all new residents will own cars at the same rate as the existing residents two that overall car ownership rates will maintain their previous levels.

[joe498]

Rapid-transit expansion led by Calgary, Vancouver, Pembina says:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ra...vancouver-pembina-says-1.2756613?cmp=rss

[TallisRH]

Twenty new articulated buses have begun arriving. They are equipped with both bike racks and air conditioning.

Additionally, the testing of Connect is starting:
http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/connect.html

[holhm22]

Originally Posted by TallisRH

Twenty new articulated buses have begun arriving. They are equipped with both bike racks and air conditioning.

Additionally, the testing of Connect is starting:
http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/connect.html

Great

[joe498]

I found this to be a very interesting article describing a method of generating transit funds:

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morni...real-estate-development-for-revenue.html


WSJ: MARTA eyes real estate development for revenue

Atlanta is among U.S. cities featured in a Wall Street Journal report about transit agencies looking to real estate development to raise money for rail expansion.

“In Atlanta, the regional transit agency is considering three possible expansion plans for its rail line, which opened in 1979 and services more than 100 miles of track,” says the WSJ.

The paper adds, “But the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has struggled because revenue from a county sales tax that provides a large portion of the system's funding dropped during the recession and has increased slowly since then.”

The WSJ notes that MARTA is looking to underutilized parking lots near train stations for mixed-use development, saying the transit agency is negotiating leases for three parcels with developers who are planning to add more than 1,400 residential units and about 50,000 square feet of retail space.

Atlanta has company, the WSJ says. “Cash-strapped public transit systems in other cities such as Washington, D.C., and San Francisco have moved to take advantage of the rise in values of property near train stations,” the paper reports.

A study released by American Public Transportation Association in 2013, said property values within walking distance of public transit stations were 40 percent higher than other properties in the same region, the WSJ adds.

[fusili]

Also posted in the Construction Thread:

Hey everyone: Calgary Economic Development (with support from TransitCamp and Calgary Transit) is putting on a transportation event next Thursday, as part of their Soul of the City series. Taras Gresco (author of Straphanger) will be speaking and there will be a panel discussion. I encourage you all to go.

Follow this link for the event page and to register (tickets are $35).

[UofC.engineer]

Update on the green line:

http://agendaminutes.calgary.ca/sirepub/...eua0lermv2gs/28683009152014083014597.PDF

http://agendaminutes.calgary.ca/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=1396&doctype=AGENDA

I wish they would just build an LRT from the get go, instead of a BRT.

[holhm22]

Originally Posted by UofC.engineer

Update on the green line:

http://agendaminutes.calgary.ca/sirepub/...eua0lermv2gs/28683009152014083014597.PDF

http://agendaminutes.calgary.ca/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=1396&doctype=AGENDA

I wish they would just build an LRT from the get go, instead of a BRT.

First link gives me error.

[VIce]

Originally Posted by holhm22

First link gives me error.

Interesting. It worked for me earlier in the day. It is the same file as Attachment #5 under "4.3 Green Line Program Work Plan".

[holhm22]

Originally Posted by VIce

Interesting. It worked for me earlier in the day. It is the same file as Attachment #5 under "4.3 Green Line Program Work Plan".

Thanks. Works when I look under that

[holhm22]

http://calgarytransit.com/html/new_website_testing.html
Apparently there is new website testing (note: link does not work for me)

And there is a system map survey up:
http://www.calgarytransit.com/survey/maps/

[kora]

17 Sep 2014
Calgary Herald
Erika Stark

Council OK’s transit lanes
Route 3 bus will get to breeze by commuter traffic

"Bus commuters on Route 3 out of downtown will get to breeze by congested car traffic in the coming years, thanks to the planned installation of a transit-only lane on 4th Street S.W. City council approved the idea earlier this year, and the lane — or lanes — will likely be installed between 4th and 12th Avenue S.W. within the next five years, said Jon Lea, a senior transit planner with Calgary Transit.
.... The route carries more than 135,000 people per week in and out of downtown, and buses arrive at least every 10 minutes for 15 hours a day.
“It’s our busiest bus corridor right now in terms of ridership and frequency,” said Lea.
Consolidating the north and south routes onto 4th Street would mean creating a “contra-flow,” southbound lane only for buses. The city is also mulling over the idea of two transit-only lanes (one in each direction)."

[Fuzz]

Good start! What we really need is a couple dedicated lanes on 5th ave downtown. Curb lane and a travel lane. Its a disaster in rush hour, and has many bus routes on it. Seams a no-brainer to me...

[fusili]

Originally Posted by kora

17 Sep 2014
Calgary Herald
Erika Stark

Council OK’s transit lanes
Route 3 bus will get to breeze by commuter traffic

"Bus commuters on Route 3 out of downtown will get to breeze by congested car traffic in the coming years, thanks to the planned installation of a transit-only lane on 4th Street S.W. City council approved the idea earlier this year, and the lane — or lanes — will likely be installed between 4th and 12th Avenue S.W. within the next five years, said Jon Lea, a senior transit planner with Calgary Transit.
.... The route carries more than 135,000 people per week in and out of downtown, and buses arrive at least every 10 minutes for 15 hours a day.
“It’s our busiest bus corridor right now in terms of ridership and frequency,” said Lea.
Consolidating the north and south routes onto 4th Street would mean creating a “contra-flow,” southbound lane only for buses. The city is also mulling over the idea of two transit-only lanes (one in each direction)."

That's a lot of transit riders. But I just think it is better to give a weekday number, easier for people to understand. Probably works out to about 22K per day on buses. There are a maximum of 15K vehicles on 4th per day. Another example of more people on buses than there are drivers.

[Jimby]

#3 should have priority all the way to Glenmore for SB evening rush hour. Not sure if that is possible but it would be the right thing to do.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by kora

17 Sep 2014
Calgary Herald
Erika Stark

Council OK’s transit lanes
Route 3 bus will get to breeze by commuter traffic

"Bus commuters on Route 3 out of downtown will get to breeze by congested car traffic in the coming years, thanks to the planned installation of a transit-only lane on 4th Street S.W. City council approved the idea earlier this year, and the lane — or lanes — will likely be installed between 4th and 12th Avenue S.W. within the next five years, said Jon Lea, a senior transit planner with Calgary Transit.
.... The route carries more than 135,000 people per week in and out of downtown, and buses arrive at least every 10 minutes for 15 hours a day.
“It’s our busiest bus corridor right now in terms of ridership and frequency,” said Lea.
Consolidating the north and south routes onto 4th Street would mean creating a “contra-flow,” southbound lane only for buses. The city is also mulling over the idea of two transit-only lanes (one in each direction)."

Five years? For bus lanes? Doesn't inspire confidence in the bigger projects.

[MalcolmTucker]

^ Contraflow requires more infrastructure changes than signs.

[UofC.engineer]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

^ Contraflow requires more infrastructure changes than signs.

Such as?

Are they planning to install a lane reversal set-up similar to centre street?