The Great Canadian Transit Thread - Page 305

The_Architect · #**6081** Posted **Mar 19, 2015, 2:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Streetcar 4406 has arrived in Toronto!!!

So we have 7 in total, 2 in testing, 1 going back to be rebuilt, and 4 in service.

Awesome, at this rate we may have all of them by the time transit technology moves on to the next thing!

The current ones are moving from Spadina onto my route at the end of March so I'm pumped.

1overcosc · #**6082** Posted **Mar 19, 2015, 3:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VIce

As far as I know, Calgary spent quite a bit to retire all those buses (more than just the 10 that STO purchased) early and ensure an all-accessible fleet.

I believe most Canadian cities did this. Here in Ontario municipalities were required by law to have all-accessible fleets by December 31, 2013. The provincial government gave grants to help this happen.

It had a huge impact on Kingston. Most of our buses were from the 1980s until their forced retirement in the late 2000s. Of course, Kingston didn't really care about its transit system until 2006 or so anyway. (It was around then that the mentality at City Hall shifted away from "transit is a social service" to "transit is something we should invest in".)

Dwils01 · #**6083** Posted **Mar 19, 2015, 6:03 PM**

We still have high-floor buses in the Sault in use.
The government gave us some money to replace some buses, but currently our transit doesn't have enough money to replace the 8 remaining high floor buses and the government hasn't given them any money to do so.

Acajack · #**6084** Posted **Mar 19, 2015, 6:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Adding fuel to the old saying "le Québec yé 10 ans en arrière", the STO has purchased ten 1992 "Classics" from Calgary. So while Ottawa went fully accessible what, 5 years ago, Gatineau continues to buy high floor vehicles.

http://www.lapresse.ca/le-droit/actualit...13b_ville-de-gatineau_86608_section_POS2

Although there is something to be said about keeping old, reliable equipment until the bitter end, considering new buses don't seem to have more than 10 years of potential service, there is no reason to buy "new" used buses in this day and age. This is totally unacceptable.

If you read the article it actually says it's a "stop-gap" measure in order to maintain service until newer buses (on order) arrive.

le calmar · #**6085** Posted **Mar 19, 2015, 6:16 PM**

Gatineau still has 60 high floors buses out of 300 buses. That's a lot. I remember seeing a high floor bus in Montreal about 2 or 3 years ago. Are they all gone now?

hipster duck · #**6086** Posted **Mar 19, 2015, 6:29 PM**

If your city can run a decent paratransit service, then low floor buses are kind of overrated.

High floor buses have more capacity. Anecdotally, they also seem to have much less wear and tear and may be easier to fix, although I'll defer to an engineer or mechanic on that one.

TorontoDrew · #**6087** Posted **Mar 19, 2015, 6:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by le calmar

Gatineau still has 60 high floors buses out of 300 buses. That's a lot. I remember seeing a high floor bus in Montreal about 2 or 3 years ago. Are they all gone now?

I can't stand those high floor buses. I appreciate why we got them but they're a terrible design. I'd love to see more of the downtown north south main arteries serviced by these buses replaced with our new streetcars. That would piss off drivers I'm sure but I really don't care about them at all.

1overcosc · #**6088** Posted **Mar 19, 2015, 8:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dwils01

We still have high-floor buses in the Sault in use.
The government gave us some money to replace some buses, but currently our transit doesn't have enough money to replace the 8 remaining high floor buses and the government hasn't given them any money to do so.

That would mean Sault is in violation of the law. I could see the province going easy on a place like Sault, though.

1overcosc · #**6089** Posted **Mar 19, 2015, 8:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hipster duck

If your city can run a decent paratransit service, then low floor buses are kind of overrated.

High floor buses have more capacity. Anecdotally, they also seem to have much less wear and tear and may be easier to fix, although I'll defer to an engineer or mechanic on that one.

Except paratransit is way more expensive to operate. It's way more fiscally efficient to make conventional transit accessible and leave paratransit for extreme cases.

It's not just wheelchairs, either. Many elderly people even if they can walk have difficulty with stairs. My grandmother is 76, she can walk just fine, but stairs are really hard for her. There's also parents with strollers and travellers with suitcases who do way better on low floor buses.

Low floor buses also have faster boarding times for obvious reasons. In both Ottawa & Kingston, the combination of the shift to low floor and the adoption of smartcard payments have significantly lowered dwell times and thus improved travel times and reliability.

1overcosc · #**6090** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 1:09 AM**

Phase 2 of Kingston's express bus system will be starting up on May 4th.

This is the new express bus map. Decent coverage of the entire urban area.

Rotax · #**6091** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 4:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by le calmar

Gatineau still has 60 high floors buses out of 300 buses. That's a lot. I remember seeing a high floor bus in Montreal about 2 or 3 years ago. Are they all gone now?

The STM got rid of all its high floor buses, the last one was retired in August 2012. The oldest buses in the fleet right now are 2001 Nova LFS.

Longueuil also has only low floor buses now. They even began receiving their 2015 hybrids right now (and they already got 26 hybrids in 2014).

Laval uses its few remaining high floor buses on school routes exclusively.

GreaterMontréal · #**6092** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 1:45 PM**

Ste-Catherine street will be equipped with heated sidewalks, intelligent street furniture and the use of distinctive materials.

kwoldtimer · #**6093** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 2:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreaterMontréal

Ste-Catherine street will be equipped with heated sidewalks, intelligent street furniture and the use of distinctive materials.

Intelligent street furniture?

GreaterMontréal · #**6094** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 2:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Intelligent street furniture?

mobilier urbain intelligent

1overcosc · #**6095** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 2:37 PM**

I think we'd call that 'smart furniture' in English.

GreaterMontréal · #**6096** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 2:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

I think we'd call that 'smart furniture' in English.

they use the term ''intelligent street furniture'' in the UK.

Beedok · #**6097** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 3:53 PM**

What is smart or intelligent furniture?

kwoldtimer · #**6098** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 3:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beedok

What is smart or intelligent furniture?

That's what I was wondering. Is the design "smart" (ergonomically, or style-wise) or does it have "apps", or what?

Innsertnamehere · #**6099** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 4:25 PM**

So the spadina subway extension has been delayed again until the end of 2017 and is now $150 million over budget.

1overcosc · #**6100** Posted **Mar 20, 2015, 4:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

So the spadina subway extension has been delayed again until the end of 2017 and is now $150 million over budget.

The Star says they're getting a P3 for the remaining work. Sigh, should have done that in the first place.