The Great Canadian Transit Thread - Page 307

goodthings · #**6121** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 12:08 AM**

York Region Transit releases their 2015 - 2016 service plan.

http://www.yrt.ca/en/aboutus/resources/2016_ASP_PIC_Storyboards-Part1.pdf
http://www.yrt.ca/en/aboutus/resources/2016_ASP_PIC_Storyboards-Part2.pdf

Streamlined services basically with additional express routes, with oh well, service cuts.
But very surprising with much less cuts than the previous years.

Brampton Transit will release their 2015 service plan to public in April 7th - 14th. Will likely include the Zum Steeles West, on whether it will be an extended 511 or a new 551, maybe additional improvements to the Steeles West corridor, and maybe service review across the city to service the new sprawl areas.

1overcosc · #**6122** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 3:28 PM**

Kingston has drafted its new Transportation Master Plan. It's full of great stuff.

The city has increased its acceptability threshold for road congestion from V/C 0.9 to V/C 1.0. In English, that means that whereas previously, the city would classify a road as 'overcapacity' (and thus justifying widening or a new road), once its peak period vehicle count was 90% of its capacity, now the city will wait until it's at 100% before doing so. This is a healthy measure that reduces road expansions and allows for reasonable peak-period congestion to encourage modal shift away from driving. Several road projects were scaled back or abandoned as a result of this change.

The city aims to have its non-driving (walk+cycle+transit) mode share at 26% by 2034. This will require among other things a doubling of per capita transit ridership. The TMP recommends that this be achieved through increased frequencies rather than through any rapid transit projects (aside from some transit-priority intersections/signals), and directs Kingston Transit to work towards a frequent service grid and recommends operational funding increases to achieve it:

Kingston Transit is to prepare a 5 year plan by September, covering the years 2016 through 2020, to utilize additional money given to it by council to work towards implementing some of that grid. The TMP wants it fully in place by 2034.

Ontario1 · #**6123** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 2:55 AM**

King Street in Kitchener - Preparations for the ION LRT

Photos by me.

Innsertnamehere · #**6124** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 3:12 AM**

apparently they have dug up bits of Kitchener's old streetcar from the 1950's.

Ontario1 · #**6125** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 7:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

apparently they have dug up bits of Kitchener's old streetcar from the 1950's.

The last one to run down King Street was on December 27, 1946. An ice storm brought down some of the wires and since they were going to discontinue their use in a few weeks anyway, repairs were not made.

1overcosc · #**6126** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 7:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ontario1

The last one to run down King Street was on December 27, 1946. An ice storm brought down some of the wires and since they were going to discontinue their use in a few weeks anyway, repairs were not made.

Similar story in Kingston.

Kingston's streetcar system stopped running in 1933. There was a fire that destroyed the streetcar garage and badly damaged the fleet. The city had already been planning their replacement with buses so they just did it then.

hipster duck · #**6127** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 9:35 PM**

Nice ION pics. Good to see that it's at the point of no return.

How's the traffic now that Weber Street has been widened and opened up?

Also, when will they begin the grade separation of King St. with the railway?

Ontario1 · #**6128** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 2:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Nice ION pics. Good to see that it's at the point of no return.

How's the traffic now that Weber Street has been widened and opened up?

Also, when will they begin the grade separation of King St. with the railway?

Weber is busy and takes most of the detour traffic. They are still putting the finishing touches on landscaping around the bridge. They have to do the final pavement when the weather gets warmer.

The grade separation on King will begin in June. They are going to close it for 18 months.

kwoldtimer · #**6129** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 2:45 AM**

So far, I haven't noticed any traffic disruption. Weber is busy, as noted, an I think Park has picked up a bit of traffic. It helps that King and Charles are both still open to "local traffic". For the moment at least you can use both of them without too much trouble, but that may end as digging gets more serious. King will, of course, be closed for the construction of the underpass.

Ontario1 · #**6130** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 4:21 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

So far, I haven't noticed any traffic disruption. Weber is busy, as noted, an I think Park has picked up a bit of traffic. It helps that King and Charles are both still open to "local traffic". For the moment at least you can use both of them without too much trouble, but that may end as digging gets more serious. King will, of course, be closed for the construction of the underpass.

Weather permitting, beginning as early as March 30, Charles, from Benton to Victoria South will also be closed to through traffic to accommodate service relocations for the LRT. There will be lots of detours.

Doady · #**6131** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 4:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by goodthings

York Region Transit releases their 2015 - 2016 service plan.

http://www.yrt.ca/en/aboutus/resources/2016_ASP_PIC_Storyboards-Part1.pdf
http://www.yrt.ca/en/aboutus/resources/2016_ASP_PIC_Storyboards-Part2.pdf

Streamlined services basically with additional express routes, with oh well, service cuts.
But very surprising with much less cuts than the previous years.

Brampton Transit will release their 2015 service plan to public in April 7th - 14th. Will likely include the Zum Steeles West, on whether it will be an extended 511 or a new 551, maybe additional improvements to the Steeles West corridor, and maybe service review across the city to service the new sprawl areas.

YRT ridership is falling. They are in big trouble.

1overcosc · #**6132** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 5:25 AM**

YRT has long been struggling. It's an interesting contrast to Mississauga Transit & Brampton Transit which have both done a better job building ridership and improving service. Even YRT's signature VIVA project has been somewhat meh as those fancy busways have pretty poor frequencies...

caltrane74 · #**6133** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 5:53 AM**

Metrolinx

860 million dollar contract for expansion of GO Transit Express Regional Rail and Future Electrification

New Shed for 22 trains / diesel and electric

http://www.heraldrecorder.com/m/?id=6852

Metrolinx

Innsertnamehere · #**6134** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 1:31 PM**

note that the $860 million figure includes the 30 years of maintenance. the capital cost IIRC is less than $200 million.

SignalHillHiker · #**6135** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 1:57 PM**

The MV Veteran, the new ferry for the Farewell-Change Islands-Fogo Island run, was launched in Romania. It's on its way here.

• Video Link

It's sister ship, the MV Legionnaire, will be completed next. That one is assigned to the Portugal Cove-St. Phillips - Wabana, Bell Island run. That's part of the St. John's CMA so it's back and forth constantly during the day.

There's a campaign gaining steam to have at least one of the ferries renamed. With Memorial Day, Memorial University, Memorial Stadium, on and on... I think people are just sick of that being the theme for everything we name.

Doady · #**6136** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 8:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

YRT has long been struggling. It's an interesting contrast to Mississauga Transit & Brampton Transit which have both done a better job building ridership and improving service. Even YRT's signature VIVA project has been somewhat meh as those fancy busways have pretty poor frequencies...

I think YRT was expecting 19 million riders in 2006 the first year of VIVA. But they got 17 million instead. It's been financial crisis ever since with lots of fare hikes, service cuts and labour disruptions.

VIVA was similar to Transit City or SmartTrack. Just some fantasy map a politician drew up.

The main problem with VIVA I think is the focus on Highway 7, even though Highway 7 is not York Region's busiest east-west transit corridor. The busiest is Steeles Avenue! York Region does not help fund the maintenance of Steeles Ave and they don't fund any of the bus service either. YRT will always be struggling until they finally add Steeles into their network.

1overcosc · #**6137** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 8:24 PM**

I think the main thing that can fix YRT is simple: money. The region needs to abandon its 50% farebox recovery goal for now, and jack up the municipal subsidy. Freeze fares for a couple years then fix to inflation, while committing to a 5% per year increase in service hours. Over time, this will allow for a rider base to build, which in turn will eventually bring YRT back up to higher recovery ratios.

Ottawa has a similar problem--it's insistence on limiting municipal funding and achieving farebox recovery targets is holding that system back, too.

Kingston has done a great job building ridership and improving service by increasing municipal funding. Time for other cities to emulate.

Innsertnamehere · #**6138** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 8:25 PM**

honestly if the TTC ever expands its service coverage anywhere, it should be to York Region. The region is by far the most connected to the city transit wise.

MalcolmTucker · #**6139** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 8:26 PM**

Hard to be at 50% with a bus only system.

1overcosc · #**6140** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 8:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

Hard to be at 50% with a bus only system.

Ottawa is at 53% right now, but the downsides of maintaining that are starting to bite back as ridership is stagnating. Ottawa expects to hit 60% once the LRT system and associated route restructuring is complete. It's been estimated that LRT's much lower per-passenger costs at high loads will save the city's transit system $18M/year just with the 1st phase of LRT.