Rapid Transit - Page 141

HillStreetBlues · #**2801** Posted **Jun 8, 2015, 1:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattgrande

MacNab? Why MacNab? Why not Hunter? How will they connect MacNab to the station? So many questions...

Presumably it has to be MacNab and then Hunter, since MacNab is two blocks west of the station.

Is this just to serve (justify?) the MacNab terminal? James or Hughson would be much better. It must be because MacNab is not useful for vehicular traffic, but not is Hughson. We could have a pedestrianized route from the James/King (or Main...) LRT station and the Gore to the Go Station.

The only reason I might be in favour of this routing is because MacNab is designed Franz Liszt Avenue through there: maybe we could further honour him somehow if this is where the "pedestrian link" is put.

davidcappi · #**2802** Posted **Jun 8, 2015, 1:52 PM**

Anyone want to get a screengrab of that plan in the article? I'm out of free views

markbarbera · #**2803** Posted **Jun 8, 2015, 3:02 PM**

This is a bad attempt to try to make MacNab terminal an inter-modal hub rather than the lame-duck terminal it currently is. It really is nothing more than a turnaround point for mountain buses.

If anyone had any good transit sense, the idea of a terminal at MacNab should have been abandoned when it was due for a rebuild a few years ago. Instead of rebuilding it at MacNab and King, it should have been placed along Hughson between Main and Hunter, Why have a needlessly long pedestrian connection from MacNab and King to Hunter and James when it could have been centrally located on Hughson where it would be within one block of the nearly every HSR, GO Transit, and all other inter-city bus route that serves the city.

Perhaps this is another opportunity to correct a bad layout rather than simply accepting another duct tape fix.

SteelTown · #**2804** Posted **Jun 8, 2015, 5:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidcappi

Anyone want to get a screengrab of that plan in the article? I'm out of free views

Can't really see it well, itty bitty.

MalcolmTucker · #**2805** Posted **Jun 8, 2015, 5:36 PM**

The image quality in the paper itself was pretty awful:

Source: Hamilton Spectator via: http://library.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx

ScreamingViking · #**2806** Posted **Jun 8, 2015, 7:01 PM**

This "early concept" doesn't make the best sense IMO, even if the planners are thinking they can maximize access to both GO and the HSR's main downtown transfer node. The pedestrian corridor should be as direct as possible to be the most useful. MacNab and Hunter to the GO Centre is nearly twice the distance of a Hughson link, depending on where the B-Line stations will be (personally I think a station at Gore Park and a station at Bay St. would be best, rather than a single station in the core). And the main idea is to connect the LRT to the GO station.

This is an opportunity to plan creatively rather than trying to make piecemeal changes to what exists today. Instead of making the LRT fit into the HSR system, the HSR system needs to be organized to fit the LRT, as well as the future expanded GO services.

E.g., what if Hunter was made two-way, with bus stops under continuous canopies along both sides? No more on-street parking, but direct local bus access can be improved. They don't even have to stop using MacNab -- buses that terminate there can still do so, with route adjustments to make a stop on Hunter as well.

HillStreetBlues · #**2807** Posted **Jun 8, 2015, 7:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

This "early concept" doesn't make the best sense IMO, even if the planners are thinking they can maximize access to both GO and the HSR's main downtown transfer node. The pedestrian corridor should be as direct as possible to be the most useful. MacNab and Hunter to the GO Centre is nearly twice the distance of a Hughson link, depending on where the B-Line stations will be (personally I think a station at Gore Park and a station at Bay St. would be best, rather than a single station in the core). And the main idea is to connect the LRT to the GO station.

This is an opportunity to plan creatively rather than trying to make piecemeal changes to what exists today. Instead of making the LRT fit into the HSR system, the HSR system needs to be organized to fit the LRT, as well as the future expanded GO services.

E.g., what if Hunter was made two-way, with bus stops under continuous canopies along both sides? No more on-street parking, but direct local bus access can be improved. They don't even have to stop using MacNab -- buses that terminate there can still do so, with route adjustments to make a stop on Hunter as well.

I think your ideas about Hunter is a great one, but we really would have to stop using MacNab in that case. There’s nothing wrong with that- we should be able to admit if it no longer fits. If we do as you suggest with Hunter and turn it into a local bus hub right adjacent to the Go station- and accessible to an LRT station via a pedestrian connection- that’s much better than what could be done with MacNab.

ScreamingViking · #**2808** Posted **Jun 8, 2015, 9:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HillStreetBlues

I think your ideas about Hunter is a great one, but we really would have to stop using MacNab in that case. There’s nothing wrong with that- we should be able to admit if it no longer fits. If we do as you suggest with Hunter and turn it into a local bus hub right adjacent to the Go station- and accessible to an LRT station via a pedestrian connection- that’s much better than what could be done with MacNab.

It depends if some routes would still make sense to stop there -- since it's closer to Jackson Square and major office towers, plus the new Mac medical building.

The HSR should do a review of all of its routes and scheduling and make changes according what would provide the greatest efficiency for the operating dollars across the transit network with the LRT and new GO services in place. #1 would be expanding A-Line service... something that should have been done already never mind when LRT is built and GO is running more trains, because it's currently not well-matched to the GO schedule we have.

#**2809** Posted **Jun 15, 2015, 4:36 PM**

Content removed

drpgq · #**2810** Posted **Jun 16, 2015, 5:05 PM**

^^^

That makes me have to wonder what the people in Ward 5 are thinking after the change to stop the LRT at the Queenston traffic circle. Normally a councilor in that situation would be complaining, but Chad Collins thinks it is success.

lucasmascotto · #**2811** Posted **Aug 5, 2015, 5:16 PM**

First phase of $1B Hamilton LRT will also connect to waterfront
(The Hamilton Spectator: Wednesday, August 05, 2015)
By: Matthew Van Dongen

Hamilton needs to get rolling immediately on design changes to a King Street corridor LRT that will now also connect the downtown to the waterfront, a new report says.

Construction on an 11-kilometre, $1 billion light rail line connecting McMaster University to the Queenston traffic circle is not scheduled to begin before 2019.

But the city and provincial overseer Metrolinx still face an "aggressive" timeline for years of planning and design work needed to for the project — which now includes a spur line from the downtown to the James Street GO station and beyond, according to the city's first comprehensive report on the LRT project made public today.

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the long-coveted LRT cash this spring with a caveat the project must connect to the city's new GO Station. Construction of a planned east city GO station starting in 2017 was promised as well.

A map included in the city's new report shows a north-south connection — essentially part of the city's hoped-for future "A" line LRT — extending from the King Street corridor right to the edge of the harbour via the west harbour GO Station.

It's unclear if the connection to the waterfront represents a rail spur all the way to Guise Street East, or if shuttles would run the remaining distance from the GO station.

The map also reflects a planned pedestrian connection from the King Street LRT to the Hamilton GO Centre that also requires major design work.

The report also talks about the need to immediately form an LRT project office and subcommittee of councillors.

A memorandum of agreement with project lead Metrolinx — which would outline responsibility for various costs — needs to be signed within the next 12 to 24 months.

Council also needs to chew on zoning requirements along the LRT route, since existing zoning rules outside the downtown don't necessarily fit the economy-boosting vision for development along the corridor.

More to come.

lucasmascotto · #**2812** Posted **Aug 5, 2015, 5:25 PM**

City will hire designers for LRT system this month
(CBC Hamilton: Wednesday, August 05, 2015)
By: Samantha Craggs

The city will move ahead with its light rail transit dream next week when it will establish an office and hire a company to design the $1-billion system.

City councillors will vote Monday whether to create an LRT office, hire Steer Davies Gleave to do the conceptual design and environmental assessment, and hammer out a memorandum of agreement with Metrolinx.

It's the next step in a plan to bring LRT to Hamilton's lower city. In May, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced full capital funding to build the long-awaited system from McMaster University to the Queenston traffic circle.

Monday's decisions will be the first concrete moves after Wynne's announcement to fund the system, which will see construction start in 2019.

The designers will factor in any necessary changes for the line, which will include a spur line to the West Harbour GO station on James Street North. Those designs will include a pedestrian corridor and connecting to a maintenance and storage facility for the trains.

Metrolinx is the lead agency on the project and expects to start procurement for Hamilton's LRT line by 2017.

The province is also paying for a new GO station at Centennial Parkway, which will be finished by 2019.

Here are some other highlights of the report:

It will cost the city $2,096,294 for Steer Davies Gleave's work. The technical work will start in August and finish in March 2017. It is "staff's understanding" that Metrolinx will pay for that, city manager Chris Murray says in the report.
The memorandum of understanding will take about 12 to 18 months to finish and will deal with details such as who oversees which parts of the project.
The new LRT office will include a project lead, transit lead, planner and communications person, and also use experts in engineering, real estate law and finance. Metrolinx will, "we believe," cover the staffing costs, the report says.
The report recommends looking at area rating for transit, although says that the status quo, where urban areas pay predominantly for transit, will be "a consideration and a possible outcome."

Councillors will discuss the report at 9:30 a.m. on Monday.

SteelTown · #**2813** Posted **Aug 5, 2015, 5:30 PM**

Dr Awesomesauce · #**2814** Posted **Aug 5, 2015, 11:59 PM**

^Never in my wildest dreams - very exciting!

Curious about this 'pedestrian connection' too. I wonder what that might be...

HillStreetBlues · #**2815** Posted **Aug 6, 2015, 12:43 PM**

This morning’s Spec article on the topic made it seem as though this extension was entirely Eisenberger’s idea, and had not been seen let alone approved by Metrolinx. It would be great, but I wonder how much extra it would cost. If this thing is a branch taken by some east-west trains, I can see it decreasing the utility of the line by effectively decreasing the frequency for cross-town trips.

What would be great? We have a billion-dollar commitment from the province, the municipality should kick in the extra cost to actually build the A Line, since the plan might now include a couple kilometres of it.