Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[CanadaGoose]

Here's a facebook event if you are interested with riding similar like people on the first day.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2257343237835197/

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

?? I'm not following this.

There's been very little change to the bus network (other than LRT detours) since the 2011 changes, which pre-date Manconi.

There's been wholesale disruption of locals in the city core over the past few years, with routes stupidly truncated (on top of the routes that were truncated in 2008), terminal loops that will trap buses in left- and right-turn traps, and disjointed connections between routes that used to be seamless.

The Frequent route network is pretty close to a grid network.

If only "Frequent" actually meant anything on the few urban core routes that have been blessed with the "Frequent" label.

It could use some enhancements (bumping up to 10-minute frequency from 15, longer hours, etc.) but it's a good start.

What we really need is a whole lot more transit priority, and soon, on urban main streets.

Instead, with things like the Montreal Road and Elgin projects, we're actually bumping transit DOWN in the hierarchy of street uses.

[OCCheetos]

The Confederation Line now shows up on Google Maps and the Google travel planner (if you set a departure time at 2:00pm on Saturday or later).

It's already working great...

[Prometheus188]

Originally Posted by Corvulpes

Texting 560 costs me money, calling does not. Need the number. Also with some apps is easier with the number.

Wait what? I didn't even know there was such thing as charging for texting. i thought that was a relic from before the days of the smart phone. Like the 90s and early 2000s. I've searched extensively for phone plans and couldn't ever find one that charged you for texting.

[Prometheus188]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

plus ,believe it or not--some people do not carry a smart phone with them. I do not snd do not want to--i like to travel very light.

OK. But then you wouldn't need the 4 digit stop number anyway, because you don't even have a phone to do anything useful with that info.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by Prometheus188

Wait what? I didn't even know there was such thing as charging for texting. i thought that was a relic from before the days of the smart phone. Like the 90s and early 2000s. I've searched extensively for phone plans and couldn't ever find one that charged you for texting.

There are pay-as-you go plans still, but also some carriers like Freedom charge you (like 10 cents per text) for using short codes like 560560.

[Prometheus188]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Yes, that is why you need the numbers. That is why they need to be prominent, visible, and consistently easy to find quickly and on the fly.

That was in response to my comment

"Why would you ever need to find a 4 digit stop number at a transitway station? I can't imagine ever needing to know that. You only need those numbers to check 560 560 or an app."


I feel like you didn't read or internalize the rest of my comment though. You will never ever need a 4 digit stop number at a station. You obviously know what station you're at. If you're at Blair and want to check when the next 95 is coming, just text 560 560. All you need to text is "Blair 95 1". There is absolutely no need for any 4 digit stop number at any station in Ottawa ever. Just type in the name of the station. 4 digit stop numbers aren't ever needed at stations. You only need them for random bus stops on the side of the road, never for a station.

If you're at Rideau, just type in Rideau. No need for a 4 digit stop number. If you're at St Laurent, just type in St Laurent. No need for a 4 digit stop number. If you're at Hurdman, just type in Hurdman. No need for a 4 digit stop number. If you're at Bayview, just type in Bayview. No need for a 4 digit stop number. You will never ever need a 4 digit stop number at any station in this city ever.

[PHrenetic]

Good Day.

To Prometheus188....... Hate to tell you, but there are still plenty of us with cell phones (ie: phones, and only phones - yes, they still exist)
- or even smartphones - that DO NOT TEXT, or get CHARGED for text.

IE: NO TEXT.

Quit repeating the same post over and over to convince yourself that you are right. You are not.

Therefore, the 613-560-1000 PHONE number is dialed, and the FOUR DIGIT number is fed to the OC response system, which replies to the station or flag number with info, or a request for the route number desired, and then the info.

and, YES, the number is required at the stop or station you are at, in order to discover when your next bus (or buses) is coming. Or, an alternative bus at the station you are arriving at/to, or transferring through to another line, or, or, or.

So.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Prometheus188

OK. But then you wouldn't need the 4 digit stop number anyway, because you don't even have a phone to do anything useful with that info.

Re-read the post from LeadingEdgeBoomer you quoted. He said "smart phone," as in has a QWERTY keyboard. Maybe you are too young to remember them, but there are cell phones that only have a dial pad. Alpha-numeric texting on those is a royal pain, so it would be easier to use a stop number. Now I must confess that the number of people using such phones are likely very small these days.

[roger1818]

Does anyone else find it humorous that the city is having a Hazardous Waste Depot at Tunney's Pasture on Sunday, September 15, 2019, the day after the Confederation Line opens?

https://ottawa.ca/en/garbage-and-recycli...items#disposal-household-hazardous-waste

[Badyouken]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

The Confederation Line now shows up on Google Maps and the Google travel planner (if you set a departure time at 2:00pm on Saturday or later).

It's already working great...

Look at that - it does work well.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

The Confederation Line now shows up on Google Maps and the Google travel planner (if you set a departure time at 2:00pm on Saturday or later).

It's already working great...

Interesting that while there is duplicate bus service, it seems to tend to give priority to staying on the bus vs. transferring to the train, if everything else is equal. I would expect that the bus will be less likely to stay on schedule, so transferring might be a better option.

[CanadaGoose]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Interesting that while there is duplicate bus service, it seems to tend to give priority to staying on the bus vs. transferring to the train, if everything else is equal. I would expect that the bus will be less likely to stay on schedule, so transferring might be a better option.

You see those blue dots. Google maps thinks it’s a 15 minute walk to the transfer.

They can fix that issue by either reporting it or creating a transfers.txt file in their GTFS.

[Prometheus188]

Originally Posted by PHrenetic

Good Day.

To Prometheus188....... Hate to tell you, but there are still plenty of us with cell phones (ie: phones, and only phones - yes, they still exist)
- or even smartphones - that DO NOT TEXT, or get CHARGED for text.

IE: NO TEXT.

Quit repeating the same post over and over to convince yourself that you are right. You are not.

You didn't read the rest of the comments. We've already been through this. Others have already pointed out that some plans still charge for texting. I had no idea this still exists. I got it. No need to repeat what 3 other people have already said.

In addition, the person I was responding to HAS A SMARTPHONE that can text and gave no indication in our back and forth that charging for texting affects him. Context matters. He's saying that you absolutely need a 4 digit stop number at stations to check when the bus is coming. This is 100% false. You do not need a 4 digit stop number if you have a phone that texts. Just text the name of the station. If you're at Hurdman, just type in Hurdman. No need for a 4 digit stop number.

[Prometheus188]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Re-read the post from LeadingEdgeBoomer you quoted. He said "smart phone," as in has a QWERTY keyboard. Maybe you are too young to remember them, but there are cell phones that only have a dial pad. Alpha-numeric texting on those is a royal pain, so it would be easier to use a stop number. Now I must confess that the number of people using such phones are likely very small these days.

I don't think that's the case here. I did notice that he said smart phone, and I am fully aware of the pre smart phone era. I remember when flip phones came out, and everyone thought they were some amazing new technological advancement. He specifically said that he doesn't carry a smart phone because he travels light. Smartphones are just as small/smaller than basic phones. Especially since the trend is super thin, light weight smart phones. In fact, the basic non smart phone devices tend to be bulkier than smart phones. So either he doesn't have a phone at all, which was my initial point, or he mislead me to believe that with the incorrect idea that he carries a basic phone because smartphones are too big.

[CityTech]

Originally Posted by Prometheus188

That was in response to my comment

"Why would you ever need to find a 4 digit stop number at a transitway station? I can't imagine ever needing to know that. You only need those numbers to check 560 560 or an app."


I feel like you didn't read or internalize the rest of my comment though. You will never ever need a 4 digit stop number at a station. You obviously know what station you're at. If you're at Blair and want to check when the next 95 is coming, just text 560 560. All you need to text is "Blair 95 1". There is absolutely no need for any 4 digit stop number at any station in Ottawa ever. Just type in the name of the station. 4 digit stop numbers aren't ever needed at stations. You only need them for random bus stops on the side of the road, never for a station.

If you're at Rideau, just type in Rideau. No need for a 4 digit stop number. If you're at St Laurent, just type in St Laurent. No need for a 4 digit stop number. If you're at Hurdman, just type in Hurdman. No need for a 4 digit stop number. If you're at Bayview, just type in Bayview. No need for a 4 digit stop number. You will never ever need a 4 digit stop number at any station in this city ever.

Originally Posted by CyrusKafaiwu

You see those blue dots. Google maps thinks it’s a 15 minute walk to the transfer.

They can fix that issue by either reporting it or creating a transfers.txt file in their GTFS.

These sorts of glitches are common with Google. One is that if you're trying to get to the Westboro station area, walking times from south of the station are massively exaggerated because Google thinks you can't cross Scott Street at Tweedsmuir or Athlone and instead directs pedestrians to walk all the way to Lanark to cross, adding some 7 minutes to the walk time.

I've reported that error to Google several times and its been ignored.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by CyrusKafaiwu

You see those blue dots. Google maps thinks it’s a 15 minute walk to the transfer.

They can fix that issue by either reporting it or creating a transfers.txt file in their GTFS.

I was looking at Buses from Kanata/Stittsville so the transfer was at Tunney's Pasture C, not Hurdman. It still has a similar issue, but the walk is 4 minutes instead.

[rocketphish]

Free Wi-Fi coming to 3 downtown LRT stations
Passengers will have access to Wi-Fi at Lyon, Parliament, Rideau platforms

CBC
Posted: Sep 12, 2019 4:35 PM ET | Last Updated: September 12

Passengers on Ottawa's new Confederation Line will have access to free Wi-Fi at three underground stations when the LRT opens Saturday.

Mayor Jim Watson made the announcement Thursday at the new Lyon station. The free Wi-Fi will be available at Lyon, Parliament and Rideau stations, Watson said.

Users will have to log onto the Telus network to gain access, but don't need to be Telus customers.

The Wi-Fi will only be available on the platforms, but Watson said passengers will also be able to access cellular service in the tunnel using their own data plans.

The Wi-Fi service will "help make our transit customer experience more convenient and more enjoyable," Watson said.

Over the coming year, Telus will be adding free Wi-Fi service to all 13 Confederation Line stations. Watson didn't specify whether that will be extended to existing Trillium Line stations.

Providing the free Wi-Fi is costing the city $2.6 million, while Telus is investing more than $10 million, according to John Manconi, Ottawa's general manager of transportation services.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lrt-ottawa-wifi-watson-manconi-1.5281242

[Badyouken]

That's great!

[daud]

I was planning on taking the LRT tomorrow with my family. Maybe around 4PM.

Does anyone plan on riding it tomorrow? any suggestions or thoughts on how busy it might be?

Also, I assume we can purchase single fare tickets at South Keys that will enable transfer at Bayview?