The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[c@taract_soulj@h]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

So far A and B-Line has been considered for LRT, $1.1 billion. S, T, and L Line haven't been determined yet. Construction for B-Line the city would like to start building in 2011.

For some reason, it'd make sense if the T and S lines were connected possibly as a loop and have a stationhouse near the business park. For a link from Meadowlands to the Business Park is somewhat a doozy although it's only 3-4 kms away plus, Ancaster isn't getting any smaller! Neither is Waterdown but I don't know if I could see a LRT from there...yet. I don't know why but I'm imagining something like the Norristown Highspeed Rail that Philadelphia uses

[Vaillant]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The Island of Montreal:
Area 499 km2 (193 sq mi)
Length 50 km (31 mi)
Width 16 km (9.9 mi)
Highest point Mount Royal (233 m (760 ft))
Population 1,861,900 (for comparison, Montreal CMSA is 3,635,571 according to 2006 census). Thus about half the metro pop is on the island.

Population: 3 868 831 (2009-07)

[SFUVancouver]

Jhenifer, the editor of Translink's Buzzer Blog was asked about how Translink's geographic service area compares to Toronto's TTC. Here is the result, at the same scale:


Source


The GIS geeks at Translink then went to town and superimposed Montreal and Chicago too.


Source


Source

Kinda neat.

[SpongeG]

TTC riders face new fines for impoliteness
Special constables were given new powers to sanction passengers on Toronto's transit system

Greg McArthur

Starting this week, the special constables who police Toronto's subways and buses have the power to fine someone for refusing to move out of their seat if they have been instructed to make room for an elderly or disabled person.

The new fine for impoliteness is just one of a number of bylaw changes that went into effect Monday, with riders who prop their feet up on a seat, or those who lay down on a row of seats, now facing potential fines.

The new bylaw concerning priority seating doesn't mean that it's an offence to sit in the area of a bus or subway that's reserved for the disabled; rather, fines can only be issued if a rider acts “in contravention of instructions” from a special constable to remove themselves.

The Toronto Transit Commission has also beefed up the deterrents for what it says are the most common problems in subway tunnels and terminals. Anyone caught smoking on TTC property now faces a fine of $195 plus a victim surcharge of $35. That's up from the old fine of $95. Vandals hoping to add felt-pen mustaches, graffiti tags or other markings to any advertisements might want to think twice; the new fine is $345 plus a victim surcharge of $75. The amended bylaw also forbids playing music aloud. Those listening with earphones must keep it at a volume that “does not disturb other passengers or TTC employees,” the bylaw states.

“People are, of course, very welcome to use their iPods or any other device that allows them to listen to recorded music or the radio but, that is a private issue so that music should not be audible in a significant way by any other passenger,” said Toronto Councillor Adam Giambrone, the chair of the TTC.

In 2008 the special constables issued $600,000 worth of fines, according to a TTC press release.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nati...w-fines-for-impoliteness/article1321187/

[mersar]

Calgary has a similar set of fines but not that high I believe, they've been enforcing most fairly lightly but they did a bit of a PR campaign bringing attention to some of the fines, specifically the one that pretty much lets them fine you for using foul language on a transit vehicle. Not too surprised at that total though for 2008.

[Darkoshvilli]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

Jhenifer, the editor of Translink's Buzzer Blog was asked about how Translink's geographic service area compares to Toronto's TTC. Here is the result, at the same scale:


Source


The GIS geeks at Translink then went to town and superimposed Montreal and Chicago too.


Source


Source

Kinda neat.

Are those really to scale?? Vancity looks tiny compared to those three.

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

TTC riders face new fines for impoliteness
Special constables were given new powers to sanction passengers on Toronto's transit system

Wish we had those "special constables" and rules here. Hell, our disabled and elderly passenger seats have baby stroller markers too. You should see the welfare moms with their wheeled babysitters kicking the old lady with the cane out of the fold up wheelchair seats, using 4 or 5 seats for the price of 1.

[vid]

^That happens too often here. We finally banned wide and long strollers but I think they should all go except for the small folding ones. I remember growing up on welfare the only strollers we could afford were those small folding ones.

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

Are those really to scale?? Vancity looks tiny compared to those three.

Vancouver proper is about 20sqkm larger than Old Toronto. Over 60sqkm smaller than both Scarborough and North York.

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by Darkoshvilli

Are those really to scale?? Vancity looks tiny compared to those three.

Yes, they're to scale.

The City of Vancouver is tiny at only 114 sqkm. Yet its population was 578K in 2006, for a population density of 5,335 pop/sqkm (13,800 pop/sqmile).

[adriancanada]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

[B]

In 2008 the special constables issued $600,000 worth of fines, according to a TTC press release.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nati...w-fines-for-impoliteness/article1321187/

That figure seems quite high to me, considering the rarity with which one encounters the 'special constables' on the subway. Also, how are the fines enforced? If something like parking tickets, which are much more official and have court dates, license plate numbers etc involved are so poorly enforced, I don't see how these fines would be. What would prevent someone from just getting off at the next stop after refusing to hand over ID? Are the fines paid on the spot or is there some kind of 'court'? Realistically, I don't think there is much they could do to you if you don't pay...it's not like they could ban you from buying a metropass...

[francely57]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

Yes, they're to scale.

The City of Vancouver is tiny at only 114 sqkm. Yet its population was 578K in 2006, for a population density of 5,335 pop/sqkm (13,800 pop/sqmile).

What is the pop density in downtown Vancouver?

We always hear about the Plateau being Canada's densest neighbourhood (101,000 ppl in about 8 km², so ~12,500 ppl/km²)
I guess downtown Vancouver would be a close second?


The City of Montreal has 1,620,000 ppl in 365 km², so 4,439 ppl/km² (wikipedia)

The island (the merged city 2002-2006) has 1,870,000 ppl in 500 km², so ~3,740 ppl/km²

[raggedy13]

^According to these...
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/census/2006/localareas/westend.pdf
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/census/2006/localareas/downtown.pdf

In 2006, the downtown peninsula (excluding Stanley Park) had a population of 87,975. The downtown peninsula (excluding Stanley Park) is 5.79 km². Therefore the population density of downtown was 15,194.3 ppl/km².

A rough extrapolation of the growth rates in those documents would suggest that the population of downtown would now in 2009 have ~10,000 more people. Assuming this, the population today would be ~97,975 with a population density of ~16,921.4 ppl/km².

[vanman]

I'm shocked that downtown Vancouver is denser than the densest part of Montreal. I wonder what a comparable area for Toronto would be?

[frinkprof]

Newest route animation of Calgary's West LRT
• Video Link

The design/build team was announced yesterday. SNC-Lavalin is heading up the winning consortium. They recently built Vancouver's Canada Line. The line is now officially under construction and will open December 10th, 2012.

Much more information and renderings in the West LRT thread.

[francely57]

Originally Posted by raggedy13

^According to these...
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/census/2006/localareas/westend.pdf
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/census/2006/localareas/downtown.pdf

In 2006, the downtown peninsula (excluding Stanley Park) had a population of 87,975. The downtown peninsula (excluding Stanley Park) is 5.79 km². Therefore the population density of downtown was 15,194.3 ppl/km².

A rough extrapolation of the growth rates in those documents would suggest that the population of downtown would now in 2009 have ~10,000 more people. Assuming this, the population today would be ~97,975 with a population density of ~16,921.4 ppl/km².

Thanks for the documentation

But the peninsula is a collection of neighbourhoods isn't it (West End, downtown)?


Anyway I guess Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal (101,054 ppl in 8.1 km² = 12,475 ppl/km²) lost its title. (or was it a myth???)

Vancouver's West End (2006) = 44,560 ppl in 2.04 km² = 21,843 ppl/km² !

Vancouver's Downtown (2006) = 43,415 ppl in 3.75 km² = 11,577 ppl/km²

[agrant]

The whole peninsula is considered downtown, and that includes the West End. Yes, it is a collection of neighborhoods.

[WhipperSnapper]

I wonder what a comparable area for Toronto would be?

The old city is about 100 square kms with a population of 700,000

The densest neighbourhood is around 50,000 ppl/km2 (Cityplace/Fort York Neighbourhood/Railway Lands will have about 100,000 ppl/km2 when everything is said and done)

[SpongeG]

i don't know how to access the archives where i assume the old canadian transit thread is

Work begins on Sheppard LRT

Construction officially began Monday on a new light rapid vehicle line that will run east from the Don Mills subway station along Sheppard Ave. E.

Originally planned to be a subway along Sheppard to the Scarborough Town Centre, the new 14-kilometre light rapid vehicle route will extend to Meadowvale Rd.

"With this light rail transit (LRT) line, you'll have rapid, reliable transit to the subway and downtown," TTC chair Adam Giambrone said at Monday morning's official groundbreaking ceremony.

Sheppard is the first of seven Transit City light rapid vehicle lines planned to create a 120-kilometre network on major routes like Finch Ave., Eglinton Ave., Jane St. and Don Mills Rd.

Two thirds of the $950-million Sheppard East light rapid vehicle line is being funded by the province, and one third by the federal government. The Toronto Transit Commission will operate it when it opens in 2013, and expects it to move 20 million riders a year.

...

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/741499--work-begins-on-sheppard-lrt

[alps]

It's great that so much focus is being put on public transit in Toronto, but I wish that instead of dumping so much money into the suburbs where people are more liable to drive they'd put funding into a more highly needed downtown relief line or Eglinton subway. My rush-hour rides on the Yonge subway were more crowded than any train I've been on in the notoriously busy Tokyo system.

[caltrane74]

Funny enough the yonge line now has people to push you onto the train and down the tracks, just like in tokyo....wierd.
I really like Tokyo and the way they have laid out their city along the rail lines that circle their city. This has allowed them to create multiple commercial cores throughout the city, with nodes of skyscrapers sprouting up at various points within its urban mass. I also love the colour of the store signs and advertising on its city streets... this is from what i've seen on tv and pictures as i have never been to that city, but it looks extremely interesting.