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Transit City: LRT Survey (pg. 4)
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| Cosmic Fur |
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
For those saying that all the problems with streetcars/LRV can be boiled down to the fact that cars and streetcars have to share a lane, how exactly does making the lane inaccessible to cars help the situation? That is even more inefficient, it will create worse traffic jams which is a bad thing even from an environmental perspective. Good for commuters perhaps, terrible for drivers.
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The problem is more from the fact that if the streetcar stops, all traffic on that street going same direction has to stop also. which basically means the traffic moves as fast as the streetcar (okay, slightly faster if the drivers pass the streetcar while it's moving, but that doesn't happen in rush hour). The streetcar lines that have dedicated lanes don't slow down the traffic moving next to the street car. |
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| smuncky |
| quote: | Originally posted by Orko
What is wrong with these clowns? Seven years? |
the ttc because it's stuck in a time warp, and the union as well. while all the other transit agencies should be on board presto aroudn 2012, ttc only then will want to consider if they want to be on board this program as well.
one of the main things is of course money. crying about how they are going to fund the inital costs and then the maintenance of the system. the other thing is that the union is afraid that the presto will take over the jobs of the booth collectors at subway stations.
but anyway, i'm not that excited about the GTAH transit plan because it's basically what moveontario2020 is. i haven't read it over yet, but from skimming through it, the two things that bug me the most is the delaying of the DRL to the 25 year plan which is just ridiculous. and the whole fiasco with the eglinton line and how they can't agree on what form of technology it'll be. those are, imo, 2 of the more important routes that need to be built asap. |
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| Dave Akermanis |
| quote: | Originally posted by smuncky
the ttc because it's stuck in a time warp, and the union as well. while all the other transit agencies should be on board presto aroudn 2012, ttc only then will want to consider if they want to be on board this program as well.
one of the main things is of course money. crying about how they are going to fund the inital costs and then the maintenance of the system. the other thing is that the union is afraid that the presto will take over the jobs of the booth collectors at subway stations.
but anyway, i'm not that excited about the GTAH transit plan because it's basically what moveontario2020 is. i haven't read it over yet, but from skimming through it, the two things that bug me the most is the delaying of the DRL to the 25 year plan which is just ridiculous. and the whole fiasco with the eglinton line and how they can't agree on what form of technology it'll be. those are, imo, 2 of the more important routes that need to be built asap. |
Speaking of how useless the transit union is, does anyone else board the subway at yonge/sheppard using the entrance just west of yonge st? By Beecroft?
There is this ticket collector there who does all everyday of the week. Its not a sales booth and she only takes exact change. All the bitch does all day is sit there and draw dragons in this binder she has, she doesn't even look at your metropass if you show it.
Maybe if the TTC wasn't stuck pandering to a useless union that keeps useless morons employed they'd have more money.
i hate unions. |
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| Cosmic Fur |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dave Akermanis
only takes exact change |
i love that part of the TTC collectors. YOU'RE A ING HUMAN BEING WITH A BRAIN AND HANDS, WHY IN THE WORLD CAN'T YOU GIVE CHANGE???
A vending machine is less useless. |
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| Orko |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dave Akermanis
Speaking of how useless the transit union is, does anyone else board the subway at yonge/sheppard using the entrance just west of yonge st? By Beecroft?
There is this ticket collector there who does all everyday of the week. Its not a sales booth and she only takes exact change. All the bitch does all day is sit there and draw dragons in this binder she has, she doesn't even look at your metropass if you show it.
Maybe if the TTC wasn't stuck pandering to a useless union that keeps useless morons employed they'd have more money.
i hate unions. |
Take a picture and send in a complaint. |
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| kotsy |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dr. DAS
It's simple!
First, they spend a year figuring out which transit systems should be incorporated in the new smart card project. Then they spend a year convincing those networks that it's a good idea.
Next, they submit an RFP to smart card manufacturers with a 6-month timetable. Then they spend another 6 months deciding what the card will look like.
The cards and hardware are delivered 6 months after that, followed by a 1.5 year re-design because the new system isn't compatible with the existing, antiquated fare system. They'll eventually cancel that contract - at cost - and issue the contract to another vendor. Six months later we have the new system.
Next, we have to train TTC staff to install and maintain the system, which will take 6 months. Now allow six months to install the new system and market it to the TTC's ridership.
The last six months is used up repairing and re-installing the system after the TTC workers it all up.
There you go, seven years later we have a barely useable, now outdated smart card system, which will require a retrofit two years later.
The system works! |
:D :D :D |
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| Shankar |
Yes, I have to admit, the transit system in Toronto is quite embarrassing. After seeing Danish transit system this summer, I realized that we are so far behind. Let's forget for just a second that we have the most inefficient streetcar routes in the world, our bus's schedule resembles bus system of a small village somewhere in Asia, we have no transit serving one of the biggest airports in the world (literally every city has a bus or an RT serving the airport, but ours!); let's start with smaller things. You know, one thing that Toronto STILL doesn't have that is literally simple to do, is a time counter to next bus at any bus stops. When I get up every morning to work, and as I approach the bus stop, I see a bus driving away from me, I think that perhaps the next one will arrive in 10 mins (because thats what the freaking schedule says at the bus stop). After 25 mins of waiting (let's add a winter of -40C to the scenario), I see a great suprise! 3 BUSES ARRIVE AT ONCE! Wow! I must feel like a royalty then. I can choose a bus out of those three. Of course, the fact that i am already late to work doesn't make much difference anymore. So this summer, right after returning from Europe, I posed a question to one of the TTC's bus drivers about why don't we still have a simple bus counter system, that can allow me to know better when the next bus will arrive. To which he replied to me (I quote this word by word what he said - I shall never forget that answer): "Do you really want us to work like machines and follow the schedule minute by minute? We are humans after all."
This answer actually explains alot. It doesn't just answer the question regarding the bus counter system, but also clarifies the reason why it should take us 100000 years to build a normal, satisfying transit system that in some ways (but not even really) resembles European transit.
Thanks alot TTC, for shining us the ray of hope that our grandchildren some day will be able to take a bus to the airport; that they will not be late for work anymore. Honestly, Soviet transit was way better than Toronto's! |
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| Dr. DAS |
How can a TTC collector in a booth not issue change? Isn't that the sole purpose of having them at what would otherwise be a token/metropass entry only?
ing TTC union, ing TTC...I was late this morning because of that same no-bus, three-bus .
I would happily pay $3.25 for a privately owned transit option if it meant reliable, timely service and the occasional service uprade.
Since I've been living in TO, fares have gone from $2.25 to $2.75 with the only improvements being new TV screens on SOME platforms.
It actually makes me WANT to buy a car, and I sold mine when I moved here because I wanted to use transit. |
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| smuncky |
| quote: | Originally posted by Shankar
our bus's schedule resembles bus system of a small village somewhere in Asia, |
really? i'll ask the names for 3 small villages in asia that compare to our bus system and the frequencies that they have, please.
| quote: | Originally posted by Shankar
we have no transit serving one of the biggest airports in the world (literally every city has a bus or an RT serving the airport, but ours!) |
i guess i'll inform you a bit. http://www3.ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/Airport_service.jsp. While it's probably not the best service in the world, there is service. also blue22 and eglinton (w/e technology they use) will serve the airport in the future as well.
| quote: | Originally posted by Shankar
let's start with smaller things. You know, one thing that Toronto STILL doesn't have that is literally simple to do, is a time counter to next bus at any bus stops. |
now that all buses, streetcars and subways have GPS enabled, this service will be rolled out in the next couple of years. they are doing a test run at dundas station for a couple months i think. although using this service on the subway seems kind of useless since headways are ~5min.
i know you're just ranting about your frustrations and that's fine. but maybe you should be sending off emails and such to people who run the system. you'll have a greater chance of getting some sort of result from them than from us. |
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| Cosmic Fur |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dr. DAS
It actually makes me WANT to buy a car, and I sold mine when I moved here because I wanted to use transit. |
Nah, driving a car in Toronto is a pain in the ass too (and expensive). |
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| jchung52 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Shankar
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we have counter type dealios in london. and the bus has a system that announces the next stop and "Stop Requested" lol. |
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| Shankar |
| quote: | Originally posted by smuncky
really? i'll ask the names for 3 small villages in asia that compare to our bus system and the frequencies that they have, please. |
My point was, our bus system's frequency is atrocious. I'd be actually interested to know that even small villages in Asia have better transit than we do :).
| quote: | | i know you're just ranting about your frustrations and that's fine. but maybe you should be sending off emails and such to people who run the system. you'll have a greater chance of getting some sort of result from them than from us. |
Im not trying to get any results here (and even sending an email to the TTC that will get lost in the infinite webs of bureaucracy is pointless either), but simply stating my frustrations in regards to the "wonderful" service that we get for $2.75 a ride. One more toll raise, and we should honestly consider boycotting the TTC! |
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