Mr. Griffith goes to Washington
Washington DC is a city that only exists for a single purpose - to be the capital city of the United States of America. From a transit perspective this is both a good thing and a bad thing. The master plan for the city, created by Pierre Charles L'Enfant (whom the locals that I spoke to never failed to point out was French) resulted in a very orderly street grid with wide avenues. There was plenty of road capacity from what I could tell, so there was less of an enticement to leave the car at home and take transit. But, because the main employers in the city are essentially recession-proof, I don't think the city has seen the ridership drop that other cities have had (since you don't take transit to work if you don't have a job). I spent five days in Washington last week, and was able to experience most of what the district's transit system had to offer. Here are some random thoughts:
Metrorail:
The subway in Toronto was built under the philosophy that busy surface routes should be upgraded to higher order transit. As a result, the TTC subway follows the street grid. Washington followed a different philosophy, so the network has arms shooting out in all directions from a series of downtown interchanges. Stations are spaced fairly far apart, which makes for a quicker ride but does makes stations hard to locate, especially because they don't follow the street grid. Sign directing tourists to nearby monuments also show Metro stations, but there are few monuments (and these signs) outside of the central city. The lines are mostly in bored tunnels downtown, making the stations deep and escalators being the only way to get down to the concourse in many stations. Some escalators are exposed to the elements as the station entrances are minimalist, and it made me wonder how they were able to keep them operational with all the dirt, snow, sand and debris from the outdoors. Architecturally, there are two styles for stations - all underground stations look identical and all outdoor stations look identical. I found the stations to be dark and signage to be small and hard to read at a distance, but they did have platform floor lights that would flash when a train was approaching and were cleaner than my bedroom. Multiple lines share tracks at many stations, and next-train displays helped make sure I got on the right train, but I often found it difficult to figure out which platform to wait at and to know when I had arrived at the destination. Sometimes the in-train displays showed the next stop and which doors would open, sometimes they didn't, but the trains themselves were fairly nice with forward facing cushion benches and carpet floors. Cell phone companies are also in the process of installing transmitters in the tunnels, with the Verizon network up and the others in progress. Fortunately, riders tended to respect the unwritten code of keeping quiet in the tunnels.
Metrobus:
The bus network in Washington is fairly extensive, both in coverage and frequency. Aside from the DC operated Metrobus service, there are about a dozen other suburban systems that either connect to the Metro at the outskirts or run express into the downtown core. Effectively, one doesn't really need to use the Metro as the bus service is one of the largest and most extensive in the USA. But, one thing that I found very confusing was the number of brands operated even under the Metrobus umbrella. There are Metro Local routes (buses painted red and grey), Metro Express routes (buses painted blue and grey, premium fare), Metro Extra routes (buses painted grey and blue, regular fare express), and DC Circulator routes (buses painted red, not quite express but not quite local either for a reduced fare). While this makes it very easy to identify what bus is coming, a rainbow of buses looks less like a fleet and more like distinct systems to those who are unfamiliar with the setup - especially in a city that has multiple tour bus companies. The only route I rode was the DC Circulator, which is a network of five routes operating on the more touristy corridors. The red route connected the ritzy Georgetown shopping district with Union Station and passed by the hotel, and frequencies were every 10 minutes. The circulators used Belgian Van Hool buses like VIVA in the 30-foot and 40-foot varieties, but the 40-footer had the three door option. While the regular bus fleet had a ton of older American buses, the vast majority of the post 1995 fleet was Canadian built. There appeared to have been a significant investment in stylish BRT buses, even for ordinary local routes.
Fare systems:
The name of the game in DC for transit fares is SmarTrip, a reloadable debit-style smart card that's good for travel on both district and suburban services. The bus service runs on a flat fare system, but paper transfers are no longer issued - the SmarTrip card knows when you first boarded the bus and gives you free transfers for three hours. There is also a discount over the cash fare when using the card. The Metrorail fare system is a bit more complex and uses a fare-by-distance system. You tap your SmarTrip card to unlock the fare barrier when you enter the system and then tap again to leave. The fare is deducted based on those two points, and discounts are available for off-peak travel. A paper ticket is available and works by inserting the ticket into the fare barrier to unlock it. While SmarTrip cards will let you leave with a negative balance, travellers with paper tickets might have to top up before they can leave. SmarTrip is the only way to pay for parking at the Metrorail parking lots, and it reduces the cost of boarding the bus after a subway trip to 75-cents. SmarTrip works exactly how I hope Presto will work when it's fully implemented, but there are some downsides. Firstly, it doesn't have a travel cap so you need a paper ticket if you want to buy a day pass (but they are working on it). Secondly, it is only sold at Metro stations with parking lots - generally on the outskirts. Within the downtown core they are sold at participating CVS Pharmacy locations, but it was next to impossible to figure out which ones were participating and which ones weren't. I ended up going to Falls Church, Virginia to purchase one. Fortunately, you put the leftover balance on the paper ticket on the SmarTrip card.
Cycling:
I managed to get 35 km of cycling on a rented cruiser while I was in town, thanks to Big Wheel Bikes in Georgetown. Initially I headed west along the towpath of the historic Chesapeake & Ohio canal, and spotted a crane along the shoreline. For most of the length the towpath ran parallel to the Capital Crescent Trail, a paved rail-trail on the old Baltimore & Ohio ROW that I followed when it turned northeast. The trail features a very interesting railway tunnel, some massive bridges, and tunnel under downtown Bethesda, Maryland. I decided to stay on the surface, and was very happy that I did. The downtown reminded me of downtown Burlington - a mix of well-placed high-rises and historic low-rises that I have always really liked. Continuing northeast, the trail ended just on the edge of Silver Spring, Maryland, and I connected to the Rock Creek trail to head back into DC. The trails were off-road to the District Line, but became on-road when I crossed into DC and entered Rock Creek National Park. Traffic was light, but I can foresee it being a little dicey during the peak tourist season. The off-road trails eventually returned around the historic Peirce Mill, and I had a smooth, traffic-free ride into Georgetown. The whole circuit took about three hours, but the trail facilities were few and far between. A few things that I did notice about the cycling culture in DC really surprised me. First of all, it didn't seem like bike theft was a major concern. I saw a road bike with expensive 4-spoke carbon wheels locked up on the street overnight. You wouldn't dream of doing that in Toronto. Secondly, while Toronto has a fair number of utility cyclists and trendy riders - the woman in boots and a skirt on a dutch bike with flowers in the basket, for example - DC riders were almost all business. The vast majority of riders on the streets were weekend warriors and weekend warriors with panniers to carry their suits. It was interesting, to say the least.
Labels: cycling, daily travels, subways, urban exploration
How I spent my summer vacation
Full disclosure time:
I spent the summer working at Metrolinx. It was an amazing learning experience and, while I wasn't in a planning position (my field), it gave me an opportunity to learn aspects of the transportation planning industry that I haven't yet been able to learn about in my course work. Having said that, I think I would be naive to say that the work experience didn't affect how I think about transit issues in the GTA.
I've always had a pro-Metrolinx bias, I've never tried to hide it, and it probably won't go away. I sincerely believe that, while no agency is perfect, the regional focus that Metrolinx has as its mandate is the only way we can achieve the transportation goals of moving people sustainably across the entire GTHA. We expect the population of this region to increase by about 2-3 million people. Intensification is a must, but there is no way we'll be able to accommodate that kind of growth within the 416 alone. We have to improve links within the 416, within the 905 and between the two. I'll be critical when I need to be, but the forward looking, positive and collaborative forum that I've tried to build this blog into will continue. Call me a trained seal (again) if you want, but these are the things I believe.
Now, to get back into the spirit of posting, here's one thing I observed over the summer:
In mid-July I cycled the Waterfront Trail from Burlington to Niagara Falls over two days and took the weekend GO excursion train back to Toronto, and was fairly impressed by the way the service was operated. Knowing that there would be plenty of cyclists taking advantage of this service (since Niagara has a very well-kept trail system), GO ran 10 car trains with 8 coaches available for passengers, the ninth coach (with tarp on the seats) became a bike car, and the cab car closed to passengers. This increased the amount of bikes that could be carried, but was only available to people who were travelling the entire way from Union to Niagara Falls - people getting on or off at intermediate stops had to mix it up with the passengers. By all measures the service was a great success, and was done fairly cheaply with platform expansions the only real hard infrastructure needed to make it happen (the concept of "quick wins vs full service on opening day" is something that I will address in a future post).
Looking to the southeast, the Long Island Railroad runs a similar excursion service. During the summer, the Cannonball has left NYC in the early afternoon and run express to the Hamptons - a 100 year tradition. The LIRR also runs local service to these same destinations, but by their own admission, the Cannonball remains their most popular service. As GO expands further into the Niagara Region, I suspect that an express will remain popular. Therein lies the question: should the GO express service to Niagara Falls have a name?
In the golden age of railroading the premier trains had names, with some remaining to this day. Is it time to bring some of these names out of retirement to give a bit more prestige to an already special service?
Labels: admin, cycling, daily travels, GO Transit
Sustainable Commute Fail
If you've been following this blog then you'll know that I'm attempting to replace the car trip I take to get to the GO station with a folding bike which I can take onto a bus or train as needed. The first week was excellent, with the only day I couldn't ride being the days when it rained or when I planned to shop for textbooks.
Unfortunately, a critical linkage in the folding mechanism of my bicycle became damaged yesterday, rendering the handlebars unable to remain in the upright position. As an unsafe condition, I had to take the bike to the Cycle Shoppe on Queen West immediately for repairs. It could be a month before it's back on the road, with a possibility of the problem reoccurring. In the mean time, I'll be riding my other bike to the GO station but won't be able to bring it downtown.
While I stand by my purchase, if anyone at Dahon (as their bikes do not suffer from this problem) wants to send me a free sample, I'll be more than happy to accept it and review it.
Labels: cycling, daily travels
Things I learned in Orangeville
Going to a wedding in Palmerston and Listowel on Saturday, I passed though the Town of Orangeville and learned a few things.
After many years of seeing only evidence of Orangeville Transit (bus stops, posted schedules and the like), I have finally seen an Orangeville Transit bus. They use what appear to be Ford cutaway models, similar to the
community shuttles in TransLink's Fleet. Service frequencies appear to be typical for a municipality of that size.
Entering the town, I spotted a sign usually reserved for GO stations. Since there is no GO train service to Orangeville (because it would go past my house, and I would be using it without hesitation), I had to investigate. What I found was a small bus terminal on the site of the old train station. A station which appeared to replica of the original train station was built on the site of the site, and the train used by the Credit Valley Explorer excursion train was tied up for the night at the platform. Was this scene a vision of things to come?
Better service to Orangeville will benefit commuter heading into Toronto and residents of Caledon, who have a love-hate relationship with public transportation (except for me, where the relationship is all love). A route along Highway 9 linking Orangeville and Newmarket would also be a smart connection.
And, as an aside, GO Transit (and any other agency operating under contract to the Town) is fully exempt from the Caledon Bus Licensing Bylaw. Those who argued to the contrary at the recent Valleywood Residents Association meeting should take a closer look at the legislation.
Labels: daily travels, GO Transit, urban exploration
Transit in Caledon
Returning home from a friend's house at around 2 am, I spotted two Brampton Transit Novas turning south onto Highway 10 from westbound King Side Road, both filled with passengers.
Sadly, they were signed "CHARTER".
I guess it's a start...
Labels: brampton transit, daily travels, municipal sillyness
Little Schedule Tweaks
As I was waiting to pick up my brother from his summer job in Brampton, I noticed the 40 CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL bus pass at about the same time his shift was supposed to end. Since service at that time of day is every 30 minutes, someone who misses the bus would have to wait an awfully long time for the next trip. Pushing back the schedule by 10 minutes to catch the people getting off the morning shift would make transit a viable option for people at this particular business.
Did I mention that this company is the 3rd largest manufacturing employer in Brampton and the largest employer in that part of town?
This is a case where little schedule tweaks can improve the transit experience for hundreds of people without spending any additional money.
Going beyond, working with the transit agency to integrate the shift schedule with the bus schedule is something companies can do to help fight gridlock, save on parking facilities and leave their employees with more money in their pockets.
Labels: brampton transit, daily travels
Nightmares over
I did drive downtown, but I carpooled both ways, reducing the carbon footprint of the trip.
After dropping my mother at work at 8:00, I headed to Dupont & Dovercourt to pick up a friend who also needed to transport their model to school. It took me an hour to get there from Jane & Wilson. One hour. We arrived at Ryerson at 9:17 (by the parking garage ticket), having left Caledon at 7:15. I don't understand how anyone could drive downtown from that distance on a daily basis - although we used only local roads.
I managed to leave early and beat the rush, carpooling with a friend from Brampton on the way back. So, I'll only have to buy carbon credits for the 14k of city-driving I did alone.
Funny enough, Google Maps says that the route I took should have taken 1 hour & 45 minutes. Considering Davenport was a mess due to an accident just north of it on Dufferin, I'd say it's a pretty accurate estimate. Either way, it's not a trip I'll ever be taking again.
Labels: daily travels
Nightmares in the morning
Tomorrow morning I'll be taking my terrain model downtown,
and as you can see here, it's not something that you can take on the train. As a result, I'll be driving.
Yes, that's right. Driving.
I'll be carpooling with mom for half the trip, so it's not so bad, but I'm anticipating a nightmare.
Wish me luck.
Labels: daily travels
Compassion vs Schedules
When I woke up this morning, I checked GO's website and found that there were 60 minute general delays on all GO bus routes. I decided that I couldn't count on the bus connection from Brampton to Bramalea, so I decided to brave the roads and drive all the way to Bramalea for the 10:15 departure. This would make getting home harder, but it meant that I would get downtown on time (I have now found out that Ryerson is closing at noon, so I'll be heading home before the rush anyway).
The train was scheduled to leave at 10:15, and at 10:14, the bus connection arrived. Knowing they only had a minute to make the transfer, the first 20 people ran to the train and boarded. I noticed a small gap, but from my vantage point saw another group of 20 people also running from the bus. Then something happened that I did not expect:
The conductor closed the doors.
I thought to myself that he would see them running and wait.
He didn't.
The train departed and left a group of 20 people on the platform to wait the two hours for the next train.
I know that waiting would have made us late, but only by a few minutes - and what's a few minutes of my inconvenience when it will save almost two dozen people two hours of my inconvenience?
When there's a storm outside and an entire bus of people are only a few minutes away from making the connection, isn't it right to let the schedules give way to compassion?
Labels: daily travels, GO Transit
Parking Lot Blues
Today, due to difficulty arranging a ride home from the train station, I decided to give the Orangeville GO bus a try. This route is a branch of the Georgetown corridor, and connects the community in Dufferin County with trains at Brampton or Bramalea station (depending on the time of day). Luckily, I live just inside the Brampton fare zone boundary, allowing me to use my monthly pass.
From a running time of 15 minutes, the bus took just over 20 to reach the edge of my neighbourhood, followed by a 15 minute walk to my door. It was a refreshing change from sitting in traffic, and I can happily consider it an option in fair weather and include it in my long-term plan of purchasing a folding bicycle and ditching the car for routine trips downtown.
However, there is another side to this story. Though the bus left the terminal immediately, I arrived at home at around the same time as I normally would. This means that the 15 minute walk represents a quarter hour I would have spent driving. Assuming that I can complete the drive up Highway 10 just as fast as the bus can, I am left with a disturbing conclusion:
It takes 15 minutes just to get out of the parking lot!
Labels: daily travels, GO Transit
When it all works the way it should
Sometime this morning, an eastbound VIA Rail train struck a car at the level crossing at Old Weston Road. This crossing is one of the more dangerous crossings because you have two CN tracks, a large gap, a CP track that cuts diagonally across the road, then a second CP track. The temptation is for drivers to drive into the middle instead of waiting for the entire crossing to clear in times of congestion. I can't say that this caused the accident, but it wouldn't surprise me. Either way, it resulted in the 11:30 westbound and 12:15 eastbound GO trains on the Georgetown line to be cancelled.
I arrived at Bramalea station on the connecting bus from downtown Brampton, expecting to find a train waiting to take me the rest of the way downtown. Instead, we were instructed to take a shuttle bus to Union. I found myself on the second bus out with 56 other seated passengers and four standees. We left at 12:20 PM, and despite rubbernecking on the 427 as drivers gawked at an overturned transport truck, we arrived at Union station on time at 12:50.
It's wonderful when things work they way they should.
Labels: daily travels, GO Transit
Nuit Blanche
I've always enjoyed exploring, especially urban places, and I vowed this year to be the year when I got out to explore the city. Through a combination of sticking to that vow and some assignments that required exploring (as I began to write this, the professor who has assigned all of those assignments was chatting to me about Nuit Blanche) I think its fair to say that I've done a lot of walking this term.
I'm not really interested in modern art, but my interest in Nuit Blanche came from a social experiment. What would it be like to walk the streets of Toronto from dusk till dawn?
My night began at Bay station, meeting Chris, a classmate and close friend. I had to buy a day pass, and due to high sales at the downtown stations, we went to Chester to find one - mainly because I had never been to Chester before.
Back at Bay, we met the final member of our trio - Denise, another classmate. We picked up a program, and each of us picked an art installation to start with. Chris chose Untitled (Box Project # 2), 2007 (A-11). We wondered if Chris chose the cubes, or if they chose him.
"Three boxes restlessly mimic the most basic of human activity. While one box may shake slightly, another may stay still for a period of time, only to frustratingly try to inflate itself. Outside of these basic functions, I wonder what defines us as human."Next came my first choice, Diamonds in the Sky (A-12). My choice was the installation most frequently used to market the festival, and while very pretty, it was not exactly as advertised.
"A long, glistening string of bright, white lights seems to hang from the heavens, taller than surrounding buildings. Moved gently by the wind, the lights have an ephemeral shimmer to them as they sway back and forth."Next came Denise choice, Event Horizon (A-8). It was art on a massive scale, and was very interesting, but was ultimately anti-climactic.
"King's College Circle is the scene of a mysterious spectacle. The audience witnesses emergency vehicles assembled. Sirens are heard as smoke billows from the grassy field. As a single file line forms that leads to a large white tent, the mood is subdued. The curious crowd wants to see the cause of the commotion. Heavenly music plays. One by one the crowd enters the tent and is witness to an unfolding intergalactic miracle."
After this, we tried to see Ghost Station (A-9), but the lineup was an hour long. We decided to head down Queen West from University, eventually reaching Trinity-Bellwoods Park and seeing Fluorescent Dome (C-15).
"Situated on the edge of Trinity Bellwoods Park, a luminous fluorescent dome serves as a beacon for the city. Universal in form and origin, it resonates in a dynamic equilibrium; unifying cultural difference through a non-hierarchical structure."We continued west to Dovercourt, then walked up to Bloor to see Denise home. It was 4 am when we left her apartment, and Chris and I headed to Christie Station and got on an eastbound train to Bay. The line to get into Lower Bay had completely cleared, and we descended those mythical stairs to see Ghost Station (A-9).
"Lower Bay Station, Toronto's ghost station, is used as a vessel to contain sounds that are within and below the threshold of human hearing - infrasound and tactile sound - where sound is felt rather than heard. Low frequencies created by cars and subways are contributors to the cacophony of infrasonic noise that exists deep below the rumbling of the city. These tactile sounds have also been associated with paranormal activity and ghost sightings."After spending some time in the station, we headed towards OCAD. It was after 5am by this time, but there was still a lively crowd. We reached Chinatown by the time the first Dundas and Spadina streetcars were running, and we reached Ryerson at 6am to catch the misting toilets in the Devonian pond on campus (B-40b).
The sun was starting to come up as we decided to call it a night.
Transit was a mess, mainly because the all night subways were only running every 15 minutes and the sheer volume of pedestrians stalled regular routes and special shuttles caught behind right- and left-turning traffic. Also, most restaurants closed at their normal times - they would have made a killing had they stayed open. Finally, with installations as far west as Roncesvalles, as far east as Carlaw, and as far north as St. Clair, the festival was just too spread out.
But despite those criticism, Nuit Blanche was an outstanding experience. The city was alive for one night, and despite the hangover-like feeling I had for the rest of the weekend, it was an experience I cannot wait to repeat.
Labels: daily travels, urban exploration
An apple a day...
Those who know me personally know that Apple is slowly taking over me. After years of refusing to get an iPod, I purchased a 5th generation iPod video one year ago, and I've never looked back. Almost two months ago, I purchased an iMac, and I'm very happy with my purchase. Even though I have windows installed on it, I rarely use it - mainly because the only time my mac crashes is when windows is involved.
Yesterday, I saw an iPhone for the first time. Nicknamed the Jesus Phone by
Gizmodo, it's a smart phone with organizer, a wireless internet device with a specialized youtube player, and it's a widescreen video iPod - all with a touch screen. It will be my next phone when my contract with rogers expires in two more years. By then, European laws will require it to be unlockable, so
I'll be able to use it without fear even if Canadian cell phone providers don't carry it.Today, I popped into the Apple store in the Eaton Centre to check out the new iPod Touch - essentially an iPhone without the phone. This brings me to the whole point of this post:
I can confirm that
gttavisions.com and the blog display correctly on the iPod Touch. However, despite Apple's marketing, the version of the Safari browser on the Touch is the same as on the Mac or PC. When I clicked post a comment, it attempted to open a new window, then returned a "cannot open this page" error.
If Apple is listening (and I'm sure they have web crawlers who search the internet for blogs that mention them), I think a blogger and loyal customer like myself deserves a test unit to see if the iPod Touch can render my site in all locations. Consider it an investment.
I'm now imposing a moratorium on shameless attempts at free stuff for one week after this post is published.
Labels: admin, daily travels
Who needs a car?
About a month ago, my computer's motherboard died for the second time. Of course, the writing had been on the walls for several weeks, so I was able to backup everything. I was in the market for a new machine, and was seriously considering a Mac. With rumours circling about new Macs to be announced shortly, I decided to wait, and when they did come out, I was sold. I had two choices. I could purchase the computer in Brampton at a Best Buy or Future Shop, but they weren't receiving any in stock until the end of the month. My other option was to shop at one of the official Apple re-sellers downtown. With that option, I could have it a week after he announcement, but I would have a more difficult time getting it home.
So it really broke down to one question: Can you carry a computer home on the subway?
My first instinct was to bring a friend, but through clever marketing, Apple ships out the most expensive models first, forcing the "gotta have it now" crowd to up-sell. Not being able to accomodate a 24-inch iMac (or willing to pay for one), I decided to pre-order the 20-inch model.
One week ago tomorrow, at 3:30 PM, I got the call to pickup my order. Having to wait three weeks for rumours to be officially confirmed or denied was tough, and I simply couldn't wait overnight. But could I get from my home in Caledon to Queen & Broadview by the shop's 6PM close?
By taking sidestreets that I hadn't been on in half a decade, I managed to make it to Kipling Station by 4:45, and bolted into the subway. With a delay on the line that was cleared just as we approached the backup of trains, and a 504 car stuck behind a left turning driver at Broadview and Danfroth, I managed to arrive at the shop at 5:20.
Now, the 20-inch Apple iMac comes in a box 23 inches by 22 inches by 9 inches, and weighs around 20 pounds. It may be light in comparison to furniture, but it is an awkward box to carry. I recall that as I finished at the checkout, the clerk asked me if I needed help taking it out to the car. I thought "do you know who I am?", but in retrospect, I realize he was warning me. I managed to get the box about 20 feet down the sidewalk before I had to either switch hands or put it down to rest. I managed to get it to the streetcar stop and struggle up the stairs, but i then had to navigate the crowded car. Dragging it down to the subway was easier, but I still could only travel about 20 feet before I had to set it down. I can easily carry much more than 20 pounds, but the forces are much larger when those 20 pounds are supported only by a small handle.
As I headed back to the west end, I realized that I needed to make a pit stop, but would never feel comfortable leaving a several-thousand-dollar object out in the open without a firm grip on it. There must be something psychological, but most men are effectively defenseless when they are busy in the restroom. After making some phone calls, I couldn't find anyone downtown who would be able to accommodate me, so I decided to hold it and fend off the stares of people who knew what I had bough, despite it being in a plain brown box.
I arrived at Kipling without any delays, and carried it upstairs - in 20-foot intervals.
That day, I set out to discover if one could use the subway to carry cargo. The fact that I am updating this blog on an iMac is proof of concept, but far from proof of practicality. The TTC simply wasn't designed to transport people with cargo, but for those who are patient and are dedicated to the urban experience, it can be done.
For those looking for a mac and wanting to shop in an environment that isn't as claustrophobia inducing as the Apple Store, I bought the computer at Carbon Computing, 772 Queen Street East.
Labels: daily travels, streetcars, subways, urban exploration
OC Transpo: a capital experience
I believe every Canadian should spend at least one Canada Day in Ottawa. This past weekend, I accomplished it along side my closest friends, who truly made the trip memorable.
My day began on Saturday morning at 6:00 AM at the Metro Toronto Coach Terminal. The 6:45 Greyhound departure was oversold, but we managed to get onto an advanced departure. A Voyageur (partially owned by Paul Martin, under contract to Greyhound) MCI D4500 was our coach, and departed closer to 6:30. Our route was the 401 to Belleville, highway 37 through Tweed to Highway 7. Our rest stop was at a small place named The Log Cabin Restaurant in a community named Actinolite (named after the mineral mined nearby, which you might know by its less P.R. friendly name, Asbestos).
Our coach is in the near right, with the second section behind us and a Toronto bound coach on the left. Being a Greyhound agency, this restaurant was able to handle the snack, drink and washroom needs of the coordinated arrival of 165 passengers within 20 minutes. Soon, we were back on our way east on Highway 7, through Perth and Carlton Place before signs of Ottawa's rural annexations came into view. The final leg of the trip along the 417 was smooth, and we pulled into the Ottawa Bus Central station early. Liz, our host for the weekend, picked us up and shuttled us to her apartment in what I can best describe as midtown Ottawa, just across the street from the Transitway station.
More on the Transitway later, but it being Ottawa's rapid transit system, an apartment that close would be coveted and expensive if in Toronto. The first stop on the day was the ByWard Market, an open air market and tourist destination. The Chateau Laurier was next, followed by the Parliament building, where due to Liz and her boyfriend Ben's connections to the government, we got a VIP tour. I had been to Parliament years ago, but never when velvet ropes and pedestrian barriers did not apply to me. At one point, security guards chased us down for entering off-limits areas, only to excuse themselves upon seeing our credentials. As we left, we heard Grégory Charles and Eva Avila rehearsing for the concert the next day - leading to inside jokes that continue to this day. The rest of the day was spent catching up with Liz and Ben, who we hadn't seen since the winter.
The next day, Canada day, we went back to the market to shop for "knick knacks" and "cheesy Canada Day stuff", ate world famous Beaver Tails, and saw the Renoir exhibit at the National Gallery. As darkness approached, Ben, the Ottawa native, led us to an excellent spot to view the fireworks. As the night went on and the crowd became impatient for the light show, I heard faint singing in the distance. A small group was singing "Oh Canada", and just as they sang the final word, the first explosion of the best fireworks display I had ever seen began. It was a moment, never to be duplicated, where I had never felt more Canadian, and which moves me to tears as I write this. Stranger and friend, child and senior, drunk and sober - we were one nation, one people.
The next day, we ate lunch at a 50's style dinner in an area outside downtown, reminding us that Ottawa is more of a tourist destination. We said goodbye to our friends and were dropped off at the coach terminal, where despite a long lineup and annoyances within the line, we boarded a Voyageur Prevost H3-45 for a trip though Actinolite, Havelock & Peterborough. We arrived at the Metro Toronto Coach Terminal on time, and a quick subway ride to a car lest at Kipling brought us home from an unforgettable vacation.
While in Ottawa, OC Transpo, with its red-and-white "Canada Buses" was out chariot. The backbone of the transit system is the Transitway, a network of transit-only roads and lanes radiating in four directions from the downtown core. Three routes provide the base Transitway service, using D60LF and D40i buses, but many other routes use the Transitway at some point in their journey. This fact can create confusion, as novice riders may board a bus on the Transitway, only to discover it is turning off before their stop.
The stops themselves are either large transit terminals, or concrete structures build under overpasses. Downtown stops, where buses operate in mixed traffic, are often simple shelters. However, I found the stops to be poorly signed, and needed to count the stops from a landmark in order to find my way around. An automatic announcement system is being implemented, and this should help those not immediately familiar with their surroundings. The fare structure is simple, with adults, children and express riders using different quantities of a standard ticket. Though the cash fare is much higher than anywhere in the GTA, the price using tickets or monthly passes is a bargain. A 90-minute transfer is time-stamped and issued with each fare.
My exploring of the OC Transpo network began at Lees station, where Jennifer and I took the 95 Orleans to the Ottawa VIA Rail station. Though build in 1966, it is a federally protected heritage railway station - and I wanted to know why. As soon as I stepped inside, it came to us - it felt like an airport terminal. The 1960s was the waning years of passenger rail travel in Canada, and the Ottawa railway station was designed to give passengers the same feel as if they were flying to their destinations.
We took the 95 Barrhaven, doubled back, and headed downtown. Though usually congested, the downtown, mixed-traffic section was quiet on the holiday Monday, and we cruised through to Bayview station, where we got off to transfer to the O-Train, the pilot project for Ottawa's failed LRT plan. Built on inconveniently-placed but existing railway corridors, using barely-modified equipment from Germany, the O-Train seems out of place in the bus-based network, but it offers an experience not seen elsewhere in the city. The route travels from Greenboro, near the airport, to Bayview, just outside of downtown. The line uses Bombardier Talent DMUs - three-car diesel units designed for regional service in Germany. On the outside, they are sleek and stylish, while the inside features VIVA-style seas and not much else. Automated announcements keep track of the stops (all five of them), and interestingly enough, the doors are controlled by passenger on the inside and on the outside. There are three trains in the fleet, though only two are used to provide the 15 minute weekday service, and none are guaranteed to have women as beautiful as those pictured.
The route was through the forest, and unlike Toronto, we were not subjected to the sights of the back of factories. Aside from a bridge over the Rideau River, a tunnel under the canal, and a few level crossings of road and rail, the line was mostly trees and stations. The only sign of a city was passing through Carlton University. Though only a fifteen minute trip to Greenboro, it was relaxing. At the terminus, we boarded a 97 Bayshore for the trip back up to Lees. The longest stretch of Transitway proper we experienced, it was fast and felt fast, allowing us to enjoy the scenery.
It is doubtful that buses in reserved lanes on city streets can ever reach speeds that Transitway buses reach, but Ottawa's experience is clear. BRT is not a poor-man's rapid transit. It is a viable solution to the problems of gridlock that plague cities across the world, and I commend them for their foresight in constructing the network. Though Toronto is my home, I'm glad to know that there are other cities in Ontario where transit is just as fast and frequent.
So here's to our nation's capital - a city where friends, festivals, "Canada buses" and unforgettable memories (including the Bye-Bye Kid, Dionne turning heads, Parliament security, the "cat" colony, and Liz being Liz) come together to make something beautiful.
...and the fish-hat, which I regret not buying...
Labels: bus rapid transit, daily travels, light rail, urban exploration
Daily Travels Roundup
The TTC day-pass gives you a unlimited travel for a single person on weekdays, and for a family of two adults and up to four children, or a family of one adult and up to five children on weekends and holidays. It costs $8.50, so it saves money for anyone making more than four adult trips. Here's how I put it to good use:
- Subway from York Mills to Dundas to get a text book from my locker.
- Subway from Dundas to York Mills to put the text book in a safe place.
- Subway & 124 SUNNYBROOK bus from York Mills to Glendon College to meet up with some close friends.
- 124 SUNNYBROOK bus & subway from Glendon College to Osgoode to spend a night on the town.
- Subway from Osgoode to Museum station to get a late-night snack.
- A short walk from Bloor & Avenue to Yonge & Bloor, where I saw a short stretch of streetcar tracks coming to the surface under the worn pavement of the intersection with Bay Street. The mystery track was turning from westbound Bloor to northbound Bay, though streetcars haven't traveled along those streets since 1966 & 1963, respectively.
- Subway from Bloor-Yonge to York Mills to end the evening.
A few weeks later, I met some friends downtown, went east to Scarborough Centre in rush hour, then took the 131E NUGGET bus back to the subway. It's not as fast as the RT, but it's ideal for people who don't want to deal with the crowds.
Labels: daily travels, urban exploration
When POP goes horribly wrong
Saturday night found me downtown with my closest friends at a birthday party. After leaving the group and stopping at Shoppers Drug Mart at King and Simcoe, Jennifer and I boarded a 510 car and headed up to the subway. At Queen, we made a short stop at the McDonalds. I pulled the cord and the streetcar glided into the stop, but I noticed an abnormally large group of teenagers waiting, crowding the platform. We exiting through the back, but were immediately greeted by a swarm trying to board by the back doors. This foolishness is why POP will only work with intense enforcement. It makes a
proposal out in Vancouver to put police officers on busy bus routes seem reasonable.
Labels: daily travels, streetcars
96 Wilson: A Route Exposé
96 Wilson is one of the longer routes on the TTC system, running from York Mills station to Albion & Humberline, near the border where Toronto, Vaughan and Brampton meet. The route runs very frequently, and during the peak hours, 27 vehicles (normally Nova RTS, but any accessible bus from Arrow Road division can show up) provide service every 3'33". Even on the 319 Wilson Night, service never drops below 30 minutes. Combined with service by the 165 Weston Road North between York Mills and Weston Road, there's seldom a time when there's not a bus in sight. When I lived in Rexdale, several branches of the 96 stopped right in front of my house, so my connection with the route runs deep.
Wilson has one of the most branches of any TTC route, potentially making it confusing for riders, but necessary to serve the numerous neighborhoods and the 20,800 people along the route.
- 96 York Mills stn - Humberline & Finch
- 96A York Mills stn - Carrier Dr via Kipling & John Garland
- 96B York Mills stn - Humberline & Albion Rd
- 96C York Mills stn - Thistledown via Albion Rd
- 96D York Mills stn - Carrier Dr
- 96E York Mills stn - Humber College express
- 96G York Mills stn - Clayson
However, there are some quirks with this route. First of all, the route map shows all branches going to Wilson Station. This is true, but it shows that only the 96, 96A, 96C, 96D & 96F branches serve York Mills station. This leaves out 96B, which goes to York Mills, but it includes this mysterious 96F branch.
96F does not appear on the printed schedules or on the service summary. However, it does appear on the route map - but it doesn't show where the branch goes. From my research, I've discovered that it began in 1996 as a rush hour branch, and then was replaced by 96G sometime before 2000 - that is, until I rode a 96F Wednesday afternoon.
Was it a mistake the operator failed to catch, was it an unscheduled short turn, or was the bus going out of service and heading back to Arrow Road? Each one is possible, but one thing is for sure: Transit isn't bland and mundane. You can find mystery and intrigue around every corner.
The route map is from the TTC website.
Labels: daily travels, ttc
This is your brain on drugs
To the four stoners smoking pot on the Brampton GO Station platform during the rush hour this afternoon...
Why are you doing drugs on the station platform during the rush hour?
Labels: daily travels
Did You Feel That?
After pulling an all-nighter to finish a paper on public transit in Toronto, I was running on about 75 minutes of sleep. Of course, morning came far too soon, so I devised a brilliant plan to get at least another hour of sleep. Phase one was to sleep on the train. If I could get comfortable by Bramalea, I would have about 35 minutes of sleep on the run to Union. Phase two was to take the subway up to campus. Normally, I walk from Union to campus on Tuesdays, as it gets me to class at 7:50 - enough time to read the paper before the lecture starts at 8:10. By taking the subway, I could get to campus for 7:40 and sleep in the quiet, empty lecture hall. I ended up getting only forty five minutes of that hour, but a far more interesting story developed.
Normally I'm pretty good when it comes to sleeping on the train. Stopping for stations tends to wake me up, and I've never missed my stop to the point where I've become stranded. I woke up at around 7:35, to discover that we were holding on the lead to track six, about a hundred yards from the train shed at Union Station. I looked out the window to see the normal parade of trains passing by, but I noticed that several men in safety vests were walking around the base of the coach I was in. Then, the announcement came on.
The Toronto Terminal Railway, who operates Union Station and the tracks between Bathurst Street and Cherry Street, has been doing a fair bit of construction lately as part of a long term signal upgrading project. During the rush, the equipment straddles the outdoor platforms. However, last night, the contractor left a rather large (about 6 feet long and three feet in diameter) drill bit fouling the rails. Of course, we hit it.
For 20 minutes it was wedged under the fourth coach. Made of hardened steel, it was likely thousands of pounds. Heavy machinery was needed, but being in the middle of the rush hour, there would be no machinery entering the rail corridor. Somehow, they managed to move it enough to let us creep by at a snails pace. We finally arrived and began unloading at 7:45, twenty minutes late. There was minor damage to three coaches.
Rail travel is among the safest modes of transportation, and passenger trains in North America rarely derail. Incidents like this are very rare, but when they happen, there's nothing you can do but take them in stride. GO did an excellent job of keeping passengers informed, and cautioned that the steps may be damaged on the first few coaches. The contractor, on the other hand, I'm sure has a few choice words coming his way.
Labels: daily travels, GO Transit
