Thoughts on Google Transit
As you may have heard, the TTC has joined York Region Transit, GO Transit, Hamilton Street Railway, Burlington Transit, Brampton Transit (it's a secret!), Grand River Transit and Guelph Transit by sharing its data with Google (Guelph Transit is currently offline because the city is one giant construction zone right now). If you want to plan a trip using transit in areas served by these services, just use the same Google Maps interface you would use to plan other trips, but be sure to select the transit option.
I've been a long-time fan of Google Transit (much to the chagrin of a certain someone who, despite leaving negative comments and not responding to rebuttal, is still a cool person), but the benefit of this system over the in-house travel planners that many agencies have developed is two-fold. Google Maps is available to most mobile device users allowing you to plan trips while on the move, whereas the in-house planners often use web code not supported by all mobile browsers. Secondly, Google's trips plans span multiple agencies, so a trip between two random points within the coverage area is just as easy to plan as a trip between two other random points within the coverage area.
Now, Google has a few limitations which users should keep in mind before using.
Read more »Labels: brampton transit, burlington transit, durham region transit, GO Transit, GTTA plan, guelph transit, hsr, mississauga transit, oakville transit, ttc, york region transit
Budget Roundup
The provincial budget was introduced yesterday, and contained some transit goodies for the GTAH.
n Hamilton, service on the B-Line will be improved to connect Eastgate Square with McMaster University, and the A-Line will be introduced to connect downtown with the mountain. In addition, there's funding for a new GO station in Hamilton at the foot of James Street. This station could serve as a jumping-off point to Niagara, and would be less expensive to expand all-day-service to (as CP demands the Hamilton tunnel essentially be rebuilt before service improvements to the station on Hunter Street).
Peel will see service improvements on Dundas and Hurontario, hopefully resulting in something better than an on-street connection between the two bus routes serving the latter street. Also, GO service to Bolton will be improved, but it won't be a substitute for a local transit system.
Halton will see BRT along Dundas, and hopefully a combination of development and feeder bus systems will improve ridership. Dundas is a very busy street, but with most of the homes backing onto it, I worry if there are other corridors which need attention in Halton.
In York Region, VIVA will be getting bus only lanes from Richmond Hill centre to Newmarket Terminal, and along the VIVA Purple route from Pine Valley Drive to Kennedy Road. Curious locations, but its a good first start and addresses the most congested portions of the route.
Durham will get funding to wean themselves off GO and build their own BRT route on Highway 2. This should help DRT finally find its own identity, and could lead to the "plate of spaghetti" in Pickering and Ajax being turned into a logical network. They also received funding to establish a route to Cornell Terminal. DRT routes are almost completely isolated, and this will bring the system into the warm embrace of the GTHA network.
Toronto will get funding to start work on Transit City, funding for automatic train control and funding for the Yonge Street busway - all projects which will build capacity and speed up service. It will be interesting to see the busway's final design, as it will have to accommodate express and local buses heading between Steeles Avenue and Finch Station.
In the broader picture, there will be funding for bike racks on vehicles and lockers at GO stations, 20 new coaches (for the Lakeshore Line, but not necessarily for the Lakeshore Line), 10 more double decker buses (the first was spotted on the road today running some tests), and passing tracks to bring all-day service to the Bradford and Stouffville lines by 2010.
In addition to all that, there's gas tax funding. It was a good budget for transit, but as always, I hope the province doesn't rest on it's laurels.
In other news, this round of collective bargaining between the TTC and the Union seems to be filled with conflicting reports. It's difficult to sort truth from fact, but the bottom line is that the Union will be in a legal strike position on April 1st... and that's no foolin'!
Labels: brampton transit, durham region transit, GO Transit, mississauga transit, politics, ttc, union/management, york region transit
Subway a thrill ride for Vaughan - Toronto Star
Subway a thrill ride for Vaughan
$3 billion windfall a boost for 905 transit, though Miller warns it's just a start
March 04, 2007
Jim Byers
CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
Overdue. Hugely welcome. But only just a start.
GTA politicians reacted with emotions ranging from uncontrolled glee to cautious optimism yesterday at news that the Tory government in Ottawa is ready to throw a huge pile of cash at everything from a subway extension to York University and Vaughan to better bus service in car-crazy Mississauga, Brampton and York Region.
As reported yesterday by Bruce Campion-Smith in the Star, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Dalton McGuinty this week will announce some $3 billion in public spending on public transit in the GTA – just as talk of a federal election heats up across the country.
"We're all just thrilled in Vaughan," Mayor Linda Jackson told the Star.
"It's a great day for all of York Region and all residents of the GTA."
Jackson said the subway extension, which has been talked about for two decades and represents the first subway in the 905, will enable her city to intensify development in the city centre as well as help the environment.
The promise of new funds "is the first spike in the development of an overall GTA transit network," a more restrained Toronto Mayor David Miller said yesterday.
"The York subway is a very important transportation connection in Toronto and York Region.
"It's good they're paying attention to transit. But we hope this is a sign that both governments are moving to permanent, sustainable funding for transit so we can build networks ... in Scarborough, Calgary and Montreal."
Miller has talked in the past about building a series of dedicated streetcar lines in North Etobicoke, Scarborough and along Don Mills Rd. and Eglinton Ave.
Jackson, meanwhile, said as great as the subway extension will be for Vaughan, the money to help York Region build dedicated bus lanes is just as important.
"Residents of York Region have a love affair with their cars, and this is a big step," the mayor said.
"You can build subways but they take a long time. The changes for VIVA (York Region's bus network) can be almost immediate."
In Mississauga, Mayor Hazel McCallion cautioned the busway planned for her city won't be ready until 2009.
"It's good that the money's starting to flow, but I don't know what impact this will have on gridlock.
"In the short term, it does nothing."
TTC chair and Toronto Councillor Adam Giambrone said the subway extension, which will cost Ottawa, Queen's Park and the City of Toronto andYork Region some $2 billion, won't be ready until 2014.
Ottawa will pay $697 million as its share of the subway extension, as part of its total transit contribution of more than $1 billion. The subway will run 8.7 kilometres from Downsview Station to the Vaughan City centre, with a stop at York University.
Other projects that will get federal money include:
# A bus-only road along Highway 403 and Eastgate Parkway from Burnhamthorpe Rd. to Eglinton Ave.
# Brampton's AcceleRide program, aimed at speeding up buses in the car-dependent city;
# A program to get York Region buses out of clogged roads and into dedicated bus-only lanes;
# Widening Highway 7 and looking at an extension of Highway 407 east to link up with Highway 401.
# A study of rapid transit options for Durham Region.
"We're symbolically piercing the 416/905 barrier, which is huge," said Toronto Councillor Brian Ashton, a member of the newly created Greater Toronto Transportation Authority.
Ashton said the fact so much money is being poured into the suburbs recognizes that traffic in the 905 is just as bad, if not worse, than in Toronto.
That's the point Miller makes when he rejects the idea of a congestion tax on cars coming into downtown Toronto.
Tomorrow in Montreal, Miller and the other big-city mayors in the caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities are scheduled to unveil their plan for a national transit strategy.
A couple points I'd like to highlight:
- "is the first spike in the development of an overall GTA transit network," - The first spike must be laid somewhere, and sadly, there would be detractors and opponents, regardless of where the next project was built. I recall that some opponents to the St. Clair right-of-way complained of a political bias towards downtown.
- "We're symbolically piercing the 416/905 barrier, which is huge... the fact so much money is being poured into the suburbs recognizes that traffic in the 905 is just as bad, if not worse, than in Toronto." - The GTA needs to stop thinking of itself as a superior city with inferior suburbs. We are an integrated region with blurred borders, and we will not succeed unless we recognize that point.
I'm also looking forward to the national transit strategy the mayors plan to announce. It may help solve the many other transit problems this region and this country faces.
2014 is a far away, but the tangible and symbolic benefits are worth the wait.
Labels: brampton transit, durham region transit, mississauga transit, politics, subways, ttc, york region transit
$697M seals subway deal
I cannot put to words how exciting this morning's news was. Toronto is long overdue for large-scale transit projects, and hopefully, when the financial, environmental and political benefits of this project are realized, it will lead to a wave of transit projects in the GTA. Here's how I see it:
- A subway to York University and Vaughan will reduce the number of trips made to and from the area which are done by car. Vaughan and other northwestern residents will have a transit option instead of driving into the city on the congested highway 400.
- Overall system crowding will be reduced, as riders on the 36 Finch West, 60 Steeles West and 77 Highway 7 will be diverted onto the underused Spadina Subway and away from the overcrowded Yonge Line. Also, the overcrowded 196 York University Rocket will be eliminated, and the buses used elsewhere on the system.
- This line will spur redevelopment and intensification around the stations, just as the Sheppard Subway has done in North York. The increased transportation will cause land values to skyrocket, and will encourage the big box stores currently located there to take advantage and sell. Developers will then build higher density to better recuperate the money they spent to purchase the property.
I concede the point that this project does address the transit needs of the entire city or the entire region. However, that it itself should not condemn the project. This subway line will bring rapid transit much closer to the Jane & Finch neighborhood, and will bring rapid transit to areas which are experiencing heavy congestion.
Perhaps even more importantly than the physical infrastructure is the progress we have made furthering the transit issue with the provincial and federal government. That is priceless.
Labels: brampton transit, durham region transit, mississauga transit, politics, subways, ttc, york region transit
$697M seals subway deal - Toronto Star
$697M seals subway deal
Harper and McGuinty to announce federal funding next week for long-awaited extension of Spadina line into York Region
March 03, 2007
Bruce Campion-Smith
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA–The final piece of the puzzle is in place to build the first-ever subway line beyond the border of Toronto into York Region, with a stop at York University, the Star has learned.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Dalton McGuinty will announce next week that the federal government will pump $697 million into the plan to extend the Spadina subway from Downsview station. The province and the municipalities of Toronto and York have already committed money.
As well, the federal government will announce funding for:
- A Mississauga transitway, a bus-only road along Highway 403 and Eastgate Parkway from Burnhamthorpe Rd. to Eglinton Ave. E.
- Brampton's $280-million Acceleride project, meant to speed bus service. Ontario has already committed $95 million for the improvements.
- An expansion of York Region's Viva bus system. York Region officials want to get buses on to dedicated lanes.
- The widening of Highway 7, in the amount of $55 million.
- An environmental assessment to extend Highway 407 eastward to link up with Highway 401. This would go through federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's Whitby-Oshawa riding.
- A $5 million study of rapid transit in Durham.
The announcement comes with both the federal and provincial governments attempting to prove they are serious about protecting the environment. More public transit means fewer cars on the road and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
It comes with the possibility of a federal election this spring, and winning Ontario seats is a must for Harper to win a majority government. On March 19, the federal budget will likely have a lot of goodies for Quebec, and the Tories wanted to make a big splash in advance in Ontario.
McGuinty faces re-election Oct. 10.
Once contributions from Ontario and the various municipalities are factored in, the projects represent a $3.2-billion investment to help GTA commuters get around.
In December, Flaherty declared, "public transit generally is significant ... and environmentally important."
At the heart of the announcement is the $2-billion extension of the TTC's University-Spadina subway line to York University and into York Region to help cope with population growth north of Toronto.
About six kilometres of the 8.6-kilometre line will be in Toronto. A "preferred alignment" on the TTC website shows stations at Sheppard West, Finch West, York University, Steeles West in Toronto and Highway 407 and Vaughan Centre in York Region.
There has been a demand for years to make York University more accessible for its 65,000 students and staff.
The provincial government has already set aside $670 million for its one-third share of the huge project. Toronto and York Region last September set aside long-standing differences and agreed on a deal to split their $670-million share of construction work.
Despite active lobbying by the province and municipal officials, the federal contribution has been the hold-up, until now.
Now, thanks to this announcement, workers could break ground as early as this summer on the 8.6-kilometre extension from Downsview station, through the York campus and across Steeles Ave. to the Vaughan town centre.
The negotiations around the subway funding date back months with Flaherty and his Ontario counterpart, Greg Sorbara, frequently discussing the province's demand for additional transit cash. The extension goes through Sorbara's Vaughan-King-Aurora riding.
"We're going to move ahead on that project and I believe that at the right time the federal government will be a partner. There is a huge political risk for them if they're not," Sorbara said after one of their meetings last December. Speculation has been rampant for weeks that an announcement was near but it was only on Thursday that the federal cabinet gave the green light for the spending, sources say.
News of the announcement comes as big city mayors, including Toronto Mayor David Miller, gather in Montreal tomorrow and Monday to discuss plans for a national transit strategy.
With files from Allan Woods
More from me on this momentous occasion later...
Labels: brampton transit, durham region transit, mississauga transit, politics, subways, ttc, york region transit
Another DRT update
Yesterday, CAW Local 222 member voted to accept the tentative agreement, officially bringing the Durham Region Transit strike to an end. Limited service will be restored on Friday, with full service returning on Saturday. According to news agencies and the DRT website, passengers holding October monthly passes can trade them in for one free month of transit (November or December) and get 10 free tickets as a bonus. It's a pretty sweet deal, but I hope it doesn't set a precedence that will come back and bite them in the butt.
Labels: durham region transit, union/management
DRT update
News agencies are reporting that Durham Region Transit and the CAW Local 222 have reached a tentative agreement that will end the 4 week old strike. If it is ratified, buses could be back on the streets by thursday.
In the next few weeks, I will present an exclusive expose on the DRT strike by a DRT rider. Stay tuned.
Labels: durham region transit, union/management
Island Airport Follies
Today, the brand new Island Airport ferry crashed into the dock on its maiden voyage. The Port Authority says that the captain had a medical
emergency, possibly caused by an
anxiety attack due to the fireworks and coloured smoke which were set off to mark the celebrations. No one was hurt, but the Port Authority
definitely has egg on its face. I'm not one of the conspiracy types, but is it possible that Olivia Chow, David Miller, and another group of shadowy conspirators were behind this event?
In other news, the
DRT strike is in its sixth day, with no progress.
DRT management did hold a charity golf
tournament today, the timing of which is unfortunate, but its for charity, for crying out loud.
Labels: durham region transit, island airport, union/management
DRT update
Various news agencies are reporting that talks between management and the union have broken down, and that unless a miracle occurs, DRT will be on strike as of 6:00 pm today. It is unclear if passengers on the bus at 6:00 will be accomodated, but I have serious doubts. Usually when a transit agency goes on strike, the service stops at the end of the day. It's very odd to call a strike which begins at rush hour, but I must admit, it is a very good tactic. While it does open operators up to backlash when the passenger becomes stranded in the middle of nowhere, it definitly ups the chaos factor, which is what a good labour strike does.
Labels: durham region transit, union/management
DRT Dealine Looms
If you live in Durham Region, it may interest you to know that Durham Region Transit may be on strike this friday, if talks between the region and the CAW fail to resolve the contract disputes. This strike would not affect service in Whitby, as the former Whitby Transit was, and still is contracted out. More updates when the come available, but if DRT does strike, consider taking GO Transit services if you can get to the Highway 2 corridor.
Labels: durham region transit, union/management
