Visions for the GTTA

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.
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Labels: brampton transit, burlington transit, durham region transit, GO Transit, GTTA plan, guelph transit, hsr, mississauga transit, oakville transit, ttc, york region transit

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 3:15 p.m. 0 Comments

Open Payment

According to Adam Giambrone's Facebook profile:

With all the talk about Presto today, remember that the TTC will have a signed binding deal for Open Payments (credit card and debit payment at the turnstile) this fall with implementation starting Jan. 2010. We have not said no to Presto, but Presto will take longer and be slower than "Open Payments"

I have been a huge supporter of the PRESTO fare card pretty much since day 1, and the benefits of the way its being implemented are many:

• Virtual monthly passes (where the rider pays for each ride until the reach a monthly cap) allow those who can't afford a monthly pass in a lump sum to still get the discounts because the PRESTO balance can be loaded as needed.
• Virtual monthly passes let riders pay for what they use, so they aren't left with a monthly pass that hasn't been used to its full potential, nor are they left regretting buying a monthly pass because they underestimated their use.
• PRESTO will work for all transit agencies in the GTHA, and is the vehicle through which future fare reform can take place.
• For Brampton residents, PRESTO will end the confusion at two ends of the city. Going northbound from the courthouse, Mississauga Transit buses come most frequently and offer free transfers to Brampton Transit - but Brampton tickets and passes aren't valid even though you're boarding in Brampton. With PRESTO, it won't matter - you'll get the discount of having a pass regardless of the system. Out in the west end, Route 77 is shared between Brampton Transit and YRT, and it has never been clear to anyone which tickets are valid under what circumstance. Under PRESTO, it won't matter - you'll get the discount of having a pass regardless of the system.

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Labels: fares, GO Transit, mississauga transit, municipal sillyness, york region transit

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 9:41 p.m. 0 Comments

The Mississauga-ey Knoll

Fact: The Hurontario Rapid Transit project is proposed to connect Downtown Brampton (and eventually Mayfield West, Caledon) with Port Credit, Mississauga along Highway 10 / Main Street / Hurontario Street.
Fact: Square One is the most important transfer point in Mississauga.
Fact: Diverting the line to the existing Square One terminal would increase travel times along the corridor.
Fact: Moving the terminal closer to Hurontario would divert funds from other worthy projects.
Fact: It is unclear if the terminal is able to handle the projected ridership demands.

Question: How much existing infrastructure should be used when we build new rapid transit lines? Should we attempt to maximize existing infrastructure at the cost of convenience or should we correct all perceived mistakes of the past at increased cost? At what level of cost and convenience does the balance tip?

Discuss, with examples. Also, this fact/question post applies to the SRT refurbishment. Continue to discuss with examples.

Labels: light rail, mississauga transit

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 10:56 p.m. 2 Comments

Fair Integration?

2.0 PURPOSE & EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
At the January 25, 2008 Board meeting, a resolution was referred to staff for consideration, which directed staff to develop opportunities for fare integration and service coordination (referred to as “FISC”) on cross boundary routes operating between the 905 area and the City of Toronto. Subsequent to this direction, an earlier progress report was made to the Board, which can be summarized as follows:

• A review of the cross boundary travel market between the 905 municipalities and the City of Toronto indicates that, between 1996 and 2006, transit trips to downtown Toronto increased and auto trips decreased.

• There are several successful existing fare integration agreements among 905 transit systems that operate “open doors” across municipal boundaries without transit customers having to pay an additional fare through the acceptance of transfers between transit systems. “Open door” operation means that the out-of-jurisdiction carrier is free to pick up and drop off passengers as required. Waiting customers can board the first bus that comes along and no one is by-passed.

• Two key opportunities to improve transit service and reduce duplication are being considered. These are in the Burnhamthorpe Road corridor (refer to Appendix A, Figure 1), in Toronto, through having Mississauga Transit buses operate “open doors” in Toronto to Islington Subway Station and for VIVA (York Region Transit) Orange Route buses to operate “open doors” in Toronto between the Downsview Subway Station and York University (refer to Appendix A, Figure 2).

• The project study participants, comprised of two working groups, identified operational issues associated with fare validation, cost sharing agreements between the TTC and Mississauga Transit and York Region Transit and labour issues. Further work was required to evaluate and address these issues which would be part of a further Board report in the Fall of 2008.

It was not possible to make meaningful progress on these initiatives and report back to the Board in the Fall of 2008 because of labour relations issues which had to be resolved over the past few months.

With regard to the Burnhamthorpe corridor, an internal “discussion paper” has been prepared in close consultation with staff from Mississauga Transit and the TTC. It outlines the opportunity in much greater detail, such as, the potential benefits and costs, the proposed fare collection process and other operational issues to be addressed (summarized later in this report). For the Downsview Subway Station -York University corridor, most operational issues have been addressed by the TTC and York Region Transit staff. A cost sharing agreement between both of the latter parties was being discussed, but has yet to be finalized.

However, in December 2008, Metrolinx staff was advised that TTC senior management is not in favour of progressing any further, with the proposals related to “open door” service integration with Mississauga Transit and the YRT/VIVA Orange Route. This has essentially stopped any progress that can be made towards changing the current “closed door” policy (i.e. preventing transit vehicles from one municipality, from operating “open door” within a neighbouring “cross-boundary” municipality).

From the beginning of our discussions almost one year ago, Metrolinx has emphasized to working group participants that a basic principle to achieve integrated services is to design, schedule and operate transit services based on the needs of the customers regardless of municipal boundaries. During the current economic slowdown it becomes even more important to rationalize services and avoid duplication in the interest of the universal taxpayer.

Metrolinx staff was directed to develop opportunities for specific cross-boundary operations between Toronto and the 905, and the research, analysis and due diligence has resulted in recommendations that address system-wide barriers to improved cross boundary operations to the benefit of the traveller. In this report, Metrolinx staff are making several recommendations to the Metrolinx Board, to advance the objectives outlined in Big Move #6 (“region-wide integrated transit fare system”.) These proposals, “Implement a Metrolinx Integrated-Fares Pass for Cross-Boundary Services” and “Obtaining Provincial Legislative and Regulatory Authority,” outlined in section 6 of this report, are the preferred directions towards achieving fare integration and service coordination across the GTHA.

Labels: GO Transit, GTTA plan, mississauga transit, municipal sillyness, politics, ttc, york region transit

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 2:59 p.m. 0 Comments

Hurontario LRT & Urban Design PIC

I went to the Hurontario Rapid Transit / Urban Design public information centre at Brampton City Hall tonight, and found Sean Marshall from Spacing hanging around his old stomping grounds. While there were very few people there, staff answered all of the questions asked with a lot of depth. They seemed genuinely interested in the suggestions we had to offer, both written and verbally. There was paper, pens and post-it notes for us to use, and it was always within arms' reach.

From the transit side of things, the decision was clearly between LRT and BRT, with the only uncertainty being how to deal with the narrow sections between Queen Street & Shoppers World, and between the QEW & Lakeshore. Going elevated might interfere with the urban design of the area, going underground might be costly, and traveling in mixed traffic might end in disaster. The City of Brampton is also looking at moving the Shoppers' World terminal closer to Main Street, which I take as an indication that they are striving for better. In addition, the project leader was very clear that there was no intention of making people transfer at municipal boundaries - another sign they are looking to provide a better customer experience.

From the urban design side of things, I got the sense that there was a real desire to build transit oriented development along the corridor in order to make Hurontario be more of a complete street. The slogan used was "21st Century Main Street", and many of the concepts presented reminded me of the lively main streets in small towns in Ontario. The only challenge will be how to urbanize the area between Steeles and Bristol, which is currently a mix of warehouses, vacant fields and offices setback fifty feet from the property line.

Overall, I think it was a great session, and I can only hope the Mississauga side presents the same vision to the public tomorrow.

Labels: brampton transit, light rail, mississauga transit, urban design

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 11:25 p.m. 0 Comments

Mississauga Transit picks up its baseball in frustration and leaves the park after it strikes out

Mississauga Transit Operators to Announce All Bus Stop Locations

On June 1, 2008, Mississauga Transit operators will begin announcing all bus stop locations to help passengers of all ages and abilities.

In particular, starting on June 1, 2008, Mississauga Transit operators will be required to manually announce all bus stop locations on routes where the next stop, bus stop signs have been completely installed. The signage is being installed on our busiest routes first.

The route-by-route implementation schedule is outlined below:

Effective June 1, 2008: Routes 1 – Dundas and 19 – Hurontario.

Effective June 15, 2008: Routes 3 – Bloor and 26 Burnhamthorpe.

Effective June 29, 2008: Routes 5 – Dixie and 7 – Airport.

Effective July 13, 2008: Routes 13 – Glen Erin and 61 – Mavis.

Our web site will be updated regularly as next stop, bus stop sign installation is completed and additional routes are added to the list of routes where Mississauga Transit operators are required to manually announce all bus stop locations. On routes where the next stop, bus stop signs have not been completely installed, Operators are required to announce the bus stops located at major intersections and terminals, or at the passenger’s request.

By the late fall of 2008 next stop, bus stop sign installation is targeted to be completed on all of our routes, and Mississauga Transit operators will be required to manually announce bus stop locations, system wide.

For safety reasons, our valued customers are reminded not to speak to our transit operators while the bus in motion. As well, our customers are advised to please be patient since our buses may be making more frequent stops, to allow our transit operators to safely make the bus stop announcements.

“We recognize the diverse needs of our passengers, and this enhanced level of accessible service will help passengers enjoy travelling on our buses”, says Director of Mississauga Transit, Geoff Marinoff.

Labels: mississauga transit, municipal sillyness

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 10:39 p.m. 5 Comments

Mississauga Transitway: hopefully not a boondoggle in the making

A friend and I went to the Mississauga Transit BRT project open house tonight, taking one of the first 12-coach GO transit runs ever pulled by a single locomotive. We had a chat afterwards, and I think I speak for both of us when I say this:

The City of Mississauga has managed to take an idea which had some good points, crippled it, and finally, just for good measure, ensured it will only serve one type of customer making one type of trip.

Before the criticism, I will offer some background information. The BRT project is to build a transitway (bus only road - I use the term Mississauga BRT and Mississauga Transitway interchangeably) between Winston Churchill Blvd and Renforth Drive along the Highway 403/Eastgate Parkway/Eglinton Avenue corridor. At the Renforth Gateway station, buses could travel north to the airport, south to the subway, or east towards Toronto. GO will also be using the busway to get its vehicles out of the 403 traffic. Major destinations include Square One and the Airport Corporate Centre.

After listening to a presentation on the project in general, we broke into small focus groups. This is where things began to unravel.

It doesn't look like they will be using special buses, because they want neighbourhood buses to use the transitway to get to Square One. As a result, it seems that they don't see the need for premium vehicles with this type of operation. This is a letdown, as I doubt VIVA would have been as successful if it used ordinary YRT buses.

It doesn't look like they are even talking to the TTC, because when my friend asked about integration to the Eglinton-Crosstown line, he kept talking about Presto. I pressed the gentleman, and couldn't get a straight answer from him. All we wanted to know was if it would be a cross-platform transfer or something more complex.

Another women expressed the same concerns, wanting to know if schedule integration with TTC services was being explored. She didn't want to get to Renforth and have to wait 35 minutes to go further. Her answer was just a reiteration of the fact that the BRT services will operate every 7 minutes.

These are just two examples, but I think it shows that the "Mississauga In a Bubble" sentiment has taken hold of city hall.

Many people would argue that Transit City is not an effective transit plan. What you must remember is that Transit City is not only designed to move people - it is also designed to encourage the type of development that the official plan calls for (which is mid-rise, evenly spaced across the street - not extreme high density nodes with nothing in between). If you evaluate Transit City by its intentions, then you begin to see why it was proposed the way it was proposed.

Similarly, you can evaluate the Transitway by its intentions. It is intended to move people from the west end of Mississauga and Square One to the Airport Corporate Centre and to the TTC with 35 minutes end-to-end running time. It will be great for getting people to the subway, but unless the ambiguity around the Renforth Gateway isn't solved, it will be an epic fail in getting people to all the TTC services it touches.

But, all is not lost. They haven't entered into the detailed design phase, so there's still time to correct the flaws. They are doing a great job, but I fear that the toolbox they are using doesn't have all the tools they'll need.

...And Mavis needs a stop. I don't see the rationale for eliminating it.

Labels: bus rapid transit, mississauga transit

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 12:03 a.m. 2 Comments

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

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 11:59 p.m. 0 Comments

"It's Just Overkill..."

Overkill is when you attempt to solve a problem by proposing a solution that is far more elaborate and expensive than is necessary. Building a highway to solve congestion at a single intersection is overkill. Remember this definition, because I will come back to it.

One of the popular proposals floating around the internet concerns to best way to get passengers from Square One, Mississauga Transit's main hub, to Cooksville GO Station, the nearest GO station. Under the proposal, the entire Milton line, and eventually any other line, would be converted to a light rail-type line using shorter EMU trains running as frequently as every 15 minutes. Further, these trains would leave the current Milton line, run up Hurontario to Square One, run west along the 403 corridor before re-joining the line north of Erindale Station.

As ambitious as this plan is, it reeks of overkill.

1. In my opinion, the problem isn't getting people to the GO station from Square One, its getting people out of their cars, period. I feel resources should be better spent strengthening neighbourhood and arterial routes. The streets are designed in a car friendly, transit unfriendly way, and in order to bring transit to the people, we'll need an expensive network of local buses. Money should be spent there.
2. With the Mississauga busway under construction (assuming the speeds are as promised), a lot of off-peak ridership from Square One will use that service to get into the city. While more transit options is better than none, I wonder if, realistically, ridership at Square One can support two rapid transit lines, both going towards Kipling.
3. The transit network is an instrument of development, and we're better off encouraging development around the GO stations. I fear that connecting the line to Square One will only serve to continue the development of that area in particular.
4. The Hurontario Street LRT should provide a five minute connection between Cooksville Station and Square One, which is more than adequate, and will have a larger catchment area than this single stop diversion.

I am not opposed to more connections to Square One and I'm not opposed to frequent service on the GO rail network. I applaud the authors of this idea for thinking big - which we must do - but if we want to win over the public support, we must keep our ideas grounded in reason-ability - if that is even a word.

Labels: GO Transit, GTTA plan, mississauga transit, railways

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 8:50 a.m. 5 Comments

905 gridlock seeds city tower - Toronto Star

905 gridlock seeds city tower
April 26, 2007
Donovan Vincent
city hall bureau

A large engineering firm's plan to purchase city property at Bloor and Islington Sts. to build an office tower shows that "gridlock" in the suburban regions is making Toronto more attractive to businesses, a city politician says.

This week, city council okayed an offer by SNC Lavalin to buy one-third of Toronto's 4-hectare property at Islington and Bloor, a deal that must be finalized within 60 days.

The city wants to use the proceeds toward a $58 million redevelopment of Islington and Kipling TTC stations. The project includes building a new bus terminal at Islington and a new "inter-regional'' terminal at Kipling for the TTC, GO and Mississauga Transit.

The city's portion of the redevelopment cost is $17 million. Toronto wants Mississauga Transit, GO, the province and perhaps Ottawa to kick in the rest. Councillor Peter Milczyn (Ward 5, Etobicoke-Lakeshore), who represents the area, says proceeds from the sale would cover about half of that $17 million.

SNC Lavalin plans to build an office tower on the property to house about 1,200 employees. Part of a consortium that owns the 407 toll road, SNC Lavalin leases space elsewhere in the GTA and wants to consolidate offices.

The firm was originally eyeing a spot in Mississauga, Milczyn said.

"There's the fact that employees located in the 905 have to drive. (Due to) the lost productivity of people driving constantly, companies are beginning to look at that cost, saying an extra few hundred thousand a year in property taxes is more than worth it,'' he said.

"It means employees can use the subways, get downtown faster for meetings or to the airport faster. Gridlock in the 905 is beginning to make the city of Toronto a lot more attractive to put offices,'' he argued.

Gillian MacCormack, a spokesperson for SNC Lavalin, declined to comment yesterday, saying negotiations are continuing. Zoning allows for a building of up to 22 storeys.

Now that the city has a likely "anchor tenant," Milczyn said, the property around the SNC Lavalin building probably will be used for an underground parking facility, a public square, and perhaps another tower that would let the city consolidate some of its own offices.

This article contradicts reports last year that gridlock was pushing businesses out of the city and into the suburbs, but it proves what the Toronto Board of Trade has been saying for years. Gridlock and car-based areas are unsustainable, and will eventually lead to economic collapse. In order to attract new commercial investment, suburbs need to aggressively deal with congestion and gridlock.

SNC-Lavalin has annual revenues of $2.8 billion US, and I'm sure that the City of Mississauga is kicking themselves for losing this headquarters. However, the subway is a better place, as there's already the infrastructure and services to accommodate the 1200 workers. This means that Mississauga Transit gets moved to better facilities at Kipling and a new GO terminal gets built (although which routes will use it remain a mystery to me), so overall, this is a good deal.

Labels: GO Transit, mississauga transit, subways, ttc, urban design

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 2:33 p.m. 2 Comments

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

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 12:30 p.m. 0 Comments

$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

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 6:33 p.m. 0 Comments

$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

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 2:46 p.m. 0 Comments

Late-October service changes

Here are the October service changes for some of the GTA systems:

TTC - October 15

• 23 Dawes, 15 Evans, 504 King, 102 Markham Rd & 73 Royal York all have increased service.
• 509 Harbourfront, 86 Scarborough, 85 Sheppard East & 165 Weston Rd North all have seasonal service reductions, due to fewer people going to Harbourfront, Metro Toronto Zoo and Canada's Wonderland, respectively.
• 192 Airport Rocket, 191 Highway 27 Rocket, 79 Scarlett Rd & 84 Sheppard West all have general schedule changes.
  
• 33 Forest Hill has been rerouted at the north end of the route for a trial period - again. Service is now 30 minutes instead of 20. Expect this to not be the last change this route sees.

Mississauga Transit - October 23

• Accessible service comes to 1 Dundas, 1C Dundas-Collegeway, 8 Cawthra-Indian road & 68 Windsor Hill
• 5B Dixie-Meyerside, 24 University, 34 Credit Valley & 42 Derry all have either improved frequency, more coverage or both.
• 38A Creditview-Argentia & 6 Credit Woodlands-Westdale both ahve new Sunday service, though 38A Sunday will not serve the Meadowpine Industrial area.

Brampton Transit - October 30

• Schedule adjustments come on 4 Chinguacousy (Saturday), 12 Grenoble (all days), 23 Sandalwood (all days), 53 Kingknoll (weekday) & 77 Finch Subway (weekday and Saturday)

York Region Transit - October 29

• 1 Highway 7 has its last two eastbound trips using highway 7 all the way to Markham-Stouffville Hospital.
• 4 Major Mackenzie stops serving Canada's Wonderland, and has changes to the first westbound trip.
• 9 Stouffville has more coverage in Stouffville, and changes to an afternoon rush trip.
• 20 Jane-Concord stops serving Canada's Wonderland, but like the 4, will return next year.
• 33 Wellington has changes to a morning rush trip to improve connections.
• 77 Highway 7-Centre, covered in the Brampton Transit section, has schedule changes in the afternoon rush and on Saturday.
• 91/91A Bayview South has changes to morning rush trips to improve connections.
• 300 Business Express will no longer serve Motorola, as VIVA does the job nicely. It's cut back to IBM with minor adjustments.
• 522 Markham Community Bus makes its debut, replacing Mobility Plus service in the area.
• 445 St Robert School Special has its morning 7:20 trip absorbed into the 82 schedule.
  

Labels: brampton transit, mississauga transit, service changes, ttc, york region transit

posted by Andrae Griffith @ 6:35 p.m. 0 Comments