Can subways build a transit city?
Rob Ford, Toronto's incoming mayor, was elected on a platform that called for subway construction instead of light rail construction. From the people I have spoken to, many are concerned about the future of Transit City, David Miller's initiative to build a series of light rail lines across Toronto. While there are many good reasons to forge ahead with Miller’s plan, what if we could build these proposed lines as subways. Are we still building Transit City?
Transit City became synonymous with light rail transit, but in many ways, the modal choice was the means to an ends. For transit city, the end goal was to add capacity and reliability to locally-oriented transit and to support constant strings of mid-rise development along Toronto's avenues. In essence, the true goal of Transit City was to transform suburban arteries into more vibrant, successful streets where people can live, work, play and shop. It was a project to urbanize the suburbs and attract investment by making these lands just as attractive for development as the downtown core. If subways can build a transit city, then these are the standards by which a subway plan must be measured.
Read more »Labels: GTTA plan, light rail, politics, streetcars, subways, ttc
Thoughts on transit platforms
With the Toronto mayoral election campaign in full swing, here are my thoughts on the transportation related issues that are at play.
Read more »Labels: cycling, light rail, politics, streetcars, subways
Visions for the GTTA: Rapid Transit, Part II
This post is a continuation of
this post.
Recommendation #3 - Quickly introduce Rocket service to major corridors
Within recent memory, several bus-based rapid transit projects have been implemented to improve transit service in the GTHA. Notables among them include iXpress, which snakes through Waterloo Region; A-Line and B-Line, forming a north-south network in Hamilton; and VIVA, York Region Transit's celebrated rapid transit network. In the fall of 2010, Zum in Brampton will come online and provide express service along the Queen Street corridor. While there is no question that these routes have been successful, they all run primarily in mixed traffic and they all experienced long implementation times. Zum, for example, can be traced back to 2004 - a six year lead time for only 1/3rd of the first phase.
[More after the jump...]
Read more »Labels: bus rapid transit, GTTA plan, light rail, streetcars
St. Clair streetcar anguish avoidable, study says - Toronto Star
It really irks me when people say "they won't construct ______ right in the end anyway, so we should oppose the project".
If I fail a test does it mean that I should drop out of school? No. It simply means that I need to learn from my mistakes.
According to the Toronto Star, the TTC has commissioned a review of the St. Clair streetcar right-of-way project to find out how the delays and cost escalations can be avoided when similar projects are constructed in the future. Some of the findings include a breakdown in coordination between the city, the TTC and Toronto Hydro, among others; the design changes that appeared to come "as an afterthought"; and the judicial review of the project.
With any large infrastructure project there will be disruption, but it is worth it. One cannot build a house without digging an ugly hole, and one cannot address congestion without ripping up the streets. The key is to learn from our mistakes and push forward to deliver the benefits to the community sooner.
Labels: municipal sillyness, streetcars
Error of omission
A Royson James column in today's star brings to light the reflections of Howard Levine, retired planner, city councillor and transit buff, on the St. Clair West streetcar project. Suffice to say, he is not very happy with the direction the city has gone with the project.
While many of his concerns are about design elements (which are inherently subjective), one point did catch my attention. When the line is done, travellers will save one minute on a complete trip from Jane to Yonge. While this is true, it ignores one fact - that the one minute saving is over the scheduled time. Since the delays due to traffic are habitual for any mixed traffic-streetcar, the community will benefit from reliable and predictable service. Also, since there is a limit to the level of practical service that mixed-traffic operation can provide, the right-of-way will allow for more frequent service.
$100 million for a minute saved is not a good investment, but such a conclusion can only be reached if one ignores most of the other benefits of the project. $100 million for reliable, higher capacity transit, streetscape improvements, jobs and general community investment is a pretty good investment if you ask me.
Labels: light rail, streetcars, ttc
Buy Canadian - If it works
Yesterday, Alstom decided to leave the bidding process, leaving Bombardier and Siemens as the remaining firms vying for the next generation streetcar contract. These vehicles will be longer to carry more passengers, will be accessible to those with mobility devices, and will have all-door boarding to reduce the time at stops and help keep service on schedule.
In these trying economic times it makes sense to me to award the contract to Bombardier (lets face it, either way there will be a significant minority of work done off-shore. But, Bombardier at least has their global headquarters in Canada), and
A Toronto Star article today reports on Bombardier plant workers begging for more work. In the first round of bidding, Bombardier's product was disqualified because they were not able to handle the tight curves of the system, primary at intersections. It is completely impractical to broaden these curves, as this could result in streetcars running onto the sidewalk or even requiring building demolitions. Awarding the contract to them would be irresponsible unless the vehicle they are proposing now is more capable.
A recommendation is expected to go to council on April 27th, and while I hope that we can use this contract to stimulate the economy within the province, it's pointless if the product we'll be receiving has a limited use.
In other news, the TTC is moving forward with their plan to eliminate free parking for metropass users at certain commuter parking lots. It's slightly unclear how people will respond to this measure, but I see it as being a factor of location. Drivers from the 416 will likely switch to feeder bus services, which are fairly frequent and will result in no additional cost. Those who must drive will have to make a cost-benefit analysis between parking at their workplace or parking at a commuter parking lot. In the 905, that same cost-benefit analysis will take place, but the feeder bus options are very limited due to poor coverage and poor frequencies on many routes compared to the 905. GO might become the preferred mode for some, but unless we improve bus service coverage in the 905, this move will be a net loss for our transit network.
Labels: GO Transit, politics, service changes, streetcars, ttc
The New Streetcars - don't act so surprised
Major news outlets are now reporting the story, but credit must be given to wil9402 on the Canadian Public Transportation Discussion Board for reporting that only two companies have submitted bids to build the next generation of Toronto's streetcars.
One is a company from UK called TRAM Power Ltd. They have built a prototype which operated in Blackpool for a few years, but haven't really made a name for themselves until now. The other is Bombardier.
Surprisingly, Siemens did not bid on this contract, citing technological and financial reasons - but this might actually be a good thing. CBC Radio reported earlier today that Bombardier was unaware of Siemens pulling out, hinting that Canada's favorite transportation company may have lowballed their bid If that is the case, and Bombardier is awarded the contract, then the citizens of Toronto stand to gain. Of course, the TTC could re-issue the tender, but I have a feeling that it was the unique requirements of Toronto's network (or maybe the Can-Con requirements) that kept the European manufacturers from bidding.
If Bombardier is awarded the contract, the new vehicles will likely resemble their FLEXITY family of European Trams, will be 100% low floor, and will feature all-door boarding with an alternate fare payment system. Hopefully, this will take the form of the Presto smart fare card, and not some stop-gap solution while the TTC crawls on its Presto implementation. They will be uni-directional, and will only have doors on one side. The first cars will be equipped with Trolley poles, but will be upgradeable to European-style pantographs when the network is ready.
As for the cars to be used on the Transit City network, there is some confusion. Initially, the TTC had indicated that these cars would be based on the downtown cars, but would be longer, have cabs at both ends and doors on both sides. Now, there are suggestions that the Transit City cars will be based on off-the-shelf designs, making them incompatible with the downtown network. I think that this would be shortsighted, as maximizing existing maintenance facilities at TTC carhouses will save us money in the long run.
The first vehicles should appear in Toronto around 2010, around the same time as the new subway cars arrive. It should be a very interesting year for transit in Toronto.
Labels: light rail, streetcars, ttc
Over at Spacing Toronto, Sean Marshall has an
excellent article about the relationship between transit and development - light rail and suburban avenues in particular.
One thing we have to remember when building a transit line is that that ridership is only one of many factors, and the desired character of the streets is very important in making these choices. As Sean says, subways tend to result in clusters of very high density around the stations, with little in between (as we've seen on Sheppard). Bus rapid transit and light rail (and subways with very close station spacing) tend to cause the development to even out along the line, as we've seen on Queen. We have to be very careful about what changes we make, as they might forever change the character of the street.
Labels: light rail, streetcars, urban design
Streetcar doored by would-be thief - Toronto Star
Streetcar doored by would-be thief
December 29, 2007
JEFFERY TODD
STAFF REPORTER
A thief carrying a box of stolen goods attempted escape using a taxi, but was foiled when he opened the door into an oncoming TTC streetcar, police say.
Not only was the suspect arrested for theft, but he was also ticketed for opening a door into traffic, said Sgt. Ralph Brookes.
The incident happened around 8 a.m. Saturday, near Dundas St. and Dovercourt Rd., when the suspect stole a box from a commercial truck making morning deliveries and then ran for the cab, throwing the box in the vehicle’s trunk.
The streetcar damaged the cab’s door, ending any chance of escape for the hapless thief.
“One of the issues we have in this city is when people open doors into traffic,” Brookes said, adding, “Streetcars can’t swerve.” Police didn’t know what was in the box.
No major injuries were reported in the accident.
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Streetcars - fighting for truth, justice and the Canadian way.
Labels: streetcars
Blueprints for a better tomorrow
The specs for the new streetcars to be travelling Toronto's streets starting in 2010 were released today, and I must say it looks pretty exciting. Here's what we can expect:
General Features
- The vehicles will likely be 100% low floor. A 70% low floor design is allowed, but the specs seemed to be written in such a way as to severely discourage it.
- The first batch will be single-ended, so loops will continue to be used for the foreseeable future. Trolley poles will stay for the time being. Double-ended cars with doors on both sides and with pantographs will be used on the Transit City lines.
- The vehicles will be constructed with lightweight, high performance and environmentally friendly materials.
- The vehicles will meet fire, smoke, toxicity and tunnel safety standards.
- The length will vary between 27 metres and 30 metres (88.6 to 98 feet), depending on the winning design. In comparison, the ALRVs are 23.3 metres (75 feet).
- They will have three powered trucks, which will allow them to climb the hill to operate on St. Clair. ALRVs cannot do this reliably, which is why they don't normally go that far north.
- They will be able to "limp home" under reduced power, reducing the chance of a disabled car holding up the line.
- There will be no fare boxes. Manufactures have to supply the pre-wiring for at-door fare payment systems - Does this mean that Presto will be fully implemented on the TTC by then?
- All exterior lights will be LEDs.
Safety Features
- Vehicles will use the TTC's Safety Certificate Plan requirements.
- The end structural stiffness requirements will be reduced, but only to European standards. Since the Europeans run trains faster and more frequently than we do, I'm not worried.
- Additional side impact protection will be used, since the cars will be low floor instead of the floor being safely above the roofs of most cars.
- "Do Not Pass" signs will illuminate whenever the doors open, hopefully being as effective as school bus stop signals.
- Security cameras will help monitor the long cars.
Passenger Features
- The door entrances will be 350 mm from the road. This is a step up of only about the height of a elementary school ruler.
- Each section of the car will have doors, and an accessible ramp will work with both curb-side and street-level stops.
- All vehicles will have driver-controlled air conditioning.
- The tops of the windows will "tip-in" to open, but I have heard elsewhere that they are looking for a way to lock the windows closed when the AC is on.
- Public address system, LED electronic destination signs, and two wheelchair tie-downs will be standard.
- Emergency alarms like on the subway will be installed.
- Audio and video stop announcements will be standard equipment, with the possibility of a video messaging system on-board.
- All handrails will have anti-microbial coatings.
Operator Features
- The operators will have his own cab, and may even get hand controls.
- They driver will have a display which monitors all on-board systems to better identify problems.
- Manufactures have to pre-wire for the TTC to install its own communications equipment.
- All drivers mirrors will be heated and electronically operated.
- There will be secondary controls at the rear of the vehicle for safety when reversing.
Propulsion & Braking
- The traction motors will use advanced A.C. electric technology and will have regenerative braking.
- Accelration and braking will be about the same as a CLRV.
- A vehicle must be able to push another disabled vehicle anywhere on the TTC network - an engineering marvel and the main reason why ALRVs don't operate into Union Station.
- There will be three independent braking systems (like on existing vehicles), ensuring that they will be able to stop under all conditions.
Door Equipment
- Doors will be opened with a button beside the doors on both the inside and the outside of the vehicle. When the driver unlocks the doors, the button will light up allowing people to open the doors themselves.
- Stop requests will be cords and buttons on the handles, keeping things familiar.
- "Accessibility Request" buttons will allow wheelchair users to let the driver know they want the ramp deployed.
I'm definitely looking forward to these new vehicles, but what amazes me is that all engineering that will go into them. The TTC is asking for high-tech, state-of-the-art vehicles which can operate on the circa-1925 network. They are asking for cars which are lightweight, but can push another one up an 8% grade. They are asking for cars which are larger than an ALRV, but accelerate and brake better than the smaller CLRV - it's like asking for a Hummer that handles like a Mini.
Regardless of who wins this design competition, the TTC and the City of Toronto will be much better for it. Hopefully, this will bring a streetcar renaissance and renewed love for our red rockets.
Labels: streetcars, ttc
Editorial Cartoon (September 8, 2007) - Toronto Star
If the city really wants to convince citizens that light rail is the way to go, then perhaps the word "streetcar" should be banished from the vocabulary. I know that a streetcar, a tram and a light rail vehicle are all the same thing, but people hear "streetcar" and think the above.
Labels: streetcars
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
The great Toronto streetcar debate - Toronto Star
The great Toronto streetcar debate
We like to say we love our streetcars, but we never seem to give them pride of place on our roads. Like it or not, that may be about to change
July 15, 2007
Murray Whyte
Toronto Star
A sharp clang rings out on Dundas St. as the worker in the sweaty hard hat swings his iron mallet at the massive metal claw again, again and again.
Thick brown fluid oozes from a rusty joint and dribbles onto a mound of dusty concrete boulders, piled on what was left of Dundas St. here, west of Ossington Ave.
From behind temporary metal barricades, a small crowd had assembled to survey the scene: four city workers tending roughly to the wounded paw of a hobbled backhoe, its roadbed-tearing tasks unexpectedly done for the day.
One man takes a final draw on his cigarette. "Streetcars," he says, tossing the glowing butt into the rubble before shuffling away. "Waste of time."
Careful, now. In a city with few sacred cows, the Red Rocket occupies a particularly exalted place – even when it's been crippled by torn-up tracks in dire need of replacement, like here on Dundas.
"Nobody runs around saying they love the streetcar, until you try to touch them," says TTC spokesperson Marilyn Bolton.
"Then, look out."
Indeed, since it was rescued from certain death in the early 1970s by a dogged citizen movement, the streetcar, like the CN Tower or the Gardiner Expressway, has become one of our few enduring, if not universally loved, urban icons. It's fair to say no one ever got misty-eyed about a bus. But rumbling quietly along city streets, the streetcar represents, for many, a more civilized mode of in-city travel – the romance of the railway, urban-style.
"There's just something about riding the rails," says TTC chair Adam Giambrone.
But it's not all about the charm. Streetcars move more people than buses, last longer (as much as three times longer, up to 40 years), and, thanks to the system's web of overhead electric wires, run cleanly and exhaust-free. TTC statistics show that the Dufferin bus, the city's heaviest-volume bus, carries slightly more than 30,000 people per day; the King streetcar moves almost 50,000.
"The average car in Toronto carries 1.1 people," Giambrone says. "A streetcar displaces 130 cars. We're all citizens. If you assign everyone one value point, that streetcar takes priority."
All that has convinced the TTC commissioner that the future belongs to streetcars and their ilk. The city is shopping around for a fleet of new streetcars, 204 in all, at about $3 million each. Giambrone's long-term plan is a massive commitment to streetcars and light rail, in both the city's core and the distant points surrounding it.
But as the eight-months-long track replacement along Dundas St. (it started in March) shows, love can be hard sometimes.
Track maintenance is extravagant, inconvenient and painful. The Dundas reconstruction, from Howard Park Ave. in the west all the way to Broadview Ave. in the east, is the last in a series of such makeovers since the mid-'90s – tracks on King, Queen and College Sts. were all replaced in recent years. The cost of the Dundas project alone to the cash-strapped TTC: $45 million.
As the reconstruction continues in increments of several blocks, it crimps business along the busy commercial strip (by "25 per cent," guesses Maria Da Silva, the manager of Caldense Bakery at Dundas and Grove Ave., estimating the hit since construction began), clots up other important east-west arteries with overflow traffic, and coats nearby neighbourhoods in a thin layer of fine, white concrete dust.
And even when they are running, streetcars have their enemies. Drivers hate the way they create bottlenecks on major arterials, loading and unloading slowly, their open doors holding back traffic.
For passengers, they can be slow and rigid. Anything in their path – an illegally parked car, construction, an accident – stops them dead, because, of course, they can't go around. The service is unreliable: A petition is currently circulating on Queen St. E., decrying a frequency that, on paper, is promised every six minutes but sometimes stretches out to half an hour or more.
"The service is so bad, we had to do something," says Renee Knight, the petition's creator. "Don't get me wrong – I love the streetcar. This is the only way we can tell the TTC, and the city: `Hey, we care about this. We really care.'"
It's been a long time since Torontonians showed a mass outpouring of love for their streetcar system – at least since activists campaigned for its survival back in 1971.
And it will take a lot of care to restore it to its former glory. Our streetcar system ran on 48 streets in the 1940s. Now it has just 11 routes. As the sales pitch on the transfer slip for the Coxwell streetcar, now defunct, once read, circa World War II, "Your goodwill and support do promote good service."
"Streetcars are staying," read the headline in this newspaper on June 9, 1971. And Sam Cass was fuming. Less than a week before, Cass, the Metro Toronto traffic commissioner, had watched as city council let his dream die: the Spadina Expressway, which would have cleaved the Annex in two with six lanes of onrushing – or, more likely, gridlocked – cars, spiriting drivers from the outer suburbs into downtown and back.
And now this. Transit had long been an irritant for Cass, who loathed the streetcar system because it blocked his downtown traffic initiatives, like one-way streets. "No-one has found a way to get the motorist out of his car," Cass had grumpily professed in the mid-'60s, just as the Bloor subway line was being built. He told a reporter that the city's $136-million commitment to the service was "building ourselves into a box."
Despite Cass's protestations, a few decades on Toronto's contentious decision to keep its streetcars seems prescient, indeed. In Canada, it's the only streetcar system left – a shame, given the current thinking. "There is overwhelming support continent-wide for rejuvenating our heritage streetcar systems," says Amer Shalaby, a University of Toronto public transit expert.
With all of this, a very old circle is finally closing: The streetcar, abandoned as an anachronism years ago, is now seen as the transit mode of the future, along with its modern-day progeny, light-rail transit.
Charlotte, Tampa, Dallas, San Diego, Portland, Memphis, Los Angeles and Minneapolis are only a few of the North American cities re-embracing the streetcar. In Europe, where people have been better at embracing transit than car-crazy North Americans, streetcars never died.
Forty per cent of European commuters take transit, whereas in Toronto, the figure is only 18 per cent, yet it still stands as one of the highest on this continent.
Last year, total streetcar ridership here went up by 10 million, to 52 million-plus. And this year, the federal, provincial and civic governments have promised $6.1 billion to the building of 120 kilometres of new light-rail lines in Toronto by 2021, linking distant suburbs and the airport to the city centre (the Feds have agreed in theory, but have yet to write the cheque). When all the new lines are open, they'll carry an additional 175 million people per year.
While the new trains are not exactly streetcars, they'll function how streetcars are meant to: on their own, dedicated rights-of-way.
The systems have not been without their critics, most prominent among them the late John Kain, a Harvard economist who in 1965 co-authored one of the most influential modern tomes on public transit, The Urban Transportation Problem, a study that famously attacked rail transit's economic practicality.
Dubbed "the rail-basher's bible" by those in the field, Kain's stance didn't soften in the intervening decades. "With few exceptions," Kain wrote in a study for the Brookings Institute in 1999, "academic studies of the cost-effectiveness of alternative modes of transportation have found that some form of express bus system ... would have lower costs and higher performance than either light or heavy rail systems in nearly all, if not all, U.S. cities."
Kain would have supporters on St. Clair Ave. Witness the great hue and cry there recently, where a vociferous gang of local merchants pushed back hard when told their street would sacrifice a parking lane for a dedicated streetcar right-of-way. "They thought, `This will destroy the area,'" recalls local merchant Gino Cucchi.
Cucchi, who came to Canada in 1958 and started the menswear shop Gino Fashion, has watched St. Clair flourish, and then, as suburban malls became a retail force, make a long, slow decline.
As vice-chair of the area's Business Improvement Association, Cucchi took it upon himself to advocate for the streetcar right-of-way in the neighbourhood. "The idea, for me, was to keep the customers here, not send them to Yorkdale Mall," he says.
The best way to do that, he believes, is with fast, reliable transit. "In a year, St. Clair will be beautiful, clean, alive again, and it will be because of the streetcar."
He can steer them to Spadina Ave., where opposition to the streetcar right-of-way began in 1973, when it was first tabled, and remained entrenched until it opened in 1997, and proved all the opponents gloriously wrong.
"The loss of parking was fought tooth and nail," recalls Steve Munro, who runs a website, stevemunro.ca, devoted to transit issues. "The theory being that, without parking, Spadina's commercial aspect would wither away to nothing. But look at the number of people on Spadina every day, shopping. They didn't get there by driving."
Munro, 58, was one of the activists who saved Toronto streetcars from certain death in 1971. Though he's never worked for the transit commission – he's a technology services manager with the Toronto District School Board – he speaks about it with a degree of ownership. He refers to transit initiatives as "we" – "We already run a streetcar on King every two minutes, at least on the schedule" – and recently drafted a paper on how that King car, besieged by burgeoning ridership from rapid west-end development, ought to function, which the TTC is reviewing. "Transit City," the name of the TTC's rail plan for 2021, was Munro's phrase.
He knows the system has fallen a long way from its apex. "There was a real sense then of people – I wouldn't quite say loving the streetcar, but being very fond of them," he says.
"These days, the feedback I get on my site from people who hate streetcars has nothing to do with the streetcars themselves. It's that it represents, for a lot of people, crappy, crowded, unreliable service."
Before the city renewed its commitment to streetcars in the mid-'90s, the service was shedding routes, cars and ridership while the tracks deteriorated in shoddy, short-term concrete beds.
Since then, the TTC has been playing catch-up. Replacing ailing track beds, patched in the '80s on the cheap, and running the lines – badly, most say – on a near-impossible budget has cost the city not just millions of dollars, but the confidence of riders. And Giambrone knows it will be a chore to earn it back.
"`Do something about King!' – I hear that all the time," he says. "Well, what do you want me to do about it? If I add another streetcar, it just gets eaten up in traffic."
Giambrone knows a way to stop that from happening: giving all streetcars their own right of way, like on Spadina, but also giving operators the power to change the traffic lights in their favour.
In other words, in Giambrone's world, if you drive, you can wait. "That's what being a `Transit City' is all about," he says. "This is why we have to advance the debate."
To that end, an experiment: Giambrone green-lighted a temporary right-of-way on King St. later this year between Yonge St. and University Ave., wiping away taxi lanes and street parking – for a few weeks, at least. "People will see that the world doesn't end," he says. "And then we'll talk about expanding it."
Speaking of world endings, back amid the rubble on Dundas St., Binh Tran, owner of Kim Jewellers, regarded the proceedings with a shrug. "What can you do?" he said. "It's bad for business, sure. It's bad for everybody. But it's not like they do it every year. We just hope they do it quickly. When it's over, we'll be fine."
Tran cited the gain, for all the pain: less pollution, more eyes on the street. "People can see the businesses as they pass and, maybe next time, they'll stop and buy something. We need the streetcar. I really believe it helps keep us alive."
Endnote: streetcars
In researching this story about Toronto streetcars, I came across an old radio clip in the CBC's online archives. On Sept. 15, 1955, Mayor George Edward Sharpe of Winnipeg delivered an address to Winnipeggers as he accepted the city transit commission's proposal to retire the city's streetcar system in favour of diesel buses.
"I know I speak for all citizens when we wave goodbye to this final streetcar that we know another big step has been taken in the progress of our city," he said. He wouldn't live long enough to be proven wrong – he died in 1985 – but I can assure you he would have accepted it graciously.
I say this with some certainty because George Sharpe was my grandfather, and a kinder, more humane person you could scarcely imagine. He, like so many municipal leaders of the time, chose to do away with the streetcar system because he sincerely believed it was not the better way.
That belief has, of course, been proven wrong-headed by the enduring efficiency of streetcar systems in Europe and the more recent re-implementation of modern streetcar systems across North America.
And there's a poetry to it, really, as the circle closes – this old form, abandoned long ago as archaic, resurging as the wave of the future. It's a poetry I know he'd appreciate, were he here to see it.
To listen to the clip, go to http://archives.cbc.ca type "Sharpe" and "streetcar" in the search window.
Like the CN Tower, the islands and multi-culturalism, the streetcar is an icon that Toronto is better for having. May they ply our streets for decades to come.
Labels: streetcars
Streetcars' `wheel squeal' driving reader to despair - Toronto Star
Streetcars' `wheel squeal' driving reader to despair
June 28, 2007
Jack Lakey
Staff Reporter
Kimberly Tiessen is being driven around the bend by the ceaseless screeching of streetcars that have reached the end of the line.
Tiessen lives near the TTC's streetcar turnaround loop at the east end of the Queen St. route, at the corner of Neville Park Blvd. Eastbound streetcars turn south and wind their way around the curved track before heading west.
As long as streetcars are on straight track, their steel wheels don't make much sound.
But when they travel curved track, such as a loop, the surface of the wheel moves across the track at an angle, creating friction, while the part that extends over the side of the rail also rubs against it.
The result is a loud squealing sound, which has long been a source of annoyance for people who live near loops or curved track.
For decades, the TTC used a system that squirted water onto the tracks, which serves as a lubricant to reduce the sound, but it doesn't work in cold weather.
Other things have been tried that have reduced the squealing, but not eliminated it.
Tiessen sent us a highly descriptive email about how the noise from the Neville Park loop is driving her nuts. And with 24-hour streetcar service on Queen, it never ends.
"For the love of my sanity, sleep and overall well-being, will somebody please, please help with the streetcar screeching!"
Every time a streetcar enters the loop, she describes it as "11 seconds straight of that God-awful, fingers down a chalkboard, eye-piercing screech.
This isn't once a night, it's ALL night and day long.
"Eleven seconds may not seem like a long time, but close your eyes, imagine the quiet and stillness of the night, and count to 11. Imagine, all night, every few minutes, all you hear is screeching!
For the love of Pete, can't the TTC do something here?
"This is really driving me crazy. I beg of you, help stop the noise!"
STATUS: Jim Teeple, who's in charge of streetcar track issues for the TTC, said a state-of-the-art system for reducing "wheel squeal," as they call it, is already in place at the Neville Park loop. It applies a coating of Teflon to the tracks, but due to the angle of curvature, it cannot entirely eliminate the screech. For now, it's the best they can do, he said.
Welcome to the city. There are noises in the city. There's always houses in the suburbs. I would gladly swap houses with you.
Labels: streetcars
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
Service fit for a king
A comedian once said:
"I live at King and Dufferin. I take the Dufferin bus. I would take the King streetcar, but it is a myth. You have a greater chance of seeing a dragon than the King streetcar.
I once saw a dragon. I would have gladly climbed on his back and valiantly ridden him downtown... But he said he was turning at Bathurst."
Service on King is run as frequently as two minutes, which, according to the TTC, is unheard of for street railways operating in mixed traffic. Streetcars often get bunched up and crush loaded, to the point where the commission operates 30% more cars than necessary during the morning peak period. Yet, the problems continue. Something must be done, and a new TTC report poses some solutions and calls upon the TTC to get the city (who has jurisdiction over some of the proposals) on board. Here's what's on the table:
Approve a demonstration project for July and August 2008 which would temporarily implement a plan that was first proposed in 2001. This plan calls for a type of streetcar right-of-way where one curb lane would be converted to an extended sidewalk, alternating each block. Car traffic would only be allowed to make a right turn onto King, then would have to make a right turn off at the next intersection. Left turns would be banned, and streetcar tracks would only be used by cars to get around a stopped delivery truck. It's hard to visualize from the description, but here's a few images from Transit Toronto, which posted them from the original report:
Note in figure 2 how there is a car in front of the streetcar in the foreground. If that car is making a left turn then the streetcar will be delayed, likely for the entire traffic cycle. At two minute frequency, bunching is the end result.
I am in favour of this plan, but the business community is already (like they were in 2001) against it, citing the loss of parking among other things. Like some of the other proponents of the plan, I question how much on-street parking actually adds to the total parking along the King corridor. With Steve Munro saying that the 504 car has a 60% market share of transit between Strachan and Yonge, the argument that on-street parking is vital to allowing people to access the area doesn't seem as believable to me.
Here's what else is being proposed:
- Rescind the bylaw that bans traffic from using the streetcar tracks on certain sections of King during the peak hours because it isn't being enforced.
- Designate King between Dufferin and Parliament a "Transit Priority Zone", where traffic violations are more severely punished.
- Expand the red light camera program to catch people who do illegal left turns and park and stop illegally.
- Construct taxi bays in the business district to allow taxis to stop without blocking traffic.
- Direct the police to arrange ongoing enforcement of the traffic laws.
I'm in favour of all of those proposals except for the first one. Simply because we don't enforce the bylaw doesn't mean we should repeal it. We should keep in on the books, just in case the political will to enforce it comes back. The TTC isn't considering a proof-of-payment system yet, but with the fare card likely allowing all-door boarding on the streetcars of the future, they might as well wait. Also, the extended sidewalks from the plan could allow for restaurants to increase the size of their patios, a peace offering they will no doubt appreciate.
King Street is synonymous with the entertainment district, an area on anyone's shortlist of what makes Toronto what it is. We need to ensure its success, but success has to be measured in how many people can access the neighborhood, not how many cars we can cram onto the road. Success of the 504 car helps the success of the neighborhood.
Labels: GTTA plan, streetcars, ttc, urban design
Streetcars no answer for disabled riders - Toronto Star
Streetcars no answer for disabled riders
March 18, 2007
TTC plans light rail web
March 16.
I am pleased that public transportation is getting a boost, but new streetcar lines will not do much for passengers on crutches, in wheelchairs, pushing strollers, or hauling large loads of groceries. I am offended that decisions continue to be made about GTA transportation without taking mobility-impaired customers' needs into account.
Sara Scharf, Toronto
I recognize that the TTC and the city needs to do a better job differentiating between the system we've had now and the system being proposed, but come on, the words "low floor" and "accessible" had to have been used no less than 86 times in the report and from the mouths of the Mayor, the TTC chair, and other city officials. I'm all for people having their opinions, but they have to be informed opinions. People like this drive me crazy.
Labels: light rail, streetcars, ttc
Welcome To Transit City
"The Toronto Transit City plan is a bold vision for public transit. It will allow us to tackle climate change and reduce congestion, while improving service in all parts of the city." - Mayor David Miller
The mayor took the words right out of my mouth. This vision is bold and achieves many of the priorities the TTC has set out, builds many of the routes I've proposed in my GTTA plan, and brings transit to all corners of the city while allowing for extensions into the 905. There is literally something for everyone in this plan.
Lets go into detail:
The Don Mills corridor runs from Steeles to Bloor, via Don Mills Road and the Don Valley. The estimated annual ridership would be 21.2 million in 2021, and the line would cost $675 million for 18 km of surface LRT.
Since this line is pretty close to my GTTA proposal, I'm very excited. Its been a priority for some time, and with the line already in the EA process, its likely to be one of the first ones built. I recommend extending the line north into the Beaver Creek business area in Markham, to at least Highway 7. There's a huge number of workers in that area and condos under development, and it would connect to VIVA. I also recommend an extension southwards, paralleling the Don Valley. It could then swing west to Union Station via the railway corridor or via the Waterfront.
The Eglinton Crosstown Corridor runs from Kennedy Station to Pearson Airport, along Eglinton Avenue. The estimated annual ridership would be 53 million in 2021, and the cost will be $2.2 billion for 31 km of surface LRT with an underground section between Laird and Keele.
Another line which I proposed, this corridor is necessary as a crosstown alternative to the subway. It cuts through the some of the most dense areas outside of downtown, and provides the key rapid transit connection to the airport. Connections with the Mississauga busway will be sufficient for now, but the ultimate plan should be to incorporate the busway into an LRT branch. Out on the east end, this line should be merged with the proposed Scarborough Malvern corridor.
The Etobicoke-Finch West Corridor runs from Finch Station to Humber College, along Finch Avenue. The estimated annual ridership would be 25 million in 2021, and would cost $835 million for 18 km of surface LRT.
The line that surprised me the most, as every other proposal to date was to use the hydro corridor to get to Eglinton and Martin Grove from Finch and Weston. This will probably serve more people and will definitely provide a connection to Humber College. Extensions into Mississagua are possible, or into the far east end of Brampton.
The Jane Corridor runs from Steeles to Bloor, along Jane Street. The estimated annual ridership in 2021 is 25 million, and the cost is $630 million for 17 km of surface LRT.
There's definitely a need for rapid transit on Jane. Its one of the most frequent routes, and normally ends up bunching up. Possible extensions should take the line down the Humber River and into Union Station either by the Waterfront or by the railway corridor. There's also a connection to an extended St. Clair streetcar.
The Scarborough Malvern Corridor runs from Kennedy Station to Malvern along Eglinton, Kingston and Morningside. The estimated annual ridership in 2021 is 14 million, and the cost is $630 million for 15 km of surface LRT.
The line completes my GTA Line proposal, so I believe it and the Eglinton Crosstown Corridor should be one and the same. It will provide service to West Hill and to the University of Toronto, and provides a back-route into Malvern. Possible extensions go into Durham Region, or if not, by the Sheppard East corridor.
The Sheppard East Corridor runs from Don Mills to Malvern along Sheppard. The estimated annual ridership in 2021 would be 17 million, and the cost is $555 million for 14 km of surface LRT (which a short underground section at Don Mills).
I think I have a real problem with this line. If constructed, the cost of extending the subway goes up because of the financial hit we'll take demolishing the LRT. Essentially, it means that the Sheppard Subway dies. I do like the possible extensions into Durham Region, but I can't get over the fact that it will economically preclude subway construction. If this line is built as BRT (cheaper to build, cheaper to demolish), or if the existing subway tunnels are converted to LRT standards (to offer through service to Yonge), then it will have my full support.
The Waterfront West Corridor runs from Exhibition Loop to Roncesvalles & Queen, offering through service from Lake Shore and the Queensway to Union Station via the waterfront. Estimated annual ridership in 2021 would be 21 million, and the cost would be $540 million for 11 km of surface LRT.
In lieu of improving service on the 501 Queen, this is the next best thing to bring more people in from South Etobicoke. I'd like to see it connect with a southern extension of the Jane Corridor, and see connections with the Waterfront East corridor and the Don Mills Corridor.
As for the other plans on the books, there's:
- The Harbourfront / Waterfont East LRT - To serve the eastern waterfront, and possibly to bring the Don Mills Corridor into Union Station.
- The North Yonge busway -Speeding up buses on Yonge between Steeles and Finch.
- The Spadina Subway Extension - To bring the subway into Vaughan.
- The St. Clair Streetcar - To be completed and extended to at least Jane.
- The Scarborough RT - To be extended to at least Sheppard.
- The Kingston Road streetcars - To be extended to Eglinton.
All of these projects are in various stages of the planning process, but are integral parts of the whole transit picture. They should not be forgotten.
And so ends the post I had begun at 4:00 this afternoon. Transit city has been revealed, and aside from answering the funding questions, we he have a good plan to move forward with. If we make the commitments and stick to them, this plan stands a chance to bring about real change for a real city.
The button logos are from the City of Toronto.
Labels: bus rapid transit, GTTA plan, light rail, politics, streetcars, subways, ttc
The missing link
Just like a chain, a transit network is only as strong as its weakest link. That weak link was exposed this morning.
An early morning accident on Bathurst had the street closed between College and Ulster, causing Bathurst streetcars to divert along College and up Spadina to the subway. The problem is that the only way to get to St. Clair is up Bathurst, so this accident has prevented St. Clair cars from coming into service.
If St. Clair Avenue is supposed to be a major transit corridor, then we have to find another way to get streetcars into service in case the only route is blocked. In 1997, the TTC considered a plan, but dropped it due to low ridership. However, they suggested it may be feasible in the future if certain conditions were met. I quote from the 1997 report "Opportunities For New Streetcar Routes":
As part of the analysis of conversion of existing bus routes to streetcar routes, consideration was given to extension of the 512 ST CLAIR streetcar route west from its present terminus at Gunn's Loop to Runnymede Road, replacing the current 71 RUNNYMEDE bus over this section. This conversion did not rank highly, largely because of the existing low ridership levels on the bus route. This area is subject to considerable potential development, however, and a re-evaluation of an extension of the 512 ST CLAIR streetcar to Runnymede Road will be made once significant development in the neighborhood is committed, and when possible ridership increase information is available from the example of the 510 SPADINA bus-to-streetcar conversion. As development in the area continues, TTC staff will continue to protect property for this possible extension.
Also considered in this analysis was the conversion of the 40 JUNCTION bus route to streetcar operation. This conversion did not rank highly in most measures, except in the number of customer-trips per peak vehicle, where the route ranked fourth. As a result of the relatively low ranking, no further action should be taken. If the 512 ST CLAIR route were to be extended to Runnymede Loop, then the conversion of the 40 JUNCTION route to streetcar (or, reconversion, as this part of Dundas Street was served by streetcars until the opening of the Bloor Subway in 1966) should be re-examined, as there is potential for operating cost savings on the 512 ST CLAIR streetcar route, if cars can enter service on St. Clair from Roncesvalles carhouse using the shorter route that would be possible on Roncesvalles, Dundas, and Runnymede. For this reason, TTC staff will advocate protecting for the possible future conversion of 40 JUNCTION to streetcar operation in any development plans in th Junction.
In my opinion, the conditions which prevented these plans from being enacted have now been met. The Junction has seen significant development along Dundas approaching Runnymede and even Scarlett Road, and there is a large property on St. Clair between Runnymede and Jane that is prime for redevelopment. Most would agree that the Spadina Streetcar has been a success, and that today has shown that efficiency can be gained from having a back road onto St. Clair. The time is right for this proposal, as it can bring real transit service to an under-serviced area.
Labels: GTTA plan, streetcars, ttc
Dundas Track Project 2007
As you may have heard, the TTC will be reconstructing streetcar tracks along the 505 route between Broadview and Howard Park this summer. This means service disruptions along the route between April and November. Many media outlets are declaring this work an attack on the residents of Regent Park, who will see service along Dundas removed for a good part of the construction project. Here's two main reasons why the media needs to take a breather (but they won't, because they're the media).
- Once completed, the route won't need to be reconstructed for another 25 years, or whenever the street physically collapses.
- If the tracks were left to deteriorate and a streetcar actually derailed, who would the media blame for 'endangering the lives of Regent Park residents'?
Labels: streetcars, ttc
