[Amare]

Could you suggest something better that fits in the small footprint of these street median platforms? Maybe find an example of one?

I’m not saying you can’t do this, I just think it would be more productive to the argument for something better. As I’ve explained it in my previous reply I can’t think of a better design without breaking the bank or relocating the platforms.

Here are a couple examples of places that have come up with or have had functional designs:

1) From car lovers paradise Houston:

Source

2) Toronto (Spadina Streetcar stops before Astral Media screwed our designs):

Source

See it's really not hard to come up with a design that's actually useful. You (Metrolinx i'm referring to specifically) just has to use their imagination or $$ to look at places that have had useful designs, instead of pissing away dollars and hiring consultants who come up with pathetic designs that are virtually useless.

 

[Mount Dennis Resident]

Here are a couple examples of places that have come up with or have had functional designs:

1) From car lovers paradise Houston:
View attachment 524255
Source

2) Toronto (Spadina Streetcar stops before Astral Media screwed our designs):

View attachment 524261
Source

See it's really not hard to come up with a design that's actually useful. You (Metrolinx i'm referring to specifically) just has to use their imagination or $$ to look at places that have had useful designs, instead of pissing away dollars and hiring consultants who come up with pathetic designs that are virtually useless.

The bottom image is a Flexity Outlook streetcar.

The Finch West LRT (Line 6) will be using Alstom Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles.

BTW. Alstom bought Bombardier's rail transportation division.

 

[nfitz]

The bottom image is a Flexity Outlook streetcar.

The Finch West LRT (Line 6) will be using Alstom Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles.

BTW. Alstom bought Bombardier's rail transportation division.

How's that related to the shelters? Are you saying there's a difference between the vehicles, that the shelters need to be different?

 

[Mount Dennis Resident]

How's that related to the shelters? Are you saying there's a difference between the vehicles, that the shelters need to be different?

Sorry about that.

Likely the shelters were all from the same manufacture, with the lowest bids.

 

[adys123]

The biggest challenges with shelters is space. With modern clearway width requirements to accommodate mobility devices, a wider platform is required for more substantial shelters. Now it is a matter of deciding what the priority is in allocating road space, but it is very unlikely to be a conscientious decision to use a less coverage shelter and rather a space constraint.

 

[Amare]

The biggest challenges with shelters is space. With modern clearway width requirements to accommodate mobility devices, a wider platform is required for more substantial shelters. Now it is a matter of deciding what the priority is in allocating road space, but it is very unlikely to be a conscientious decision to use a less coverage shelter and rather a space constraint.

Platform space is not an impediment to create platforms with a larger canopy overhang/more coverage in this case. It's just Metrolinx being lazy and not thinking things through from a user standpoint.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

Here are a couple examples of places that have come up with or have had functional designs:

1) From car lovers paradise Houston:
View attachment 524255
Source

2) Toronto (Spadina Streetcar stops before Astral Media screwed our designs):

View attachment 524261
Source

See it's really not hard to come up with a design that's actually useful. You (Metrolinx i'm referring to specifically) just has to use their imagination or $$ to look at places that have had useful designs, instead of pissing away dollars and hiring consultants who come up with pathetic designs that are virtually useless.

the probelem with these was the suport coloms for the roof made it hard for people in wheelchairs to navgate them. They were fine when we and the inacseable C:RV's using them but having low floor vechels whit ramp for assceaabuilty men they neded to be redsigened.

 

[adys123]

Platform space is not an impediment to create platforms with a larger canopy overhang/more coverage in this case. It's just Metrolinx being lazy and not thinking things through from a user standpoint.

There seems to be concerns with running platform canopies over OCS. But I agree that the canopy could go over the tracks to allow for covered boarding. I was referring specifically to the sidewalls of the shelters, and how they correlate with platform size.

 

[futurebound]

Didn't the province contribute funds? This is ridiculous. I can understand deadheading buses, non-transit buses, and buses that are stopping more frequently than VIVA, but for other transit buses like GO Transit... isn't the common goal to get people out of their cars? The busway is nowhere near capacity. I don't get it.

From what I have seen, buses use a white transit vertical bar when they exit and enter the busway (even though the transit signal exists), which would mean additional hardware for all GO Transit routes that need to turn on/off the busway. Not sure if that is a YRT thing or a HTA thing.

This also means there are some intersections where the green and yellow indications on the transit signal are never used, as the buses simply activate the transit priority signal when they exit the busway.

 

[smallspy]

Platform space is not an impediment to create platforms with a larger canopy overhang/more coverage in this case. It's just Metrolinx being lazy and not thinking things through from a user standpoint.

I can't help but think that the problem then becomes a physics & materials problem then.

A larger overhang would require more materials, which may thus cause the shelter to be more massive and take up more space in the already-limited footprint of the platforms.

Consider the VIVA shelters, for instance. Yes, they are taller and cover some of the vehicle, but they are also considerably deeper on the platform to compensate. And yes, they've made that depth an enclosed shelter, but consider that they now also require a considerably wider platform.

Dan

 

[jmi22]

In what way is this not value for money? It’s a basic bus shelter, it’s one small step up from nothing in terms of cost and value to users. It’s a relatively tight budget project so there aren’t many bells and whistles, this is a very standard design and that’s all you should expect.

Consider for a moment these similar shelter designs in other North American light rail implementations: Boston, Washington, and Minnesota, respectively – all cities that face similarly harsh weather.

Using the MBTA as an example of anything other than what NOT to do is hilarious. Should we also start lighting our subway lines on fire?

 

[jmi22]

York Region is adamant that the only vehicles that use the busway are VIVA-branded buses in revenue service, and nothing else. The sole exception has been ZUM buses on Highway 7 west of York University. Deadheading buses are to use the streets, as are all YRT and GO buses.

They have even tried to prevent the various emergency services from using them, but I don't believe that they were successful in that.

Dan

Why is York like this? Their "BRT' lines that might see a bus once every lunar cycle is so far from capacity I cannot understand why they would not want to reap the financial and operational rewards of allowing out of service buses easier access in/out of their garages.

 

[nfitz]

Platform space is not an impediment to create platforms with a larger canopy overhang/more coverage in this case. It's just Metrolinx being lazy and not thinking things through from a user standpoint.

It's hard to blame Metrolinx completely, as the shelters are pretty much as shown in the pre-Metrolinx EAs. Metrolinx was quite timid about making changes to the EAs earlier on, for the Finch and especially for Eglinton. I think if the Metrolinx of today was to start on those projects again, we'd be seeing some differences. Less stops (if on the surface at all), no grass, different shelters. Etc.

 

[ARG1]

Could you suggest something better that fits in the small footprint of these street median platforms? Maybe find an example of one?

I’m not saying you can’t do this, I just think it would be more productive to the argument for something better. As I’ve explained it in my previous reply I can’t think of a better design without breaking the bank or relocating the platforms.

A very simple solution could be an area equipped with a red lamp that can be used for a minor amount of heat. It wouldn't be perfect but it would be something decent to add if space constraints are a problem.

 

[dowlingm]

Sun protection is pretty valuable.

For an east west line, can’t imagine those shelters providing much shelter to eastbound travellers.