[M II A II R II K]

Metrolinx launches EA on Finch LRT storage facility

Read More: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/07/10/metrolinx_launches_ea_on_finch_lrt_storage_facility.html

.....

The first public meeting showcasing the plans for the LRV barn was held Wednesday evening. But there will be two more chances to view the proposal in the fall. The cost of the facility is included in the $1 billion provincial funding for the new transit line that will run about 11 kilometres from Yonge St. west to Humber College with 18 surface stops.

- The storage facility would accommodate 75 LRVs, enough to accommodate future ridership, according to Metrolinx.
The new EA is a welcome development, said councillor Maria Augimeri [see key political stats for Maria Augimeri] (Ward 9, York Centre), who chairs the TTC board. --- “We’ve done a lot of talking about transit expansion. It will be great to see movement on this plan. Light rail will heighten the livability and viability of the properties along the line and act as an economic stimulus for the neighbourhoods along the corridor,” she said.

But businesses in the area point to studies suggesting that the LRT will add to congestion because it won’t work with the heavy truck traffic on Finch.
A consultant for the Emery Village Business Improvement Area (BIA said there has been no formal discussion of the maintenance facility for the project but it will be watching the new EA process. --- “What we would want to ensure is that basically the EA won’t impede the consideration of the BIA’s position on the Finch West LRT,” said Mary DiMambro of Sutherland and Associates. --- Metrolinx has not adequately studied the impact of truck traffic on Finch, she said.
“What we’re opposed to is the design. It doesn’t work for this community. We support the LRT but it’s got to make sense for the community,” said DiMambro.

.....

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I couldn't find the page containing info (presentations, etc) re: the EA - is there even one?

AoD

 

[andrewpmk]

Presumably Metrolinx is preparing for the possibility that Olivia Chow will win. Since John Tory is against this, I assume that it will get cancelled if he wins (assuming that council cooperates, but I don't think that any sensible mayor, either Tory or Chow, will have much difficulty getting council to do what he/she wants). The most recent poll shows him winning, while previous polls show Olivia Chow will win. Tory winning seems more likely to me because I can't imagine Rob Ford will get as many votes as the poll claims, and the only way I can see Chow winning is if Ford gets a lot of votes and splits the right wing vote.

The duplicate construction on Finch seems odd. Presumably the city thinks that it is very unlikely that this will be built? Rob Ford has no control over the city's construction projects, so I guess that the city must have decided that this only has a 25% chance of getting built or something, and that the road is in bad shape and needs rebuilding.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Tory supports the LRTs..

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Tory supports the LRTs..

Nope, he said Finch and Sheppard "needed to be part of the greater conversation"

 

[rbt]

Nope, he said Finch and Sheppard "needed to be part of the greater conversation"

I think we've had plenty of conversation in the last 11 years.

Finch remains a severely overloaded bus route and requires something substantial. Even Manhattan has found room (removed traffic lanes) for semi-BRTs (what they call Select Bus Service) on their routes with Finch sized ridership.


There is no A or B. We need to do both A and B and do them both quickly. You don't get there by interrupting either process, and Tory appears willing to interrupt both processes.

 

[salsa]

Nope, he said Finch and Sheppard "needed to be part of the greater conversation"

No it doesn't. Enough with the damn talk already.

 

[TOareaFan]

I think we've had plenty of conversation in the last 11 years.

Finch remains a severely overloaded bus route and requires something substantial. Even Manhattan has found room (removed traffic lanes) for semi-BRTs (what they call Select Bus Service) on their routes with Finch sized ridership.

question about Finch West....how much relief does that overloaded bus route get from the opening of the Spadina extension? If the route is overloaded because people are using it to get to the subway at Yonge...how many of them will now get off at Finch West and start their subway journey?

 

[nfitz]

I couldn't find the page containing info (presentations, etc) re: the EA - is there even one?

The EA itself was a city project (at the time the city thought it was going to be the one building Finch, Sheppard East, Eglinton, and Scarborough-Malvern). The EA is now on the Eglinton Crosstown site - http://thecrosstown.ca/the-project/reports/related-projects/FinchEAReport (along with the Sheppard EA).

However the old presentations, etc., from the period of time of the development of the EA aren't currently on either site as far as I know. However if you go to https://web.archive.org/web/2013032...lved/projects/etobicoke_finch_w_lrt/index.htm you can fine an archived copy of all the materials.

This might be temporary ... it was all on the Toronto site until quite recently. And if you go to http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/c...4d0bdf91ec31410VgnVCM10000071d60f89____vtabs5 you'll see there's new pages there, and if you go back to 2008, you'll see links for the Finch West LRT that don't seem to be working.

 

[rbt]

question about Finch West....how much relief does that overloaded bus route get from the opening of the Spadina extension? If the route is overloaded because people are using it to get to the subway at Yonge...how many of them will now get off at Finch West and start their subway journey?

Great question. I imagine the answer is actually very little.

Finch has a fairly high unmet demand and a large portion of the ridership starts from West of Keele. Also, Finch is rather unique in Toronto for having a large percentage of single-seat riders. That is, they start and end their trip on Finch without transferring.

Obviously it'll be far more comfortable in the middle section of Finch and many passengers will have a shorter trip (not going all the way to Yonge) but I wouldn't be surprised if the Finch between Jane and Keele experienced rapid growth from 1) new TTC riders, and 2) stealing riders off the Jane bus.


When I lived in the area (15 years ago) about 25% of the apartment population was students. During rain or snow there was a huge increase in bus usage. The subway will likely cause this population to increase (bus to subway, then north to York U and RCC on Steeles).

 

[TOareaFan]

Great question. I imagine, but do not know, the answer is actually very little.

Finch has a fairly high unmet demand and a large portion of the ridership starts from West of Keele. Also, Finch is rather unique in Toronto for having a large percentage of single-seat riders. That is, they start and end their trip on Finch without transferring.

Obviously it'll be far more comfortable in the middle section of Finch and many passengers will have a shorter trip (not going all the way to Yonge) but I wouldn't be surprised if the Finch between Jane and Keele experienced rapid growth from 1) new TTC riders and 2) stealing riders off the Jane bus.

thanks...it is all guesswork...I know nothing of the area (well, virtually nothing) but I got thinking about this when I read a comment elsewhere about how we do all these studies and EAs sorta in an independent vacuum from each other. (not sure what thread I read that in). Finch came to mind because I keep hearing how busy it is west of Yonge and I got to wondering how many of those people are jammed onto the buses just to get to the subway.....not gonna dispute your "guess" because I just don't know but I thought it was worth asking.

I will say, however, that for those people pushing to have the Finch LRT plans changed to a Finch subway....they might want to consider modelling how much relief Finch gets from the Spadina extension before pushing too hard for a subway. Whatever relief comes from the new subway stop might just be the straw on the Finch Subway's back.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

The EA itself was a city project (at the time the city thought it was going to be the one building Finch, Sheppard East, Eglinton, and Scarborough-Malvern). The EA is now on the Eglinton Crosstown site - http://thecrosstown.ca/the-project/reports/related-projects/FinchEAReport (along with the Sheppard EA).

However the old presentations, etc., from the period of time of the development of the EA aren't currently on either site as far as I know. However if you go to https://web.archive.org/web/2013032...lved/projects/etobicoke_finch_w_lrt/index.htm you can fine an archived copy of all the materials.

This might be temporary ... it was all on the Toronto site until quite recently. And if you go to http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/c...4d0bdf91ec31410VgnVCM10000071d60f89____vtabs5 you'll see there's new pages there, and if you go back to 2008, you'll see links for the Finch West LRT that don't seem to be working.

I meant the EA for the storage facility, sorry - should be more clear.

AoD

 

[nfitz]

I meant the EA for the storage facility, sorry - should be more clear.

There wasn't an EA previously. The current EA, or at least the presentation from last night, is on the project website - http://www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsandprograms/transitexpansionprojects/finch_west.aspx

 

[salsa]

Metrolinx launches EA on Finch LRT storage facility

Read More: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/07/10/metrolinx_launches_ea_on_finch_lrt_storage_facility.html

I was peeved to read that "the LRT is supposed to begin construction in 2017 for a 2020 opening". I thought it was supposed to begin sooner than that. So tired of waiting.

 

[nfitz]

I was peeved to read that "the LRT is supposed to begin construction in 2017 for a 2020 opening". I thought it was supposed to begin sooner than that. So tired of waiting.

The presentation from the meeting last night said construction starts in 2016.