timio
Active Member
There's nothing wrong with the 30 bus. Except it's not a train. Although I typically sleep better on the bus, so not the end of the world.
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- Thread starter drum118
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TOareaFan
Superstar
I can’t speak for all those suburbs but I can tell you that every GO train (heck even GO Buses) leaving from or arriving at the 3 GO stations in town is met/matched with multiple buses on multiple routes.
It is how I get to/from the GO but (as I have discussed often in this thread) while I am not alone, we who use BT to get to/from GO are a very small minority.
The car is the preferred mode even when a well established bus service serves the station(s).
hw621
Senior Member
^reality is Canada has long and bitter winters. Compared with waiting for buses in the cold car is by far the preferred transportation mode.
TOareaFan
Superstar
So, once again, there will be trains the EX on the non-lakeshore lines on Labour Day weekend.
In the past, I believe, this has consisted of 1 inbound and 1 outbound per line .....is that correct? Any chance they would consult something like the TFC schedule in establishing the times or is the chance of there being a train home for me on September 1 after the match something approaching zero?
In the past, I believe, this has consisted of 1 inbound and 1 outbound per line .....is that correct? Any chance they would consult something like the TFC schedule in establishing the times or is the chance of there being a train home for me on September 1 after the match something approaching zero?
TOareaFan
Superstar
I think people can, and do, come up with multitudes of ideas on why they do not take buses in the suburbs to the GO (well, most anything really) but that is hardly the point......every now and then this thread gets sidetracked with this parking discussion.......and people express the opinion that we should stop building parking and, instead, come up with a more sustainable solution to get people to, and onto, GO trains.....the discussion then evolves into people pointing out how bad the last mile transit is in the burbs....then I (and, to be fair, some others sometimes) point to examples (mine being Brampton) where there are lots of high frequency buses serving all the stations but the modal split for transit is still very low.....then someone (in this case you) points out that no one likes buses (or some paraphrase...in this case, it is too cold to wait for buses).......
.....the point is, I think it is clear why GO sees future ridership growth being somewhat dependent on available parking spots
crs1026
Superstar
....the point is, I think it is clear why GO sees future ridership growth being somewhat dependent on available parking spots
...... you missed the step where someone (perhaps even this poster) suggests that ML can probably buy staff and operate a fleet of comfy, convenient small shuttle vehicles for less than the amortised per-space cost of building said parking spots, and how avoiding the fixed costs of maintaining a second family beater just to park it at GO all day is gravy to a commuter who might find said shuttle quite acceptable......
- Paul
lenaitch
Senior Member
Good point. Back when I started working I had to walk about a klik to the bus in the wilds of North York to get to the subway (then railhead at Eglinton) to get to my first real job downtown. Was it fun in the winter, not really but one does what one's gotta do. Oh ya, and dress for it. It's Canada - it's winter - deal with it.
Fair point, but at the end of the day, most branch line stations will still require parking, albeit possibly smaller. No amount of shuttle buses will completely eliminate to need to accommodate end farther flung riders. It's all what the tax payers are willing to pony up for.
TOareaFan
Superstar
There are not many of us around who have lived the experience of such small bus shuttles.....so when I confidently predict what the excuses will be for people not using them in great numbers people tend to scoff at me.
rbt
Senior Member
Metrolinx is taking part in the TTC automated shuttle trial starting September 2020. If it works I expect we'll see a fairly rapid deployment of vehicles making short fixed-route loops around stations. Total expected costs of Waymo automated vehicles are around 90 cents/mile; and that includes capital purchase, monitoring, cleaning, security, and vehicle maintenance. I expect these 8 passenger buses will be a similar cost once onboard staff are no longer necessary.
A single passenger picked up paying a GO fare will break-even with the bus cost. 2 passengers would run a profit relative to parking.
The giant question, of course, is whether the technology of the chosen company for the trial is advanced enough to be safe in our winter weather; people are most likely to take transit when weather is poor.
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mdrejhon
Senior Member
The missing middle is important.
Basically, vehicles bigger than a car but smaller than a bus.
I believe that Toronto (the way it suburbanized) will benefit hugely from automated minivans (ala GO DIAL-A-BUS reborn, but automated and unmanned) to connect to mass transit such as commuter trains, subways and LRTs. Basically bus routes that can diverge slightly to pickup passengers in a "uberPOOL style route". Even if it is a fleet averaging just 2 or 3 passengers offpeak, can still be cheaper than running mostly-empty offpeak suburban buses, and more well-utilized than sole occupant owned vehicles, and cheaper to run.
Many say driverless vehicles will replace transit.
No, they won't replace transit.
But they may substitute for poorly-utilized suburban/semirural bus routes, -- or supplement the existing area system for people too many blocks from major frequent bus routes. Basically, instead of running an hourly or half hourly bus route, run the hailable fleet instead for faster and operationally-cheaper service to comnect to the attractive transit.
Basically, vehicles bigger than a car but smaller than a bus.
I believe that Toronto (the way it suburbanized) will benefit hugely from automated minivans (ala GO DIAL-A-BUS reborn, but automated and unmanned) to connect to mass transit such as commuter trains, subways and LRTs. Basically bus routes that can diverge slightly to pickup passengers in a "uberPOOL style route". Even if it is a fleet averaging just 2 or 3 passengers offpeak, can still be cheaper than running mostly-empty offpeak suburban buses, and more well-utilized than sole occupant owned vehicles, and cheaper to run.
Many say driverless vehicles will replace transit.
No, they won't replace transit.
But they may substitute for poorly-utilized suburban/semirural bus routes, -- or supplement the existing area system for people too many blocks from major frequent bus routes. Basically, instead of running an hourly or half hourly bus route, run the hailable fleet instead for faster and operationally-cheaper service to comnect to the attractive transit.
denfromoakvillemilton
Senior Member
York Region south of Davis as well. Peel, Halton and Durham have very good bus service to their go stations. The goal should be to increase transit share usage, as having a car is just too expensive.
Personally, before diving into SAVs I think GO/Metrolinx should look at operating Bike Shares around certain GO stations (say, within a 1-2km radius). Use Presto as the means of payment, and operate a co-fare like you would with local transit, with the bike rental being free if you tap onto GO immediately before or after renting the bike.
My local station is Burlington, and I can tell you that if there were some Metrolinx Bike Share stations in Downtown Burlington, and at strategic points along Brant St, that it could be a pretty popular way to get to the GO station. A 15-20 min walk may be a bit too much for people, but a <5 min bike ride? It would take you almost as long to walk from the back end of the parking lot.
One of the big reasons why people don't bike very much to GO stations is the fear of their bike being stolen. If the bike you're riding isn't yours, that fear evaporates.
My local station is Burlington, and I can tell you that if there were some Metrolinx Bike Share stations in Downtown Burlington, and at strategic points along Brant St, that it could be a pretty popular way to get to the GO station. A 15-20 min walk may be a bit too much for people, but a <5 min bike ride? It would take you almost as long to walk from the back end of the parking lot.
One of the big reasons why people don't bike very much to GO stations is the fear of their bike being stolen. If the bike you're riding isn't yours, that fear evaporates.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
I've long thought that Burlington has a lot of potential for a bike share system. I would love generally for Metrolinx to go ahead with a single bike share system for most of the GTA - instead of having multiple membership fees and structures, a single membership for various GTA bike share systems would be perfect.
Agreed on both counts. Active Transportation and Transit are so closely linked, and I know that if my Presto card gave me instant access to bike share across the GTHA, I'd use it for the occasional ride wherever I may be. I'm not in TO enough to get a membership there or to bother creating an account, but if it was tap and go with Presto, I'd definitely use it to get from Union to somewhere in the northern section of downtown instead of riding the subway for a few stops.
Another area that instantly comes to mind is Port Credit. Set up a big hub at the station, and several hubs along the main strip. Bike to bar in less than 5 mins, as opposed to the 5-10 min walk (depending on where you're going relative to the station).
As for me in Burlington personally, I live about a 30 min walk from downtown. Just long enough to be a PITA. If there was a bike share in Burlington, I'd totally use it for the <10 min ride.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
Any of the old railway towns would work - Oakville, Burlington, Port Credit, Brampton, Weston, Unionville, Oshawa, Aurora, Newmarket, Barrie, Kitchener, Guelph, Etc., Etc., Etc.
Isn't Burlington currently updating it's cycling master plan? Maybe they'll come up with the bike share idea.