[KevinT]

They should just slap vinyl 911 numbering on it every few feet to make it obvious what it's for.

 

[TRONto]

Metrolinx announces e-scooter pilot program with SCOOTY Mobility

E-scooter rentals offer a new way for customers to travel to and from Mount Pleasant, Brampton and Bramalea GO stations.

www.metrolinx.com

I thought this would be the best place to post this. Anyone seen a map of scooty stations? I don't see how this will work with the current process unless Brampton has been flooded with Scooty stations.

 

[afransen]

More micromobility options are great, but I think bikeshare would be better. Escooters are a bit risky to use in areas without high quality separated bike infrastructure. Bikes tend to be quite a bit cheaper (and lower priced) to operate.

 

[Sunnyside]

More micromobility options are great, but I think bikeshare would be better. Escooters are a bit risky to use in areas without high quality separated bike infrastructure. Bikes tend to be quite a bit cheaper (and lower priced) to operate.

Agreed that they work best with bike lanes. If I’m being honest, I see e-scooters as a mini watershed moment for the GTHA precisely because they are already working. Everywhere I have gone to use them the bike infrastructure is okay, but not great. And yet they are super popular; measly bike lanes have been enough to get people on them, and they are efficient enough to be an actual option for many- even in the suburbs. I think we might be surprised to see that this will work. The distances these can be viable to use are actually quite large- at least from 2km away.

 

[LNahid2000]

Also, all the e-scooter companies seem to be expensive. $1.15 unlock fee + $0.40 per minute makes it more expensive than local transit for a 6 minute trip.

 

[ShonTron]

Also, all the e-scooter companies seem to be expensive. $1.15 unlock fee + $0.40 per minute makes it more expensive than local transit for a 6 minute trip.

And when local transit is free to/from the GO station, I don’t see the benefit unless you’re in an area not well reached by it.

 

[afransen]

And when local transit is free to/from the GO station, I don’t see the benefit unless you’re in an area not well reached by it.

This is why I think a bikeshare service that is fare integrated with GO would make some sense. If we are offering free transfers from local transit with GO fare, then free bikeshare with GO fare is likely no costlier to provide.

 

[TRONto]

A lot of the discussion is why I don't think it can work. I'm not that familiar with the surrounding areas but I doubt there is a ton of bike lanes around all 3 stations. Bramalea station definitely doesn't and requires sidewalk riding to feel safe. Will the docking stations be near the home on the other side? Again, I doubt it. Maybe Mount Pleasant and Brampton stations are better but I can't see this working for Bramalea station.

 

[LNahid2000]

Bramalea Station actually isn't bad if you use this desire path to get to Orenda. You quickly end up on a bike path that goes to Bramalea City Centre and then all the way up to Bovaird.

 

[anb]

Didn't all of GO's MCI coaches come with yellow strips to request stops? If GO didn't even bother standardizing their passenger experience, how can we blame other agencies for the same?

Oh clearly forgot GO's own buses use yellow strips as a way to request to stop which begs my confusion and develops my point even further.

A lot of the discussion is why I don't think it can work. I'm not that familiar with the surrounding areas but I doubt there is a ton of bike lanes around all 3 stations. Bramalea station definitely doesn't and requires sidewalk riding to feel safe. Will the docking stations be near the home on the other side? Again, I doubt it. Maybe Mount Pleasant and Brampton stations are better but I can't see this working for Bramalea station.

Brampton and Mt Pleasant are both communities that are pedestrian friendly and does have bike lanes on specific roads near the stations, while Bramalea exists in a pure industrial land at Steeles/Bramalea so of course this program will work more better with the first 2. The only few ways Bramalea could work is if they implement bike lanes on Bramalea Rd and use the trail/sidewalk setup beside the road or extend the trail that exists close to the station which currently ends at Avondale.

 

[Allandale25]

Another busy weekend. @smallspy @crs1026 any sense of how often these extra trains (outside of big events like Caribbana) are being deployed? 2-4 trains on LSE/LSW per weekend? I guess it's hard to add even more or go to 20 min frequency on LSE until the 4th track/bridge work is done.

 

[IRT_BMT_IND]

If GO can't add weekend train service they should split the busiest bus trips into two trips. One that originates at University of Waterloo and runs express via Highway 85, and one that short originates in downtown Kitchener. And the reverse for the busiest westbound trips.

 

[anb]

If GO can't add weekend train service they should split the busiest bus trips into two trips. One that originates at University of Waterloo and runs express via Highway 85, and one that short originates in downtown Kitchener. And the reverse for the busiest westbound trips.

Or they could also start it from various other locations. The main source which is the 30 at Bramalea should get the most increase out of all of this, while other locations can be explored like originating and going straight express from 407 Station, Kipling, Yorkdale, Milton, or Aldershot (an express branch for the 17 route would really work well here).

 

[reaperexpress]

If GO can't add weekend train service they should split the busiest bus trips into two trips. One that originates at University of Waterloo and runs express via Highway 85, and one that short originates in downtown Kitchener. And the reverse for the busiest westbound trips.

GO already splits many of the weekend route 30 trips into two trips, but only for the following trips:

Eastbound from UW: 09:22, 10:17, 11:17
Westbound from Bramalea: 16:35, 17:35, 18:35, 19:35, 20:35

Excerpt from current eastbound weekend timetable

Excerpt from current westbound weekend timetable

If Brian Doucet was on the 09:17 eastbound bus, then the people left behind by the bus would have been picked up by a second bus 5 minutes later. Or maybe he was on the 08:22 bus which doesn't have a second bus.

Running the second bus as an express would provide a better service to customers by better distributing passengers between the two buses. As it stands now, eastbound passengers will all want to be on the second of the two buses, so they don't need to wait as long for the train at Bramalea. But if there are too many people for that bus, then the people who don't fit are stuck waiting 55 minutes for the next bus, which would connect to the train 60 minutes later.

I think the most important stop for the express bus to skip would be the Syntex & Financial stop in Mississauga, which would save about 5-10 minutes. Depending on the distribution of passengers between the stops in KW, the express could also skip Kitchener GO as you described. The goal would be that the express branch serves roughly half of the trips in the corridor, to divide demand evenly between the two buses.

If UW+WLU account for half of the riders, then the express should just run non-stop from Waterloo to Bramalea.

 

[canarob]

And when local transit is free to/from the GO station, I don’t see the benefit unless you’re in an area not well reached by it.

This type of service is scant at most GO stations. Local agencies are really doing the bare minimum on this in most cases.