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jeicow
Guest
This Clarkson Express bus is too late for me. 10 years of living in that area, 10 years of complaining for the 48/26 or 23/19 was just too slow to get to Sq1, and then the one year I finally move away for school they decide to do this. Gah, just my luck, but it will hopefully improve things overall. I only skimmed through this plan, but I can only applaude them for the 15 minute frequency target, but I can only wonder if this includes off-peak, when really that's the one huge area for growth (rush hour buses are generally standing room only as it is on most of my routes). The Erin Mills corridor does need reworking, but I can only worry that this will come at the cost of rerouting the 13 in Clarkson to some other route with a less frequent buses (like the buses on Bob-O-Link did). I hope most of these plans become a reality, but I'm a little disappointed that bus-only lanes aren't being mentioned here.
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roch5220
Guest
Hey, not as bad as my old bus line, I think it was the 88 that came by every hour. It would go along Indian Rd, then drive eventually to Port Credit GO.
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ahrvojic
Guest
This is all good news, but I'm an impatient man and it's quite disheartening to think that in five years Hurontario and Dundas will both still be in the "pre-rapid transit" phase and we'll only have a questionable BRT to show for it.
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doady
Guest
They are not calling it "rapid transit" though are they? "Pre-rapid transit" is a good term, because it means that Hurontario and Dundas will ultimately get something much better than a simple all-day express service or minor bus-priority measures like VIVA or Acceleride. It is good that MT actually knows what rapid transit is.
I assume the Clarkson-UTM-South Common-MCC pre-rapid transit route will replace route 24, which was long overdue for all-day service anyways.
The Meadowvale/MCC/Subway pre-rapid transit route was originally planned to be introduced in 2004 as a normal peak-only express route, and it looks like it become the main BRT route for the transitway as well.
What I'm most happy about is that MT will be focused on reduced overcrowding for the 2007 service changes. Most of major problem routes are there. Eglinton and Britannia in particular are ridiculous right now and have been for years. Dixie is notably absent though and I think it should have priority over Burnhamthorpe or McLaughlin, which don't need the extra buses (McLaughlin already got an extra bus a few months ago).
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spmarshall
Guest
I don't think Brampton is claiming Acceleride Phase I as real rapid transit either - that's more like quality bus, with potential upgrades that would make it more like rapid transit. But there's BRT elements. Viva as it sands now is the same (BRT elements, but not BRT). I do like how MT does distinguish this though.
The Clarkson route seems a bit circuitous when going via UTM.
Also nothing in there about Hurontario for this year (up to early 2008) . I wonder if it will get anything, or are the other improvements meant to "build ridership" rather than address capacity needs, which would still give something to Hurontario?
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jeicow
Guest
Heh, route 8. I've had terrible luck with that one. It's up to half hour service now during the day, 20ish minutes during rush hour, and about an hour on Saturday. Still no Sunday service yet but it has always been a crap route. I favourite memory of it happened a few weeks ago. Cawthra Secondary School is 70% commuter students, of which about 50% are public transit riders so there's about about 400 students waiting for the bus during that terrible weather we got a few weeks ago. Usually 15 (non-scheduled) 8Ns come in 15 mins and 2 8Ss come in 20 minutes. MT decides to cancel the 8 so there's litterally hundreds of students trying to figure out how to get home. They decided to send 8Ns and I've never seen soo many people fit on one bus (easily 100+ on each). The 8S comes about an hour later, just as packed. It was a terrible day overall.
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ahrvojic
Guest
Article
THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Transit plan aims to increase ridership
John Stewart
Mar 29, 2007
An ambitious five-year transit plan that aims to boost ridership on Mississauga Transit by 25 per cent to 37 million passengers annually has been unanimously endorsed by city councillors.
Yesterday, municipal politicians approved the Transit Ridership Growth Strategy, which calls for an ambitious attempt to get more residents out of their cars and onto buses.
As part of that effort, the City will launch "pre-rapid transit" service on major routes in a bid to build ridership.
Mississauga Transit buses will come along every 15 minutes along the busy Dundas, Hurontario and Hwy 403-Eglinton Ave. routes.
The latter route will eventually become part of the Bus Rapid Transit exclusive busway that is planned to link communities across the GTA.
About $60 million, much of it to fund the purchase of 75 new buses, is required to facilitate the pre-rapid transit initiative.
Those routes will have their own "brand," will have a limited number of stops to improve travel times, will be special premium vehicles with unique passenger amenities and will stop at some locations where no other buses do.
Director of Transit Bill Cunningham said the approval of the strategy could be a watershed moment for the municipality.
"The implementation of the Ridership Growth Strategy will fundamentally redefine how transit services are delivered in Mississauga over the next five years," said Cunningham. "The plan will encourage more people to take public transit. We anticipate increasing ridership by 25 per cent within the next five years."
Among the goals of the plan are:
* to reduce passenger travel times with increased service and some priority measures such as HOV lanes
* improving connections to other transit systems
* adding buses on the busiest routes
* implementing the GTA farecard which is being piloted here
* improving connections to the fast-growing city core.
Funding for the plan will come from gas tax revenues from senior levels of government, levies collected from developers and revenues from the additional ridership.
THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Transit plan aims to increase ridership
John Stewart
Mar 29, 2007
An ambitious five-year transit plan that aims to boost ridership on Mississauga Transit by 25 per cent to 37 million passengers annually has been unanimously endorsed by city councillors.
Yesterday, municipal politicians approved the Transit Ridership Growth Strategy, which calls for an ambitious attempt to get more residents out of their cars and onto buses.
As part of that effort, the City will launch "pre-rapid transit" service on major routes in a bid to build ridership.
Mississauga Transit buses will come along every 15 minutes along the busy Dundas, Hurontario and Hwy 403-Eglinton Ave. routes.
The latter route will eventually become part of the Bus Rapid Transit exclusive busway that is planned to link communities across the GTA.
About $60 million, much of it to fund the purchase of 75 new buses, is required to facilitate the pre-rapid transit initiative.
Those routes will have their own "brand," will have a limited number of stops to improve travel times, will be special premium vehicles with unique passenger amenities and will stop at some locations where no other buses do.
Director of Transit Bill Cunningham said the approval of the strategy could be a watershed moment for the municipality.
"The implementation of the Ridership Growth Strategy will fundamentally redefine how transit services are delivered in Mississauga over the next five years," said Cunningham. "The plan will encourage more people to take public transit. We anticipate increasing ridership by 25 per cent within the next five years."
Among the goals of the plan are:
* to reduce passenger travel times with increased service and some priority measures such as HOV lanes
* improving connections to other transit systems
* adding buses on the busiest routes
* implementing the GTA farecard which is being piloted here
* improving connections to the fast-growing city core.
Funding for the plan will come from gas tax revenues from senior levels of government, levies collected from developers and revenues from the additional ridership.
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drum118
Guest
It's a joke and will keep people in their cars.
We need more parking for transit is the call from council.
Hurontario will be an BRT not an LRT based on this plan.
We need more parking for transit is the call from council.
Hurontario will be an BRT not an LRT based on this plan.
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doady
Guest
This is the same as VIVA, even better in some ways, yet I have seen you defend VIVA...
Parking along Dundas and Hurontario?
It's called pre-rapid transit for a reason.
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spmarshall
Guest
I'm agreeing with Doady. The "pre-rapid transit" corridors on busy, urban(ish) streets is a great idea.
Viva Phase 1 is not Rapid Transit. It is express quality bus. Acceleride Phase 1 - same thing, but with queue jump lanes, a step up inftrastructure wise.
Good to see MT going in this direction as a medium-term solution.
Viva Phase 1 is not Rapid Transit. It is express quality bus. Acceleride Phase 1 - same thing, but with queue jump lanes, a step up inftrastructure wise.
Good to see MT going in this direction as a medium-term solution.
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Degnaw
Guest
^there's also a reason it's called "phase 1", i guess that's the equivalent to pre-rapid transit.
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jeicow
Guest
I've always liked the iXpress brand that GRT uses over the VIVA buses. iXpress seems to have more of an identity that integrates with the rest of the system, while VIVA has always come off to me as being branded more of a separate system. It has worked, but I've never liked it. As well, VIVA buses are a lot nicer, but now that they're becoming older, the seats are starting to fall apart and get weird stains on them. I prefer crappy plastic iXpress type seats over the stained, falling apart VIVA types. I find GRT buses to be the best I have riden, especially the ones that have the doors where you just need to wave your hand in front of the thingy.
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spmarshall
Guest
I hate those things. They seem to come standard on Nova buses, as the newer Montreal and the Brampton Novas have them too (it was also on one or two Orion VIs). Passengers often have no idea how they work. GRT's iXpress buses are Novas.
Give me 100-year old treadle technology anyday.
I agree, I don't like how YRT has two separate brands either, except maybe to convince well-heeled York residents that it is an "unbus" (to quote early promotional material), not a "bus". Viva should be a brand within a brand.
The Mississauga Muse
Active Member
Mississauga Transit --"from these cold, dead hands"?
Thought Mississaugans interested in transit fight find this of use.
Item in today's Mississauga News:
"May 12, 2007
THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Transit a priority for Mississauga
Torstar Network
May 12, 2007
Major public transit improvements are planned over the next five years to avert crushing traffic congestion as the boom in high-density development in downtown Mississauga continues.
To avoid big traffic jams in the city centre planning district, which will become home to about 50,000 residents over the next 25 years, an efficient transit system is a must to encourage people to leave their cars at home, city officials say."
Of course, now I'm forced to wonder where the word "encourage" came from. Was it from a Mississauga official like the article said? Was "encourage" the reporter's interpretation of what the official said?
"encourage people to leave their cars at home"...
"encourage"...
Here are four minutes and forty-three seconds of Mississauga Councillor Nando Iannicca on Mississauga Transit (and California transit and any other transit system on this planet).
Nando Iannicca makes it very clear that many people aren't "encourage"d to take transit but rather are "forced" to because, often, they can't afford a car.
MISSISSAUGA NANDO IANNICCA on TRANSIT (YOUTUBE)
I'm reminded of former President of the National Rifle Association. Charlton ("from these cold, dead hands") Heston...
"from these cold, dead hands" will Mississaugans relinquish their steering wheeled, air-conditioned, stereo-surround sound systemed, four-wheeled privacy bubbles that are our sanctuaries.
Iannicca's right and he knows it.
Thought Mississaugans interested in transit fight find this of use.
Item in today's Mississauga News:
"May 12, 2007
THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Transit a priority for Mississauga
Torstar Network
May 12, 2007
Major public transit improvements are planned over the next five years to avert crushing traffic congestion as the boom in high-density development in downtown Mississauga continues.
To avoid big traffic jams in the city centre planning district, which will become home to about 50,000 residents over the next 25 years, an efficient transit system is a must to encourage people to leave their cars at home, city officials say."
Of course, now I'm forced to wonder where the word "encourage" came from. Was it from a Mississauga official like the article said? Was "encourage" the reporter's interpretation of what the official said?
"encourage people to leave their cars at home"...
"encourage"...
Here are four minutes and forty-three seconds of Mississauga Councillor Nando Iannicca on Mississauga Transit (and California transit and any other transit system on this planet).
Nando Iannicca makes it very clear that many people aren't "encourage"d to take transit but rather are "forced" to because, often, they can't afford a car.
MISSISSAUGA NANDO IANNICCA on TRANSIT (YOUTUBE)
I'm reminded of former President of the National Rifle Association. Charlton ("from these cold, dead hands") Heston...
"from these cold, dead hands" will Mississaugans relinquish their steering wheeled, air-conditioned, stereo-surround sound systemed, four-wheeled privacy bubbles that are our sanctuaries.
Iannicca's right and he knows it.