[West End Boy]

Just spent a week in Montpellier and loved their tram system.

Stations are spaced apart, more like a subway than our streetcars, so you get to your destination much quicker.

You validate your own ticket at the machines dispersed throughout the cars, so no waiting for a line-up of people to enter through one door.

Platforms are slightly raised so entrances are flush.

Notice boards tell you when the next trams are arriving, and they are usually correct.

Platforms are nicely designed with stone/glass, there is grass around the tracks wherever hard surface is unnecessary, and trains are painted lovely colourful patterns. Basically, they have tried to use the tram project to help beautify the city, instead of just seeing it as transportation infrastructure.

Here's hoping that the next generation of TTC streetcars incorporate some of these ideas.

It was a pleasure to use this system. Here are a few pics...

 

[ShonTron]

Damn. I'm gonna be in Montpellier late this weekend, and was so excited, until you mean the other Montpellier.

 

[West End Boy]

Oh yeah, the one in France I should have said.

 

[CEBTO]

Just great, i love this city ! I hope TTC listen you...

 

[carrefour]

One mustn't forget that Montpellier metro is around the same size as Brampton - and yet they have an LRT system better than Toronto's ...

 

[kEiThZ]

I like how they have grass along the track....that's an interesting idea.

 

[Hipster Duck]

The grass thing seems to win over Christopher Hume, too.

The putting green right of way is cute, but neither feasible in our snow, freeze and thaw climate nor an aesthetic feature worthy of maintenance expenditures.

 

[Whoaccio]

What about Astroturf? Could be laid down in the summery months without much fuss, and picked up before the snow started. I bet you could even modify a CLRV with a giant Astroturf spool... If the city said it was real grass, I wonder if anybody would bother checking?

ohh yeah....

 

[Hipster Duck]

Hey, we'll do anything to make streetcars look sexy. Congratulations, Whoaccio, you just won Spacing Magazine's urbanTOpia idea of the year. Please proceed to the Gladstone to pick up your prize of a subway button of your choice. Hipster casual dress code is in effect so bring your Morrissey glasses and put on the tightest jeans you can find.

 

[Whoaccio]

Hey, we'll do anything to make streetcars look sexy. Congratulations, Whoaccio, you just won Spacing Magazine's urbanTOpia idea of the year. Please proceed to the Gladstone to pick up your prize of a subway button of your choice. Hipster casual dress code is in effect so bring your Morrissey glasses and put on the tightest jeans you can find.

I'm surprised they even made subway buttons, given subways are the root of all evil. It isn't a coincidence that Berlin began to replace much of it's tram network shortly before the holocaust.

 

[urbandreamer]

How about long strips of solar panels laid along streetcar ROW's? Would probably be enough to power all the hipster's blogcasts.

Solar cells like those found on Pininfarina's cute little electric/solar-powered city car, the b0 (coming to N.A. too, btw.)

 

[Whoaccio]

 

[Hipster Duck]

How to be a Toronto urban issues hipster:

The following things are good:

- Streetcars
- Transit City
- Graffiti on walls
- Steve Munro
- Adam Vaughan
- Brutalism

The following things are bad:

- Subways
- Transit planning based on critical analysis and empirical evidence
- Ads on walls
- Stephen Harper
- Rob Ford
- Post Modernism

 

[urbandreamer]

How to be a Toronto urban issues hipster:

The following things are good:

- Streetcars
- Transit City
- Graffiti on walls
- Steve Munro
- Adam Vaughan
- Brutalism

The following things are bad:

- Subways
- Transit planning based on critical analysis and empirical evidence
- Ads on walls
- Stephen Harper
- Rob Ford
- Post Modernism

How to be an Urbandreamer wannabe:

the good:
-walking only
-Dense city
-paintings on walls
-urbandreamer
-Sarah Palin
-red brickism

the bad:
-yuppies
-anything written about transit in hippy mags like Spacing
-peeing on walls
-Liberals
-Toronto urban planners
-post Victorianism