[TheTigerMaster]

Buses can clear changing traffic signals faster from what I've observed. The 510 in its own ROW is notoriously slow.

If you're complaining that the 510 is clearing traffic signals too slow, that's likely due to the special works the 510 has at every major intersection (College, Dundas, Queen, King).

 

[rbt]

I thought SmartTrack was earmarked to receive up to $8 billion...

That's what Tory campaigned on. As it turns out, the province wants to contribute $0 (they're willing to provide in-kind items like services/land/etc.) and thus far federal GTA money has been directed mostly at RER and TTC SOGR.

Feds will match a municipal contribution but Tory needs to do some fancy footwork (a Mississauga style 30 year infrastructure levy would do it) to get anything funded.

Smarttrack is GO RER because other than a few station additions that's all that got funded.

 

[sixrings]

I don't know the stop spacing of the 510 but I don't think it's really a fair comparison. Also when eglinton is in gridlock that row will be paradise

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

I don't know the stop spacing of the 510 but I don't think it's really a fair comparison. Also when eglinton is in gridlock that row will be paradise

Yah, but a BRT on Eglinton West would accomplish the same thing for like $100m dollars.

 

[sixrings]

Yah, but a BRT on Eglinton West would accomplish the same thing for like $100m dollars.

Didn't the scarborough extension teach us people hate transfers - especially linear transfers

 

[smallspy]

The VP stop should definitely be situated in the Eglinton Square triangle, but I would rather see them combine the Pharmacy and Lebovic stops into one trenched or elevated station in the mid block.

So you're expecting people to walk hundreds of meters to transfer to the Pharmacy bus?

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[Hopkins123]

So you're expecting people to walk hundreds of meters to transfer to the Pharmacy bus?

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

A branch of the Pharmacy bus (67B) already terminates in that general area. It'd take nothing to have the branch detour and loop in front of the westernmost station entrance, similar to what's being proposed for the 47 bus and Caledonia Stn in the west end.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Didn't the scarborough extension teach us people hate transfers - especially linear transfers

They lose a say on the transfer question when their PPHD barely scratches 3,500 until Jane.

 

[sixrings]

They lose a say on the transfer question when their PPHD barely scratches 3,500 until Jane.

That's why I'm not begging for grade seperation. But transit shouldn't be bus or 100% grade separation

 

[smallspy]

A branch of the Pharmacy bus (67B) already terminates in that general area. It'd take nothing to have the branch detour and loop in front of the westernmost station entrance, similar to what's being proposed for the 47 bus and Caledonia Stn in the west end.

That's fine for the people heading south from Eglinton. What about the people heading north?

And of course, that's also assuming that the split in ridership stays around/south of Eglinton, and doesn't shift north of it with the Crosstown.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[Rainforest]

They lose a say on the transfer question when their PPHD barely scratches 3,500 until Jane.

Isn't 3,500 pphpd a pretty decent count for a line that runs mostly on surface?

That's higher than for any of the busiest bus routes in this city, and higher than the forecast for Sheppard East LRT at its busiest point (approching Don Mills Stn, 3,000 pphpd).

 

[Rainforest]

The projected ridership of this line simply does not justify gold plating the service - if the community doesn't want it that badly, I'd say ice it rather than bend over backwards and upsize it just because the local MPP wanted to save his ass. Quite frankly, it is what they deserve for voting in councillors that voted to sell off Richview corridor in the first place. Action, meet reaction.

AoD

The locals do not "badly want" this extension, but I expect them to be content with the proposed design. Suggestions will be made at the public meetings, but no massive push to upgrade will come from the locals.

It is mostly the longer-range riders, going to the Airport south employment lands or transferring to Mississauga buses, who will be negatively affected by not doing any grade-separation on Eglinton West. Sadly, that group of riders is under-represented at the public meetings.

 

[Rainforest]

as much as I am OKish with this plan, if there was one thing I would do it would be to remove the midblock stops. To me that is a bigger issue than the grade separation minus again Martin Grove.

I would be leaning towards eliminating those mid-block stops if I was in charge [I am talking about Eglinton West here, not about all LRT lines in general].

However, the local public might oppose that; they will not want to lose their stops.

On the other hand, grade-separation at the major intersections would be welcomed by the locals.

 

[Rainforest]

Aren't we also getting to that point where grade separation is becoming so expensive that it might probably just be cheaper to expropriate the townhomes on Widdicombe?

I think Eglinton West is a case where grade-separation at some critical points is affordable. The corridor is very suitable for that, being wide and largely under-developed at present.

 

[Rainforest]

It's interesting that no one objected to putting Crosstown underground in the Keele-Brentcliffe stretch. The reason? Too little roadway width and general acceptance that traffic would be a mess and LRT would be slowed if it went on the surface.

The assumption at the time - close to a decade ago, now - was that east of Brentcliffe and west of Weston Road, the street had adequate width and traffic was less intense.

Guess what, folks. Eglinton is a major thoroughfare from KR all the way to the 427. Anybody who thinks that cars thin out beyond the center is misinformed.

What changed? The Fords sold a lot of width through Etobicoke for development. So now we have the same narrow road west of Keele that we had east of it. And just as much traffic. So why does the idea of sinking the LRT under main intersections surprise anyone? It's the same design that was accepted all along in the center.

- Paul

Selling the Richview Corridor lands was extremely short-sighted.

But even after that, Eglinton remains much wider west of Weston Road than it is east of Keele. In Etobicoke, there is still room for 6 through lanes (2 LRT + 4 general traffic), left-turn lanes, and reasonably wide sidewalks.

The central section is so tight it only fits 4 or 5 lanes, with no space to squeeze anything else. Literally no space for surface LRT except if Eglinton was treated like in the King pilot, and even then, surface LRT would be dramatically slower than the current underground design.