I have lost track of the precise facts here.... can anyone recite the planned velocity for Finch compared to velocity of our subway system and/or the current Finch bus? And/or downtown streetcars?
I’m sure it is true that the LRT will be faster than current bus. However I have a theory that the average person’s view of transit will be relative to the best, or perhaps to an existing norm, rather than relative to what it used to be.
In Toronto the prevailing gold standard for transit speed is our subway system. LRT’s that compare unfavourably to subway will be seen as mediocre, even if they are faster than bus and damn good value overall.
I’m not arguing for building subways everywhere, but I am arguing that those people who critique transit proposals (as professionals or just for fun) need to look at things from the average Joe’s viewpoint.
Our LRT designs need to have a need for speed. Mediocre is not good enough, even if it is faster than before.
- Paul
See, this is why I genuinely think LRT is the right solution for Finch, the speed of the existing buses is not limited entirely by the surface characteristics of the route, but by the large crowding and high probability for bunching. Sure, the corridor has heavy vehicle traffic, but not to the extent that Eglinton or Don Mills has, plus there's room to build out up there. It's also helpful that the line is not acting as a spur for the Spadina Subway. While it's true the majority of people along the corridor are heading there, a good portion are still using the line for local service only. For that reason, the line needs to have a lower stop spacing requirement than the Spadina subway may require.
That being said, I still believe they could have cut out and restructured a few stops along the line, 18 stops over 11 km is far too many. An additional 200 meter walk is not going to add any more time to a person's commute when they won't have to stop at a further 3-4 stations (saving 5-6 minutes)
Really?! Subway is fast, and does it decrease access for the locals?
Yes absolutely, look at:
-the Sheppard Subway (especially between Yonge and Bayview),
-the section of the Yonge Line between Sheppard Yonge and Eglinton Avenue,
-the section of the Spadina subway between St Clair West and Eglinton West,
-the section of the Danforth Subway between Victoria Park and Kennedy
-the 1 stop Scarborough subway extension.
This isn't a bad thing though (except in the case of the SSE and maybe the Sheppard subway), because these areas of the city are not dense enough to be dependent on local traffic alone, but surface transit from the surrounding areas. It saves time for the vast majority of people while saving money for the TTC by requiring the operation of fewer stations.
