Someone who is GIS-savvy might want to create a density/employment map on which all or phases of the DRL could be overlaid. All such maps found in the usual suspects of reports are usually not particularly useful, such as not going down to the census tract level or smaller to highlight the massive concentrations of residents and jobs that would exist around many of the DRL's stations. A travel time map would also be rather illuminating.

Don't drown out the message in too many points, though...the main thing is that it offers relief to the YUS loop while serving dense areas with bountiful trip generators. Cost savings by running in rail corridors or connection opportunities to Weston/Don Mills, while still important, are more technical and seem totally off the city's radar.
 
Well, considering that Adam Giambrone is a Facebook user and the Spacing/Transfer City crowd are all Gladstone hipsters, a Facebook group may not be a bad idea.

I'm joining.
 
This sounds like a great idea. I'm joining as well. If I can contribute later on I will. I'm currently a bit busy with school at the moment.
 
I wrote a quick blurp about who we are and what we hope to gain. Feel free to criticize or suggest amendments...

Ideally, I'd like about 10 pro-points, so please list any you may have here!

I didn't re-read all of matt's letter, so forgive me if this is already stated in there.
- Better serve major recreational, tourist, and employment destinations, including Exhibition, Liberty Village, Rogers Centre, MTCC, Harbourfront, the financial core, ACC, St. Lawrence, Distillery District, and FilmPort, among others.

Someone who is GIS-savvy might want to create a density/employment map on which all or phases of the DRL could be overlaid. All such maps found in the usual suspects of reports are usually not particularly useful, such as not going down to the census tract level or smaller to highlight the massive concentrations of residents and jobs that would exist around many of the DRL's stations. A travel time map would also be rather illuminating.

I'll see what I can do.
 
Anybody catch the Transit City report which speculates that an option for the Jane LRT could be to hop onto the Weston Sub, avoiding the narrow street at the southern end of the route, and running directly downtown to Union, acting as a "western downtown relief line".

Through routing that with a downtown relief LRT could connect things up with the Don Mills LRT... Thoughts?
 
Anybody catch the Transit City report which speculates that an option for the Jane LRT could be to hop onto the Weston Sub, avoiding the narrow street at the southern end of the route, and running directly downtown to Union, acting as a "western downtown relief line".

Through routing that with a downtown relief LRT could connect things up with the Don Mills LRT... Thoughts?

No, I didn't catch the report but it's probably the best new idea to hatch out of the TC plan yet.

I wish that the Weston sub were used for heavy rail rapid transit (electric regional rail), but I guess you can't look a gift horse in the mouth. At least not in Toronto.
 
No, I didn't catch the report but it's probably the best new idea to hatch out of the TC plan yet.

I wish that the Weston sub were used for heavy rail rapid transit (electric regional rail), but I guess you can't look a gift horse in the mouth. At least not in Toronto.

I agree. Jane-Bloor is far from the ideal meeting point for two 'subway' lines to converge, not to mention creates a useless transfer point as most 35 riders would be heading east-north not west-north anyway. What could be done instead is reroute 55 Warren Park (a route I believe was slated for the axe last summer) to mind the gap on lower Jane Street (Dundas-Bloor). As such we'd be closer to a DRL line than expected.
 
Anybody catch the Transit City report which speculates that an option for the Jane LRT could be to hop onto the Weston Sub, avoiding the narrow street at the southern end of the route, and running directly downtown to Union, acting as a "western downtown relief line".

Through routing that with a downtown relief LRT could connect things up with the Don Mills LRT... Thoughts?

I think linking the Jane LRT to the Don Mills LRT with some sort of DRL was always the long term plan, but that was before the RTP was started.

As for the weston sub, I think its a much better idea than using Jane as the terminus. It will be cheaper by avoiding tunneling south of St. Clair, and we won't have to deal with disrupting Swansea to get the line to the Waterfront West corridor.
 
OK, I think I'm happy with the amount of information on the page now. Surely, we need lots more, but we can at least start inviting people to the page to get the discussion going (and to get our numbers up there).

If you are on Facebook, please invite everyone who is either...

1. A commuter in Toronto who may be helped by a DRL
2. Anyone who is interested in transit/urban issues (even if they aren't from Toronto).

Once again, the group is here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10757265438

Thanks!
 
I'd say the blurb should be directed more at the average person than transit fans and urban enthusiasts. The average person isn't going to join if the article doesn't grab them from the start. For example, most people will stop reading at "creative financing opportunities". Just my 2 cents.

Great idea and I'm joining.
 
^ I agree...whatever intros/teasers are used need to be short and snappy - details can follow later. People that don't post on internet forums won't get excited by technical details, they need Viva-style propaganda.

Anybody catch the Transit City report which speculates that an option for the Jane LRT could be to hop onto the Weston Sub, avoiding the narrow street at the southern end of the route, and running directly downtown to Union, acting as a "western downtown relief line".

Through routing that with a downtown relief LRT could connect things up with the Don Mills LRT... Thoughts?

An intuitive next phase of Transit City is to connect Jane and Don Mills via some kind of downtown LRT, but the whole point of advocating for a DRL would be to get it built as a subway line, with 100% grade separation and using a technology appropriate for the kind of crowds the line would see if built to its potential.
 
The 313 Jane Night Bus runs from Steeles down Jane to Dundas, then follows Dundas to Roncesvalles, where it follows Roncesvalles to Queen. The 312 St. Clair Night Bus runs from St. Clair and Yonge, along St. Clair West all the way to Jane Street, then follows Jane down to Bloor Street.
The Jane LRT could follow the railway right-of-way from Dundas and St. Clair to downtown, while the St. Clair LRT could go all the way to Jane and then go by tunnel down Jane to Bloor.
The Don Mills LRT could continue its tunnel down Pape until it meets the railway right-of-way and then use the right-of-way to downtown. This would revive the eastern part of the old Harbord streetcar route.
 

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