[kotsy]

Why would one drive along King, Queen, Dundas or College all the way from Bay to Spadina? There are better routes if your going that far. I tend to use Harbord/Wellesely (or Gerrard) or Richmond/Adelaide.

I basically live on Dundas and was going to a friend's on Dundas and it was after 9PM. I usually fly down the street at that hour but this streetcar screwed me over that night. It's one inner arguments as to how long the closed lane goes for.

 

[nfitz]

I basically live on Dundas and was going to a friend's on Dundas and it was after 9PM. I usually fly down the street at that hour but this streetcar screwed me over that night. It's one inner arguments as to how long the closed lane goes for.

I guess in any situation like that, I've simply taken the streetcar ... unless I'm hauling cargo.

I really don't think one can complain about streetcars taking up a main streetcar route ... surely the ultimate solution is simply ban through car traffic on these few routes.

 

[hawc]

Read an interesting article about how these streetcars won't do anything to reduce congestion and won't do anything to lessen crowding on the streetcars.

It's the theory of induced demand.

We all know that the more roads we build the more cars they attract and become just as full.

Well unfortunately the same things happen when you increase transit availability. The cars that are removed from the road from people deciding to take transit instead of drive are replaced by an equal number of new cars from people who say, oh the roads aren't as busy I'll drive. And the new streetcars get just as crowded as people who otherwise would have walked or cycled because of crowded streetcars decide to take the thew ones.

You can't reduce congestion because of induced demand. The only proven way to lower congestion is by drastically increasing the price of parking or road tolls.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Depends.

Transit differs from car based transportation because as use increases average speed doesn't change, average speed actually tends to increase due to increased frequencies. This means that there is little to no latent demand as capacity is easily increased to meet demand. Transit can usually build capacity with demand, up until a certain point. Line 1 is starting to reach its "maximum", requiring big money to upgrade it.

The streetcar network hasn't had a capacity increase since the early 1990's, despite the extreme growth pressures placed on it. It's ridership has plateaued at around 250,000 daily trips, the maximum capacity of the system. The new streetcars will boost network capacity by roughly 30%, most of which will get eaten up by latent demand, which has built up over the last 20 years as there has been no capacity increases (actually a net decrease since the 1980's). Thats why the additional order of 60 new streetcars is so key, to go beyond the latent demand recuperation and to deal with ridership growth of the next few decades and to get streetcar crowding standards down, which is where you will actually see an improvement in quality of service.

 

[nfitz]

The only proven way to lower congestion is by drastically increasing the price of parking or road tolls.

Increasing the price of parking or road tolls will reduce crowding on streetcars?

 

[W. K. Lis]

Increasing the price of parking or road tolls will reduce crowding on streetcars?

End free parking, including the suburbs. Its ridiculous that there are meters on arterial roads, while stores provide free parking in their lots next to the street meters.

 

[spider]

Its ridiculous that there are meters on arterial roads, while stores provide free parking in their lots next to the street meters.

If this were a common scenario no one would use the meters but obviously this is rarely the case.

 

[the lemur]

If this were a common scenario no one would use the meters but obviously this is rarely the case.

Maybe not all stores provide lots, but in the case of stores with metered parking in front in urban areas, there is often parking available on side streets that is free (outside night-time permit hours) or metered at reasonable rates. The idea that people will simply give up on shopping somewhere just because they cannot park right in front, even if they have nothing large or unwieldy to bring home, is ludicrous and not borne out by reality.

 

[hawc]

End free parking. Its ridiculous that stores provide free parking in their lots next to the street meters.

Foolish merchants trying to attract customers. Fall in line!

 

[Red Mars]

Pics taken June 27, 2014. Spadina and King.

Took a few minutes and a loud siren + horn to get by.

Looks impressive.

I can just imagine a couple of these stuck on the tracks for whatever reason will cause a lot of traffic chaos. Looks like that downtown relief line cant get here fast enough.

 

[car4041]

I can just imagine a couple of these stuck on the tracks for whatever reason will cause a lot of traffic chaos. Looks like that downtown relief line cant get here fast enough.

Will a couple of these stuck on the tracks really cause any more traffic chaos than a couple of ALRVs stuck on the tracks?

 

[TOareaFan]

Will a couple of these stuck on the tracks really cause any more traffic chaos than a couple of ALRVs stuck on the tracks?

It would seem to me that one streetcar (regardless of length) stuck on tracks takes out one lane of traffic....regardless of the length of the vehicle that is stuck.

 

[pstogios]

Will a couple of these stuck on the tracks really cause any more traffic chaos than a couple of ALRVs stuck on the tracks?

Segments of the population a) have already made up their mind about the new streetcars before they are even in service, and b) do not rely on evidence before speaking their mind.

 

[khris]

Will a couple of these stuck on the tracks really cause any more traffic chaos than a couple of ALRVs stuck on the tracks?

With the right lane being used for parking this is going to suck, just as it does today, but possibly worse.

 

[DSC]

With the right lane being used for parking this is going to suck, just as it does today, but possibly worse.

... and THAT is the real problem. It is ridiculous to use scarce road space for parking but having a lane blocked by a broken-down ALRV is not much better than one blocked by an LRT and, with luck, the new streetcars will not break down so often.