[ksun]

TTC faring third best? I find that very, very hard to believe.

AoD

I guess it is only about North America, where the bar for public transit is very very low.
I just took a trip to Barcelona, a city slightly smaller than Toronto. Their transit is so convenient (11 subway lines, many express bus lines), most buses have dedicated lanes, wide side walk with bike lanes. Traffic seems to flow very smoothly. Most big streets are one way (the myth about one ways street killing street life?). Plenty of pedestrian only streets and alleys. Las Rambles is like our entire University dedicated to pedestrians, with all sorts of shops and restaurants on both sides as well as center island. Imagine making University Ave car-less in Toronto? LOL.

Hugely impressed. That's a well designed city.

When I came back and boarded the TTC trains, which randomly slowed down or even stopped several times, I knew I was back to Toronto. To be the 3 best transit in NA is like being the third richest country in sub-Sahara Africa. Not something worth celebrating.

 

[salsa]

We need commissioners who sit on the TTC board to actually use the TTC. That should be a prerequisite. I wonder about the other current members. See link.

Of the seven board members, only two say they regularly use transit – Josh Colle and Joe Mihevc.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

I was reading the print edition of the March, 2015 issue of Toronto Life. On page 72, they had write-up on Denzil Minnan-Wong. They printed a 10 part list on the councillor, where he shared his "10 things he can't live without".

Denzil #1?


This from a Toronto Transit Commission commissioner? Doesn't use public transit. According to him, it seems, North York is not part of the city of Toronto.

We need commissioners who sit on the TTC board to actually use the TTC. That should be a prerequisite. I wonder about the other current members. See link.

I used to live in his ward (34, Don Valley East) and it probably has one of the most lopsided driving/TTC travel time comparisons in the city. It's a long bus ride to any subway station and easily an hour to downtown on transit, while the DVP runs right through the middle of the ward. Anyone who values their time (and has access to reasonably priced or free parking) will drive. I use to do the drive all the time when I was a student at U of T, since the bus+subway combination was around 75 minutes from my parents house vs. a 20 minute drive.

I think you guys don't really realize how many people in Toronto are in the same boat, simply because the TTC offers such long travel times for people who aren't close to the subway or express bus routes.

 

[Electrify]

I used to live in his ward (34, Don Valley East) and it probably has one of the most lopsided driving/TTC travel time comparisons in the city. It's a long bus ride to any subway station and easily an hour to downtown on transit, while the DVP runs right through the middle of the ward. Anyone who values their time (and has access to reasonably priced or free parking) will drive. I use to do the drive all the time when I was a student at U of T, since the bus+subway combination was around 75 minutes from my parents house vs. a 20 minute drive.

I think you guys don't really realize how many people in Toronto are in the same boat, simply because the TTC offers such long travel times for people who aren't close to the subway or express bus routes.

It is likely that Don Mills will get an express bus later this year. From Don Mills and Lawrence to Pape station by car via Overlea, Google is reporting a 14 minute drive (17 minutes with current midday traffic). It is a 10 minute train ride between Pape and St. George, also according to Google. Let's say this new express takes 20 minutes, and add 20 minute total access and wait time, and you are looking at 50 minutes door to door. Not a 20 minute drive (closer to 30 with parking and making your way to class?), but certainly far more reasonable.

 

[nfitz]

It is likely that Don Mills will get an express bus later this year. From Don Mills and Lawrence to Pape station by car via Overlea, Google is reporting a 14 minute drive (17 minutes with current midday traffic). It is a 10 minute train ride between Pape and St. George, also according to Google. Let's say this new express takes 20 minutes, and add 20 minute total access and wait time, and you are looking at 50 minutes door to door. Not a 20 minute drive (closer to 30 with parking and making your way to class?), but certainly far more reasonable.

Don Mills/Lawrence to St. George is only about 45 minutes in AM peak, according to Google Maps. I used to commute from York Mills/Don Mills to Woodbine station in PM peak and it was only 40 minutes - 35 minutes if it was a particularly good ride.

Hopefully the Express bus is faster than 20 minutes from Lawrence to the Danforth subway, or it's only saving 5 minutes! I'd think from Overlea/Don Mills, it could run express to Donlands station down Don Mills and Greenwood (perhaps a couple of stops on Donlands), and do the trip in 15 minutes.

 

[Electrify]

Don Mills/Lawrence to St. George is only about 45 minutes in AM peak, according to Google Maps. I used to commute from York Mills/Don Mills to Woodbine station in PM peak and it was only 40 minutes - 35 minutes if it was a particularly good ride.

Hopefully the Express bus is faster than 20 minutes from Lawrence to the Danforth subway, or it's only saving 5 minutes! I'd think from Overlea/Don Mills, it could run express to Donlands station down Don Mills and Greenwood (perhaps a couple of stops on Donlands), and do the trip in 15 minutes.

From Don Mills and Lawrence to Pape station (assuming it follows the same route as the current 25 bus) is 26 minutes. So 6 minutes would be about a 23% reduction in travel time, from this leg of the journey. This is admittedly a conservative estimate, since I am also factoring in traffic, red lights, and still the need to board passengers individually. As mentioned above, in late morning traffic driving this route takes 17 minutes according to Google, so adding 3 minutes for stops isn't unreasonable.

 

[Adjei]

I was just in Amsterdam and one good thing about their buses I liked was that there where screens inside the buses which would show you the time it would take to get to many of the major stops. Plus it would also show you the different connecting buses you could take from the upcoming stops and the times they would arrive. It would be convenient to have it on the TTC.

 

[DSC]

I was just in Amsterdam and one good thing about their buses I liked was that there where screens inside the buses which would show you the time it would take to get to many of the major stops. Plus it would also show you the different connecting buses you could take from the upcoming stops and the times they would arrive. It would be convenient to have it on the TTC.

Yes, the Amsterdam transit information IS very useful but I doubt that it will come to the TTC any time soon. It took court cases and much pressure to get them to announce stops automatically and their roll-out of the "Next Bus" screens is pathetic - several along King have actually been removed recently as Astral installs new and more ad-friendly shelters! (e,g. King/Jarvis.) or have been out of order for months (e.g. King/Yonge)

 

[aquateam]

I guess it is only about North America, where the bar for public transit is very very low.
I just took a trip to Barcelona, a city slightly smaller than Toronto. Their transit is so convenient (11 subway lines, many express bus lines), most buses have dedicated lanes, wide side walk with bike lanes. Traffic seems to flow very smoothly.

Not to make excuses, but Barcelona had heaps of Spanish and Euro money piled on it. And Spain is kind of broke now. Plus it's Europe so most of the city predates auto-dependant sprawl.

But Barcelona's built form is definitely something Toronto should aspire to.

Most big streets are one way (the myth about one ways street killing street life?). Plenty of pedestrian only streets and alleys. Las Rambles is like our entire University dedicated to pedestrians, with all sorts of shops and restaurants on both sides as well as center island. Imagine making University Ave car-less in Toronto? LOL.

New York is mostly one-way streets. And in Montreal the two liveliest streets, St. Catherines and St. Laurent (sometimes called "Le Main"), are both one-way. As long as it's done in a way that makes sense (not like how the Plateau is being turned into a labyrinth of one-way streets) I think more of Toronto's streets should be one-way. Make Bay and Church both one-way and then narrow Yonge to widen sidewalks.

When I came back and boarded the TTC trains, which randomly slowed down or even stopped several times, I knew I was back to Toronto. To be the 3 best transit in NA is like being the third richest country in sub-Sahara Africa. Not something worth celebrating.

I like your analogy.

 

[nfitz]

I like your analogy.

You might like it the first time you hear it ... but it quickly becomes tiresome, particularly when they ignore the failings of the systems they keep going on about. If I hated the city ... and apparently the whole continent so ... I'd wonder why I was here, and move to somewhere with better transit. I hear that Sochi has a great LRT!

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

Don Mills/Lawrence to St. George is only about 45 minutes in AM peak, according to Google Maps. I used to commute from York Mills/Don Mills to Woodbine station in PM peak and it was only 40 minutes - 35 minutes if it was a particularly good ride.

Hopefully the Express bus is faster than 20 minutes from Lawrence to the Danforth subway, or it's only saving 5 minutes! I'd think from Overlea/Don Mills, it could run express to Donlands station down Don Mills and Greenwood (perhaps a couple of stops on Donlands), and do the trip in 15 minutes.

Don Mills/Lawrence to St. George is only about 45 minutes in AM peak, according to Google Maps. I used to commute from York Mills/Don Mills to Woodbine station in PM peak and it was only 40 minutes - 35 minutes if it was a particularly good ride.

Hopefully the Express bus is faster than 20 minutes from Lawrence to the Danforth subway, or it's only saving 5 minutes! I'd think from Overlea/Don Mills, it could run express to Donlands station down Don Mills and Greenwood (perhaps a couple of stops on Donlands), and do the trip in 15 minutes.

Maybe you live in at the corner of Don Mills and Lawrence that's fine, but most of the houses in the area are a hike to the nearest bus stop. First I lived southeast of the Donway, which was not so bad. Then we moved to Victoria Village, a 5 minute walk to a Northbound-only stop on the 91. My choices were to either walk around 15 minutes to a southbound 91 or 24 stop, or ride the 91 north to Lawrence and transfer to the 54. Both options were pretty crummy but obviously the neighbourhood was of sufficiently low density that it didn't make sense to improve service.

More broadly, the key takeaway is that the TTC network isn't designed to capture 100% of auto traffic, so don't get angry when people who live in places poorly served by transit choose to drive.

 

[nfitz]

Maybe you live in at the corner of Don Mills and Lawrence that's fine, but most of the houses in the area are a hike to the nearest bus stop. First I lived southeast of the Donway, which was not so bad. Then we moved to Victoria Village, a 5 minute walk to a Northbound-only stop on the 91. My choices were to either walk around 15 minutes to a southbound 91 or 24 stop, or ride the 91 north to Lawrence and transfer to the 54. Both options were pretty crummy but obviously the neighbourhood was of sufficiently low density that it didn't make sense to improve service.

More broadly, the key takeaway is that the TTC network isn't designed to capture 100% of auto traffic, so don't get angry when people who live in places poorly served by transit choose to drive.

Not sure then how an express bus that might only save 5-10 minutes makes a lot of difference to many people. Though generally those who are more likely to use transit, are less likely to buy a house far from transit. It was certainly a criteria when I was house-hunting. That I can see a streetcar up the end of the street out my front window, and was only a 10-minute walk from a subway station, was a huge plus in my mind. At the same time though, I eliminated some houses, because the parking situation seemed just brutal, and the local street was horrible in rush-hour.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

Not sure then how an express bus that might only save 5-10 minutes makes a lot of difference to many people. Though generally those who are more likely to use transit, are less likely to buy a house far from transit. It was certainly a criteria when I was house-hunting. That I can see a streetcar up the end of the street out my front window, and was only a 10-minute walk from a subway station, was a huge plus in my mind. At the same time though, I eliminated some houses, because the parking situation seemed just brutal, and the local street was horrible in rush-hour.

It won't... the sub-thread started because someone jumped on Denzil Minnan-Wong (and other TTC commissioners) for not taking the TTC to work.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Maybe you live in at the corner of Don Mills and Lawrence that's fine, but most of the houses in the area are a hike to the nearest bus stop. First I lived southeast of the Donway, which was not so bad. Then we moved to Victoria Village, a 5 minute walk to a Northbound-only stop on the 91. My choices were to either walk around 15 minutes to a southbound 91 or 24 stop, or ride the 91 north to Lawrence and transfer to the 54. Both options were pretty crummy but obviously the neighbourhood was of sufficiently low density that it didn't make sense to improve service.

More broadly, the key takeaway is that the TTC network isn't designed to capture 100% of auto traffic, so don't get angry when people who live in places poorly served by transit choose to drive.

Still it is Toronto, not Brampton. If a family in Brampton can go without a car, see link, anyone in Toronto would have it better. Especially, with the better headways in Toronto.

 

[W. K. Lis]

The penny pinchers are still running the city. Used to be that there was a grace period after the fares went up to use up your old tickets. Not now. From link.

TTC fares to increase March 1 – kids ride free

The Toronto Transit Commission is reminding customers that most TTC fares will increase on Sun., March 1, while children 12 years of age and under will now ride for free. The new fare schedule is below.

Until April 30, customers can use 2014 TTC Senior/Student tickets along with an additional cash fare of 10 cents. Refunds for 2014 TTC Senior/Student tickets and Day Passes, and for 2013 and 2014 Child tickets, can be obtained in person or by mail at the following times and locations:

In person:

• March 2 - 31
Bloor-Yonge, Kipling and Warden Stations
Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• March 2, 2015 to Feb. 29, 2016
TTC Customer Service Centre, above Davisville Station
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Extended hours, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Thursday and the first and last business day of each month. Closed on holidays.

By mail:
• March 2, 2015 to Feb. 29, 2016
TTC Accounts Payable, 1900 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4S 1Z2
Please allow 3-4 weeks for refund.

After March 1, 2015, 2013 Senior/Student tickets and Day Passes can no longer be used.
Senior/Student tickets and Day Passes purchased prior to 2013 cannot be used at any time and will not be refunded.