[ehlow]

Yes, I'm surprised this doesn't come up more often, if the goal is to get traffic moving in urban areas, the #1 thing to do is remove the parking on those streets. It's a no brainer, street parking slows traffic. It reduces the number of lanes, and you constantly have to stop the whole road when cars park and un-park.

On St Clair and King, that's the #1 thing slowing down cars. In my experience, you can easily find parking on side streets anyways, then walk a few minutes back to the street.

The next target if the goal is to get traffic moving, is delivery trucks & vans, which constantly block half the road as they park illegally right on the street. They can also park on the side streets and walk to their destination. It's less convenient for them, but in my opinion if you want traffic to be moving, you can't have one delivery van blocking half the street all the time.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Wait times on the 1 University were a little longer than normal tonight. About 45 minutes. No big deal.

Three consecutive delays were the culprit. First, a security related incident at St. Clair West Station stopped service on the University Subway for at least 15 minutes (I was there for 15 min but I don't know how long people were waiting before). As University Subway service was stopped, there was a second delay due to mechanical failure at what I believe was St. Andrew Station. Shortly after there was then a disabled train at Museum Station. This delayed trains between Museum and Downsview Stations and crippled northbound service between Museum and St. Clair west. I suspect there may have been no service north of St. Clair West, but I am unable to verify this.

During this time the TTC didn't utilize the crossover tracks at Spadina to provide northbound service though that section. Nor were they able to communicate when the disabled train(s) would be removed, so that customers could take alternative routes.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Call control...
​

TTC drivers are not exempt from distracted driving law: The Fixer

From The Star, at this link:

A reader says he saw a bus driver on the phone to his TTC bosses while weaving through rush-hour traffic.


By: Jack Lakey The Fixer, Published on Tue Mar 18 2014


Nobody is above the distracted-driving law, not even a TTC driver who has to take a phone call from his boss.

Queen’s Park announced plans on Monday to amend distracted driving rules by increasing fines to $1,000 and adding three demerit points to the licence of anyone who is caught.

It’s a shot across the bow for people who talk and text while driving, and a sign the province is serious about a problem that studies have shown is at least as dangerous as impaired driving.

The timing coincided with a note from David Hatton, who asked if the rule applies to TTC drivers, after watching a bus driver talk on the phone while weaving through downtown traffic during the Monday morning rush.

“Just as he finished turning a particularly sharp corner he picked up a phone and started talking to what seemed to be transit control,†said Hatton. “There was an audible beep . . . so he did not initiate the call.

“The bus was crowded full of rush-hour passengers, including a woman with an infant in a baby stroller. He chatted on the phone for a couple of minutes as he continued driving.

“Are TTC drivers exempt from distracted driving laws? It doesn’t seem fair that the driver of a vehicle like a bus or streetcar full of passengers should be able to get away with this.â€

STATUS: Given the province’s new emphasis on distracted driving, it’s a great question. Brad Ross, who’s in charge of media relations for the TTC, said its drivers are not exempt from the law. “It applies to us, as it does to everyone else, and that’s how it should be,†said Ross. Every TTC vehicle has a “trump phone†with an old-fashioned cord, that allows the driver to communicate with supervisors in a control room, who can tell them about traffic situations, emergencies and operational issues, he said. But the TTC’s policy is that the driver is supposed to pull over or use the hands-free option on the phone, even if someone from the control room calls, said Ross. “They can’t be on those devices while driving, unless it’s an emergency,†he said, adding the supervisor at the other end can’t see what the driver is doing, and expects them to pull over or use the hands-free option. A notice will be sent to drivers reminding them of the TTC policy, he said.

 

[ehlow]

http://www.oliviachow.ca/getting_people_moving_faster_now_better_bus_service

This seems good. I'm glad someone is bringing attention to better bus service, something that will help the majority of transit riders now as opposed to years later.

 

[JayBeeGooner]

It's a good idea, but isn't the TTC behind on bus orders due to a number of circumstances? (Budget freeze, expected opening of LRT lines.....)

 

[nfitz]

It's a good idea, but isn't the TTC behind on bus orders due to a number of circumstances? (Budget freeze, expected opening of LRT lines.....)

Budget freeze yes.

Part of the Karen Stintz cuts were an increase in the loading standards during rush-hour (i.e. packing more people onto the bus before adding extra buses), thus allowing them to run less buses, and cancel plans for some of the new buses, and delaying the new garage for a few years.

I assume what this does is simply rollback the Stintz cuts. And would require a budget increase.

I'm not really impressed though. We need all this. But we also need the downtown relief line. In 5 years, whoever is TTC Chair then, might again rollback these increases, just like Stintz did. But they wouldn't be able to get rid of the downtown relief line that Chow opposes.

 

[ehlow]

Budget freeze yes.

Part of the Karen Stintz cuts were an increase in the loading standards during rush-hour (i.e. packing more people onto the bus before adding extra buses), thus allowing them to run less buses, and cancel plans for some of the new buses, and delaying the new garage for a few years.

I assume what this does is simply rollback the Stintz cuts. And would require a budget increase.

I'm not really impressed though. We need all this. But we also need the downtown relief line. In 5 years, whoever is TTC Chair then, might again rollback these increases, just like Stintz did. But they wouldn't be able to get rid of the downtown relief line that Chow opposes.

Yeah but it doesn't seem like Chow opposes the relief line: http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=197177. It's not on her main transit page, but saying that she opposes it seems inaccurate.

 

[GenerationW]

^ If you're not making the DRL a central part of your platform, then for all intents and purposes you're against it.

 

[innsertnamehere]

It'll probably be funded by the province come october anyway..

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Which is why I really don't care what these candidates have to say about the Relief Line (as long as they support it). Any candidate who's platform is Relief Line, Relief Line, Relief Line is a candidate that brings nothing new to the table.

 

[GenerationW]

Any candidate who's platform is Relief Line, Relief Line, Relief Line is a candidate that brings nothing new to the table.

Pretty ridiculous comment since no candidates brought the DRL to the table in 2010, and only Tory and Soknacki have so far this year.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Tory and Soknaki? They didn't bring the Relief Line to the table. The Province of Ontario did. Ontario is the one building and funding the thing. All I'm seeing is a bunch of candidates riding on the coattails or a provincial project. Promising to build something that they know they have practically zero control over (unless Tory and Soknaki are secretly running Metrolinx)

The only thing I want to hear from these candidates regarding transit is whether or not they plan to interfere with this provincial Relief Line project and if they have anything genuinely new to bring to the table.

 

[innsertnamehere]

well really it still depends on the spring budget and its ability to be passed (which looking at it I wouldn't be surprised if it does). That will give money to the DRL months before the election is anywhere close to finished, which will force a lot of candidates to do some other promising.

 

[rbt]

Pretty ridiculous comment since no candidates brought the DRL to the table in 2010, and only Tory and Soknacki have so far this year.

It's not something they can do anything about. Why does their opinion on it matter?

Either funding is provided by someone other than the city, or it doesn't happen. No candidate is proposing, or would even consider, a 20% property tax increase necessary for the city to build it.

If they propose something other than the DRL, then perhaps we'll get 2 things improved over the next decade instead of just 1 thing.

Supporting the DRL is like supporting birds hatching in spring. Birds will or won't hatch without the assistance of the mayor.

 

[Palma]

Which is why I really don't care what these candidates have to say about the Relief Line (as long as they support it). Any candidate who's platform is Relief Line, Relief Line, Relief Line is a candidate that brings nothing new to the table.

Unless it can be built in 1/3 of the usual time