Young Stats
New Member
It was referring to the YRT route #29, not the 29 Dufferin (TTC)
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- Thread starter ShonTron
- Start date
Leo_Chan
Senior Member
This is a good route, but I would add a stop at Cornell Terminal because transit hubs.The best option for a UTSC route would be Markville Mall -> STC GO Terminal -> UTSC.
Perhaps this would present an opportunity for YRT to take over the popular 129A and build new ridership heading to UTSC?
Perhaps:
29 McCowan between Major Mackenzie -> STC GO
29A McCowan between Bullock Drive -> UTSC via STC GO
Having the bus loop around Bullock Drive would be beneficial as it would create a $0.75 connection from Lincolnville/Uxbridge/Stouffville GO Bus riders looking for a direct connection to UTSC. Having a one seat, one fare connection to two major trip generations (STC and UTSC) would make this a fairly successful and high ridership route. Also whoopee for free connections to DRT!
Thoughts?
Should this route be an express or semi-express route? I would say express as it would be the whole point of this route. Cornell, 9th Line, Markham, McCowan, Markville, Unionville, 14th Ave, Steeles, Finch, Sheppard, STC, Elsemere, Markham, Military Trail, UTSC. Would this stop spacing be too far or just right?
amnesiajune
Senior Member
It would make the most sense if all public transit for the entire GTA was run by one regional agency with provincial oversight. It doesn't make much sense for Toronto to use a model that most of the world (aside from Montreal and San Francisco) abandoned in the mid-20th century.
Young Stats
New Member
If it has to run with provincial oversight. Then it would have to be funded by province, however it would have to be controlled and managed by the transit workers union, because imo bureaucrats don't know to run public transit properly (ie Metrolinx). Public transit has to be out of the hands of government in regards to decision making.
amnesiajune
Senior Member
Metrolinx has its issues, but it has a lot less political interference simply because the province has bigger things to worry about - income taxes, energy policy, healthcare, roads, and so on. For the municipal government, public transit is the one major part of their mandate that people are dealing with every single day, so there's a much bigger incentive to meddle with it.
smallspy
Senior Member
That's a nice thought, but one that doesn't bear out in reality.
Dan
Toronto, Ont.
amnesiajune
Senior Member
When's the last time that the Premier of Ontario held a press conference in front of a map of their dream transit network, like John Tory and his two mayoral predecessors have done?
TOareaFan
Superstar
Not that but there was a time they launched a new service....with a new fare structure we had not seen before....and ridership build up was slow....but ML was standing behind their plan and sticking with it ...saying (paraphrase) "we are not even done the first year of a 5 year plan to build ridership....let's see how it works out"....then the governement that created ML and their "independent" board lost patience with the plan and gave into public pressure and announced a new fare structure days (maybe even just a day) before a ML board meeting....and that independent board approved (some may say "rubber stamped") the government's decision.
ML is free of political interference only as long as they are doing exactly what their political masters want them to do.
Young Stats
New Member
This is the reason why Metrolinx should be run by Transit Experts/Transit unions rather than bureaucrats
TOareaFan
Superstar
No one likely disagrees with you (on the experts thing....not sure a union is the right body to be planning transit)......but if you waiting for the day when this, or any, government hands bundles of cash to a truly independent body with no political accountability and just says "spend it as you see fit...no need to ask us or fear us over ruling you"....might I suggest not holding your breath while you wait.
MisterF
Senior Member
What makes you think that transit experts and bureaucrats are separate groups? People can be both. If transit experts work for the government then they are by definition bureaucrats.
Young Stats
New Member
What I see is that bureaucrats usually are the ones that the government makes all the important decisions in regards to public transit. For example, the controversial Scarborough Subway Extension were decided by Tory and the city councilors. There were also other examples were Metrolinx were told by the province and the municipal governments in the GTHA what to do in regards to decision making. In other words, Metrolinx were a bunch of 'yes man'. Transit Experts on the other hand makes the most important decisions transit project based on themselves rather than the government. The Transit Experts then proposed a transit project to the government to decide which options suited best. The difference boils down to efficient planning and the amount of experience in public transit
amnesiajune
Senior Member
Those people aren't bureaucrats. They're democrats. "Bureaucrat" comes from the French word for a desk, as in the implication that they do nothing except sit at a desk and are only accountable to their desk. Democrat comes from the Greek word for "the people", as in representatives of the people.
MisterF
Senior Member
Young Stats, bureaucrat is just another word for public employee. Councillors are elected politicians, not bureaucrats. And there are many transit experts in the public service at the province and the city. Transit experts are bureaucrats.
What you're proposing is having transit decisions made by bureaucrats rather than politicians.
What you're proposing is having transit decisions made by bureaucrats rather than politicians.
cplchanb
Senior Member
ok guys time to get back OT....