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brainfreezed said:
It really bugs me that with all the width they had to play with, and doing a full street reconstruction, they could've easily put in really nice, simple, curb-seperated bike lanes. On a street like that, I'm guessing most cyclists now will be on the sidewalk (I do realize there's not many of them up there though).
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The worst part is that it wouldn't even have changed the width much at all, merely the order. With separated bike lanes, there tree-lined boulevard would be the buffer, so all the space currently used by bike lanes (including buffer) would be the width of the path.

Yes, most cyclists will continue to ride on the sidewalk, though there will likely be an increase in cycling from more hardened cyclists who are willing to put up with the discomfort.

The issue of subjective safety was raised during the planning process, but their response was merely to introduce a buffer (taking space away from the bike lane). The end result is that now cars use the widened bike lane as a right turn lane. On my drive from work today, another motorist passed me on the right while I was waiting in the curb lane to make a right turn. They could at the least, implement raised bus platforms at intersections (like on Roncesvalles and Sherbourne). That way people turning right wouldn't pull over into the bike lane, completely obstructing it for no reason.

doady said:
Wow, bike lanes... they definitely should have reduced the regular traffic lanes to 2 per direction. That road is literally 11 lanes wide. But maybe in the future the entire road will be lined with street-level retail, and 2 lanes coverted to on-street parking, it won't be so bad.
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Yes, that is my hope as well (plus parking lanes are narrower than through lanes, so that means more space for the bike lane+buffer). It would really help cyclists to have the "curb" lanes repurposed as parking/right turn lanes, so we could have separate green phases for through and right-turning traffic, eliminating the conflict between motorists and cyclists. Some intersections, such as Hwy7/Leslie and Hwy7/East Beaver Creek, already have a lot of time allocated to turn phases, but right-turning cars can't always make use of them because there could be someone using the right lane to go through. They instead turn right on the east-west green, conflicting with cyclists.
 
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http://www.postcity.com/Post-City-Magazines/August-2013/Rapidway-bus-stations-will-have-inclement-weather-system/

Rapidway bus stations will have inclement weather system

Nicholas Mizera

York Viva Bus Rapid Transit is reimagining the average bus shelter.

Its Highway 7 rapidway project — expected to connect Warden Avenue to the east and Edgley Boulevard to the west with a dedicated, centre-lane bus route — is being equipped with state-of-the art bus stops. Each so-called “vivastation†will sport amenities that do more than keep the rain and snow off riders, and their construction is well underway.

“It’s a journey that started when the 905 decided it’s no longer going to be a bedroom community,†said Mary-Frances Turner, president of York Region Rapid Transit Corporation.

The rapidway’s ultra-modern flagship bus station, completed in March 2011 at Warden Avenue, was designed by a consortium of renowned firms that includes Aecom and IBI Group — responsible for the architectural design of the city of Toronto’s iconic SkyDome.

Each vivastation consists of two 27-metre-long raised platforms sheltered by five-metre-tall curved canopies made of concrete, steel and glass.

Despite the contemporary design of the vivastations, architects turned to the past for inspiration.

“We looked at heritage architecture,†said Aecom senior architect Americo Gonzalez. “We looked at more industrial-type architecture [and] Victorian-type European train stations.â€

However, appearances were not everything for the designers. The stations include a raft of functional features to serve riders.

Underneath each canopy is a nine-metre wind enclosure, boasting temperature- and motion-activated heaters that kick in during inclement weather. Each enclosure is also fitted with accessible entry doors that minimize heat loss.

The all-glass design ensuring high visibility is a testament to the designers’ concerns for safety, as are the security surveillance systems, energy-efficient lighting and intercoms built into every location. Tactile pavers along the platform further help to keep riders’ steps slip-free.

Rounding out each station’s features is a real-time arrival and departures screen that provides scheduling information and a fare machine that dispenses passes and Presto fares.

York Region Rapid Transit is not releasing itemized costs of its vivaNext plan for the Markham and Vaughan sections of the rapidway project, said Dale Albers, a spokesperson for the company.

However, the new rapidway upgrades coming to the area are not welcome by everyone.

Ari Laskin, a spokesperson for the office of Peter Shurman, MPP Thornhill, criticized the use of taxpayers’ money to pay for the rapidway, which he estimated could cost “anywhere from $150 million to the sky’s the limit.â€

The office of Peter Shurman has objected to the rapidway being built, said Laskin, arguing that a subway extension to the area would better serve residents.

Furthermore, part of the local rapidway would diverge from Highway 7 down Bathurst and Centre streets, which are adjacent to a residential neighbourhood.

The Yonge Street to Warden Avenue segment is expected to be completed in 2014, whereas the part from Yonge Street to Bowes Road is slated for 2018.
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Not that I don't like the vivastation design but that article is rather fawning
It also confuses Peter Shurman's comments about the Centre Street section with the entire project....It would have been fair to ask how much the station's cost but AFIK, the project has been within the assigned Metrolinx budget so maybe the costs of the various components doesn't even matter.
 
gweed123 said:
Does anyone know what the per km cost of the almost-completed section of the Viva Rapidway is? Just curious to see what the final cost was.
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If my math is right...It's $1.8B for 41km of rapidways in total. All the reports say they are within the budget so...that's just under $44M per kilometre. That sound right? I doubt you'll find anything in the accounting (short of a detailed freedom-of-information request) that breaks down individual segments OR components.
 
Thing is, it's not just the rapidways they're building, is it? They're rebuilding the entire road, and moving all sorts of things around. Probably three times the cost of just building two lanes of busway and some stations at the side.
 
Komiksulo said:
Thing is, it's not just the rapidways they're building, is it? They're rebuilding the entire road, and moving all sorts of things around. Probably three times the cost of just building two lanes of busway and some stations at the side.
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Ah, yeah. That's a good point but it really comes with any such project. Even if you build a subway you end up rebuilding the road where you do cut and cover too, at a minimum, right? It's easy to just turn a lane into a bus lane; the trick is the widening (especially expropriation) and the proprietary hardware. I really don't know how you can isolate the cost of "just the rapidway" even if you say the landscaping or new street lights are extraneous. It would be interesting to see some sort of detailed breakdown, however.

Looking at it (both when I go by and in these pictures) tells me we're at least getting our money's worth. Now let's see it (and by it I mean the faster buses and people using the bike lanes, and pedestrian-friendly development etc.) WORK!
 
ive complained and complained and complained and continue to complain about YRT Viva and its crappy service but damn is vivanext coming together BEAUTIFULLY! Even with their decision to keep three traffic lanes, the whole streetscaping and everything has made the road look soo much more appealing than the stuff I see in Vaughan. One thing I wish they did was bury the hydro lines but everything else is great.
 
Evening said:
ive complained and complained and complained and continue to complain about YRT Viva and its crappy service but damn is vivanext coming together BEAUTIFULLY! Even with their decision to keep three traffic lanes, the whole streetscaping and everything has made the road look soo much more appealing than the stuff I see in Vaughan. One thing I wish they did was bury the hydro lines but everything else is great.
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One thing that I'm disappointed about is the red asphalt. It doesn't look nearly red enough to distinguish itself from black asphalt, especially at the intersections.

Or are they adding another layer of paint to make it brighter?

At the entrance/exit point of the rapidway @ Chalmers, they've painted the road bright pink to make sure cars don't enter the rapidway. Any idea if they are going to extend this painting work across the entire rapidway?
 
wilson_wu said:
One thing that I'm disappointed about is the red asphalt. It doesn't look nearly red enough to distinguish itself from black asphalt, especially at the intersections.

Or are they adding another layer of paint to make it brighter?

At the entrance/exit point of the rapidway @ Chalmers, they've painted the road bright pink to make sure cars don't enter the rapidway. Any idea if they are going to extend this painting work across the entire rapidway?
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Yeah I agree with you, it doesnt look bright enough.
 
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