December 30th, 2008
As much as I might not have believed it, the TTC has been one of Toronto greatest success stories of 2008, and it’s all about the little things. Despite a sudden and nasty strike in April and many long-standing complaints, the TTC has moved convincingly in the right direction this year. It’s a qualified success story, as there’s still much to do.
The Good
• There were two major service improvements this year, in February and in November. The February improvements mostly addressed some of the deferred improvements to ease crowding and improve minimum headways on core routes, while the November improvements set a minimum 30 minute service level on all routes, every day, 18 hours a day. Some routes went from rush hours only to full service literally overnight.
The next step, if there is funding available, would be to increase this minimum to 20 minutes (originally promised, but deferred to at least November 2009), but perhaps a minimum 15 or 10 minute service standard on the core routes might be another idea worth considering - some core routes, like 41 Keele, run with frequencies worse than 20 minutes in evening periods. Other ideas in the works would be an expansion of the express bus network, an idea that could act as a transition step between plain old bus service and higher-order transit.
• The TTC’s ridership finally broke the previous record set in 1987 (463.5 million rides) to 465 million rides from November 2007 through November 2008.
• A promise of a fare freeze for 2009, welcome after a rather steep fare increase this year (increasing the base price for a Metropass by $9.25). Hopefully, this will not jeopardize improvements next year by constraining the budget.
• Gadgets! The new next streetcar displays at Spadina and Union Stations are a nice touch, even though there are some problems - the one at Union doesn’t display times for the 509 Car, and the one at Union Spadina Station doesn’t yet distinguish between cars turning at Adelaide/King, and those headed to Queen’s Quay and Union Station. The next train displays at Dundas Station are neat, but not that necessary, as the subway is generally reliable and trains always come within 5 minutes.
Then there’s Red Rocket, an unofficial iPhone app. I still refuse to get an iPhone thanks to the overpriced cellphone monopoly, but the idea is inspired, and has proven to be popular. For its part, the TTC has been much more lax towards unofficial homages like rap songs and wall decals these days.
• The Downtown Relief Line has crept back into the public consciousness, and is now discussed and debated in detail again by serious transit advocates. At least in my opinion, such a line is now needed, particularly with not only Transit City construction expected to start next year, but also the promised Yonge Subway extension deep into the 905 to Highway 7 in Richmond Hill. However, the TTC only plans to start in 2018, and is pushed back in the Metrolinx regional transit plan to the 25 year timeline.
December 29th, 2008
Each Monday, we bring you some of the popular posts from our sister blog, Spacing Montréal. We’ll keep an eye open for topics and discussions that are pertinent to current public space issues in Toronto.
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December 24th, 2008
On a recent visit to my hometown of Brampton, I noticed a new GO Transit bike shelter freshly installed in front of the downtown Brampton station. The bike racks themselves have yet to be installed, …
December 22nd, 2008
Each Monday, we bring you some of the popular posts from our sister blog, Spacing Montréal. We’ll keep an eye open for topics and discussions that are pertinent to current public space issues in Toronto.
•As a downtown …
