5v5v5v5v In reply to Weissboard [2016-01-02 19:19:27 +0000 UTC]

To clarify: I have nothing against the TTC, I just believe that more has to be done to modernize, upgrade, and streamline the service as a whole. More subway service to the east end of Toronto, better bus line efficiency. The new street cars are a step in the right direction. More buses on busy routes during rush hour would be another. The new rail line from Pearson Airport to Toronto Union Station is making Toronto on par with other major cities like London, New York, San-Francisco, Chicago or Vancouver.

You look at most of these other cities and their transit was built with higher volumes of people and traffic years later in mind. Toronto built for the now and has over-crowding on a daily basis.

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Weissboard In reply to 5v5v5v5v [2016-01-08 03:39:00 +0000 UTC]

I like our local transit, but one problem I have with our regional rail line BART, is that they can't seem to put platform rails and gates at the busiest stations to deter suicides or those who fall or are pushed onto the tracks.

Yes it is expensive, but so is shutting down the station and setting up bus bridges until they finish the investigation.

I guess we have our opinions, but we don't make the decisions.

Sorry to hear Bombardier "bombed out". Those cars make me want to visit Toronto.

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5v5v5v5v In reply to Weissboard [2016-01-08 14:01:19 +0000 UTC]

They are still contractually obligated to finish. The TTC has not canceled that. They probably just want compensation for the delay in conversion. The TTC was on a schedule, the delay probably cost them money in running the older street cars longer than expected.

It's not just the street cars, the C-series jet is facing as much trouble financially. It got to the point were the Provincial government of Quebec (national headquarters and production facilities for the company) pledged $1.3 billion to help finish production and keep Canada's aviation sector alive.

Bombardier was and still is taking a lot of risks.

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Weissboard In reply to 5v5v5v5v [2016-01-10 08:09:16 +0000 UTC]

Well, hopefully it all gets sorted out. I'm familiar with the term "cost overruns" and "fixing Muni" is every Mayoral candidate's campaign platform.

We are halfway through an ambitious plan to build the Central Subway from San Francisco's Chinatown to the Caltrain Pennisula Line to San Jose.
I guess it has to be done. Surface traffic jams has now made the old bus link unworkable.

In the Central Valley around Fresno, the tracks are being laid for the first High Speed Rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles. You can hear the cries of "Tax waste" and "boondoggle". Of course the same was said for the Golden Gate Bridge on the 1930s.

I'm impressed that you have such a grasp of the situation. Either you are a transit enthusiast or work in that sector.

Being an Adobe Community Professional (Photoshop) takes up enough of my time.

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5v5v5v5v In reply to Weissboard [2016-01-10 17:07:07 +0000 UTC]

I'm an aircraft enthusiast and college student. Since Bombardier is a diverse company, it's not difficult to see what else the company is working on. Since I use transit on an infrequent basis, I want to know about what could affect me either on a rider's or drivers POV. While I don't live in the municipality of Toronto, I commute either by car or transit depending on weather and traffic conditions and live close enough that it affects me.

Try this story: about 5 years ago, then mayor Rob Ford (before the crack scandal) proposed transit expansion to the east end of the municipality in Scarborough. As of now the only ways of getting to the city proper from the east end is by GO Transit train or bus unless you lived near McCowen RD near Scarborough Town Center where the subway and Scarborough RT started. The west end had much better transit planning and affiliation with the neighbouring Mississauga.  Ford proposed a subway extension; some city counselors wanted light rail. The problem with the RT is its vulnerability to weather, especially in winter, more so then street cars. The problem is long term vs short term costs. Subways cost more to build, but little to maintain, while the opposite is true for the Light Rail. Remember, unlike San Francisco we have to deal with cold temperatures, heavy snow, and corrosive salt carried by cars.

I don't know how mayoral elections work in the states, but in Toronto (as far as I know) each city counselor is elected in a ward or section of the municipality and is independent of any political party affiliations. In theory, it is everyone for themselves. For the transit expansion, the city was divided and was not resolved until the next year when subway was decided, federal funding included. I was for the subway; less above ground traffic and electric vehicles. The city still has yet to decide when to start, even though Ford is no longer mayor, but still a counselor.

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Weissboard In reply to 5v5v5v5v [2016-01-12 07:21:59 +0000 UTC]

I just checked the www.scarboroughsubwayextension… website. At least it looks like it is on the table, so to speak. and I agree, it's sheltered, and has its' own right of way. Aside from weather, traffic can limit speeds, not to mention any emergency that blocks the tracks.

In other news, I just found out that Caltrain has been changing over to the same style Bombardier trains GO has, but in red instead of green. I may just plan a trip to a Japanese restaurant on that line.

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5v5v5v5v In reply to Weissboard [2016-01-13 02:30:42 +0000 UTC]

The GO train cars are great. Coming from the east end gives a great view of lake Ontario as it crosses the rouge valley. During rush-hours on weekdays, the upper deck is a  loosely enforced quiet zone; no talking or loud noise. Their height also came in handy three years ago when a massive storm flooded the low lying areas of the Don Valley just outside the city. 123mm or 4.84in of rain fell in  few hours

news.nationalpost.com/news/can…

The Don Valley area is notoriously dangerous on the best of days. The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) that snakes through is almost always congested at the evening and morning rush, has lanes narrower than a normal highway and is very susceptible to flooding. Its proximity to the nearby Don River, especially around the Bayview extension is a good example.

s2.twnmm.com/images/en_ca/12/D…

Best analogy I can make would be if the 405 freeway was skinnier and more twisty.

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Weissboard In reply to 5v5v5v5v [2016-01-15 03:50:36 +0000 UTC]

From all you and the articles said, it's problem that needs immediate attention. I'm not an engineer, but it seems like a detour or newer less flood prone highway is in order. The tall cabs saved lives, but luck is a sparse diet.

Any movement from your local government on a fix?

Gene

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5v5v5v5v In reply to Weissboard [2016-01-15 14:55:46 +0000 UTC]

Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done for three reasons:

1: Short sighted politicians and voters: No government wants to be "That guy" in closing a major artery to the city and force traffic onto Hwy 11, lakeshore blvd, and all the other major side streets for years at a time. Right now they can only get away with closing major sections of the DVP on weekends and even then,  if there is a hockey or baseball game traffic is horrendous.

2: Nobody wants to pay for it: A lot of torontonians want better commutes and service but don't want to foot the bill. It's hypocritical and funny at the same time. A tax increase is being discussed right now for the 2016 budget, but where that tax increase should go is the fierce debate but is leaning toward a property tax hike. Toronto has some of the lowest property taxes around and if it had the same level of tax as my city right next door, then budget shortfalls would be non-existent. 

3: the more immediate concern: while the DVP is flood prone, it at least will works well-ish the vast majority of the time. The storm 3 years ago dumped as much rain as hurricane Hazel that hit the city in 1954, so the flooding is less than uncommon. The major artery with a questionable future is right along the lakeshore called the Gardiner Express Way; an elevated highway right through the center of downtown. A major overhaul is underway to fixed the most dilapidated sections as chunks of concrete fall to surface streets below. There was a proposal to demolish part of the eastern section connected to the DVP, but repair thankfully won out. right now a backlog of about $626 million of repairs are underway that started in 2013.

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5v5v5v5v In reply to Weissboard [2016-01-02 18:56:33 +0000 UTC]

While I have not been on the new cars yet. I do know that the TTC will never do contracts with Bombardier after this. The production and promise of 67 vehicles by the end of october 2015 only saw 10 enter service. Since then the TTC has voted in favor of a lawsuit against Bombardier.

The finished product from what I have seen meets expectations and might lighten overall traffic by taking several smaller streetcars off the road.

My personal opinion though is that the new LRVs are like putting new tires on a rusted out car.

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