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Is it just me or is that that every time GRT tries to do something they trip over themselves and fall flat on their face? I am still trying to understand the purpose of the many styles of signs: (1) regular street signs, (2) Charles Terminal signs, (3) Ainslie Terminal signs, (4) all other terminal signs, (5) old iXpress signs, and (6) new iXpress signs that now include other route numbers. Does GRT hire a bunch of kids every few years to put these plans together? Silly complaining here about this but you would think after falling enough times they would learn to walk and standardize everything from street signs to schedules, maps, and destination signs.

It starts with the Manager of Marketing, y'know, the one that wants buses on each express route painted a different colour. She got shot down on that big time.

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Planning and Works Committee Agenda

Interesting Reads:

GRT Service to Elmira (P-1108)

GRT Business Plan 2011-2014 (P-11-081)

Rapid Transit Project Update (E-11-105)

GRT Smoking Restrictions (E-11-082)

2012 GRT Bus Replacement Purchase (E-11-093)

I find it surprising that there is no mentions about redesigning 7 and 8 and renaming the 100s. Good to see that there will be new service to The Boardwalk.

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I find it surprising that there is no mentions about redesigning 7 and 8 and renaming the 100s. Good to see that there will be new service to The Boardwalk.

I really like the proposed changes. Although I do feel like some of the changes should be implimented sooner rather than later such as the redesign of the 24/25 to extend to the Boardwalk. While I agree with the service additions, I think the timing of introducing said improvements needs to be addressed.

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Any ideas why every route 201 has a shelter except Highland Hills?

Because people will not be waiting for a bus there. They will magically transport themselves from the Highland Hills Mall terminal to that intersection. I think this was included in the design.

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RE: The Upcoming GRT business Plan PIC, here's my personal 'Top 5' wish list for GRT service 'additions' (among the plethora of local service changes that should also be completed of course)...

1) Implement two express routes using the Conestoga Parkway; one from Fairview Park Mall to Conestoga Mall and one from Fairview Park Mall to The Boardwalk to reduce travel times for long-distance transit trips (the highway is already there, use it!!).

2) Additional fixed-route rural transit service to Baden/New Hamburg (connecting at The Boardwalk) and to the Cedar Creek Industrial Park/Ayr (connecting at Ainslie Street via Hwy 97 or Conestoga College via Hwy 401 or both (but 'both' might be overkill)), dial-a-bus or zone-bus services could be used for smaller settlements if necessary

3) Direct service to Bingeman Park, possibly build a terminal there as the terminus to the proposed Ottawa Street and Highland West/Victoria North iXpress routes which currently are shown as ending at Victoria/Lackner anyways (although the proposed Breslau GO Station would be a good terminal point for the Highland West/Victoria North iXpress as well)

4) Service to the Region of Waterloo International Airport, possibly from Fairview Park Mall via Fairway North and along Fountain Street from Sportsworld Crossing to the Breslau GO Station (opportunity to service Breslau itself there as well).

5) GRT OR Guelph Transit Route (or some combination thereof) between the Hespeler Terminal/Smart!Centres Cambridge and the Stone Road Mall/University of Guelph using Highway 24 (GO Transit would continue to service the Highway 7 and 401 corridors).

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In regards to (potential) expansion next september (p. 100):

A separate request for the expansion buses needed to support a potential transit expansion in September 2012 will be presented during the 2012 budget process. Due to the delivery time required for new transit buses, the retirement of some of these buses scheduled for replacement in 2012 could be delayed to ensure vehicles are available to implement a transit service expansion should it be approved for a fall 2012 implementation.
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since when was that supposed to happen ?

Since the introduction of routes 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, and 27. Wasn't "supposed to" but expected from the splitting of routes in Kitchener. Longer routes were split into two routes when a terminal (Charles Street in this case) was the mid-point. 7, 8, and 12 can all be split into smaller local routes that connect to iXpresses.

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hey everybody the driver in the St Marys roundabout accident has been charged.

http://swo.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews...18/?hub=SWOHome

Funny how there is a Waterloo District School Board advertisement on the bus since the incident was involved with a high school teen, even though St. Mary's is with Waterloo Catholic District School Board :P

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RE: The Upcoming GRT business Plan PIC, here's my personal 'Top 5' wish list for GRT service 'additions' (among the plethora of local service changes that should also be completed of course)...

1) Implement two express routes using the Conestoga Parkway; one from Fairview Park Mall to Conestoga Mall and one from Fairview Park Mall to The Boardwalk to reduce travel times for long-distance transit trips (the highway is already there, use it!!).

2) Additional fixed-route rural transit service to Baden/New Hamburg (connecting at The Boardwalk) and to the Cedar Creek Industrial Park/Ayr (connecting at Ainslie Street via Hwy 97 or Conestoga College via Hwy 401 or both (but 'both' might be overkill)), dial-a-bus or zone-bus services could be used for smaller settlements if necessary

3) Direct service to Bingeman Park, possibly build a terminal there as the terminus to the proposed Ottawa Street and Highland West/Victoria North iXpress routes which currently are shown as ending at Victoria/Lackner anyways (although the proposed Breslau GO Station would be a good terminal point for the Highland West/Victoria North iXpress as well)

4) Service to the Region of Waterloo International Airport, possibly from Fairview Park Mall via Fairway North and along Fountain Street from Sportsworld Crossing to the Breslau GO Station (opportunity to service Breslau itself there as well).

5) GRT OR Guelph Transit Route (or some combination thereof) between the Hespeler Terminal/Smart!Centres Cambridge and the Stone Road Mall/University of Guelph using Highway 24 (GO Transit would continue to service the Highway 7 and 401 corridors).

Apart from township service (which I don't know enough to judge), those are all things I would like to see as well.

I also have a post up on the TriTAG blog which is critical of what the current GRT business plan proposes and doesn't propose to do.

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Alright, where to begin...

Most of the stuff that you saw in online documents and the Planning/Works Department were displayed to show.

The iXpress implementation procedure still hasn't been finalized, in terms of the sequence of route implementation. I recommended to them to put the Highland-Victoria Express ahead of the University Express, in order to cover the Kitchener area better, and the University Avenue corridor is already "decently" covered in terms of the core demand. Ottawa Express was delayed to 2017 due to a proposed mass reconstruction of Ottawa Street in the next 2-3 years. They are still open for comments in terms of how passengers want the routes to be implemented.

201 iXpress will undergo a schedule overhaul on October 31 (thank god). Departure times will not change from either Forest Glen or Laurier, but more layover time will be added at the terminus points. On that note, the extension for 2013 will be to Conestoga Mall, plus an eastward extension via Northfield to RIM Park to connect with the University Express.

The Boardwalk will be a huge terminal hub for GRT in the next 4 years. The 4, 5, 24, 25, 29, and the proposed University and Highland-Victoria Express will all connect there.

Township service has been proposed to New Hamburg, Ayr, Breslau, and I forgot any others. They're planning "semi-express" peak hour service to the communities, possibly charging premium fare, then as ridership increases, phase in midday and weekend service (similar to how the 21 was phased in).

Cash fare is expected to go up to $3.00 sometime next year. GRT is heavily looking into PRESTO, however they want to wait until all the software glitches are solved before implementing it.

I didn't look into the Cambridge section much, but the early Sunday morning service for the milk run routes were there. I didn't pay much attention to the proposed express routes there though.

GO Transit's proposed GO train extension to Kitchener was also in the PIC. You can find the information here. Sadly, GRT has no concrete plans to provide its own service to Guelph, but instead relying on GO's limited train service.

In other news, shelter frames installed at Fischer-Hallman/Highland and westbound Columbia/UW. The Highland one is longer in length than the other bus stops.

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Cash fare is expected to go up to $3.00 sometime next year. GRT is heavily looking into PRESTO, however they want to wait until all the software glitches are solved before implementing it.

Doesn't GRT typically increase fares every two years? Why the early adjustment?

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Doesn't GRT typically increase fares every two years? Why the early adjustment?

They suddenly discovered that there is a lot of Fare Fraud with expired Watcards/Onecards, etc. being used and thay have to increase Revenue! You mean to say, You didn't see this one coming?

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They suddenly discovered that there is a lot of Fare Fraud with expired Watcards/Onecards, etc. being used and thay have to increase Revenue! You mean to say, You didn't see this one coming?

What would that have to with general fare increases? They are planning to increase U-Pass fees, but these are not the same.

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