Jump to content

Peterborough Transit


OC Transpo 8238

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, Marc said:

I've sent an e-mail to my city councillors asking the council kill this before it even starts.

Would like to know who's behind this sudden push and whether Lauri Stratton (ops manager who replaced Martin earlier this year) is behind it.

I wonder if they've factored in student requirements.

Person I know has a teenage daughter who goes to TASS.

She's now going to need to get three buses to get there and home and if there's no linking between the buses it's gonna be real fun.

Do these route planners in Peterborough not think one bit? It seems they cannot do their job properly if they are causing this much of a mess for the public then they need to lose their jobs right away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, TTC 9701 said:

Do these route planners in Peterborough not think one bit? It seems they cannot do their job properly if they are causing this much of a mess for the public then they need to lose their jobs right away.

guess not.

The head of transit is a guy named Kevin Smith who's previous claim to fame was leading a review of the transit system for the city back in 2011.  One of the recommendations out his review was for the city to move away from it's hub based system.

The manager is Laurie Stratton who seems to be ex-Metrolinx/Go-Transit.  She replaced Martin Ward who was fired for reasons that no-one ever found out..

 

* edit*

Can't repost fully what I've received but any claims about this just being for covid-19 is BS.  These changes have been in the works for sometime but covid has just added to the issue.

By adding the terminals are Trent and Flemming it allows for more social distancing.  Maybe they should just require people to wear masks like on the TTC and not uproot the whole <bleeping> system.

Transit management is claiming it will improve services and there more people will be within 400m of a bus stop but that doesn't address the issue of them being able easily get to where they are going nor that major shopping facilities are no longer on regular bus routes.

There are also no Trent and Flemming Expresses at this point with the new routes.  So having all the buses go to those two locations makes up for the lack of express services but screws the rest of of.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

now hearing rumors that there are going to be cuts to the handivan service which can be be enough for people who are trying to get work and appointments, let alone fighting against those booking to go the mall (and you can bet there will be more of those thanks to the incompetence at the top).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

transit came up at last night's city council meeting with keith riel given city staff a blasting saying they didn't consult with anyone about the upcoming changes - something the staff reject.

Council has given staff 2 weeks to come up with a details on how they came up with the proposed routes etc.

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/council/2020/06/23/riel-blasts-new-peterborough-transit-route-plan.html

of course in typical fashion the examiner gets things wrong.  There won't be more direct routes to the mall etc because they been taken off the regular routes and the hospital is already served by two routes (well between 9am and 4pm, 1 plus the community bus).

I'm still hoping the route changes will be cancelled and a few heads will roll.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Peterborough transit is about to get an cash injection from the provinces and the feds for improvements.  The article is poorly written (but it's the examiner - that's the norm) with duplication and contradiction.

 

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/peterborough-region/2020/06/24/peterborough-transit-fleet-upgrades-coming-with-federal-provincial-city-funds.html

 

Quote
  • Six new replacement buses: Purchase of six new conventional buses to replace older ones in the Peterborough Transit fleet (at a cost of approximately $4 million).
  • Four new accessible buses: Purchase of four new accessible buses to replace older ones in the fleet ($720,000)
  • Two new Handi-Vans: Purchase of two new Handi-Vans to add to the fleet ($360,000)
  • 15 new accessible buses: Purchase of 15 new accessible buses, over the next three years, to add to the fleet ($7.8 million)
 
  • Refurbishment of eight conventional buses: Major refurbishment of eight conventional buses in the Peterborough Transit fleet, including replacement of major components such as engine, transmissions and passenger seating ($1.2 million)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/16/2020 at 10:55 PM, 2822 said:

Anyone know how many buses will be used for base service with the changes?

2 vehicles on the routes that span the entire city. One vehicle on routes  that only go to either Trent or Fleming.

Route 7 will have 2 vehicles, Route 7A and 7B will have a single vehicle, to my knowledge at least. Technology drive one bus obviously as well.

So can roughly expect 15-20 vehicles out at a time, not including handivan/community bus (community bus will be one to each route, same as it is now).

They've also said now that if they didn't do these route changes they would've axed the current system even further than they have already to stop it from bleeding money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, austin_medic said:

They've also said now that if they didn't do these route changes they would've axed the current system even further than they have already to stop it from bleeding money.

That's BS.

Once the drivers are behind plexiglass they could simply re-introduce fare payment.

If they want to go about the trent buses then they could simply restart the expresses but I doubt many would traveling to Trent (and Flemming) and last I heard there was still no guarantee that in person classes at either location would start in September.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There might be times put in the schedule but I don't know how well they are being kept.

Went to catch a bus today for an appointment but ended up missing it because it ran early.  The nearest time had the bus scheduled for 3:20 and was about 2minutes from where I was catching the bus.  Walking to the stop, around 3:17 the bus goes sailing by.

Peterborough transit running early.  Who'd thought it would ever happen.

Councillor Keith Riel copped a spray in the examiner's editorial which I think was way off base and missed an important point

His comments about consultation related to the sudden changes and that there was no consultation or public feed back on the actual routes themselves before being implemented.

and transit is still pushing the BS line these changes were covid-19 related.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Public works hasn't even touched the old stops, I think they lack confidence that these will stay like this for a long time lmao. Why tear them down when the citys gonna flip flop in 2-3 weeks times then you have to go out in the heat and put them all back up again.

Apparently the transit review will resume when convid is over and any route changes from that will be considered at that time. So they are really pushing this story that these changes currently are not permanent.

I always get asked why Im at stops 10-15 minutes early, and its because they ALWAYS run early. They have GPS on there to see what time they were past that area/stop, but nobody bothers to check if they were running early unless somebody calls and complains on them. Even then I doubt anything happens to the driver.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

City staff where directed to by council to prepare a report on how they came up with the new routes by the 13th which is next Monday.  Not sure how much time council will give to discussing it though.

 

There was also another letter in the examiner from a resident in the south end about how transit moving a stop has created a major safety issue.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

city council is proving to be utterly useless with the transit changes and seem happy to let the mess continue.

 

Crs Papas and Riel spoke out out about it last night but nothing is happening.

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/council/2020/07/14/peterborough-city-hall-expected-to-reopen-in-august.html

the line is is still being pushed that this is due to covid-19

laurie stratton was on chex  last friday night saying that transit had been getting calls from people congratulating them on the changes (at the same time I've heard from a reliable source that they're also taking the line that the only people who ring in the complainers and that the silent majority is happy with it)

the ones who see the problems the most are also the ones threatened with termination if they speak out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Council last night voted to Transit restore the stop outside of Brooklawn Hall on Donegal St.

Some councillors voted against it was micro-managing transit and that it should be up to staff to make the change.

Except it's pretty obvious that staff haven't listened.

Think also the are going to have an issue with the bus taking them nowhere.  Prior to the changes they were serviced by the Highland on the outbound.  The 3 - Park doesn't go to the terminal though they could detour the 4 - Well going McDonnell, Murray, Donegal, McDonnell.

 

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/peterborough-region/2020/07/28/city-council-orders-bus-stop-for-brooklawn-apartment-building-on-donegal-street.html

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

Looks like Peterborough Transit will be down a Nova (one of the 2017 deliveries) for quite some time after it was T-boned this morning.

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/peterborough-region/2021/04/21/photos-van-peterborough-transit-bus-collide.html

Don't know enough about bus construction as to whether it will be viable to repair or the bus will be written off.  For example how likely is there to be damage or twisting to the chassis (which is often a death sentence for vehicles).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, Marc said:

Looks like Peterborough Transit will be down a Nova (one of the 2017 deliveries) for quite some time after it was T-boned this morning.

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/peterborough-region/2021/04/21/photos-van-peterborough-transit-bus-collide.html

Don't know enough about bus construction as to whether it will be viable to repair or the bus will be written off.  For example how likely is there to be damage or twisting to the chassis (which is often a death sentence for vehicles).

Very likely. That thing’s a 40 foot banana now. Laser verification will tell the tale.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

A proposal for a full grid system went before Peterborough City Council on Monday night but was rejected because it would cost an extra $3.2mil to run.

The extra costs would be operational as the consultants believed it could be run using the existing 50 bus fleet.

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/council/2021/07/12/plan-to-spend-32m-more-annually-for-a-grid-system-for-peterborough-transit-rejected-by-city-council.html?rf

https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/council/2021/07/08/grid-system-recommended-for-peterborough-transit.html

https://www.scribd.com/document/515066395/Peterborough-Transit-Route-Review-Study-Recommendations#from_embed

 

As a result the city has to decide which way to jump and stick with the current hybrid system (which 30% of riders says doesn't work for them) or revert back to the old radial system.

However as the changes weren't planned to come into effect until next April, the current system will remain in place.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

So, a lot has happened in Peterborough in the last few weeks regarding transit.

 

Next May they will be moving to a full grid system with no increase in cost. A on-demand pilot program in the Collison and Technology Drive area will commence by years end (there is some confusion, this part of the  transit review was approved while the increased service frequency to15 minutes did not pass). I'm guessing we'll be looking at either 30 minute or (cringe) hourly service across the whole city until council commits to further funding likely next year as staff will come back and tell them its mandatory if they want to meet their 6% daily trip goal on time.  

They plan to convert the bus station to have 3 bays on the street and 3 more sawtooth style ones inside the current terminal area. Several councilors complained they invested in transit heavily over the last few years to see no gain in ridership from Peterborough residents, which is why they are hell bent on serving the student populations instead to the detriment of the people that elected them ironically. It's no surprise they are all pro-car councilors. 

Many of second and third nova's have been fitted with 18 inch comms cabinets over the left wheel well, while everything from number 55 onwards has a smaller black box bolted onto the ceiling for these electronics instead.  The GTFS data is not publicly available. The 'Transit' app they provide allows users to share their phones gps while they are on the bus, so I guess you could say there is "gps data", its just not from the city and not consistently available. I've used it a few times, the only disadvantage is it guzzles your phone battery like a pig. 

All buses are fitted with camera systems.

Speaking of numbers, some new vehicles have undergone a livery and numbering change, I spotted 8658 on the red community bus route downtown today sporting a blue and white stripe livery.

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, austin_medic said:

Speaking of numbers, some new vehicles have undergone a livery and numbering change, I spotted 8658 on the red community bus route downtown today sporting a blue and white stripe livery.

Sorry for being an outsider... but what bus is 8658? That doesn't match their current fleet numbering system (XXYY, with XX being unit number and YY being year of build).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, austin_medic said:

They plan to convert the bus station to have 3 bays on the street and 3 more sawtooth style ones inside the current terminal area. Several councilors complained they invested in transit heavily over the last few years to see no gain in ridership from Peterborough residents, which is why they are hell bent on serving the student populations instead to the detriment of the people that elected them ironically. It's no surprise they are all pro-car councilors. 

 

 

I'm not sure I'd have put Keith Riel down as a pro-car but the point is valid.

When they changed the bus routes to the current system the comment was made they didn't want to make any changes before April this year because students planning on going to Trent and Flemming would have planned their accommodation based on the bus routes as they were at the time (think it was our oh so wonderful mayor who uttered those words).

Never mind that that Trent and Flemming didn't have in person classes starting last September.

My comment in here at the time was they could have just put the Trent & Flemming express services back on the road and not send so many of the regular routes to those locations.

Unfortunately I can only vote against 2 of the 3 architects of the current mess at the next municipal elections.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/9/2021 at 5:39 PM, Articulated said:

Sorry for being an outsider... but what bus is 8658? That doesn't match their current fleet numbering system (XXYY, with XX being unit number and YY being year of build).

Ah, apologies, it was 8621, autocorrect screwed me on my phone. It's a 4th gen nova. I haven't seen one of the community bus vehicles in well over a year at this point, they've been running full fat buses on all the community bus routes despite the reason for them being purchased was the full size buses were too big to fit into the tight spaces required... I have to wonder at this point if we'll  see them return or if the city has decided its just better or cheaper to run them as is with novas. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well the TCSA just leaked a number September route changes that are incoming.

A number 11 route has appeared on the trip planner, although it has no timetable posted yet. This will be the new trent bus, an east bank route doesn't seem to be in the plans, yet at least. I imagine the 2C will be scrapped as they have shortened up the Chemong route so it doesn't run all the way to Trent anymore. The number 6 covers the number 2's route from Hilliard out to the university instead. 

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bbe1f003560c31dc6b29f07/t/610022fed9ee3c6092ab443f/1627398911527/Sept+2021+Tentative+Plan+(1)+(2).pdf

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, austin_medic said:

Well the TCSA just leaked a number September route changes that are incoming.

A number 11 route has appeared on the trip planner, although it has no timetable posted yet. This will be the new trent bus, an east bank route doesn't seem to be in the plans, yet at least. I imagine the 2C will be scrapped as they have shortened up the Chemong route so it doesn't run all the way to Trent anymore. The number 6 covers the number 2's route from Hilliard out to the university instead. 

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bbe1f003560c31dc6b29f07/t/610022fed9ee3c6092ab443f/1627398911527/Sept+2021+Tentative+Plan+(1)+(2).pdf

There was a similar map released a few weeks back when the proposal for going to a complete grid system (was in The Examiner article) and that maps looks pretty similar.

 

Still protecting the community bus routes by not having either Lansdowne Place or Wal-Mart directly services by a route bus either when the former isn't the most effective route for people who've been shopping. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the city has formally announced the September changes.

As noted above the Chemong will now terminate at Portage Place instead of going to Trent and the New 11 route is a Trent Express.

https://www.peterborough.ca/en/news/september-transit-route-adjustments.aspx

https://www.peterborough.ca/en/city-services/transit-routes-and-schedules-sept-2021.aspx

There have also been other adjustments to various runs either in the scheduling or the routes to account for the changes to Chemong and the new 11 (Water) route.

 

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...