Blake M Posted January 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2021 https://livewirecalgary.com/2021/01/26/work-to-begin-on-the-foundation-for-calgarys-52-street-se-brt-conversion/ 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armorand Posted January 28, 2021 Report Share Posted January 28, 2021 6 hours ago, Blake M said: https://livewirecalgary.com/2021/01/26/work-to-begin-on-the-foundation-for-calgarys-52-street-se-brt-conversion/ About time though. The lights along 52nd are whats making the 23 so slow... its definitely not slow by traffic itself. The more upgrades, the better. It could also help out with 147-150 transfers as well. Those transfer points are rough as hell & especially difficult to navigate in the winter... some new platforms, actual physical sidewalks and other upgrades would be of tremendous benefit for any transit in between 17 Ave & 130 Ave SE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green_line_26 Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 https://www.airdrietoday.com/rocky-view-news/progress-continues-on-calgary-chestermere-public-transit-link-3555513 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armorand Posted March 25, 2021 Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 15 hours ago, green_line_26 said: https://www.airdrietoday.com/rocky-view-news/progress-continues-on-calgary-chestermere-public-transit-link-3555513 What if someone just needed (or in our cases - wanted) to just strictly loop within the town? Would it not be easier and potentially recover more funds, if there was at least a little bit of two-way service in the western edge of Chestermere, to also use as a transfer point within the town for transit usage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Transit Fan Posted March 25, 2021 Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 I'm curious how they'll go about organizing the schedule once the route is extended. Currently, Max Purple is more or less non-stop service between East Hills and 1 St SW. Let's ignore the one timepoint on 9th Ave @ 8 St SE for sake of simplicity. Currently, travelling EB, if MP is running super early (few passengers, hit all the green lights), by the time it reaches East Hills, it can kill off that extra time plus all its scheduled layover time without really disrupting any passengers since it's the end of line. However, if the route is extended and your destination is Chestermere but the bus is say 5 minutes early arriving at East Hills, that's 5 minutes you gotta kill before the bus can depart. The other thing to remember is that because it's a one-way loop through Chestermere, there's not really a clear "end of the line" to be able to throw in those long periods of scheduled layovers. I remember reading that it would only start off with a few trips during peak hours and not a full day service which might make scheduling a bit easier. During morning peak, scheduling extra time at the first stop in Chestermere whereas during afternoon peak, you could schedule more time at the end of the loop after everyone has been dropped off. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Parsons Posted March 25, 2021 Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 4 hours ago, Transit Fan said: However, if the route is extended and your destination is Chestermere but the bus is say 5 minutes early arriving at East Hills, that's 5 minutes you gotta kill before the bus can depart. What's your point? It's a time point. Just like any others. 4 hours ago, Transit Fan said: The other thing to remember is that because it's a one-way loop through Chestermere, there's not really a clear "end of the line" to be able to throw in those long periods of scheduled layovers. So they have an on street time point instead of at a bus terminal or bus looo. It's not like the concept of a loop route is new to Transit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick B Posted March 25, 2021 Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 32 minutes ago, M. Parsons said: What's your point? It's a time point. Just like any others. If I'm using a "Bus Rapid Transit" service then I expect to get to where I'm going rapidly. I don't want the bus I'm riding to sit at a time point for 5 minutes mid-route to my destination. That's not "rapid transit". 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake M Posted March 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2021 I think there should just be a feeder service to East Hills and/or Rundle, it doesn't seem like the original proposal of two trips in the AM and two trips in the PM will garner any sort of ridership that would justify service expansion. Especially now that we've seen transit ridership shifting away from the "downtown commuter" I would be shocked if those four trips a day get anymore than a couple dozen riders 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick B Posted March 26, 2021 Report Share Posted March 26, 2021 23 minutes ago, Blake M said: I think there should just be a feeder service to East Hills and/or Rundle, it doesn't seem like the original proposal of two trips in the AM and two trips in the PM will garner any sort of ridership that would justify service expansion. Especially now that we've seen transit ridership shifting away from the "downtown commuter" I would be shocked if those four trips a day get anymore than a couple dozen riders That plus it would also be a serious disservice to the MAX branding, in my opinion. "MAX" in the public eye should be associated with fast, frequent, reliable backbone service. Not the rush hour express tripper-type service that has already existed in this city for eons. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTrainDude Posted March 26, 2021 Report Share Posted March 26, 2021 It will still live up to the MAX principles in the City proper though - it's only those in Chestermere that will experience it as a regular service-type route, and that's what Chestermere is paying for. The portions in the City will still be just the same as they are today. And it's probably a lot cheaper/more efficient to start, by simply using a vehicle that's already out of the garage with an operator, as opposed to paying for a dedicated vehicle and operator just for Chestermere feeder for a couple of AM and PM trips. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armorand Posted March 27, 2021 Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 On 3/25/2021 at 2:32 PM, M. Parsons said: So they have an on street time point instead of at a bus terminal or bus looo. It's not like the concept of a loop route is new to Transit. Especially to Calgarys lol. But seriously: if East Hills is THAT much of a problem... then why not double-branch Route 1 through Forest Lawn? One route to Pembrooke, the other one straight to East Hills, fill up those D60LFR's and let the MP extend to Chestermere unabated, while allowing the layover point in Chestermere instead, so theres also the possibility of Park & Ride/dropping off transit users via car, to boost ridership in Chestermere AND solve the East Hills problem for CT as well...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake M Posted March 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 12 hours ago, armorand said: Especially to Calgarys lol. But seriously: if East Hills is THAT much of a problem... then why not double-branch Route 1 through Forest Lawn? One route to Pembrooke, the other one straight to East Hills, fill up those D60LFR's and let the MP extend to Chestermere unabated, while allowing the layover point in Chestermere instead, so theres also the possibility of Park & Ride/dropping off transit users via car, to boost ridership in Chestermere AND solve the East Hills problem for CT as well...? That doesn't make sense to have the 1 and Max Purple go to East Hills. With current service levels you'd then only have a bus to Penbrooke every 40 minutes, and in return, you'd get maybe half a dozen people on the bus to East Hills that easily could've taken a Max Purple 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armorand Posted March 27, 2021 Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 1 hour ago, Blake M said: That doesn't make sense to have the 1 and Max Purple go to East Hills. With current service levels you'd then only have a bus to Pembroke every 40 minutes, and in return, you'd get maybe half a dozen people on the bus to East Hills that easily could've taken a Max Purple The point being: East Hills draws a little more ridership than the 7-11's on 52nd. By having Route 1 split, and terminate at East Hills every 40 minutes, while the MP presumably goes by East Hills every 30-45 minutes as well - Chestermere or not - along with the 468... East Hills would not necessarily lose its coverage. It may force people to walk a few hundred extra meters to the stores & their employment, but by expanding the 1 & extending MP right past it, East Hills would come out quite the winner for transit coverage & ridership usage. Kind of like how Deerfoot Meadows got that 149/106/MT boost on top of the existing (former 72/73) 43 service. If CT would just get past its internal fears of branching out its routes... theoretically, East Hills could reap significant ridership gains, between the NE transit users & Chestermere. Which is very accurate as well, because last time I checked, Chestermeres "groceries and general goods" levels are limited to a No Frills, a Safeway and a Subway... if theres suddenly a bus to Wal-Mart, Giant Tiger and other places inside Calgary, I'm sure anyone stuck living there without a car would really appreciate the service. It would also open up some employment opportunities in Chestermere, because last time I checked, its pretty difficult to find people for certain communities outside of Calgary to fill job vacancies. And if somehow theres ever full employment in-town, it would work well to send these people with resumes out to East Hills and 52nd for future employment - all via Calgary Transit. Long story short: I see nothing wrong with running 1/MP both around East Hills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake M Posted March 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 2 hours ago, armorand said: The point being: East Hills draws a little more ridership than the 7-11's on 52nd. By having Route 1 split, and terminate at East Hills every 40 minutes, while the MP presumably goes by East Hills every 30-45 minutes as well Long story short: I see nothing wrong with running 1/MP both around East Hills. Except the Max Purple runs every 20 minutes, hence, by branching the 1 you then have two routes doing a single routing from downtown to East Hills. This makes no sense. At current ridership levels you don't need more than the Max Purple running to East Hills anyways, though more 68 service would be a bonus. Chestermere residents will not gain a viable transit option by only seeming four buses a day. Look what happened with Airdrie route 903 to Crossfield. Four trips a day. Service lasted six months and was cancelled. If I recall the service saw less than a dozen riders a day. I fear the same situation would happen here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Transit Fan Posted March 27, 2021 Report Share Posted March 27, 2021 Technically, the current 1 and MP setup is already branching off two ways in the east end. I think you're greatly underestimating the ridership in the Penbrooke area. On average, i'm willing to bet that the east leg of the 1 sees more passengers per hour than the east leg of the MP. I'd say the MP is definitely doing better than the old 305 though. For what it is now, service to East Hills is plentiful. I see the buses driving by over Stoney regularly and they usually seem to be empty or maybe a handful of people on them. As new homes start to go up in the new community east of 84 St, we'll hopefully see some extra riders outside of just shoppers and employees in that area. My initial curiosity raised earlier this week was more regarding the logistics of combining a BRT service with what is effectively a conventional community bus loop with frequent stops. For getting the ball rolling with only a few peak hour trips, that probably is the most cost-effective way. Especially during the pandemic with downtown being less of a destination for people, I am mildly skeptical how well only a few peak trips will perform though. If you're looking to connect Chestermere residents to shops and businesses at East Hills and along 17th Ave, you would at least need some midday service. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downbeat Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 Well, you might want to sent Chestermere an email or something about doing more than peak-hour service. Here is Calgary Transit's description of what Chestermere currently wants: Quote This service, paid for by the City of Chestermere, will be an extension of MAX Purple for two trips twice a day (during a.m. and p.m. peak times). Here's the link to the short blurb on the project page of Transit's website: https://www.calgarytransit.com/content/transit/en/home/rider-information/regional-transit/chestermere.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downbeat Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 A little more on planned MAX Purple service extension to Chestermere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armorand Posted June 18, 2021 Report Share Posted June 18, 2021 Responsible for their own infrastructure... will Chestermere go heavy into bus stops, benches & shelters if its only a trial run? Or will it be like Winnipeg, where they just throw slabs from Home Depot down on the bus stops, install a sign (if not trampling on somebodys lawn waiting for the bus) & that would be it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick B Posted June 18, 2021 Report Share Posted June 18, 2021 34 minutes ago, armorand said: Responsible for their own infrastructure... will Chestermere go heavy into bus stops, benches & shelters if its only a trial run? Or will it be like Winnipeg, where they just throw slabs from Home Depot down on the bus stops, install a sign (if not trampling on somebodys lawn waiting for the bus) & that would be it? They mentioned capital expenditures on shelters in an earlier article, and there's already several bus stop-style benches laid out around the center shopping district of Chestermere which they'll probably use for the bus stops around that area. For the rest, they'll likely just place some temporary signs around (if even that) unless this is eventually made permanent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Parsons Posted June 19, 2021 Report Share Posted June 19, 2021 On 6/17/2021 at 11:01 PM, Nick B said: They mentioned capital expenditures on shelters in an earlier article, and there's already several bus stop-style benches laid out around the center shopping district of Chestermere which they'll probably use for the bus stops around that area. For the rest, they'll likely just place some temporary signs around (if even that) unless this is eventually made permanent. 3 pad/shelter stops, 1 stop with a concrete pad by the looks. The other 10 stops are to have a concrete base poured for a metal bus stop pole. Personally, that seems overkill when a metal post sunk into the ground would work just fine, but, the tender calls for the concrete base. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armorand Posted June 19, 2021 Report Share Posted June 19, 2021 14 hours ago, M. Parsons said: 3 pad/shelter stops, 1 stop with a concrete pad by the looks. The other 10 stops are to have a concrete base poured for a metal bus stop pole. Personally, that seems overkill when a metal post sunk into the ground would work just fine, but, the tender calls for the concrete base. Agreed. Then again though, it is Chestermere, and some of Calgarys outlying suburban neighbors, towns & cities do have a tendency to attempt stepping one up on Calgary, in terms of quality developments & local infrastructure, or even just doing anything (Okotoks "we're forever a town even though we have 30,000 residents" mentality) to completely avoid looking anything like Calgary to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Transit Fan Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 There's finally a page up on the City website with info and designs for the 52 Street SE Transit Improvements. 10 intersections are getting an upgrade, 7 of which are in the NE. Decent stretch of bus only (and right-turn only) curb-side lanes between 26 Ave NE and Memorial Drive. Work expected to finish by the end of 2021. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Walton Posted June 23, 2021 Report Share Posted June 23, 2021 19 hours ago, Transit Fan said: There's finally a page up on the City website with info and designs for the 52 Street SE Transit Improvements. 10 intersections are getting an upgrade, 7 of which are in the NE. Decent stretch of bus only (and right-turn only) curb-side lanes between 26 Ave NE and Memorial Drive. Work expected to finish by the end of 2021. Both of my sisters live near 52 Street, one near Memorial (affected), the other near 30th Avenue SE (not affected). When I'm in Calgary, usually I stay with one or the other of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downbeat Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 I notice thanks to Transit55 there are now three articulated buses regularly operating all day on MAX Orange since the schedule change on June 28. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downbeat Posted July 17, 2021 Report Share Posted July 17, 2021 The 17th Avenue S.E. transitway will be closed for one week starting Monday: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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