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Translink Stacked Destination Signs


Michael Marriott

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With more routes debuting stacked signs this week, it seems likely that Translink intends to roll it out to all routes.  A thread for tracking which routes have been switched over seems useful.

Routes switched so far:

September 7, 2020 sheet: 10, 119, 151, 325

June 21, 2021 sheet: 41, 128, 228, 229, 323, 406

Early 2022: 555 (switched from multiple exposures to stacked signs)

April 4, 2022: 3, 8 (SB trips only)

Week of April 9, 2022: 210 (SB trips only), 408

IMG_9106.JPG

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For Surrey routes in my prediction:

310: Landner Trunk

312: 112 street

316: 116 street

319: Scott Road

320: 60 Avenue (Langley only)

321: King George Blvd

324: 132 street

335: 160 street

341: 144 street

342: 56 avenue

364: 64 avenue

375: 152 street

501: Golden Ear way

502: Fraser highway

 

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The network and route design, especially out towards the suburbs, tend to be less conducive to assigning descriptive route names. The 320 is a great example. This is going to have to open up the conversation of whether duplicate route names are to be acceptable, whether branch designations are to be adopted, and whether network designs in the future will take this into account (presumably Surrey gets major changes once the SkyTrain extension opens)

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By that convention, the 119 already constitues similar route names with the 19, both sharing the name of "Kingsway". However, despite the 19 retaining  the old style exposure, there are trips which do "19 Kingsway to Joyce" and the extremely rare "19 Kingsway to Slocan".

A counterargument to that is that the insurance to having similar names is in having the different route numbers as well as to the final destinations.

 

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1 hour ago, bob32189 said:

I've been on buses in the UK that had double-stacked destination signs - the top row had the destination itself and the second row had a rotating list of "via x, y, z". Are the Luminators/Axions of Translink able to do such a procedure?

Yes, they can do that too, but does Translink willing to follow it all?? Rather than copying the Golden Horseshoe style stack message~~

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I grew up in Vancouver and moved to Toronto in Sept 2000, since then I have moved to several areas and have lived in 5 provinces total, and I think the stacked style signs are the best because it gives more information on the sign. When I moved back to the Vancouver area in 2014 there were lots of changes to routes and service so I was not sure where some buses went. But seeing the stacked signs now I would be able to figure out some of the routes without having to ask drivers where they go. 

 

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I guess this resolves the question I had about whether TransLink would consider adopting branches or accepting duplicate route names -- appears to be a no for both. The cost, unfortunately, will be some route names that are not intuitive.

If branch designations would have been acceptable, there is no reason why the 209 and 210 couldn't be the 209/209X (or E or whatever for express), and both would've been able to share a route name.

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It could be 209 upper Lynn Valley. And then 209 pr code added with express. 

 

209 upper Lynn Valley

209 upper Lynn Valley - express

 

Using the stacked destination sign on front. Just add a exclamation mark or two beside "express" so passengers can understand it's the express form. 

 

I have not been on the 209. Yet. But that seems like the best option. 

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On 4/12/2022 at 9:45 AM, Express691 said:

By that convention, the 119 already constitues similar route names with the 19, both sharing the name of "Kingsway". However, despite the 19 retaining  the old style exposure, there are trips which do "19 Kingsway to Joyce" and the extremely rare "19 Kingsway to Slocan".

A counterargument to that is that the insurance to having similar names is in having the different route numbers as well as to the final destinations.

 

If you draw in the comparison to the TTC, an equivalent can be found in the routes that each service different sections of the same road, like the 36 Finch West and 39 Finch East, or the 52 Lawrence West and 54 Lawrence East. The problem is that there are no such cardinal direction designations for Kingsway, and so using East and West to tell apart the 19 and the 119 won't really be helpful.

Many of the local routes in Richmond already have precedent to draw upon for route descriptions, as evidenced by the fact that the 408 now uses essentially the same route description that the 401 used before it was split in 2018.

401 One Road to Steveston / One Road to Brighouse Stn (406 follows this pattern, and so could the 402)

403 Three Road to Bridgeport Station / Three Road to Riverport

404 Four Road to Brighouse Stn / Four Road to Riverport

405 Five Road to Ironwood Industrial / Cambie to Knight & Marine (This one would require the bottom half of the stacked text to transition to "via Vulcan" during peak hours; the same also applies to the 407.)

407 Gilbert to Steveston / Bridgeport to Knight & Marine

410 is trickier. I feel like this one should break convention and be called "410 Queensborough Connector / to 22nd St Stn" because while it does provide local service along Cambie, I'd say the link to New West is more significant. Maybe even "410 Hwy 91 Q'boro Cnctr / to 22nd St Stn".

The same goes for the 412. It seems pointless to call it "412 Russ Baker Way" because that's not the most important role the route plays. I'd actually be tempted to leave the primary route description as it is, calling it "412 Sea Island South / to YVR South Terminal".

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George you bring up a great name for the 410 heading to 22nd street. But I would have to say using "Q'boro" could possibly confuse a lot of people just my thinking? I'm sure a good portion would understand it would represent "Queensbrough" I would display it "Queensbrough VIA Hwy 91 /  to 22nd Street Station

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