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2 hours ago, OCtranspo10 said:

A bus has just hit the shelter at Lincoln Fields minutes ago

 

camera?id=108&timems=1486341469212

The above image says "Access Denied" because you have copied and pasted the traffic camera image directly from the City's web site. The City does not like "hotlinking" traffic camera images. 

For future reference, if you would like to repost a traffic camera image onto the board, I suggest you do a screenshot of the traffic camera image, save the image, then upload the image onto the board. 

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10 hours ago, JCL said:

The above image says "Access Denied" because you have copied and pasted the traffic camera image directly from the City's web site. The City does not like "hotlinking" traffic camera images. 

For future reference, if you would like to repost a traffic camera image onto the board, I suggest you do a screenshot of the traffic camera image, save the image, then upload the image onto the board. 

 

Oh sorry about that. Though the photo is still up on my end, just with an updated photo. Anyways will do for next time. Had to go watch football. :)

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11 hours ago, philipc22 said:

Failing presto readers costing OC about 700$ a day in free fares 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/oc-transpo-presto-glitch-1.3970487

The technical issues really haven't helped them. Especially going after the fare collection equipment after route categorization and simplified fare structure. 

Along with updating to a new database. This is what led to the issue from occurring and they are working to correct the issue. Though, I think $700 of lost revenue is at the low end. Could be much higher depending on route and trip too that can easily sway the value higher or lower. 

Final comments: 

It sounds like the changeover hasn't gone very well technically. This is on top of the next stop announcement issues where some won't display any stop information, stop announcing or simply have incorrect information. 

One of the biggest complaints was the 63/64 not calling out Moodie as a stop. Westbound, 63, 64, 92 and 96 have to stop there. 

Eastbound, it is "request only" where someone on-board has to request the stop or someone at the stop pushes the button to signal the request. 

OC Transpo says a new update is being pushed out to correct the technical issues. With over 900 buses, it will take some time to apply the necessary software update and further prevent new issues from occurring. 

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4513 had an engine issue where smoke was reported. It was at Albert and Metcalfe (noticeable because of Capital Hill Hotel and Suites in the background). 

Final Comments:

This goes to further show that the Invero buses are still extremely vulnerable. Along with how much wear and tear some units go through. 

On the bright side, the damage is minimal and a tow truck is being sent out to take it to the yard for necessary repairs. 

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1 hour ago, GTAmissions1 said:

4513 had an engine issue where smoke was reported. It was at Albert and Metcalfe (noticeable because of Capital Hill Hotel and Suites in the background). 

Final Comments:

This goes to further show that the Invero buses are still extremely vulnerable. Along with how much wear and tear some units go through. 

On the bright side, the damage is minimal and a tow truck is being sent out to take it to the yard for necessary repairs. 

 

Saw this exact bus at Hurdman layup on Tuesday. The Wabasto Heater was on with black smoke. Which is normal. last week or so my bus was evacuated because the Wabasto heater turned on and driver thought the bus  was on fire. Now I can't say this is what happened, but I have a good idea of that is what happened. 

Here's a video of a Wasbasto Heater on a boat.

 

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11 hours ago, OCtranspo10 said:

 

Saw this exact bus at Hurdman layup on Tuesday. The Wabasto Heater was on with black smoke. Which is normal. last week or so my bus was evacuated because the Wabasto heater turned on and driver thought the bus  was on fire. Now I can't say this is what happened, but I have a good idea of that is what happened. 

Here's a video of a Wasbasto Heater on a boat.

 

I was told it was a coolant line that snapped, with the fridgid temperatures outside and extremely hot coolant, lots of steam!

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34 minutes ago, Oc4526 said:

I remember when they used to have it on my route (98 Hawthorne via Greenboro) years ago.

It was annoying, but necessary especially for visually impaired passengers who would have to ask the transit operator what the route is. Along with being in downtown where dozens of buses and routes run during the weekday, it would be pretty difficult to ask every one until they find the correct one to their destination. 

Not sure why they need to pitch this and get an exemption under the noise bylaw. Especially when the AODA mandates all information be accessible to people regardless of disability. 

Other transit agencies such as the TTC, MiWay Transit (Mississauga Transit) and Barrie Transit have external announcements to announce the route the bus is doing. I was recently in downtown Toronto where the CLRV announced the route and destination once the doors opened. 

28 minutes ago, Enviro_1203 said:

I was told it was a coolant line that snapped, with the fridgid temperatures outside and extremely hot coolant, lots of steam!

Cold temperatures are never any fun. Especially with the chemical reaction involved. 

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11 hours ago, Enviro_1203 said:

I was told it was a coolant line that snapped, with the fridgid temperatures outside and extremely hot coolant, lots of steam!

That would bring about white smoke (speaking from experience...too often). I believe it was black smoke that prompted the operator to evacuate his bus.

11 hours ago, Oc4526 said:

Definitely not needed. Not on account of the noise bylaw, but operators do a good enough job of announcing the route and destination to visually-impaired passengers. Some of the external PAs do not work or are very quiet. Plus, with our recent experience with glitches, last thing we need is a "96 Stittsville Main" pulling up to South Keys.

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If this against the by-law, then OC is guilty of breaking it? Why because I've heard thev extener speakers work before when annouce the route and stop. Now grant you this just might of been driver error when turning the system on. But I can see the point as some of the Invero's are hard to read. The Orion VII are great, but I've sen drivers stop in front of those individuals with seeing eye dogs and announce the route/destination even tell them if there's open seat in courtesy seating.

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The cost of expanding Ottawa’s light-rail transit system has increased to $3.6 billion and completing the ambitious project will force the O-Train’s Trillium Line to be shut down for at least 16 months, the Citizen has learned.

This is the first major public reveal of plans for the second phase of LRT since summer 2015. Information trickling down from the Stage 2 office ahead of a presentation at city hall on Friday indicates the rail expansion will be completed in three stages. 

Extending the Trillium Line south to Bowesville Road in Riverside South and building a spur to the Ottawa International Airport would be first, with a target completion date of 2021.

The eastern arm to Trim Road would be completed by 2022.

And the western extensions to Bayshore Shopping Centre and Algonquin College would be finished by 2023.

Prioritizing the southern extension of the Trillium Line to reach the fast-growing communities of Riverside South, Findlay Creek and Leitrim, which some hope will reduce congestion on the Airport Parkway and lessen the need for the city to widen that road, would be a big win for those communities.

A massive new park-and-ride lot at the Bowesville station, possibly with washrooms, will have enough space for 3,500 vehicles.

Rail service to the airport and the EY Centre would be provided by spur off the Trillium Line at South Keys.

That means arriving or departing airline passengers will have to change trains at South Keys, as opposed to having a seamless ride between the airport and stations in the core. People coming from or going to downtown would have to change trains twice — once to switch from the Confederation to Trillium Line at Bayview station and again at South Keys to catch the airport-bound trains.

But extending the Trillium Line won’t be possible without shutting it down for more than a year.

As soon as exams at Carleton University are over in April 2020, the eight-kilometre line that runs between Bayview and Greenboro stations would close until September 2021. The city will be adding stations at Gladstone, Walkley and South Keys, plus extending passing tracks. There is also some repair work expected in the train tunnel under Dow’s Lake.

The replacement Route 107 bus, which typically goes into service whenever the Trillium Line is closed, currently travels along Preston, Carling, Bronson and Heron. But traffic congestion on Preston may force it onto different north-south roads between Bayview station and Carling, such as Bayswater Avenue and Sherwood Drive.

RELATED

The second phase of LRT was initially estimated in 2013 to cost $3 billion, but the price is now estimated at $3.6 billion.

The cost includes laying track, building 22 new stations, buying new buses and trains, and widening the city-owned Highway 174.

The city is also looking at throwing in other infrastructure projects, such as rehabilitating a bridge over the Rideau River at Carleton University.

However, widening Highway 174 at the same time the city intends to run LRT down the median could generate some pushback from councillors who fear such a move could hurt transit ridership and push other road projects off the priority list.

How the city proposes to contract the next phase of LRT work while the Rideau Transit Group continues to build the first phase, due to open next year, is a key question to be answered Friday when the Stage 2 report is released.

RTG is poised to maintain the entire transit network once it’s fully built, but the consortium has apparently agreed to not bid on constructing either of the eastern or western LRT extensions. There will be nothing to restrict RTG from bidding on the Trillium Line extension.

The city believes there will be options in the market to use trains on the Trillium Line that are compatible with the existing Alstom Coradia Lint diesel trains.

The Stage 2 report is also expected to outline what detours buses may need to take once the Transitway west of Tunney’s Pasture closes for rail conversion.

It was a single line in a large staff report recommending the construction of the Confederation Line that revealed 2,500 buses would be redirected onto Scott and Albert streets, so it’s anticipated that councillors will go through this report with a fine-tooth comb in search of ways the massive project might affect their wards.

The finance and economic development committee will debate and vote on the plan on Feb. 24. A council vote on March 8 would kickstart the procurement process.

At the same time, the city is still waiting to hear from the federal government about funding the Stage 2 blueprint. The province has signalled its commitment to pay for one-third of the city’s base Stage 2 plan, plus half the cost of the connections to the airport and Trim Road.

The city isn’t likely to start a request for proposals process until it nails down the federal funding.

Stage 2 rail expansion by the numbers:

$3.6 billion: Projected cost for Stage 2 rail and related infrastructure work

2021: Trillium Line extension projected completion year

2022: Eastern LRT extension projected completion year

2023: Western LRT extension projected completion year

22: New stations in plan

36: New kilometres of rail to be built

16: Estimated months Trillium Line will need to close for upgrade

38: New vehicles to be purchased for expanded rail network

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Absolutely appalling level of service provided by OC Transpo today with long delays and numerous cancellations in the Downtown core.

The inability of the city to cope with major influxes of visitors to to the city at weekends is absolutely shocking and does not bode well for the summer, especially around Canada Day celebrations.

This is not a one off either as there has been many recorded instances of poor service provision at weekends recently.

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2 hours ago, Centralsmt said:

Absolutely appalling level of service provided by OC Transpo today with long delays and numerous cancellations in the Downtown core.

The inability of the city to cope with major influxes of visitors to to the city at weekends is absolutely shocking and does not bode well for the summer, especially around Canada Day celebrations.

This is not a one off either as there has been many recorded instances of poor service provision at weekends recently.

https://customerfeedback.octranspo.com/

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6 minutes ago, Waiting for 30 Minutes said:

Pointless complaining direct to OC by the feedback firm, it's just filed away in many cases after a standard reply from an OC minion. I've had face to face meetings with OC Management and nothing has been done. Mathieu Flurey has organised a few meetings with OC management and fed up constituents.

OC themselves have admitted in writing that staff shortages are among the causes of delays and cancellations in weekend services.

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18 minutes ago, Centralsmt said:

Pointless complaining direct to OC. I've had face to face meetings with OC Management and nothing has been done.

All right, then. I will assume you did see the roads downtown today, and that you did see the backlog of traffic on Bank, Slater, Gladstone, and Dalhousie, to name some. However, let's explore some options to better run the transit system on days like today:

Assigning Extra Extras (109- runs)

Pro: Buses can be sent to routes' ends to begin trips on time. Late buses can then finish their trips and deadhead to start next trip on or closer to schedule.

Con: They will get stuck in the same traffic the buses they are covering are in. The number of extras will eventually be exhausted, leading to the same result. Also, what if the extra or the bus being adjusted also get stuck in traffic on deadheads? Now we're out two buses.

Detouring Buses

Pro: Buses can avoid congestion like, for example, Bank Street or Gladstone Avenue today. Be closer to schedule.

Con: Short to no notice. River and Canal are choke points that make it almost impossible to reroute some routes sensibly.

No Construction

Pro: No closures, no reductions, no delays.

Con: No roads to drive on.

No Events

Pro: No closures, no reductions, no delays.

Con: Sidewalks will really be rolled up at 17:00 daily.

Eliminating/Limiting Private Automobile Traffic from the Downtown Core

Pro: Streets become open and very pedestrian-friendly. Fewer traffic-related delays for buses.

Con: Yeah, okay.

Light Rail Transit

Pro: Eliminates delays major east-west bus routes face crossing the downtown core.

Con: Not ready until mid-2018. Also, other local downtown routes will still exist and be affected by delays.

Do you have anything?

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16 minutes ago, Waiting for 30 Minutes said:

All right, then. I will assume you did see the roads downtown today, and that you did see the backlog of traffic on Bank, Slater, Gladstone, and Dalhousie, to name some. However, let's explore some options to better run the transit system on days like today:

Assigning Extra Extras (109- runs)

Pro: Buses can be sent to routes' ends to begin trips on time.

Con: They will get stuck in the same traffic the buses they are covering are in. The number of extras will eventually be exhausted, leading to the same result.

Detouring Buses

Pro: Buses can avoid congestion like, for example, Bank Street or Gladstone Avenue today. Be closer to schedule.

Con: Short to no notice. River and Canal are choke points that make it almost impossible to reroute some routes sensibly.

No Construction

Pro: No closures, no reductions, no delays.

Con: No roads to drive on.

No Events

Pro: No closures, no reductions, no delays.

Con: Sidewalks will really be rolled up at 17:00 daily.

Eliminating/Limiting Private Automobile Traffic from the Downtown Core

Pro: Streets become open and very pedestrian-friendly. Fewer traffic-related delays for buses.

Con: Yeah, okay.

Do you have anything?

I went to catch a bus Downtown  from Vanier at 9 am this morning, it was 15 minutes late on a 30 minute service, no traffic delays. Later on this afternoon I was going back Downtown to meet my wife and kids, went to get the bus due at 3.22, it didn't appear, meaning a 60 minute gap on a service which is not covered by any other service Downtown, after ringing my wife we decided it wasn't worth coming down to meet them as they would be heading home soon anyway.

OC Transpo were aware that this would be a busy weekend with many visitors to the city, the likelyhood of congestion and delays were inevitable, there was no contingency plan to account for this, there was no traffic management in the Downtown core by the city or Ottawa Police. Why for example were there weekend construction works on Slater, surely that could have been postponed?

Delays are inevitable but why were there over 50 recorded, and more than likely many undocumented cancellations this afternoon, at one point 2 1's and 2 7's in a row heading Downtown from Beechwood were cancelled! The 18 was running an hourly service most of the afternoon because of cancellations, presumably a bus was missing and a replacement bus and driver couldn't be found.

Im not blaming the drivers, it's not their fault, it's management incompetence and their failure to anticipate  the potential hotspots in town this afternoon that caused the problems today, and it's not the first time it's happened either and it certainly won't be the last.

 

 

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