Jump to content

Streetcar News


CLRV4037

Recommended Posts

Aren't the 501, 509/511 and 510 changes starting Sunday?

You're right. I should try to get some pics of 501 NEVILLE PARK ALRVs pulling out of Long Branch loop while I have a chance! Alas, it's the gloomy end of December with little or no sunshine until next week. :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

what does SAC mean here?

SAC = Service Assistance Crews. It is a scheme to reduce short-turns in the east end, by having the operators on 501 Queen cars that are on a regular crew leave their streetcar upon arrival eastbound at Russell, take their break at the carhouse and take up a different streetcar (with the same run number) on the return westbound trip. The remainder of the trip (from Russell to Neville and back to Russell) is handled by the "SAC crews", who are not tied to any specific runs and therefore the service in the east end can theoretically be managed with better flexibility, reducing short turns and increasing headway adherence. The whole point is to make the regular crews leave more or less "on time" westbound from Russell, thus reducing the need for short-turns in the east end whose only purpose is to put the operators back "on time". Needless to say, these SAC crews are usually taken up by more senior operators, so it's understandable that they're upset with the removal of these crews.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be fair, that is over 6 years out of date of which those 6 years include the reign of an anti-transit mayor.

The last track diagram I have - circa 2009 - shows it as a powered switch.

Now, was the diagram wrong?

Dan

My diagram is dated Sept/10 and it shows only sel 233 in place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's going to be a surprise to riders who aren't transit geeks. I haven't seen a single notice on a pole. Lots of people Monday morning at stops on Lake Shore not wanting to get on a 501 HUMBER car....

Operators should be told to put up the 501 long Branch sign and inform riders to change cars when reaching Humber loop. They done this before with busitution on the '507' Lake shore section before and with the 512 to Keele when Gunns loop was still under construction.

I really think they should keep this arrangement and have additional cars operate through the whole line. I don't expect additional running time would actually make service better for a 24km streetcar line. The 504/505 still have 30% on time arrival with 70% on time departure with better schedules. If they merge the lines again, it would be the same mess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My diagram is dated Sept/10 and it shows only sel 233 in place.

I was merely suggesting that it may have been accurate in the 2009 diagram, either in that it was already a powered switch or it was planned to be upgraded shortly after the diagram was created, and that budgetary reasons resulted in it becoming/remaining a manual switch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doesn't seem likely to me - why provide an accessible service along the "507" only to force people to transfer to a high floor at Humber?

It's possible, the 501 is slated to be converted after the 505. They can convert the "507" first. There is local demand on Lake shore.

The only thing that makes this not likely to happen maintaining a 10' headway. They can't reduce the number of cars on the "507" so it's better to start with the 501. It will help TTC scrap all the CLRVs. Since they are rebuilding the ALRVs, either they can go on the 504 or they convert the 504 first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But what locations is this local demand going to? If someone want to head downtown and is in a wheelchair, what good would the 507 do to them if the 501 was still high floor? IMO, it would make sense to convert them concurrently - i.e. if we ever get to the point where multiple Flexities are delivered in a time span close to each other, deploy one on the "507" and an amount on the 501, enough to ensure that a wheelchair user can show up at Humber, and not have to wait an hour and a half or however long it takes for a round trip on the 501 for a Flexity to get from Neville Park.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doesn't seem likely to me - why provide an accessible service along the "507" only to force people to transfer to a high floor at Humber?

What about the transfers from low-floor buses to the high-floor streetcars? We have 80 Queensway and 66 Prince Edward, which have low-floor buses, transferring to 501 Queen already. Not to mention the buses intersecting all along Queen Street.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But what locations is this local demand going to? If someone want to head downtown and is in a wheelchair, what good would the 507 do to them if the 501 was still high floor? IMO, it would make sense to convert them concurrently - i.e. if we ever get to the point where multiple Flexities are delivered in a time span close to each other, deploy one on the "507" and an amount on the 501, enough to ensure that a wheelchair user can show up at Humber, and not have to wait an hour and a half or however long it takes for a round trip on the 501 for a Flexity to get from Neville Park.

Low floor cars would be nice on the "507" as there are a number of seniors that would like to get around Lake Shore. There are a number of shops along the street so there will be local demand.

As for wheelchairs, I have safety concerns around deploying the ramp on a wide light traffic road. Many people pass open streetcar doors and with these Flexity, it could get worst.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the transfers from low-floor buses to the high-floor streetcars? We have 80 Queensway and 66 Prince Edward, which have low-floor buses, transferring to 501 Queen already. Not to mention the buses intersecting all along Queen Street.

There are not nearly enough accessible stations on the Bloor-Danforth line, unless the hypothetical wheelchair users make do with Wellesley or Dupon buses to get crosstown. If you're on B-D in a wheelchair and want to travel down to the 501, your choices are Kipling (44, 123), Spadina (510), Spadina/St George (University line to St. Andrew), Pape (72) or Main (64).

This could actually work for the pseudo-507, at least at the west end since the 44 is a frequent connection to the subway (123, not so frequent). 80 and 66, of course, go to inaccessible stations. Well, I wonder how a wheelchair user would transfer between buses and streetcars at Long Branch loop. Good luck getting off the streetcar, since you're dumped onto poor pavement with tracks. And I'm not sure how easy it is to get between the bus "platform" and the streetcar platform, since the shelter takes up most of the walkway.

Low floor cars would be nice on the "507" as there are a number of seniors that would like to get around Lake Shore. There are a number of shops along the street so there will be local demand.

As for wheelchairs, I have safety concerns around deploying the ramp on a wide light traffic road. Many people pass open streetcar doors and with these Flexity, it could get worst.

I guess we need armoured streetcar ramps. Cars passing open streetcar doors are always a problem on Lake Shore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As for wheelchairs, I have safety concerns around deploying the ramp on a wide light traffic road. Many people pass open streetcar doors and with these Flexity, it could get worst.

What's your solution then? The TTC seems perfectly fine with doing this, which is why they have already made a number of curb cuts along Lake Shore. If a driver can not see all the flashing lights and signs indicating the doors are open and the ramp sticking out then maybe they shouldn't be driving in the first place. You have to be alert to your surroundings at all time when operating any vehicle.

There are not nearly enough accessible stations on the Bloor-Danforth line, unless the hypothetical wheelchair users make do with Wellesley or Dupon buses to get crosstown. If you're on B-D in a wheelchair and want to travel down to the 501, your choices are Kipling (44, 123), Spadina (510), Spadina/St George (University line to St. Andrew), Pape (72) or Main (64).

You forgot Dufferin. Soon you can also use Ossington, Coxwell and Woodbine as well. With a majority of the busier stations on Line 1 accessible, the TTC has shifted their attention to Line 2 now. Work will start at Royal York this year and Runnymede next year as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's your solution then? The TTC seems perfectly fine with doing this, which is why they have already made a number of curb cuts along Lake Shore. If a driver can not see all the flashing lights and signs indicating the doors are open and the ramp sticking out then maybe they shouldn't be driving in the first place. You have to be alert to your surroundings at all time when operating any vehicle.

Unfortunately there is a number of people that run open streetcar doors. Deploying the ramp will take a minute or two and a lot of people will want to pass these streetcars ASAP. My concern is how do elders and wheelchair uses get out of the way when cars routinely do 60-70km/h down Lake Shore? The TTC thinks it will work but besides the brief period of them on the 511 and currently on garage trips along King, they have been on ROWs most of them time. As they are phased in on the 511, we'll see the true picture of how well do the flashing red lights work. We'll shall see if it actually works.

I would eventually like to see all streetcar stops upgraded to platform islands. I highly doubt this will happen but if the number of incidents increase with these new cars, it might happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As for all the accessible stations on all the subway (and future underground LRT), they are accessible only while the elevators are working. When the elevators (and escalators for that matter) are not working, due to maintenance or someone pressing the "emergency" button, that makes the stations unaccessible. That makes low-floor buses along the subway and underground portions of the LRT desirable. The low-floor light rail vehicles (or low-floor buses) along the surface makes the low-floor vehicles (or low-floor buses) a better choice in that they would be accessible without having to install elevators/escalators.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

does the operator has to get off his/her seat just to deploy the ramp?

Yes they have to get out of their seat. Not only do they have to deploy the ramp, since it's a slope, they'll have to be able to push a 200 lb. person up the ramp if the wheelchair can't get up. It's part of their training or something. So all the older seniors ops might not be able to drive the new car. Aren't you glad that buses can load at the curb?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess we need armoured streetcar ramps. Cars passing open streetcar doors are always a problem on Lake Shore.

lol

thats a problem on ALL our lines.

i never figurem out why we havent had any safety blitzswith police officers handing on tickets to drivers blowing through streetcar doors

sadly, this would only happen if a high number of people are killed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol

thats a problem on ALL our lines.

i never figurem out why we havent had any safety blitzswith police officers handing on tickets to drivers blowing through streetcar doors

sadly, this would only happen if a high number of people are killed.

I don't think many people are killed by people stopping to let someone out or pick someone up at rush hours, but there have been ticketing blitzes for that as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol

thats a problem on ALL our lines.

i never figurem out why we havent had any safety blitzswith police officers handing on tickets to drivers blowing through streetcar doors

sadly, this would only happen if a high number of people are killed.

I don't think it would be very productive to do a blitz for this. They'll just cite police resource is better used somewhere else.

What they should really do is install a police camera on the streetcar. If someone does run through open doors, the sensor will trigger a photo or even a video. Then send them a ticket. With longer streetcars, it's even easier to identify offenders when they blow through all 4 doors.

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...