Calgary transit rage

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by fotze

I thought I was the only one who noticed that. I even emailed Ctransit about it and they just said the 101 is a very busy route. Well no sh%t, probably should space it out better then.

I emailed joe connelly (while he was still an alderman) about it as well and pretty much got the same response from CT. "It's a busy route, we considering all routes blah blah blah". And yet every day, group of people waiting in the cold, plenty of 101's sitting empty.

[malcolmk14]

I take the 301 and between 4:03 and 5:08 PM there are supposed to be 11 busses passing the stop at 6th Ave and 6th St SW.

Sometimes I leave work at 4 and sit at the stop for over 45 minutes without seeing a bus. And I'm not just talking about in the winter.

Scheduling is an absolute joke.

[Burninator]

Like I said in the winter weather thread I find the C-Train to be very reliable.

I find that it gets me home on time much more often than driving does. Driving is usually faster, but has way more delays. I had no trouble getting to work and home on the train the last 2 days. Plus I find it is a lot less stressful than driving and I can read instead of staring at the bumper in front of me. It's not all rainbows and sunshine, but I prefer to driving and paying for gas and parking.

[Igottago]

I wonder if other cities that have to deal with harsh winters have better transit solutions? You would think that some delays are certainly inevitable. But I fully agree that Calgary transit is garbage, and can be an experience from hell on the worst of days.

[yads]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

I take the 301 and between 4:03 and 5:08 PM there are supposed to be 11 busses passing the stop at 6th Ave and 6th St SW.

Sometimes I leave work at 4 and sit at the stop for over 45 minutes without seeing a bus. And I'm not just talking about in the winter.

Scheduling is an absolute joke.

That's weird, I've never had a major problem with the 301.

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Like I said in the winter weather thread I find the C-Train to be very reliable.

I find that it gets me home on time much more often than driving does. Driving is usually faster, but has way more delays. I had no trouble getting to work and home on the train the last 2 days. Plus I find it is a lot less stressful than driving and I can read instead of staring at the bumper in front of me. It's not all rainbows and sunshine, but I prefer to driving and paying for gas and parking.

It's all about the C-train in the winter; the number of times I'm late I can count on one hand. Super reliable, and nearly always on time. Yes, buses are just terrible, but the train cannot be lumped into this group rage on Calgary Transit.

[fredr123]

Yah, the train is awesome. It doesn't service my community so it can be as awesome as it wants but it's not going to help me get to work.

[shermanator]

Another reason to support inner city living. I walked to work the last two days. Wasn't a pleasant walk but it still only took me 20 minutes.

[Regular_John]

Yeah the train is much better than the buses, can't wait for the SW leg to open, hope it makes all the traffic hassles worth it.

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by yads

That's weird, I've never had a major problem with the 301.

Very weird. It never seems to be on time for me. Do you head west or north after work?

Some days I can stand at the westbound 6th ave stops for over half an hour when there is supposed to be a bus every 5-8 minutes from 4:00 to 5:45.

[Young-Sneezy]

Originally Posted by Matata

What the hell is wrong with public transit in this city? My bus that comes every 30 min managed to be 20 min late. This has been happening my entire life. I remember, as a kid, waiting 40 minutes for bus that takes 45 minutes to run its entire route. If calgary gets over 2 inches of snow overnight, you might as well throw out your bus schedule because it doesn't mean a damn thing anymore.

Going back to school, I'm taking public transit again for the first time in years, and it's reminding me what a fetid pile of reeking poop this cities transit system is.

1. get a car.
2. the rest of us waited longer in traffic


the reason i say get a car, is not because im an ass, or mean or anything, but its a simple fact, that we NEED cars in this city. you cannot manage to get around to school and work, on the bus. My girlfriend "does" and it just means i "drive her everywhere"....

the bottom line is that we live in a city where a) the infrastructure for public transit is like 30 years behind and planned by a boob and b) geographically we are nearly beyond repair, our city is just TOO BIG.

maybe im biased cause i get to deal with people who don't drive on a daily basis, and it makes you want to pull your eyes out. but i have also lived in cities (Paris, France) where public transport is the only way people can get around efficiently, and its because it was planned DECADES ago.

so your solution? Complain to an old person who might have been part of planning it in the 50's

or

get a car like everyone else.

ps. no im not rich, im a student, infact im completely assbackwards broke...but manage cause its a necessity

[robocop]

Originally Posted by Igottago

I wonder if other cities that have to deal with harsh winters have better transit solutions? You would think that some delays are certainly inevitable. But I fully agree that Calgary transit is garbage, and can be an experience from hell on the worst of days.

When I lived in Saskatoon the buses were on time to the minute everyday. They had GPS so you could track where the buses were, 2 years ago it was the harshest winter there in 100 years and the buses were still on time, it worked because the routes were well organized and the bus drivers had a specific time to be at each stop and if they were ever early they would just wait, if they were running slow you better be at that stop because it's hauling ass to get back on track to the correct minute.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by robocop

if they were running slow you better be at that stop because it's hauling ass to get back on track to the correct minute.

Wait, public transit bus speeding? Were they doing so in the "proper" (ie. the far left) lane?

[robocop]

it was more like if you weren't standing still at the stop the bus would leave, atleast my regular driver would leave at 7:31 everyday, annoying if you were 10 seconds late but worth it in the long run.

[frinkprof]

Sorry to bump an aging thread, but I've been too busy to reply these last few days.

Originally Posted by The Goon

The TTC in Toronto is testing out using GPS to know where buses are and (ideally) when they'll be at the next stop. Hopefully Calgary Transit is able to implement this in the not-too-distant future.

As mentioned, real-time arrival information systems will be implemented for the C-Train and the BRT routes.

It is important to note that this technology does not, in and of itself, solve scheduling issues. It won't prevent buses from breaking down, being delayed, bunching up with other buses on the route, etc. As far as dispatchers/scheduling is concerned, radios do a good enough job for reporting position/delays, etc.

It does provide riders with reliable arrival information though, which is valuable.

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Is it me or do these bendy buses suck in the snow? They always seem to be stuck on hills trying to go up them.

Snow tires in order for these models in particular perhaps?

Snow tires were tested on about 20 articulated bus units last winter, but the program was not continued. Apparently Calgary Transit didn't notice an appreciable difference from the regular tires. Here's a couple news stories on it:

http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/S...-on-fleet.aspx

http://www.calgaryherald.com/busines...867/story.html

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Scheduling is clearly a disaster, but that can be reasonably blamed on traffic, lights and (on days like today) snow.

What you can't blame on anything but piss-poor organization and bad standards is:

You are at a train station for 15 minutes and five trains go by heading south and zero trains go by heading north.

The train stops in the middle of the tracks for five minutes and the driver doesn't say a goddamn word. This is infuriating. Even "we've got a medical emergency at Heritage and we'll be a few minutes" changes everything. Just sitting there in silence, when you know 200 people are sitting behind you wondering what the problem is, seems to me to be the symptom of a mental illness. Just speak up ferchrissakes.

Trains going off-duty before 9am, and rush hour service ends before 6pm. I could understand the morning service ending early (but not that early) but cripes, sometimes adults don't leave work when a whistle blows at 4:30 or 5. The train and buses are far from deserted at 6, but some of the buses have gone back to 30+ minute service.

Good post. There are certainly some problems with quite a few aspects of scheduling that go beyond the problems caused by weather. From talking to a few operators, the scheduling department is behind the times and their approach to scheduling in general leaves a lot to be desired. Now, take that with a grain of salt seeing as how operators could have a part to play, but might not admit to it. I really do hope things improve somehow.

I'd also like to see rush hour service extended in the evenings until 6:30. Even 6:15 would make a big difference.

I've always been of the thought that the easiest way to improve transit service is to increase frequency. It costs the most money (operating costs), but if all feeder buses had their frequency increased by, say 50%, the benefits to the system as a whole would be huge.

Originally Posted by browna

Buses, ok...c-trains what's the point?

If a bus is late, sometimes people can wait in their house/office a bit longer, or make other arrangements (take different route etc), given the infrequency of a particular route, and sometimes, like today, buses can't go up certain hills with crappy roads so have to take detours you'd have no idea about.

But for a Ctrain? They run on rails every 10-20 minutes all day long. If there are major delays or closures, there's annoucements made on the platforms.

Never understood those people who make a point to go to the edge of the platform and lean over to look down the tracks to see if a train is coming twice a minute, as if they're going to spot the train making a left turn somewhere and missing the stop. (I have seen buses do that) or make a decision to take some other form of transport because the train isn't fast enough for you.

It gets there when it gets there. If you're standing on the Ctrain platform, you don't really have an option other than to wait like everyone else.

This highlights a psychological phenomenon (also illustrated by RougeUnderoos above. People are much more at ease when they know, or at least have some idea of, when their bus or train is arriving. When it is supposed to arrive doesn't mean much, especially when there are delays, and this is why the current Teleride (call a number, receive regurgitation of scheduled arrival time) isn't valuable, especially in bad weather. People want to have some semblance of control over otherwise uncertain situations. Extrapolating a bit, it's part of why private automobiles are a more attractive option for some people, because they feel they have more control over the trip.

Knowing when your train or bus will arrive has a value beyond the psychological benefit. If people know roughly when their train or bus will arrive, they can take another route, choose to drive, call a taxi or a friend/relative to come pick them up, call their workplace or home to let them know you will be late, stay inside for longer, conduct some business over the phone rather than wait to get to the office, etc.

[ken0042]

New rant directed at bus drivers. When it's -25 outside and you choose to just wear a sweatshirt; please make sure the heat is set to keep the passengers comfortable; passengers who are dressed for the weather and aren't comfortable wearing a parka in a +25 bus for an hour while sandwiched against their fellow passengers.

[dubc80]

Originally Posted by ken0042

New rant directed at bus drivers. When it's -25 outside and you choose to just wear a sweatshirt; please make sure the heat is set to keep the passengers comfortable; passengers who are dressed for the weather and aren't comfortable wearing a parka in a +25 bus for an hour while sandwiched against their fellow passengers.

Ha! Ya, thats the worst. A few days ago I had a seat in the back close to the vents and thought my contacts had melted to my eyeballs.

[red '00]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Another reason to support inner city living. I walked to work the last two days. Wasn't a pleasant walk but it still only took me 20 minutes.

I walk to work all the time, seeing as I live a mere 15 minute walk away. This is the first winter I've had to make this particular walk, and it's pretty rough. Goes up along blackfoot and apparently the city thinks it's ok to plow all the ##### on the roads onto the only sidewalk. It's starting to look like one big snow pile. I can't imagine calling 311 and complaining will get the city on it very fast, seeing as they have trouble with roads I doubt sidewalks are high on their priority list...

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by Young-Sneezy

1. get a car.
2. the rest of us waited longer in traffic


the reason i say get a car, is not because im an ass, or mean or anything, but its a simple fact, that we NEED cars in this city. you cannot manage to get around to school and work, on the bus. My girlfriend "does" and it just means i "drive her everywhere"....

the bottom line is that we live in a city where a) the infrastructure for public transit is like 30 years behind and planned by a boob and b) geographically we are nearly beyond repair, our city is just TOO BIG.

maybe im biased cause i get to deal with people who don't drive on a daily basis, and it makes you want to pull your eyes out. but i have also lived in cities (Paris, France) where public transport is the only way people can get around efficiently, and its because it was planned DECADES ago.

so your solution? Complain to an old person who might have been part of planning it in the 50's

or

get a car like everyone else.

ps. no im not rich, im a student, infact im completely assbackwards broke...but manage cause its a necessity

So much wrong with this post.

First, some assumptions you make, and why they are wrong:

1. People who ride transit (and the poster you replied to in particular) don't own vehicles. This is simply not true (in general, not sure about Matata). Look no further than the existence of Park N' Ride lots and several members of this forum.

2. People need cars in this city. Not true. Your girlfriend aside, many people do manage without cars. I did for several years of my adult life, as have countless friends. Transportation is a need, not one particular mode. A car is not a need, and by the same token, neither is a transit system or even a working set of legs.

3. Transit infrastructure isn't 30 years behind. While there are significant problems (bus scheduling in particular has come up in this thread) you need look no further than the LRT expansion done since 2001. In the period of 2001-2012, the LRT will have doubled in track length and number of cars, and have added 15 new stations with a 16th by 2014. Hell, the C-Train system itself doesn't even turn 30 until 2011.

4. City layout and auto-dependence is irreversible. False. Calgary will never be Paris or Seoul or Tokyo, nor should it be. Calgary already has freakishly high transit ridership for a North American city of its size, due in large part to the strides made it both transit and, yes, city planning of the last 30 years. It is an uphill battle for sure, but it is far from hopeless. The historical trend in this city says otherwise. Examples of other cities abound.

Now to address the general logic of your post. You mention that "the rest of us waited longer in traffic." Other than the statement being completely unverifiable, what do you think your solution of transit users (or even just the single one you addressed) getting cars and driving them to their destinations would have done to your own drive time? Ever pass a full bus (or even a half-full one) on your commute? Picture all those people piling into private automobiles for their trip every day, at a rate of 1.2 people per car, rather than 50+ people per bus. Were you around for the 2001 transit strike (for the sake of argument, I wasn't)?

The solution to transportation issues has to be struck by some sort of balance between all modes, not just cars. This includes walking, cycling, public transit (LRT, streetcar, bus), and cars (private, carshare, carpooling). If you plan for only cars, that's exactly what you'll get. Traffic and congestion are self-fulfilling prophesies.

Just for the sake of clarity, I'm not anti-car. They are here to stay and have to be part of planning and transportation solutions. Your post is circular logic and basically stating that the solution to the problem is the problem itself.

[Double_Dion]

Now Nenshi is going to screw over the SE again by not starting the SE LRT. When are we going to get a lump sum of $2 billion to be able to construct the entire SE route? Never. That's why with the big lump sum we have now, we start the SE leg, and continue to add when we get more money. That is what the large sum of money was for: infrastructure. You can buy buses or LRT cars in any regular buget, as they don't cost as much.

And now he is raising monthly bus passes to $90 starting Jan 1.