Calgary Public Transit - Discussion

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

I'm not one to usually complain about transit, I understand that it is built for the needs of a million people and not just my needs.. but my god.. The reasoning for Calgary Transit to end so many buses right before 9 during the morning commute, and right before 6 during the evening commute is insane.

A large chunk of commuters are still try to end there day by 6pm and it's insane the way CT just stops so many buses right before 6. Pushing the end time to 6:30 would be much more appropriate.

Originally Posted by SebC

The absolute funniest part of this is that at the same time as they're giving you a really narrow window to get to and from work with adequate bus service (especially for those who bank hours for Fridays off and take an unpaid lunch), they're asking people to stagger their arrival/departure times to reduce the peak load on the over-capacity LRT.

Originally Posted by Knalus

Calgary Transit discussions are usually so heavily C-Train oriented, that the problems and issues with buses usually get ignored. It would be nice to see City Hall deal with that issue here sooner rather than later, especially as many of the issues are small dollar ones that are easier to deal with during a budget crunch.

I think the calls for better bus service ring true. The solution isn't technically complicated at all. I've long said that transit in Calgary could be exponentially improved with just a couple fixes:

1. Extend rush hour service by a half hour, going to 9:30 in the morning and 6:30 in the evening.

2. Increase frequencies on all or most bus routes by 30-50%

Unfortunately the hang-up is always funding, and those measures, while technically simple, have to come with an increase in the budgeted service hours. Most increases to service hours in the last few years (yes, there have been increases, including another 100 000 annual hours added just a couple days ago) have been implemented by adding service to new communities. Not to say these areas should go without service, but more hours need to be added if the overall service is to be improved.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by getbak

Why not put the stop just before the intersection, rather than just after it? You'd have the same proximity to the intersection for the passengers, but it would reduce the inconvenience for both the transit riders and the other drivers.

The place I'm most familiar with where it's bad is at Macleod Trail and 71st Ave (by the Denny's). Traffic on Macleod gets stopped at the light and the bus is at or near the front of the line and the bus stop is literally just on the other side of the intersection. So, after waiting through the red light, traffic starts moving and the bus goes less than 50m and stops. Now, all the vehicles behind the bus either have to wait for the bus to unload/load or try to get into the other lane to pass the bus.

If the stop was before the light, the bus could have gone through its unload/load cycle while the light was red, or if the light was green when the bus got to the stop, the traffic would have an easier time moving into the other lane because it would be flowing better than it does after being backed up at the light.


Although, I do agree that a better solution would be to have the bus pull-in areas along Macleod Trail, and it's strange that they don't.

Yeah, fair enough. I'd guess that in some of these cases (certainly not all), having it on one side of the intersection may make more sense than the other side due to layout, pedestrian connections, room for a bus stop, ridership generators (grocery store, shops, school, etc.) being on that side, etc.

[burning_acid1]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

I think the calls for better bus service ring true. The solution isn't technically complicated at all. I've long said that transit in Calgary could be exponentially improved with just a couple fixes:

1. Extend rush hour service by a half hour, going to 9:30 in the morning and 6:30 in the evening.

2. Increase frequencies on all or most bus routes by 30-50%

Unfortunately the hang-up is always funding, and those measures, while technically simple, have to come with an increase in the budgeted service hours. Most increases to service hours in the last few years (yes, there have been increases, including another 100 000 annual hours added just a couple days ago) have been implemented by adding service to new communities. Not to say these areas should go without service, but more hours need to be added if the overall service is to be improved.

Increasing frequencies on most bus routes by that amount throughout the day would be quite costly and may not be efficient. Not many buses are full at 2 pm.

I think the solution is to increase bus route frequency during rush hours, as well as extend the rush hour service by a bit.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by burning_acid1

Increasing frequencies on most bus routes by that amount throughout the day would be quite costly and may not be efficient. Not many buses are full at 2 pm.

I think the solution is to increase bus route frequency during rush hours, as well as extend the rush hour service by a bit.

It would absolutely be costly, which I state. As for increasing it during midday, early evening, and/or weekends, I see it as a chicken/egg thing where if you improve the service, more people would choose to take it.

However, you're right that if you were to phase such improvements in, that rush hour service should be getting more frequency.

[calgaryrocks]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

It would absolutely be costly, which I state. As for increasing it during midday, early evening, and/or weekends, I see it as a chicken/egg thing where if you improve the service, more people would choose to take it.

However, you're right that if you were to phase such improvements in, that rush hour service should be getting more frequency.

totally agree. we don't know if more busses will mean more people ride them, but rush hour service could and should be tweaked. ending rush hour at 6 is silly, add an extra half hour and people decide its worth it to take the bus. When I was taking the train to school, I didn't want to wait for the bus at anderson if I missed it at 5:40, because the next one wouldn't even come til 6:15, might as well drive to the station. if there was a bus even at 6 I would have considered waiting for it (of course, thats also if it was on time, the current teleride system is not reliable enough)

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

It would absolutely be costly, which I state. As for increasing it during midday, early evening, and/or weekends, I see it as a chicken/egg thing where if you improve the service, more people would choose to take it.

Totally agreed. I also question the length of certain routes. Looking at my neighbourhood the McKenzie Towne bus no goes through Douglasglen, that industrial park, Douglasdale, and then makes its way onto McKenzie Towne. That's a pretty long ride for somebody trying to get from A to B. Once again, CT merged routes due to low ridership; meaning you now have buses running all over the place instead of just down the major streets.

Give people more frequent and faster buses; and they will be willing to walk an extra 5 minutes to catch it.

[Bobblehead]

Let me have a way to know when the bus will be at the stop - not when it is supposed to be there, when it WILL be there - and I would take the bus more.

As many have echoed, the scheduled are guidelines at best. If there was a number that I could call that would say, "Will arrive at the stop in 6 minutes" and be accurate (GPS or something - they have it on golf carts, why not buses!) then I would use it more.

[frinkprof]

^Coming in the next few years for LRT and BRT. I can't recall the exact timeframe as I've seen a few different reports. 2014 at the latest.

[getbak]

I think 2014 is the time line for it to be rolled out system-wide, and something like 2012 for LRT and BRT. Live location updating will be part of the new "smart" fare collection system because every vehicle on the system will need to be in constant communication with the central fare system.



It's interesting that earlier in this thread (I believe it was in this thread), there was a lot of talk about the fact that Toronto has found a good balance between heavy rail subway and light rail street cars and other surface transit systems because Toronto's new mayor wants to get rid of all surface transit and move everything underground.

He has recently declared the "war on the car" to be over. However, the provincial government is pushing back because money has already been allocated and construction has begun on new LRT lines in the GTA.

http://www.thestar.com/news/transpor...it-underground

http://www.thestar.com/news/transpor...ord-on-transit

I'm really glad we didn't elect a guy like Ford to be our mayor (although, I don't think any of our candidates were anything like him).

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

As many have echoed, the scheduled are guidelines at best. If there was a number that I could call that would say, "Will arrive at the stop in 6 minutes" and be accurate (GPS or something - they have it on golf carts, why not buses!) then I would use it more.

I know in Ottawa, attempts to track the buses have been shot down by the bus drivers union out of fear that the data would be used against the drivers.

[the-rasta-masta]

It's about time for the C-train to get ticket machines that can give change. A vending machine can give me change, why can't these machines?

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

It's about time for the C-train to get ticket machines that can give change. A vending machine can give me change, why can't these machines?

Unless my memory fails me, the ticket machines used to give change. I think this is an example of Calgary Transit going ... "maybe we can earn a little extra money if we make the machines say 'No change provided.'"

A little boost to the budget, I guess.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

I know in Ottawa, attempts to track the buses have been shot down by the bus drivers union out of fear that the data would be used against the drivers.

That's brutal.

[WhiteTiger]

Getting GPS or some sort of tracking system on a bus would be HUGE for me. During the last cold snap, the bus I take home was so late that the bus AFTER it got to the stop first (how the heck does a bus end up 35+ minutes late anyhow?).

Waiting outside for 50+ minutes without a bus shelter (I tend to use the #23 Industrial route) in -30 weather HOPING that the bus will come isn't fun, let me tell you. If they had a GPS or even something remotely close, I could wait at work and then head out when the bus was close.

That Teleride is a joke, though. I use that, and have stopped counting the number of times "Next bus in 5 minutes" turns into "Next bus in 30 minutes"...with no bus going by the stop.

[Barnes]

I was trying to catch the SE brt at about 8:45 am last Friday at 5th and 5th and the teleride kept telling me next bus 5 minutes. The thing that it failed to mention is that the next 4 busses went out of service 4 blocks up at 9th.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by Antithesis

Unless my memory fails me, the ticket machines used to give change. I think this is an example of Calgary Transit going ... "maybe we can earn a little extra money if we make the machines say 'No change provided.'"

A little boost to the budget, I guess.

I don't think they ever did.

Anyway, this will be coming by 2012.

[Antithesis]

Fair enough, I thought I recalled change being spat out of those machines when I was younger, I'm talking 20 years ago or so. Good to hear that change-ready machines are coming.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

I don't think they ever did.

Anyway, this will be coming by 2012.

30 years later, eh? Looks like they're gonna have to up the Calgary Transit budget if they're not going to be jacking us for our spare change anymore.[/cynic]

That really used to grind my gears. It just seems like such a bloody scam to not give change at those machines. I mean, a quarter or 50 cents isn't going to make me go bankrupt, it's just the principle.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by 4X4

30 years later, eh? Looks like they're gonna have to up the Calgary Transit budget if they're not going to be jacking us for our spare change anymore.[/cynic]

Well, their monthly adult pass is going up $4.75 next month. That should cover some of it.

[frinkprof]

Calgary considers express transit bus linking airport to city core


BY JASON MARKUSOFF, CALGARY HERALD
DECEMBER 3, 2010

CALGARY - The city is considering an express bus service linking the airport to downtown, as Calgary Transit gets ready to launch a new airport route next year.

Calgary Transit said Thursday that Route 100 will offer a service between the airport and the city core, using an express bus to connect the terminal to the nearest LRT station, which is McKnight-Westwinds on the northeast line.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi is pursuing a more ambitious plan, which would take the form of a terminal-to-downtown express line.

Council laid the groundwork Thursday by creating a $5-million innovation to look at various options. Transit has additional plans for either a bus or tram using Centre Street.

Route 100 service kicks in on April 3, when a 4.5-kilometre section of Barlow Trail N.E. closes for construction of a fourth runway.

Route 100 will access the terminal via Country Hills Boulevard. It will use 36th Street N.E. until the Metis Trail extension to Country Hills Boulevard opens next fall, said transit planning manager Neil McKendrick.

This will replace the little-used Route 57, which meanders through the airport services area and links to the Whitehorn LRT station.

Route 100 will run every 20 minutes during peak hours and every half-hour the rest of the time.

Nenshi has been talking about an airport-to-downtown express line since the election campaign.

It's unclear when such a route would go into service, and whether buses would use Deerfoot Trail or Centre Street.

"If the Westwinds bus does the trick, then we don't need to continue with the downtown one," Nenshi told reporters. "But let's try a downtown one and see how it goes."

Calgary Transit has proposed a downtown airport express service to start in 2012, using Centre Street via 96th Avenue N.E. Long-range plans call for a tram on the same route.

[...]

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Calgary...905/story.html