[pchipman]

The phrasing in that article seems kinda funny to me. For instance 'apathy' is the term used for those who do not purchase a car? I am a proud non car owner and have actively chose to live a car-free lifestyle. I may be in the minority, but I don't feel like my transportation decisions are apathetic.

I feel as though this kind of thinking is the mainstream, especially in suburban-centered HRM and in a consumption-driven society in general. Transitioning away from a car-centric mentality needs to be part of the change towards a more sustainable and densified urban center.

Along with public transportation, active transportation needs to be promoted as a viable alternative to battling traffic everyday. Obviously, even the most active people won't bike/walk/run to work downtown if they live in the suburbs- so densification is a big part of this.

[spaustin]

Regardless, the rest of the article goes on to explain why people coming out of university don't buy cars. That would be the age group with the shocking 1% drop in new car ownership over the last 25 years. Adding many plausible reasons for a drop in car ownership among Gen Y doesn't change the fact that the stats they quote show no real change in car ownership for that age group.

Homer Simpson: "Oh people can come up with statistics to prove anything. 14% of people know that." :)

[worldlyhaligonian]

The phrasing in that article seems kinda funny to me. For instance 'apathy' is the term used for those who do not purchase a car? I am a proud non car owner and have actively chose to live a car-free lifestyle. I may be in the minority, but I don't feel like my transportation decisions are apathetic.

I feel as though this kind of thinking is the mainstream, especially in suburban-centered HRM and in a consumption-driven society in general. Transitioning away from a car-centric mentality needs to be part of the change towards a more sustainable and densified urban center.

Along with public transportation, active transportation needs to be promoted as a viable alternative to battling traffic everyday. Obviously, even the most active people won't bike/walk/run to work downtown if they live in the suburbs- so densification is a big part of this.

Well said. I find all sides of the debate to be huge hypocrites.

At the end of the day, I'd prefer to live downtown in a high rise and not need a car. Those things don't conflict with one another, its just common sense.

Being against height and against cars is counter intuitive. Obviously cars are needed when sprawl is de facto promoted by anti-height initiatives.

[beyeas]

Being against height and against cars is counter intuitive. Obviously cars are needed when sprawl is de facto promoted by anti-height initiatives.

Yeah this is the central fact that Tim Bousquet in particular just doesn't get.

[someone123]

Yeah this is the central fact that Tim Bousquet in particular just doesn't get.

Many people just label things good or bad when the real question is what the tradeoffs are.

I think it's also pretty easy to become out of touch with the wider world when you're surrounded by a particular crowd. The Coast types might be able to find trendy North End apartments that require neither cars nor new highrises. That doesn't scale though and it doesn't work for other lifestyles.

The whole thing reminds me a bit of Alice Waters, a restaurateur and organic food advocate in Berkeley who pointed out that she's willing to pay a little extra for organic grapes, while some people are wasting their money on fancy Nike shoes. The "let them eat cake" attitude is fundamentally the same whether it's Alice Waters or some hipster saying we should all bike everywhere. It's easy to make ridiculous prescriptions for people when you know nothing about them.

[Nouvellecosse]

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/1662/img102i.jpg
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/3826/img103g.jpg

by me

Weird, when I checked the website last winter they said they needed to wait until May to launch since they needed special highway buses, but these look pretty standard.

[Keith P.]

They probably had to special-order ones without any luggage racks. :rolleyes:

[jslath]

Weird, when I checked the website last winter they said they needed to wait until May to launch since they needed special highway buses, but these look pretty standard.

I read (if I recall correctly) that these special highway buses have a high performance engine in them for driving at highway speeds over an extended period of time.

[halifaxboyns]

I read (if I recall correctly) that these special highway buses have a high performance engine in them for driving at highway speeds over an extended period of time.

That is exactly right - these are the same type of buses used on the BRT to the Airport here in Calgary and I believe what is going to be used for the airport bus in Edmonton. Ours have luggage racks as well. I've used it a few times, it's wonderful. Very quiet too!

[bornagainbiking]

Recently I took their service, the lady in store advised me to buy the one day transit pass and seeing I only had a 8 hr layover. I got a trip downtown and back for 8 bucks. The driver was very helpful and made suggestions.
I understand the taxi fare to downtown is $50-60 and the bus is a great option.
Last week I was in Hfx and took the airport shuttle and it was $20. However it was drawn out as we had to run from hotel to hotel and took an HR to get to the airport.
The bus looks like a winner. And something for the people.
Congrats, and I will take it next time.

[Nouvellecosse]

I read (if I recall correctly) that these special highway buses have a high performance engine in them for driving at highway speeds over an extended period of time.Oh, somehow I was expecting them to look like either the big MetroX truck-buses, or like the Access-A-Bus van-buses. Although these are the same as used for the 747 bus to Trudeau which spent most of its time on the highway.

[scooby074]

Passed 2 of the airport run buses at 2 different times yesterday and it looked like they were 1/2 or maybe 3/4 full. Looks like they are beginning to take off (pardon the pun)

Anybody else notice increased ridership on the airport run?

[halifaxboyns]

Recently I took their service, the lady in store advised me to buy the one day transit pass and seeing I only had a 8 hr layover. I got a trip downtown and back for 8 bucks. The driver was very helpful and made suggestions.
I understand the taxi fare to downtown is $50-60 and the bus is a great option.
Last week I was in Hfx and took the airport shuttle and it was $20. However it was drawn out as we had to run from hotel to hotel and took an HR to get to the airport.
The bus looks like a winner. And something for the people.
Congrats, and I will take it next time.

$50 to $60 is assuming no traffic. I know people who have paid in the $80 range. To hear that HRM's bus is 3/4 full is fantastic. I know there was some concern out here in Calgary about the BRT because it wasn't doing so well, but from what I've heard the ridership has been improving. I don't know the numbers though.

[jslath]

Passed 2 of the airport run buses at 2 different times yesterday and it looked like they were 1/2 or maybe 3/4 full. Looks like they are beginning to take off (pardon the pun)

Anybody else notice increased ridership on the airport run?

I recently flew from Halifax to Ottawa. Took the MetroX in Halifax and the OC Transpo in Ottawa. Surprisingly, the MetroX run had more people on it.

[Dmajackson]

Progress has slowed to a snails pace but have a look at the cars to get a sense of scale (Urban_Halifax @ Flickr);

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/7638760142_73046c828f_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8283/7638757990_dfc6240d14_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7638755980_2279dd0b42_c.jpg

[scooby074]

August 27 is supposed to be opening day.

Worth having a read of the article in the Herald today, some routes will be changing .

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/hcw/119829-dartmouth-bridge-terminal-slated-to-open-august-27

[Dmajackson]

Now This Is a Schedule Adjustment (http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/Schedules/documents/August2012GoTimesv.FINAL.pdf) :P

This effectively creates Halifax's first high-frequency transit corridor (along side Portland Street) since all the Bridge-Mumford runs will be transferred to Route 1. On weekdays this will create 10 minute headways all day. I think they should go a step further and increase this to 5 minutes on peak, 10 minutes off peak, and 15 minutes from midnight-6am. They should also explore expanding service to late night hours Monday-Saturday.

[pblaauw]

Is it strange that I feel giddy, seeing the phrase "your new facility!"? (the keyword being "your", instead of "our" or "the".)

[fenwick16]

Now This Is a Schedule Adjustment (http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/Schedules/documents/August2012GoTimesv.FINAL.pdf) :P

This effectively creates Halifax's first high-frequency transit corridor (along side Portland Street) since all the Bridge-Mumford runs will be transferred to Route 1. On weekdays this will create 10 minute headways all day. I think they should go a step further and increase this to 5 minutes on peak, 10 minutes off peak, and 15 minutes from midnight-6am. They should also explore expanding service to late night hours Monday-Saturday.

This is a good start. Now I wonder if they will consider a Right of Way route (maybe through the dockyards) so that it would be Bus Rapid Transit.

Has there ever been any discussion at the municipal level about having all night service? Even if it is just from downtown Halifax to the Dartmouth Bus terminal it would be great for people who have to work very late at night or have to start very early in the morning and can't afford taxi fare.

[pblaauw]

Has there ever been any discussion at the municipal level about having all night service? Even if it is just from downtown Halifax to the Dartmouth Bus terminal it would be great for people who have to work very late at night or have to start very early in the morning and can't afford taxi fare.

What about running the MetroLink and/or MetroX routes at night, to the park-and-ride lots?

[Halifax Hillbilly]

This is a good start. Now I wonder if they will consider a Right of Way route (maybe through the dockyards) so that it would be Bus Rapid Transit.

I've always felt the dockyards were under-served, and it would be a good place to put some sort of corridor connecting the MacDonald Bridge/ North Street to downtown. Hopefully Metro Transit and HRM council start pushing projects like reserved bus lanes/ corridors.

The next step though is to start looking at doing the same thing on Lacewood Drive, Main Street Dartmouth, Bedford Highway, etc. We've got to start pruning routes and making the main corridors more frequent. The 10 minute frequency on Portland is a good start, though. Let's hope more of this thinking rolls out soon across the network.

The other good news is if you reduce service on under-performing routes and put the resources back into high frequency corridors ridership goes up and public subsidy goes down. It's a better use of resources.

[someone123]

The next step though is to start looking at doing the same thing on Lacewood Drive, Main Street Dartmouth, Bedford Highway, etc. We've got to start pruning routes and making the main corridors more frequent. The 10 minute frequency on Portland is a good start, though. Let's hope more of this thinking rolls out soon across the network.

One big advantage of high-frequency corridors is that transfers become pretty painless.

Halifax's transit would be much better if it had even one good high-frequency route to feed everything else into. This would ideally be something faster than normal a normal bus route. It could be a busway or LRT. The "transit bingo" style routes would be reconfigured into small feeder routes that would take advantage of the main corridor as much as possible.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

One big advantage of high-frequency corridors is that transfers become pretty painless.

Halifax's transit would be much better if it had even one good high-frequency route to feed everything else into. This would ideally be something faster than normal a normal bus route. It could be a busway or LRT. The "transit bingo" style routes would be reconfigured into small feeder routes that would take advantage of the main corridor as much as possible.

The 1 as a rapid express might be a good start. The 52 and 80 might also be decent for this type of back-bone, high performance route.

Really though, I think we have to tear the routes down and start over. Focus on a high-frequency network, and wherever possible claim right of ways for transit.

[Keith P.]

Since the 1 seems to run every 5 minutes it already is sort of a rapid express, though having stops every 500 feet sort of defeats that.

[DigitalNinja]

I've seen people get on the bus at one stop. Then get off the next, 500 feet later. Seriously! I think people should learn to walk...

[pblaauw]

I've seen people get on the bus at one stop. Then get off the next, 500 feet later. Seriously! I think people should learn to walk...

Me and my wheelchair agree. :D :cheers:

[someone123]

Really though, I think we have to tear the routes down and start over. Focus on a high-frequency network, and wherever possible claim right of ways for transit.

It's kind of depressing because I don't think Metro Transit or HRM are even close to operating on that level. Council could not even follow through with dedicated bus lanes along Bayers Road, a ROW that was already largely planned for and set aside.

Metro Transit operates by making incremental changes every couple of years. They're not keeping pace with the level of development in the city. Transit service in the mainland Halifax/Bedford area is not very different from what it was 10 years ago, but the population there has gone up substantially. Clayton Park is mostly medium density residential but its street network is a total mess and its only transit terminal is still just some bus shelters by a strip mall. It's pretty pathetic.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

Since the 1 seems to run every 5 minutes it already is sort of a rapid express, though having stops every 500 feet sort of defeats that.

1 runs every ten minutes throughout the day, although there is a lot of bunching. Pretty good level of service but the stop spacing is ridiculously close. The 1 is the only route that covers it's operating costs.

It's kind of depressing because I don't think Metro Transit or HRM are even close to operating on that level. Council could not even follow through with dedicated bus lanes along Bayers Road, a ROW that was already largely planned for and set aside.

Metro Transit operates by making incremental changes every couple of years. They're not keeping pace with the level of development in the city. Transit service in the mainland Halifax/Bedford area is not very different from what it was 10 years ago, but the population there has gone up substantially. Clayton Park is mostly medium density residential but its street network is a total mess and its only transit terminal is still just some bus shelters by a strip mall. It's pretty pathetic.

I think this will change. Council has made substantial commitments to transit (lots of buses, transit garage, Bridge Terminal, oodles more service) that are really unprecedented for HRM. I think for the first time in a while council is fully on board with transit in principle, but as usual they have no idea what to do about it. What will probably be the real motivation for change is the fact that the fare box keeps covering less and less of Metro Transit's operating costs: it's really inefficient to keep overlapping routes and running transit farther into fringe suburban areas. A core high frequency network could get support from right leaning councillors (higher fare box return) and left leaning councillors (ridership increases and environmental benefits). It might take a while but I think we will get there. The current system just makes no sense and has too much overlap (but no real frequency) on the peninsula, and big holes in places like Bedford.

The other encouraging sign is community groups like It's More Than Buses trying to raise the level of debate around transit. It might take years to pay off but I think it will turn out to be pretty key.

[someone123]

I think this will change. Council has made substantial commitments to transit (lots of buses, transit garage, Bridge Terminal, oodles more service) that are really unprecedented for HRM. ... The other encouraging sign is community groups like It's More Than Buses trying to raise the level of debate around transit. It might take years to pay off but I think it will turn out to be pretty key.

Yeah. The airport shuttle is an example of an obvious service improvement that for whatever reason seemed like it was never going to happen, but now it has. The library was a similar story. The streetscape improvements along Barrington and Spring Garden are examples of realistic, obviously worthwhile projects that are still not being implemented. There's still lots of room for improvement but clearly some improvement has already happened.

[fenwick16]

A story from CBC News regarding late night ferry reductions - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/08/04/ns-metro-transit-ferry-cuts.html. This has been mentioned on this forum before and it will now go before city council this coming week on Aug 7th - http://halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/120807ca1119.PDF

Cutting late night transit service between Halifax and Dartmouth seems to be a backward move. In my opinion, if late night ferry service is reduced then late night bus service should be extended (ideally an all-night service between Dartmouth and Halifax should be started. Route 1 seems to be a good route for all-night service - http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/Schedules/documents/mapRoute1.pdf with all night trips after 12:30am at 30 minute intervals).

HRM council to decide on Metro Transit ferry service cuts
CBC News
Posted: Aug 4, 2012 4:11 PM AT
Last Updated: Aug 4, 2012 6:05 PM AT
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/topstories/2012/08/04/ferry-day-620.jpg
Metro Transit ferry service will be debated Tuesday at City Hall. (CBC)

Late-night Metro Transit ferry service across the Halifax harbour could end in just a few weeks.

City staff is recommending that Halifax regional council approve a service reduction.

HRM councillors realized the ferry service was being cut only after the spring budget was already passed.

Metro Transit planned to reduce several trips on both ferries, but it was the cancellation of the late-night Alderney ferry run that angered people.

Coun. Dawn Sloane says she's against any cuts to ferry service.

"I am definitely opposed to any ferry cutbacks or any cutbacks right now of any kind of mass transportation," said Sloane, the councillor for the city's downtown.

"I think the issue at hand here is that people that rely on the service will of course look for alternative ways to get around, which means more cars which means more traffic and more parking issues.
.
.
.

[Waye Mason]

I'd reluctantly take ferry cuts if we put the money into all night bus service on 4-5 key routes.

I can't accept ferry cuts to help extend MetroX to Porters Lake.

Realigning service in the core is one thing, cutting the core to fund rural expansion is another.

[Keith P.]

Nobody uses the ferry at night except for Friday and Saturday evenings. There is no point running a ferry back and forth without passengers. Unfortunately most of the councillors, especially Sloane, will try to make this into a much broader issue in the name of motherhood and as usual, completely miss the point. Use it or lose it. People aren't using it, so they should lose it.

[Spire]

Regarding late night bus service, for what it's worth, this was discussed at Regional Council back in 2009. The Halifax Student Alliance submitted a proposal for late-night bus service:

http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/090303ca1011.pdf

...which was later rejected by HRM Staff, for the usual reasons (too expensive, no one would use it, etc.)

http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/090929cai04.pdf

If late night bus service is ever tried as a pilot project, though, route 1 would be the logical place to start.

[fenwick16]

Nobody uses the ferry at night except for Friday and Saturday evenings. There is no point running a ferry back and forth without passengers. Unfortunately most of the councillors, especially Sloane, will try to make this into a much broader issue in the name of motherhood and as usual, completely miss the point. Use it or lose it. People aren't using it, so they should lose it.

Probably an extended hours bus route would make more sense. One route (say route 1) which would provide a link across the harbour and through heavy pedestrian traffic areas for students, hospitality workers, and others who work odd hours but can't afford taxi fare. It would also serve the late night tavern customers.

Because of the way Metro Transit is currently set up, with so much overlap between routes, I don't see much additional benefit to having more than one all-night route. Regarding the regular bus routes, it seems like Metro Transit could be greatly streamlined with just a couple high frequency, bus rapid transit corridors and then several bus routes that link to the high frequency corridors.

Here is a map of the Toronto Transit Commission's all-night service bus routes - http://www.ttc.ca/images/fixedImages/TTC-bluenight.pdf

[Waye Mason]

Just to put it in perspective, average number of people per hour on the ferry M-R after 10pm is about 44 riders per hour. I remember the number because that is still 2 full MetroX buses :)

If staff say to me "no one will use it" the question back at them has to be "why then do people use it in every other city that has it?"

A lot of people who most need transit - cleaners who work late at night, health support workers, etc work night shifts that start or end when MT is shut down. It seems to me that the 1 and the 80 should be all night, probably the 7 as well.

[Jstaleness]

It would be better for downtown business. When I was a student I can remember leaving places early to catch the last bus so I could avoid cab fare. Another view is instead of cab fare the people would spend their cash at the bars and restaurants open late.

[someone123]

If staff say to me "no one will use it" the question back at them has to be "why then do people use it in every other city that has it?"

One of the unfortunate problems with a public service like transit is that it's hard to figure out why people aren't riding. It could be that there's no demand, but often there are problems with routes, scheduling, or reliability that keep people away.

People typically choose the explanation for low ridership what suits their agenda. The ones who don't like transit start with cost cutting measures that make the service unappealing. That then gives them ammunition to claim that the service should be eliminated because nobody is riding it.

I also wonder whether or not the U-Pass system creates "second-class citizens" out of the captive market of students. They all have to pay regardless of what transit service they use, and from the perspective of Metro Transit the marginal increase in revenue from adding more student-oriented transit services is now extremely low. On top of this I'm guessing few of the bus drivers want to do bus service.

[halifaxboyns]

For me; the numbers show some use for the ferry. So there are some people using it; but I don't know if it's enough to say keep it going every night. I think the balance (for now) would be to only offer it on Friday and Saturday night but ALSO make changes to some of the last runs of the night to be able to offer connections from Halifax to the Dartmouth bus routes so that the gap isn't a major problem.

That said, I believe that with King's Wharf getting to the point that occupancy will start soon - we may see the ridership numbers start rising over the next year or two. Plus if all the development that has been talked about in downtown Dartmouth goes ahead, that will help as well.

[someone123]

That said, I believe that with King's Wharf getting to the point that occupancy will start soon - we may see the ridership numbers start rising over the next year or two. Plus if all the development that has been talked about in downtown Dartmouth goes ahead, that will help as well.

What's nice about King's Wharf is that by itself it's large enough to overcome the chicken and egg problem of low density and poor services in downtown Dartmouth. Once that's a more successful area with more pedestrian activity (making it safer), a full service grocery store, good ferry service, and all those sorts of things it will be a lot easier to attract residents and businesses to other developments. It won't be a discount area, it will be an area people want to move to.

I think we will see a similar transformation in the North End too (Gottingen, Agricola, or Young Street, it's all low density). Right now it doesn't quite "work" properly as an urban neighbourhood because densities are too low. The story of the development of the co-op grocery store on Gottingen highlights this -- the neighbourhood population within a radius of a few blocks fell below what they normally need to make a grocery store viable. Now that it's going up again the store might work in a few years. If it goes in it will be convenient for residents and provide extra employment.

Spring Garden Road is the only part of Halifax that has really hit a kind of critical mass. It's becoming a great area with the kind of variety and convenience people expect in larger cities.

[Keith P.]

The number I saw for ridership was 6 passengers per trip after some evening time. I suppose that could translate into 44 per hour, I don't know. But 6 passengers per trip is ridiculous. The ferry shouldn't run for 6 passengers. I suspect the crew might outnumber the passenger load in those circumstances.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

One thing to keep in mind with the ferry is that it is VERY expensive to run this particular service. You have two people on the boat, plus one person at each terminal. Four people to run a ferry route vs. one driver for a regular transit bus. That's much more expensive per hour of service. Surely though we could get rid of the commissionaire on each side and use automated ticketing and a proof of purchase system. It works on lots of big systems.

[fenwick16]

It sounds like it is best to cut back on the ferries and use part of the savings to have an all-night cross harbour bus route (such as route # 1).

[someone123]

It sounds like it is best to cut back on the ferries and use part of the savings to have an all-night cross harbour bus route (such as route # 1).

One of the nice things about night buses is that they tend to be fast because there's so little traffic late at night. At 2 a.m. you could get from downtown Halifax to downtown Dartmouth via the bridge much, much quicker than at 5 p.m. on a weekday.

The night "N" bus routes here in Vancouver are also not necessarily the same as the daytime routes. They are more like Metro Transit's "milk run" routes.

[Dmajackson]

Halifax cuts late-night ferry service
August 7, 2012 - 6:10pm BY PAUL MCLEOD STAFF REPORTER
UPDATED 8:55 p.m. Tuesday

Halifax regional council voted Tuesday to slash late-night ferry service between Dartmouth and Halifax, but urban councillors did win some concessions.

Several suburban and rural councillors joined their counterparts from Dartmouth, Woodside and peninsular Halifax to defeat a more severe proposal 19-5.

That plan would have cut more than 1,000 hours from the ferry service by killing all runs after 10:15 p.m., reducing service from every 15 minutes to every half-hour from noon to 2 p.m., and shutting down all service on Sunday before 11:30 a.m.

Council then voted 18-4 in favour of a compromise motion that enacts almost all those cuts but will save late-night service on Friday and Saturday nights

...

Full Article on thechronicleherald.ca (http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/metro/124611-halifax-cuts-late-night-ferry-service)

IMO this isn't too bad of a compromise.

They go on to say the service will be ramped up in 2015 for the MacDonald Bridge closures which is good. By this time King's Wharf will have four or more inhabited buildings including the Iconic Tower (if all goes to plan) and some new developments near the ferry on both sides of the harbour will be completed so the new demand might keep the late-night service alive in the longer-term.

As for the late-night-bus service debate I think starting out with one route (Route 1) is a good start but shortly after that is implemented service should expand to four core routes (1, 52, 80, 87). The idea is to take existing high demand routes and run them between major terminals connecting 24/7 areas.

Route 1 - 15 minute frequencies minimum 24/7 along the entire route.

Route 52 - Normal daytime service with consideration for rerouting in Burnside. At night run basic service with a minimum 30 minute headway from Lacewood to Burnside Transit Centre.

Route 80 - Maintain existing service during daytime hours. At night run with a 30 minute headway from Cobequid - Scotia Square. Consider creating a nighttime detour to Mumford Terminal where it will terminate to service on the 1, 52.

Route 87 - Maintain existing service during daytime hours. At night run with a 30 minute headway from Cobequid - Bridge. To provide better service reroute through Bedford.

These four routes would provide basic service between the four major terminals in Greater Halifax. All of the routes service at least one 24/7 area (Windmill in Burnside, DT Halifax, North Street, and Mill Cove). All four major communities will be serviced and some transit dependent areas like Highfield Park will have service for employment purposes.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

Council with a reasonable compromise motion on the ferry - well done. Friday and Saturday evening service makes sense IMO - forty people per run isn't bad.

[jasonashhh]

The one covers its self so why not add three express routes and call it 1A
Which only stop a intersections bit runs the same route so say pick and drop off
So leaves the bridge picks up once across than will stop once near the water waste plant before going to scotia square for a major drop off and pick up
Than next stop spring garden by the alient building before stoppin on spring garden and south street while keeping its regular 1 one service intact lets try to get this heard the express buses maybe all should have voice systems to tell when next stop is and street name etc it would be a stepping stone could use on the 52 as well without detouring the bus just ones faster than the other :)

[teddifax]

Voice stop announcements are supposed to be starting on all buses next year.

[teddifax]

I found this in a search today!
http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/documents/StrategicFerryOperationsPlan.pdf
It shows plans to Construct new Halifax and Dartmouth terminal buildings and to Construct replacement ferries between 2018 and 2021

[Spire]

Voice stop announcements are supposed to be starting on all buses next year.

Where did you hear this? The latest report to council stated that there were "no immediate plans for implementation."

http://halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/120710ca1141i.pdf

[teddifax]

I just dug it up on the site I showed above! But, I feel, like most things to do with transportation in Halifax, that nothing in this will come to pass!

[Dmajackson]

Lately I have been noticing Fairview is starting to undergo a major transformation. With three major projects on Dutch Village Road the area will soon require better transit especially since many of its main routes (ie 52) are already near capacity. Up the hill Mount Royale is currently not serviced and Bayers Lake beyond that is under-serviced. With all this in mind I thought the route below could be introduced;

ROUTE 12 (BAYERS LAKE via MAIN AVE / DOWNTOWN via CHEBUCTO)

-Leave Chain Lake Drive (@ Horseshoe Lake Drive)
-Washmill Lake Drive
-Northwest Arm Drive
-Main Street
-Joseph Howe Drive
-Scot Street
-Desmond Avenue
- >BAYERS ROAD TERMINAL
-Bayers Road
-Joseph Howe Drive
-Mumford Road
- > MUMFORD TERMINAL
-Mumford Road
-Chebucto/Cunard
-North Park Street
-Trollope/Summer
- > QEII HOSPITAL
-Spring Garden Road
-Barrington Street
-George Street
-Water Street
- > WATER STREET TERMINAL
-Duke Street
-Albemarle Street
- > METRO EXPRESS STOPS
-Cogswell Street
-Barrington Street
- > SCOTIA SQUARE
-Spring Garden Road
-Summer Street
- > QEII HOSPITAL
-Bell Road
-Quinpool Road
-Windsor Street
-Chebucto Road
-Mumford Road
- > MUMFORD TERMINAL
-Mumford Road
-Joseph Howe Drive
-Scot Street
-Desmond Avenue
- > BAYERS ROAD TERMINAL
-Bayers Road
-Dutch Village Road
-Main Street
-Northwest Arm Drive
-Washmill Lake/Susie Lake
-Horseshoe Lake Drive
-Arrive Chain Lake Drive (@ Horseshoe Lake Drive)

This route would have the added benefit of reducing overloading on Route 52 and for those heading deep into Bayers Lake they would avoid the traffic jams in the retail portion and backtracking through Clayton Park.

Since this would be a core route it should have the normal headways (30 min offpeak, 15 min peak), and it could allow Routes 2,4, or 5 to terminate at Mumford Terminal.

[teddifax]

Maybe you should get a job with MetroTransit! Their service has to be improved to increase ridership, but nothing seems to get done and then less people use the service. It becomes almost a self-fulfilling prophecy in reverse. I would love to see a better service having used it for over 30 years before retiring. The service to and from Clayton Park in the peak hours was good, but the rest of the time....

[Dmajackson]

Haha but then I would have to listen to their "buses are the only thing Halifax needs" rantings.

With what I proposed above Metro Transit could even go a step further and introduce mini-bus routes as neighbourhood feeders. Route 5 as an example would essentially be duplicate through the new route so I would cancel it and introduce a short run between Fairmount and Mumford Terminal (called '405 Fairmount'). This would free up standard buses for runs on busier routes. Because of the short route only one bus is needed for 30-min frequency.

Also this could be expanded to Routes 15, 65, 83, and 88.

[resetcbu1]

Unbeleivable.... I haven't seen the Mount Royal development in person living so far away these days but from what I have seen in photo's it has some major density and it is sad thad an area with that much density would be not serviced by transit ...... almost makes me sick to think of how poorly the HRM does at these types of things as if it is no big deal???:hell:

[someone123]

Unfortunately transit planning in Halifax seems to be totally reactionary. The development goes in, demand increases, and then Metro Transit fiddles with routes 5-10 years later. By then it is mostly too late; the developments are all built around cars and people living in those neighbourhoods already own cars and commute to work by car, so getting them to switch to transit is an uphill battle. It would be much better to have more proactive planning. Road networks could be designed with transit in mind and the service could go in earlier.

I really hope the "nothing but buses" attitude goes away soon. Transit planning requires thinking ahead because it takes years to build something like rapid transit. Calgary's LRT planning began with a study in 1967 and trains did not enter service until 1981. The real question is "what will Halifax's transportation needs be in 2020 or 2030?" If Metro Transit waits until there's no alternative but to aggressively build bus lanes or LRT then the city will suffer through years of unnecessarily slow commutes and the eventual cost will be much higher than necessary.

[teddifax]

Can it be too much to hope that things will start to change with the upcoming civic election. I would love to see Halifax be all that it can be, but historically (hysterically) this city reacts and has never planned in advance. Someone has to take the time to plan what is required for transportation throughout the HRM for now AND for its future. Bring in an expert and listen to that person. We obviously haven't done things right. We have to upgrade our transit and do it properly!

[Dmajackson]

In a lot of cities LRT's are introduced after an established BRT route reaches its capacity . Most bus routes in Halifax are a joke and as such very few are successful at attracting riders. Only Route 1 has truly become a high quality route and with Route 14 approching this threshold I was thinking it it time to establish Halifax Peninsula's first BRT corridor, by upgrading Oxford Street. Basically I think the plan should be this;

PHASE 1: Establish the corridor
- > Install permanent bus lanes in both directions between Coburg & Bayers
- > Ban all parking on the street, and only allow stopping off-peak
- > Ban right-on-red movement

PHASE II: Rezoning & Rerouting
- > Create a visioning process for Oxford Street including;
- - > Higher density zones along Oxford
- - > Removal of driveways on street (access via side street/laneways)
- - > Transit Adjacent Development for as-of-right/small projects
- - > Transit Oriented Development for larger/corner-lot projects
- > Reroute some nearby buses onto road to create a "transfer zone"

PHASE III: Street Enhancements
- > Limit bus stops to major intersections only
- > Follow bus stop after intersection design standard
- > Upgrade all bus stops to look like MetroLink stops (routes map, schedule, name, seating, ect)
- > Complete aesthetic makeover of Oxford Street (buried power lines, street trees, pedestrian improvements, ect)
- > Install transit-priority technology at all stoplights (ie MetroLink uses this at some intersections)

PHASE IV: Mumford - Bayers Corridor
- > New corridor via rail-cut linking Mumford and Bayers Road Terminals
- > Brand new road over tunneled rail cut for transit/emergency use only with adjacent multi-use trail
- > Accessed via new Mumford Terminal near West-End Mall Tim Hortons
- > Accessed via new stoplights on Bayers Road (until Village redevelopment)

Once all of this is built out some major changes could be made to the route structure in the area. Using an extended "1" (to Bayers Road) as a backbone many routes could truncate at the two terminals allowing for higher frequency on the core routes and new feeder routes. If successful it could transform Oxford Street into a dense corridor that would eventually feed a LRT route on/near the street. Also with the rail cut moved underground the neighbourhood would increase in attractiveness and the opportunity would arise to allow for rail improvements, specifically to allow rail-based transit (ie day-liners). If Mumford could be expanded enough Bayers Road Terminal could be decommissioned and the new rail-cut corridor would take pressure off of Mumford Road and Joseph Howe Drive.

[armorand93]

Unfortunately transit planning in Halifax seems to be totally reactionary. The development goes in, demand increases, and then Metro Transit fiddles with routes 5-10 years later. By then it is mostly too late; the developments are all built around cars and people living in those neighbourhoods already own cars and commute to work by car, so getting them to switch to transit is an uphill battle. It would be much better to have more proactive planning. Road networks could be designed with transit in mind and the service could go in earlier.

I really hope the "nothing but buses" attitude goes away soon. Transit planning requires thinking ahead because it takes years to build something like rapid transit. Calgary's LRT planning began with a study in 1967 and trains did not enter service until 1981. The real question is "what will Halifax's transportation needs be in 2020 or 2030?" If Metro Transit waits until there's no alternative but to aggressively build bus lanes or LRT then the city will suffer through years of unnecessarily slow commutes and the eventual cost will be much higher than necessary.

Please don't pull a Winnipeg. We just barely finished our first leg of Rapid Transit, and we're still having issues with funding and especially our mayor. That and I ride crowded buses to work daily, so I personally know how bad it is. :P

[Jstaleness]

A group in Halifax is asking Metro Transit to rethink its routes. It wants the city to focus on shorter waits for service on the peninsula.

Here is the link to the news clip.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/09/21/ns-metro-transit-routes.html

[Dmajackson]

G.B Isnor residents are requesting a rerouting of Route 6 in the north downtown area to serve their manor which has no day-time service in the wake of Route 3's discontinuance. The manor is two blocks from Cogswell Street and Gottingen Street. It still has rush-hour service via the 5 and 82.

IMO the 6 shouldn't be rerouted since a fixed-route public transit system is not designed to to serve everyone at their doors. I do feel for the mobility impaired but we have Access-A-Bus for that reason. Also only 5 people a day were using that stop which is nothing compared to the 70+ using Cogswell Street. Longer trip times also play into account.

Route 6 Rerouting Petition (http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/120925cai03.pdf)

South Mainland residents are complaining about the service cuts to Route 15 which is to run to 8pm only seven days a week. The route doesn't meet the service standard of 15 passengers per hour which could of cut it back to 6pm. I think what MT is planning is adequate and a good compromise.

Route 15 Service Adjustments (http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/120925cai04.pdf)

And in case anyone is interested in the agreement for new buses

Bus Purchase Agreement for 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 (http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/120925ca1115.pdf)

I think when it comes to service adjustments MT should consider a slightly different approach. Passenger counts should be conducted twice a year (October/April). Take the local route standards of 15 passengers/hour;

1) Reduction: If the standard is not met announce the cuts and give the residents 6 months to either use or lose. When the next count rolls around and the numbers are still low cut the service in the next major adjustment (August and February). If there is still 10ppl/hour or more keep 90-minute frequencies.

2) Increase: If the counts warrant an increase introduce the route for 12 months then adjust accordingly. Make sure all nearby residents get notice of the changes and new schedule. For our example 15-30ppl/hour woud be 60-minute frequency, 30-45ppl/hour would be 30-minutes, and above 45ppl/hour would be 10-20 minute frequencies. When the number comes within 5ppl/hour of the next set (25 or 40) the new frequency would be tested for a trial run of 12 months.

[D40LF]

Halifax cuts late-night ferry service
August 7, 2012 - 6:10pm BY PAUL MCLEOD STAFF REPORTER
UPDATED 8:55 p.m. Tuesday



Full Article on thechronicleherald.ca (http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/metro/124611-halifax-cuts-late-night-ferry-service)

IMO this isn't too bad of a compromise.

They go on to say the service will be ramped up in 2015 for the MacDonald Bridge closures which is good. By this time King's Wharf will have four or more inhabited buildings including the Iconic Tower (if all goes to plan) and some new developments near the ferry on both sides of the harbour will be completed so the new demand might keep the late-night service alive in the longer-term.

As for the late-night-bus service debate I think starting out with one route (Route 1) is a good start but shortly after that is implemented service should expand to four core routes (1, 52, 80, 87). The idea is to take existing high demand routes and run them between major terminals connecting 24/7 areas.

Route 1 - 15 minute frequencies minimum 24/7 along the entire route.

Route 52 - Normal daytime service with consideration for rerouting in Burnside. At night run basic service with a minimum 30 minute headway from Lacewood to Burnside Transit Centre.

Route 80 - Maintain existing service during daytime hours. At night run with a 30 minute headway from Cobequid - Scotia Square. Consider creating a nighttime detour to Mumford Terminal where it will terminate to service on the 1, 52.

Route 87 - Maintain existing service during daytime hours. At night run with a 30 minute headway from Cobequid - Bridge. To provide better service reroute through Bedford.

These four routes would provide basic service between the four major terminals in Greater Halifax. All of the routes service at least one 24/7 area (Windmill in Burnside, DT Halifax, North Street, and Mill Cove). All four major communities will be serviced and some transit dependent areas like Highfield Park will have service for employment purposes.

I'd also want to see better service on the 10, at least on Sundays, its a nasty slog on that thing, & late night service only goes till the last bus leaving Scotia square at 11:28pm currently..
Also theres nothing between Alderny ferry/Portland Corridor & Tacoma after 9pm weekdays or Saturdays, nothing after 5pm Sundays..
I also would love to see better service on the 10, relating to wheelchair accessible service, its ridiculous, only 1 bus out there usually during the day, that's accessible, its a major route from the Halifax side into the inner parts of Dartmouth, its sickening, that I have had to see 3-4 wheelchair users & seniors that live out here in the Tacoma/Westphal/Montebello areas, have to do the nasty routing of 52-66-54, to access their area's..
(( btw, there are a LOT of Group Homes in this area as well, so disabled people could really benefit, as well get some of the strain off Access-a-bus during the good weather months..))

[Dmajackson]

I'd also want to see better service on the 10, at least on Sundays, its a nasty slog on that thing, & late night service only goes till the last bus leaving Scotia square at 11:28pm currently..
Also theres nothing between Alderny ferry/Portland Corridor & Tacoma after 9pm weekdays or Saturdays, nothing after 5pm Sundays..
I also would love to see better service on the 10, relating to wheelchair accessible service, its ridiculous, only 1 bus out there usually during the day, that's accessible, its a major route from the Halifax side into the inner parts of Dartmouth, its sickening, that I have had to see 3-4 wheelchair users & seniors that live out here in the Tacoma/Westphal/Montebello areas, have to do the nasty routing of 52-66-54, to access their area's..
(( btw, there are a LOT of Group Homes in this area as well, so disabled people could really benefit, as well get some of the strain off Access-a-bus during the good weather months..))

The new buses coming should help the area early in the new year. They are all 60ft (stretch buses) that are going into service on Route 52 but this will free up some smaller ALF buses that could be used on routes like the 10 on off-peak hours. One of the '5 Big Moves' include improving routes that have chronic lateness problems (52, 80, 10, etc). I imagine the 10 will get fixed in the next couple of years.

The best way to help Route 10 would probably be to build a proper terminal in Dartmouth North somewhere's near Tacoma Centre. They could then either replace the local portion with another route or run alternating service points (ie "60" in Eastern Passage). The major corridor (Dalhousie-Tacoma) could then run at high frequencies (5 min peak, 15 min off-peak, 30 min late-night). The new terminal would service 10, 54, 56 (rerouted), 66, 72, and a new Woodside Express (via Hwy 111). Core routes would service Halifax Peninsula (10), Alderney Ferry (54), and Woodside ("111" Express).

[Dmajackson]

TEN R.O.W. PROJECTS IN TEN YEARS (Theoretical idea by DJ):

Project #1: Windmill Road Express Corridor

- New Inbound lane between Akerley Blvd and Victoria Road for right-turns and bus traffic
- Extend Outbound lane to same length.
- New bus signalization at Victoria Road intersection
- New bus/truck/bike lane on Akerley Blvd (westbound center-lane)

Project #2: Gottingen Street Bus Lane

- New all-day northbound bus lane between Cogswell Street and North Street (MacDonald Bridge)
- Consider peak-hour northbound bus lane between North Street and Young Street

Project #3: Burnside Drive Express Corridor

- Widen Burnside Drive to six-lanes in conjunction with Expressway.
- Use new lane for right-turns and a new express/MetroLink service from Cobequid Terminal to Downtown.
- Provide stops at all intersections.

Project #4: Bedford Highway Queue Jumps

- New queue jump lanes where possible on Bedford Highway
- Install bus signalization where possible
- Focus on Sunnyside-Cobequid, and Flamingo-Windsor Exchange

Project #5: Oxford Street Express Corridor

- Detailed in previous post
- Convert Route 1 to BRT
- Relocate all stops to after-stoplight locations only
- All-day bus lane in both directions between Bayers and Coburg

Project #6: Spring Garden Road Closure

- Close the main portion of SGR to public traffic (Queen-South Park) during daytime hours
- Allow public traffic through from 7pm-6am
- Look up Stephenson Avenue (Calgary) for basic idea

Project #7: Mumford - Bayers Bus Link

- New transit/emergency only corridor along railcut between Mumford Road and Bayers Road
- Extend and realign bus routes accordingly
- Improve railcut with tunnel system and two rail tracks

Project #8: Alderney Drive Improvements

- Widen Alderney Drive between Alderney Terminal and Wyse Road.
- Seven lanes (4 through, 2 bus, 1 turning) between Portland Street and Park Avenue
- Four lanes (2 through, 2 bus) between Park Avenue and Wyse Road
- Widen Southbound lanes at minimum within timespan. Widen Northbound lanes when possible with appropriate relocation and redevelopment of adjacent lots

Project #9: Chebucto Road Bus Lanes

- In six lane portion of road (Mumford-Connaught) take outside lane and convert to bus, right-turn only lane in both directions
- Provide a bus priority jump/signalization at Connaught Avenue

Project #10: North Barrington Street Express Corridor

- Widen to four or three lanes (reversing) north of Devonshire Avenue
- Provide bus layaway north of Devonshire Avenue
- Widen to five lanes (4 through, 1 SB bus) if possible south of North Street
- If not possible reconfigure to provide bus priority in southbound direction

[scooby074]

Well you kinda had to see this coming.... MetroX's airport run killed the private Airporter bus.

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/business/148641-private-operator-halts-airport-bus-service

[Phalanx]

Well you kinda had to see this coming.... MetroX's airport run killed the private Airporter bus.

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/business/148641-private-operator-halts-airport-bus-service

That's unfortunate. I took a trip this July, and still opted for the Airporter shuttle because it was far more convenient in terms of locations, and timing, than the new Metro Transit route.

[jslath]

Well you kinda had to see this coming.... MetroX's airport run killed the private Airporter bus.

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/business/148641-private-operator-halts-airport-bus-service

They were in trouble before Metro X launched the airport run. I'm sure another smaller company will launch a shuttle service between the airport and hotels.

[Dmajackson]

Tender will be awarded next week for some improvements around the Ragged Lake Transit Centre. It consists of a right-turn lane off of Prospect Road (to Ragged Lake Blvd), and a new bus-only ramp from Grassy Lake Blvd to the Highway 103 off-ramp. All buses would use the new ramp so the traffic lights entering Ragged Lake will be removed. This should help reduce the dead-heading of buses especially heading to Lacewood/Fairview areas (direct freeway connection). If bus lanes are ever installed on Bayers Road this would help those ones heading downtown.

The only other direct benefit would be a slightly quicker service on Route 22 (Armdale).

http://halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/121023ca1112.pdf

[scooby074]

They were in trouble before Metro X launched the airport run. I'm sure another smaller company will launch a shuttle service between the airport and hotels.

Hope so.

The hotels are really going to feel it.

Having the MetroX do a downtown hotel loop as part of the run might be a good idea.

[q12]

The airporter was at the airport today getting passengers...

[scooby074]

The airporter was at the airport today getting passengers...

Interesting. Charter perhaps? The charter part of the business was going to continue.

AFAIK the Airporter ceased Sunday Oct. 14. http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/148641-hotels-bemoan-loss-of-airporter-bus-link

[someone123]

Has anything like this been contemplated? It could be for bus service but could possibly be converted for LRT (though some parts are quite hilly). Dunbrack seems like a much better route than the Bedford Highway because it is wider and there is more population within walking distance. There is a ton of potential for increased density along this corridor.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8336/8136166405_c9a43c68f8_b.jpg
(hosted by me)

[teddifax]

Has anything like this been contemplated? It could be for bus service but could possibly be converted for LRT (though some parts are quite hilly). Dunbrack seems like a much better route than the Bedford Highway because it is wider and there is more population within walking distance. There is a ton of potential for increased density along this corridor.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8336/8136166405_c9a43c68f8_b.jpg
(hosted by me)

What is TOD?

[someone123]

Transit-oriented development.

[teddifax]

thanks!

[hollistreet]

Has anything like this been contemplated? It could be for bus service but could possibly be converted for LRT (though some parts are quite hilly). Dunbrack seems like a much better route than the Bedford Highway because it is wider and there is more population within walking distance. There is a ton of potential for increased density along this corridor.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8336/8136166405_c9a43c68f8_b.jpg
(hosted by me)
No matter where you go along Dunbrack you are less than 2km from the Bedford Highway or the 102. If you came up Main Street and then on to Dunbrack you would encompass a huge population within walking distance of a rapid transit route. Very interesting!

[halifaxboyns]

Good idea - my only issue would be the significant grade change from the railway cut to the Mumford Terminal - but considering the actual right of way of the railway cut there might be room to build an on and off ramp on either side. But that might require blasting...

[Halifax Hillbilly]

There's certainly more than enough space on Dunbrack. A corridor like this, plus maybe one on Lacewood and Dutch Village would provide good coverage to Clayton Park/ Fairview/ Rockingham. Use some local routes to fill in the gaps and it would be an ENORMOUS improvement.

It's interesting to consider how much service is in this area already: 52 (often running every fifteen minutes), 17, 42, 2, 4, 16, 18, + a variety of peak time express buses like the 31, 34 and the 35. There's no lack of service in Halifax, it just doesn't add up to fast, frequent and reliable service very often. Kudos should be given to Metro Transit for the rescheduling on Portland to create a high-frequency corridor. Hopefully we move to the next step and prune some routes, but that will take political will in addition to staff effort.

[jslath]

There's certainly more than enough space on Dunbrack. A corridor like this, plus maybe one on Lacewood and Dutch Village would provide good coverage to Clayton Park/ Fairview/ Rockingham. Use some local routes to fill in the gaps and it would be an ENORMOUS improvement.

It's interesting to consider how much service is in this area already: 52 (often running every fifteen minutes), 17, 42, 2, 4, 16, 18, + a variety of peak time express buses like the 31, 34 and the 35. There's no lack of service in Halifax, it just doesn't add up to fast, frequent and reliable service very often. Kudos should be given to Metro Transit for the rescheduling on Portland to create a high-frequency corridor. Hopefully we move to the next step and prune some routes, but that will take political will in addition to staff effort.

I encourage everyone to take a look at what Ottawa has been doing with her transit system. Transitways (limited stops, transit only road network) blend in with bus only lanes in the downtown core. With a little work and willpower, something similar can definitely be implemented in Halifax (like what is being contemplated above). Ottawa's OC Transpo isn't without her own problems but Halifax's Metro Transit would benefit from studying it. It's been my experience that Ottawa views transit as an investment but Halifax views it as an expense; it's amazing what can be accomplished with a different mindset.

To help with congestion, OC Transpo recently purchased over fifty (I think 77 in total) double decker buses- I'd love to see these in downtown Halifax.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8138638057_775549f825_b.jpg
(photo by me)

[musicman]

These busses all came through the port of halifax before going to the cummins shop in burnside. Nice busses. They would look great going through downtown halifax..

[Hali87]

Dunbrack-NWAD has always seemed to me like a no-brainer for an Ottawa-style busway. It's semi-limited access, speed limits of 60-80, and links almost all of the major population areas on the Mainland. I think there are vague plans in the works for MetroLink services from Lacewood and South Centre, but what I think would work even better here are buses that stop at every intersection along the artery, collecting passengers from the various subdivisions. Northwest Arm Drive has been built up substantially over the past decade, but many of these new areas have little to no transit service.

Ideally, there would be a South Centre-Northwest Arm Drive-Bayers Road-Downtown route, a Kearney Lake-Dunbrack-Bayers Road-Downtown route, and a Lacewood-Bayers Lake-Main-NWAD-South Centre route. As it stands there are no transit connections between the Mainlands North and South that do not require a detour through Mumford.

[someone123]

When the MetroLink service was first established there were vague plans to eventually serve Clayton Park. They may even have been mentioned in one of the 5 year plans. Lately regional council has been looking at building a new Lacewood terminal but the debates seemed kind of directionless, driven about as much by complaining residents as by perceived transit needs.

It's always seemed to me like Clayton Park is one of the worst areas in terms of services levels relative to demand. On top of that it seems like a relatively easy area to serve. Then again, I think Clayton Park service would be much more valuable with some good bus corridors on the Peninsula.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

As it stands there are no transit connections between the Mainlands North and South that do not require a detour through Mumford.

This is a big hole, especially with so many jobs in Bayers Lake.

[Dmajackson]

November 19th schedule adjustments are announced. There is a lot of them so if you take Metro Transit make sure to check your route! :)

Service Adjustments (http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/Schedules/November2012ScheduleAdjustments.html)
Rider's Guide (http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/Schedules/documents/Riders_Guide_November_2012.pdf)
GoTime Newsletter (http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/Schedules/documents/Nov2012_GoTimes.pdf)

These adjustments are all about increasing reliability. This is one of the 'Big 5 Moves' for Metro Transit especially the major adjustments for Route 52.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

They certainly made it complex enough during rush hour on the 52. Lots of service, but sometimes the bus leaves 19 minutes past the hour, sometimes it leaves 23 minutes past the hour, or 25 minutes past the hour. How can people be expected to keep that in their head? Plus it uses buses up without actually creating frequency. You might have 5 buses go by in an hour but the longest headway might be 21 minutes, vs. 12 minutes if you ran them all at the same headways.

It would be so much easier to remember that your bus came at 4 minutes, 19 minutes, 34 minutes and 49 minutes past the hour.

These route adjustments may increase reliability but they don't do anything to increase frequency or reduce travel time (they actually increase travel time). The whole system is exceedingly complex, with too many routes doing similar things. You tinker with one part and you set off a chain reaction of tiny schedule adjustments to keep the transfers manageable. If this is a "Big Move" for Metro Transit we absolutely need to demand better.

If we want to increase reliability and decrease travel times we need to provide more reserved lanes for buses, more que-jumping and more transit activated traffic lights. This all takes political leadership.

[someone123]

If this is a "Big Move" for Metro Transit we absolutely need to demand better.

Metro Transit needs some primary high-frequency routes analogous to the rapid transit lines you see in large cities.

In the past when TransLink has looked at new rapid transit lines, they've first established rough routes or alignments based on current and potential ridership, and then they have simulated different technologies (each of which might involve slightly different alignments) and eventually invited companies to bid.

I think a good way to go would be to start with a desire for 1 transit corridor, come up with a rough alignment servicing different terminals, neighbourhoods, and employment nodes, and then look at all the technologies available within a fairly broad budget. All the tradeoffs (capital cost vs. operating cost vs. travel times, comfort, sustainability, expansion possibilities, integration with other modes, etc.) need to be laid out.

[Dmajackson]

They certainly made it complex enough during rush hour on the 52. Lots of service, but sometimes the bus leaves 19 minutes past the hour, sometimes it leaves 23 minutes past the hour, or 25 minutes past the hour. How can people be expected to keep that in their head? Plus it uses buses up without actually creating frequency. You might have 5 buses go by in an hour but the longest headway might be 21 minutes, vs. 12 minutes if you ran them all at the same headways.

It would be so much easier to remember that your bus came at 4 minutes, 19 minutes, 34 minutes and 49 minutes past the hour.

These route adjustments may increase reliability but they don't do anything to increase frequency or reduce travel time (they actually increase travel time). The whole system is exceedingly complex, with too many routes doing similar things. You tinker with one part and you set off a chain reaction of tiny schedule adjustments to keep the transfers manageable. If this is a "Big Move" for Metro Transit we absolutely need to demand better.

If we want to increase reliability and decrease travel times we need to provide more reserved lanes for buses, more que-jumping and more transit activated traffic lights. This all takes political leadership.

I do agree with you. One thing to note this is just the start of the 'Big Move". The 52 is planned to be rerouted in Burnside and as more articulated buses come onboard they'll be sent to this route (and other high use routes). This will reduce the complexity of the route and reduce overcrowding.

Because of its length the 52 is complicated to plan but I think something like this would work;

- 30min headways off peak (before 6:30am, 9:30am-3:30pm, after 6:30pm)
- 15min or better peak hours (6:30am-9:30am, 3:30pm-6:30pm)
- Saturdays & Sundays 30min (6am-10pm), 60min (10pm-6am)
- On weekdays/Saturdays all off-peak buses between 6am-10pm would service Burnside and Bayers Lake. From 10pm-Midnight it would extend Wright&MacDonald-Bayers Lake, From Midnight-6am it would only run Lacewood-Burnside Garage.
- Sunday 6am-10pm Wright&MacDonald-Bayers Lake, 10pm-6am Burnside Garage-Lacewood.
- Additional service to supplement peakhour demand can be accomadated however the service must run to Lacewood or Bridge Terminals at minimum.

As for bus lanes Wyse Road has huge potential. Windmill, Lacewood, and Mumford could also be adapted to fit some.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

I do agree with you. One thing to note this is just the start of the 'Big Move". The 52 is planned to be rerouted in Burnside and as more articulated buses come onboard they'll be sent to this route (and other high use routes). This will reduce the complexity of the route and reduce overcrowding.

Well that's good, but it's still so frustrating to watch for so many reasons. Everything seems to happen behind closed doors, with so little info released to riders. I shouldn't have to read through technical reports or the 5-Year Operational Plan to have a reasonable idea of what is going to happen with the bus system. And it still isn't tied into an overall transportation plan or land use planning in any real sense. It also lacks any goal much beyond conventional, local service. Like Someone123 points out we have to start looking at corridors and different levels of service.

And in the last few years Metro Transit has kept at it, adding new routes that overlap (the 80,81 and 90 come to mind). Are some of these temporary routes that will be phased out with more phases of these Big Moves?

[Keith P.]

They certainly made it complex enough during rush hour on the 52. Lots of service, but sometimes the bus leaves 19 minutes past the hour, sometimes it leaves 23 minutes past the hour, or 25 minutes past the hour. How can people be expected to keep that in their head?

No worries. Metro Transit cannot deliver buses on time in any event and their schedule is mostly just a theoretical exercise, so just show up at the stop and be prepared to wait.

[Dmajackson]

Here's a plan I came up with for a "Peninsula Express" Corridor. This corridor can be used by all bus routes but would be focused on moving the MetroLinks, MetroExpresses, and Urban Expresses. Here is a map showing my idea. Note Red (Red) means multiple route types, Purple (Purple) is MetroLink, Green (Green) is MetroExpress, Yellow (Yellow) means street upgrades, and octagons show stop areas.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8349/8265240640_0632d50fb8_b.jpg

ROADS:

Bayers Road / Highway 102 - Realign interchange area and approach arteries to six lanes minimum (4 traffic, 2 bus/HOV). Improve existing bus stops and provide transit prioritization where possible. REQUIRED WORK: Major road widening and land expropriation, new traffic signals (Romans Avenue, HSC). Transit stop relocation and upgrades. ROUTES BENEFITED: 2, 17, 80, 81, 133*, 149*, 330.

Gottingen Street North - Install reversing third lane from North Street - Sullivan Street. Centre lane would become on-peak transit only lane / off-peak two-way-left-turn lane. Install permanent left turn lanes northbound at Young Street and southbound at North Street with adequate storage space. Provide advanced left-turn signal phases at the above mentioned intersections. REQUIRED WORK: 8-9 overhead reversing lane digital signs, new line painting, new signage, possible minor road widening. ROUTES BENEFITED: 21, 31, 33, 34, 35, 86, 133*, 149*, 330.

Gottingen Street South - Install permanent third lane for full-time transit use only in northbound direction from Cogswell Street - North Street. Allow quick stops and loading uses off-peak. WORK REQUIRED: New signage, new line painting. ROUTES BENEFITED: 1, 7, 10, 11, 21, 31, 33, 34, 86, 41, 53, 59, 61, 68, 133*, 149*, 320, 330.

Barrington Street - Widen from North Street - Cogswell Interchange to five-six lanes where possible. Southbound new lane would be a full-time transit lane along entire length. Northbound new lane would be a full-time transit lane from Interchange - Upper Water Street merge, and a MacDonald Bridge access lane from Upper Water Street Merge - MacDonald Bridge Access Ramp. New stop would be installed at the foot of Artz Street. Existing stop south of this would be moved further south to keep adequate spacing. Work widening plans into any redevelopment of Cogswell Interchange. WORK REQUIRED: Major road widening and some land expropriation, new signage, new line paintings, new traffic signals (Cornwallis Street). ROUTES BENEFITED: 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 20, 21, 31, 33, 34, 86, 41, 53, 59, 61, 68, 80, 81, 84, 85, 133*, 149*, 184*, 185, 320, 330.

EXPRESS ROUTES:

133 - Lacewood - Scotia Square: Lacewood Term'l - (r) Dunbrack - (l) Hwy 102 - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Young Street - (s) Kaye - (r) Gottingen - (l) North - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (l) Young - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Hwy 102 - (r) Dunbrack - (l) Lacewood Term'l. Standard headways. Stops at Lacewood Term'l, Young & Robie, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square.

149 - Spryfield - Scotia Square: South Centre Park N' Ride - (l) Dentith - (r) Old Sambro - (l) Northwest Arm - (r) Hwy 102 - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Young Street - (s) Kaye - (r) Gottingen - (l) North - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (l) Young - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Hwy 102 - (l) Northwest Arm - (r) Old Sambro - (l) Dentith Road - (r) South Centre Park N' Ride. Standard Headways. Stops at South Centre Park N' Ride, Cowie Hill, Osbourne, Walter Havill/Albert Walker, Young & Robie, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square

159 - Portland Hills - Scotia Square: Current routing, stops, and headways. Additional stop at South Dockyards.

184 - Cobequid - Scotia Square via Windmill & Barrington: Cobequid Term'l - (r) Cobequid - (l) Bedford Bypass - (s) Magazine Hill - (s) Windmill - (r) MacKay Bridge - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square. Standard headways. Stops at Cobequid Term'l, Akerley, Wright, Victoria, North Dockyards, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square.

185 - Sackville - Scotia Square via Windmill & Barrington: Current routing, stops, and headways. Additional stops at North & South Dockyards.

320 - Int'l Airport - Scotia Square via Bridge Terminal: Current routing, stops, and headways. Reroute on Peninsula to use Barrington (south) and Gottingen (north). Additional stop at South Dockyard.

330 - Tantallon/Sheldrake Lake/Timberlea - Scotia Square: Current routing, stops, and headways. Reroute on Peninsula to use Barrington (south) and Gottingen (north) south of North Street. Additonal stops at Timberlea, Young & Robie, and South Dockyards. Alternating service during on-peak to Hwy 103 stops. Full service off-peak to all stops.

340 - Porter's Lake - Scotia Square via Bridge Terminal: New route being implemented this Winter. Use planned routing, stops, and headways. Reroute on Peninsula to use Barrington (south) and Gottingen (north). Additional stop at South Dockyard.

CANDIDATE EXPRESS ROUTES:

186 - Hammonds Plains - Scotia Square via Highway 102: BMO 4Pad Centre - (r) HPR - (r) Gary Martin - (r) Bedford West Collector - (l) Kearney Lake - (l) Larry Uteck West - (r) Hwy 102 - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Young Street - (s) Kaye - (r) Gottingen - (l) North - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (l) Young - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Hwy 102 - (l) Larry Uteck West - (r) Kearney Lake - (r) Bedford West Collector - (r) Gary Martin - (l) HPR - (l) BMO 4Pad Centre. Standard Headways. Stops at BMO 4Pad Centre, Larry Uteck West (near Hwy 102), Young & Robie, Dockyard South, and Scotia Square.

188 - Cobequid - Scotia Square via Burnside & Bridge Terminal: Cobequid Term'l - *(l) Cobequid - (r) Glendale - (s) Duke* - (s) Hwy 107 - (s) Burnside Drive - (s) Highfield Park - (l) Highfield Term'l - (r) Pinecrest - (s) Robert Burns - (r) Primrose - (l) Victoria - (r) Thistle - (r) Bridge Term'l - (l) Nantucket - (s) MacDonald Bridge - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (r) North - (s) MacDonald Bridge - (s) Nantucket - (r) Bridge Term'l - (l) Thistle - (l) Victoria - (r) Primrose - (l) Robert Burns - (s) Pinecrest - (l) Highfield Term'l - (r) Highfield Park - (s) Burnside - (s) Hwy 107 - *(s) Duke - (s) Glendale - (l) Cobequid - (r) Cobequid Term'l*. Standard Headways. Stops at Cobequid, Akerley, Wright, Ronald Smith/Commodore, Highfield Term'l, Bridge Term'l, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square.

191 - Sackville - Scotia Square via Burnside & Bridge Terminal: Sackville Term'l - (l) Walker Connector - (l) Old Sackville - *(r) Beaverbank - (r) Glendale - (s) Duke - *(s) Hwy 107 - (s) Burnside Drive - (s) Highfield Park - (l) Highfield Term'l - (r) Pinecrest - (s) Robert Burns - (r) Primrose - (l) Victoria - (r) Thistle - (r) Bridge Term'l - (l) Nantucket - (s) MacDonald Bridge - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (r) North - (s) MacDonald Bridge - (s) Nantucket - (r) Bridge Term'l - (l) Thistle - (l) Victoria - (r) Primrose - (l) Robert Burns - (s) Pinecrest - (l) Highfield Term'l - (r) Highfield Park - (s) Burnside - (s) Hwy 107 - (s) Duke - *(s) Glendale - (l) Beaverbank - (l) Old Sackville - (r) Walker Connector - (r) Sackville Term'l*. Standard Headways. Stops at Sackville Term'l, Akerley, Wright, Ronald Smith/Commodore, Highfield Term'l, Bridge Term'l, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square.

In addition to the above I would plan (but not commit funding for now) to MetroLinks or Ferries for Purcell's Cove and Eastern Passage; a MetroLink for Westphal; a MetroExpress for Hwy's 101 and 102 (beyond Sackville Term'l and Airport respectively).

* All plans assuming Bedford is serviced with rail or ferry service.

* Routes 188 & 191 notes: The path listed is for Phase 1 of the Hwy 107 Extension (Burnside Expressway). If future phases are built the buses would stay on Hwy 107 - (l) Hwy 102 - (r) Hwy 101 and then split to Cobequid and Sackville Terminals respectively.

[teddifax]

Here's a plan I came up with for a "Peninsula Express" Corridor. This corridor can be used by all bus routes but would be focused on moving the MetroLinks, MetroExpresses, and Urban Expresses. Here is a map showing my idea. Note Red (Red) means multiple route types, Purple (Purple) is MetroLink, Green (Green) is MetroExpress, Yellow (Yellow) means street upgrades, and octagons show stop areas.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8349/8265240640_0632d50fb8_b.jpg

ROADS:

Bayers Road / Highway 102 - Realign interchange area and approach arteries to six lanes minimum (4 traffic, 2 bus/HOV). Improve existing bus stops and provide transit prioritization where possible. REQUIRED WORK: Major road widening and land expropriation, new traffic signals (Romans Avenue, HSC). Transit stop relocation and upgrades. ROUTES BENEFITED: 2, 17, 80, 81, 133*, 149*, 330.

Gottingen Street North - Install reversing third lane from North Street - Sullivan Street. Centre lane would become on-peak transit only lane / off-peak two-way-left-turn lane. Install permanent left turn lanes northbound at Young Street and southbound at North Street with adequate storage space. Provide advanced left-turn signal phases at the above mentioned intersections. REQUIRED WORK: 8-9 overhead reversing lane digital signs, new line painting, new signage, possible minor road widening. ROUTES BENEFITED: 21, 31, 33, 34, 35, 86, 133*, 149*, 330.

Gottingen Street South - Install permanent third lane for full-time transit use only in northbound direction from Cogswell Street - North Street. Allow quick stops and loading uses off-peak. WORK REQUIRED: New signage, new line painting. ROUTES BENEFITED: 1, 7, 10, 11, 21, 31, 33, 34, 86, 41, 53, 59, 61, 68, 133*, 149*, 320, 330.

Barrington Street - Widen from North Street - Cogswell Interchange to five-six lanes where possible. Southbound new lane would be a full-time transit lane along entire length. Northbound new lane would be a full-time transit lane from Interchange - Upper Water Street merge, and a MacDonald Bridge access lane from Upper Water Street Merge - MacDonald Bridge Access Ramp. New stop would be installed at the foot of Artz Street. Existing stop south of this would be moved further south to keep adequate spacing. Work widening plans into any redevelopment of Cogswell Interchange. WORK REQUIRED: Major road widening and some land expropriation, new signage, new line paintings, new traffic signals (Cornwallis Street). ROUTES BENEFITED: 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 20, 21, 31, 33, 34, 86, 41, 53, 59, 61, 68, 80, 81, 84, 85, 133*, 149*, 184*, 185, 320, 330.

EXPRESS ROUTES:

133 - Lacewood - Scotia Square: Lacewood Term'l - (r) Dunbrack - (l) Hwy 102 - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Young Street - (s) Kaye - (r) Gottingen - (l) North - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (l) Young - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Hwy 102 - (r) Dunbrack - (l) Lacewood Term'l. Standard headways. Stops at Lacewood Term'l, Young & Robie, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square.

149 - Spryfield - Scotia Square: South Centre Park N' Ride - (l) Dentith - (r) Old Sambro - (l) Northwest Arm - (r) Hwy 102 - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Young Street - (s) Kaye - (r) Gottingen - (l) North - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (l) Young - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Hwy 102 - (l) Northwest Arm - (r) Old Sambro - (l) Dentith Road - (r) South Centre Park N' Ride. Standard Headways. Stops at South Centre Park N' Ride, Cowie Hill, Osbourne, Walter Havill/Albert Walker, Young & Robie, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square

159 - Portland Hills - Scotia Square: Current routing, stops, and headways. Additional stop at South Dockyards.

184 - Cobequid - Scotia Square via Windmill & Barrington: Cobequid Term'l - (r) Cobequid - (l) Bedford Bypass - (s) Magazine Hill - (s) Windmill - (r) MacKay Bridge - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square. Standard headways. Stops at Cobequid Term'l, Akerley, Wright, Victoria, North Dockyards, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square.

185 - Sackville - Scotia Square via Windmill & Barrington: Current routing, stops, and headways. Additional stops at North & South Dockyards.

320 - Int'l Airport - Scotia Square via Bridge Terminal: Current routing, stops, and headways. Reroute on Peninsula to use Barrington (south) and Gottingen (north). Additional stop at South Dockyard.

330 - Tantallon/Sheldrake Lake/Timberlea - Scotia Square: Current routing, stops, and headways. Reroute on Peninsula to use Barrington (south) and Gottingen (north) south of North Street. Additonal stops at Timberlea, Young & Robie, and South Dockyards. Alternating service during on-peak to Hwy 103 stops. Full service off-peak to all stops.

340 - Porter's Lake - Scotia Square via Bridge Terminal: New route being implemented this Winter. Use planned routing, stops, and headways. Reroute on Peninsula to use Barrington (south) and Gottingen (north). Additional stop at South Dockyard.

CANDIDATE EXPRESS ROUTES:

186 - Hammonds Plains - Scotia Square via Highway 102: BMO 4Pad Centre - (r) HPR - (r) Gary Martin - (r) Bedford West Collector - (l) Kearney Lake - (l) Larry Uteck West - (r) Hwy 102 - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Young Street - (s) Kaye - (r) Gottingen - (l) North - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (l) Young - (s) Bayers Road - (s) Hwy 102 - (l) Larry Uteck West - (r) Kearney Lake - (r) Bedford West Collector - (r) Gary Martin - (l) HPR - (l) BMO 4Pad Centre. Standard Headways. Stops at BMO 4Pad Centre, Larry Uteck West (near Hwy 102), Young & Robie, Dockyard South, and Scotia Square.

188 - Cobequid - Scotia Square via Burnside & Bridge Terminal: Cobequid Term'l - *(l) Cobequid - (r) Glendale - (s) Duke* - (s) Hwy 107 - (s) Burnside Drive - (s) Highfield Park - (l) Highfield Term'l - (r) Pinecrest - (s) Robert Burns - (r) Primrose - (l) Victoria - (r) Thistle - (r) Bridge Term'l - (l) Nantucket - (s) MacDonald Bridge - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (r) North - (s) MacDonald Bridge - (s) Nantucket - (r) Bridge Term'l - (l) Thistle - (l) Victoria - (r) Primrose - (l) Robert Burns - (s) Pinecrest - (l) Highfield Term'l - (r) Highfield Park - (s) Burnside - (s) Hwy 107 - *(s) Duke - (s) Glendale - (l) Cobequid - (r) Cobequid Term'l*. Standard Headways. Stops at Cobequid, Akerley, Wright, Ronald Smith/Commodore, Highfield Term'l, Bridge Term'l, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square.

191 - Sackville - Scotia Square via Burnside & Bridge Terminal: Sackville Term'l - (l) Walker Connector - (l) Old Sackville - *(r) Beaverbank - (r) Glendale - (s) Duke - *(s) Hwy 107 - (s) Burnside Drive - (s) Highfield Park - (l) Highfield Term'l - (r) Pinecrest - (s) Robert Burns - (r) Primrose - (l) Victoria - (r) Thistle - (r) Bridge Term'l - (l) Nantucket - (s) MacDonald Bridge - (r) Barrington - (s) Scotia Square - (r) Duke - (r) Gottingen - (r) North - (s) MacDonald Bridge - (s) Nantucket - (r) Bridge Term'l - (l) Thistle - (l) Victoria - (r) Primrose - (l) Robert Burns - (s) Pinecrest - (l) Highfield Term'l - (r) Highfield Park - (s) Burnside - (s) Hwy 107 - (s) Duke - *(s) Glendale - (l) Beaverbank - (l) Old Sackville - (r) Walker Connector - (r) Sackville Term'l*. Standard Headways. Stops at Sackville Term'l, Akerley, Wright, Ronald Smith/Commodore, Highfield Term'l, Bridge Term'l, South Dockyards, and Scotia Square.

In addition to the above I would plan (but not commit funding for now) to MetroLinks or Ferries for Purcell's Cove and Eastern Passage; a MetroLink for Westphal; a MetroExpress for Hwy's 101 and 102 (beyond Sackville Term'l and Airport respectively).

* All plans assuming Bedford is serviced with rail or ferry service.

* Routes 188 & 191 notes: The path listed is for Phase 1 of the Hwy 107 Extension (Burnside Expressway). If future phases are built the buses would stay on Hwy 107 - (l) Hwy 102 - (r) Hwy 101 and then split to Cobequid and Sackville Terminals respectively.

You have thoroughly done your work. I just wish you were working for HRM and Metro Transit. Much work needs to be done to improve transit in HRM and if not done more people will stop using it, making the situation worse!

[Dmajackson]

February 25, 2013 Schedule Adjustments

Route 1 Spring Garden
(Saturday only)
- Additional travel time added to morning and evening service resulting in schedule adjustments

Route 2 Wedgewood
(Saturday and Sunday)
- Schedule adjustments

Route 4 Rosedale
(Saturday and Sunday)
- Schedule adjustments

Route 16 Parkland
(Weekday and Saturday)
- Route extended to provide service to Regency Park Drive and Thomas Raddall Drive in both directions to and from Lacewood Terminal.
- Schedule adjustments for both arrival and departures at the Lacewood Terminal to accommodate new routing.

Route 18 Universities
(Saturday only)
- Schedule adjustments

Route 21 Lakeside/Timberlea
(Saturday only)
- Schedule adjustments to improve connections with Route 2 Wedgewood and Route 4 Rosedale at the Lacewood Terminal.

Route 35 Parkland Urban Express
(Weekday only)
- Travel time adjustments made between downtown Halifax and Mount Saint Vincent University on the Bedford Highway during evening rush hour trips.

Route 41 Dartmouth/Dalhousie
(Weekday only)
- Reduction of travel time between Barrington/Duke intersection and Morris Street.

Route 51 Windmill
(Weekday, Saturday and Sunday)
- Route 51 extended to provide service along Windmill Road to Wyse Road to and from the Bridge Terminal. Service will be removed from Faulkner Street.

Route 53 Notting Park
(Weekday only)
- First morning trip from Highfield Terminal will now depart at 5:50 a.m.

Route 57 Russell Lake
(Weekday only)
- Morning rush hour trips from Portland Hills Terminal will depart three minutes earlier to improve connections with the Woodside Ferry.

Route 59 Colby
(Weekday only)
- Removal of 8:08 a.m. trip from Portland Hills Terminal to Halifax.

Route 60 Eastern Passage/Heritage Hills
(Weekday, Saturday and Sunday)
- Increased travel time during morning rush hour trips to help improve connections at Woodside Ferry Terminal and Bridge Terminal.

Route 65 Caldwell
(Weekday only)
- Morning rush hour trips will depart three minutes earlier to provide connection with Route 57 Russell Lake at the Portland Hills Terminal.

Route 80 Sackville
(Weekday only)
- Schedule adjustments

Route 81 Hemlock Ravine
(Weekday only)
- Schedule adjustments

Route 90 Larry Uteck
(Weekday)
- Schedule adjustment to morning rush hour trips to improve connections with the Woodside Ferry.

All Routes between Bridge Terminal & Alderney Terminal
(Weekday, Saturday and Sunday)
- All routes travelling to Alderney Terminal from the Bridge Terminal (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63 and 68) will have departure adjustments

50

I guess they didn't get the Porter's Lake Metro Express completed.

I don't know how I feel about rerouting the 16 since the servicing the Halifax West area will add a good five minutes or so onto its travel times. IMO it would be better suited for a neighbourhood shuttle service.

However that said the Route 51 plan seems like a smart idea. The Shore Road neighbourhood is a relatively dense neighbourhood so getting minimum service is a good start.

[Dmajackson]

^To answer my own inquiry it appears "Route 370" (Porter's Lake MetroExpress) is being pushed back to November 2013.;

http://www.halifax.ca/Commcoun/east/documents/ECCMetroXHwy107Update_Jan_1013.pdf

[halifaxboyns]

The biggest delay for bus projects is usually the construction of the buses, if there is minimal infrastructure to build. Usually on an LRT project, because of the need to construct the tracks (or guideway), stations, etc. there isn't much of a delay because all of that takes time and then the trains arrive just at the end.

[Jstaleness]

Lot's of adjustments this time. I only see one issue with the 51 being removed from Faulkner St. It takes the one stop that is closest to Save Easy and NSLC away. When I used to live in the area that always seemed like a well used stop.

[Dmajackson]

Metro Transit wants fare hike
January 29, 2013 - 12:50pm BY SHERRI BORDEN COLLEY STAFF REPORTER

Metro Transit users may have to fork out more cash for service sometime this year.

The transit service is proposing a 25-cent fare increase to pay for technology upgrades, the purchase of nine new conventional buses, two Access-A-Buses, a fourth ferry, and to start on the new Lacewood bus terminal in 2013-2014. That would bring the cost of an adult fare to $2.50.

“The main purchase that would be made in this budget year, 2013-14, would be a new automated vehicle location system,”Halifax Regional Municipality spokeswoman Tiffany Chase said in an interview Tuesday. “We have one right now and that system is used to track vehicles. It tracks buses and it allows Metro Transit to monitor route performance.

...

(sborden@herald.ca)

Read More: thechronicleherald.ca (http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/569251-metro-transit-wants-fare-hike)

I'm not against this idea. They have a graph in their presentation (http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/SCfinance/documents/MetroTransitPresentation.pdf) to the committee that compares small-medium sized public transportation systems and Halifax has the cheapest fares (~$2.75 is average).

[DigitalNinja]

I noticed that they re-painted the Hybrid busses in their conventional scheme.

Also, why do they need more access a buses when many people are just using the conventional ones with the priority seating for disabled peoples?

[gm_scott]

I noticed that they re-painted the Hybrid busses in their conventional scheme.

Also, why do they need more access a buses when many people are just using the conventional ones with the priority seating for disabled peoples?

I believe they were always painted, they just had the special hybrid wrap. I only felt like commenting because I am very glad they decided to take the wrap off, it was peeling at every corner and looked terrible.

[Dmajackson]

Councillor pushes to have late-night ferry runs returned
January 31, 2013 - 9:38pm BY LAURA FRASER CITY HALL REPORTER

The late-night ferry service that was cut in the budget last spring will make a reappearance in this year’s financial forecast, with support from Halifax’s mayor and the audit and finance committee.

Coun. Gloria McCluskey asked the department to find the $150,000 needed to operate the ferry until midnight every day of the week during a committee debate Wednesday.

When ferry crossings were to be cut off at 10:15 p.m. last year, several councillors said they unknowingly approved the change as part of the larger budget package. It sparked a public outcry and a compromise was struck: the last ferry now leaves Halifax at 11:45 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays, with an earlier cutoff during the week.

...

(lfraser@herald.ca)

Read More: thechronicleherald.ca (http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/595720-councillor-pushes-to-have-late-night-ferry-runs-returned?utm_source=website&utm_medium=mobi&utm_campaign=full-site)

[hfx_chris]

Nice to see a lot of great discussion going on!

I'm very much of the opinion that right now, Transit's focus needs to be on improving service in the Bedford and Clayton Park areas. A new Lacewood terminal, wherever it is built will hopefully come with the long-awaited Clayton Park MetroLink route (if I were to take a guess at a route number I would say 131).

One idea I've been turning over in my head lately is the idea of a new terminal in the Bedford area, possibly near or on Larry Uteck. We all know that area is growing in leaps and bounds, and will continue to grow. I would see this being similar to the Portland Hills terminal, another area that continues to grow. A complete re-working of routes through Bedford (including the 80, 81, 82 rush hour, 86 rush hour, 90). Hopefully once Starboard Drive is completed we can get rid of this 81/90 madness, maybe turn it into a local route servicing Starboard and Southgate, then transfer to a higher frequency route heading into the city or possibly even a Bedford MetroLink route.

Of course a lot of this relies heavily on improvements to streets like the Bedford Highway, Bayers Road and/or hwy 102.


Re. the re-routing of the 16, I can't see that adding any more than a couple of minutes at best to the trip time...

[Dmajackson]

^To answer my own inquiry it appears "Route 370" (Porter's Lake MetroExpress) is being pushed back to November 2013.;

http://www.halifax.ca/Commcoun/east/documents/ECCMetroXHwy107Update_Jan_1013.pdf

This is still planned for November 2013. Looks like the six buses will be provided by Overland Custom Coaches; http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/130226ca1012.pdf

Also Metro Transit is planning to purchase 22 standard 12.2-metre buses half of which will be for replacement. 5 will be used as expansion on existing routes and 6 buses will be used as expansion for new feeder routes for Woodside Terminal (for the new ferry coming online); http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/130226ca1011.pdf