Spring service changes are mentioned as follows (red = my opinion):
OTrain
O-Train service will be reduced to run every 30 minutes after 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and all day on Sunday to match the reduced ridership levels in the spring.
During the summer, I would cut it back to 30 minutes after 7 pm on Saturdays instead of 9 pm. During special events, including on Sunday, service should be 15 minutes though.
4
Route 4 will be reduced for the spring and summer to coincide with the end of the academic year. Some supplementary trips will continue to operate until April 24.
Makes sense, the supplements are no longer needed and 15 minute service on weekdays is reasonable otherwise. One other thing: the terminus should shift from Hurdman to St. Laurent at all times of day, to provide a direct route along the SE and E Transitways that currently does not exist.
5X
The two trips on route 5X from the Ottawa Hospital Campus on Smyth will be adjusted to depart later in the afternoon, at approximately 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., to better meet the needs of customers.
See next note
16X
Route 16X will be modified to travel northbound from King Edward via Wilbrod, Friel, Laurier, Charlotte and Rideau Street to the Rideau Centre, instead of via Waller and Besserer, in order to provide customers with improved access to Rideau Street. Route 16X will also have a new afternoon trip added between Lees Station and Rideau Street in both directions for improved connections.
Why not just move those two routes back to Rideau Street? Also the 16 should be shortened to end in Sandy Hill and Lees Avenue to the hospitals should become a new route on weekdays.
86
Some eastbound trips on route 86, which start at Colonnade, will end at Mackenzie King instead of Hurdman Station.
Hurdman is useless as an terminus late in the evening and on weekends for buses going west of downtown (see also 93 and 96). However, I would do a double-switch in the Trainyards with the 86 and 121 to improve service there, but it is conditional on a new connection from Trainyards Drive to Coronation. Once that is built, ALL 86's should run to Elmvale, while the 121 should be reduced to hourly outside of peak periods as ridership is much lower farther east. Until then, all late evening and weekend 86's from Colonnade should end at Mackenzie King.
93
Route 93 will be extended from Bayshore Station to Lincoln Fields Station seven days a week for improved connections. Peak period service to/from LeBreton will be unchanged. Note that in most time periods Route 93 will serve the local platform at Lincoln Fields, but in rush hour - westbound in the morning and eastbound in the afternoon - buses will serve the Transitway platform.
Route 93 will be modified in Kanata North from a one-way loop to two-way service, with all trips starting or ending on Innovation Drive near Hines. This will improve connections and make it easier for customers to identify the correct bus to get to their destination. Residents in Kanata North going to Bayshore or other destinations will catch their bus on the opposite side of the street.
Route 93 will be modified in Kanata North to travel from Teron via Carling and Schneider to Legget, instead of via March Road and Solandt.
Service to Innovation Drive will also be improved since it will be served by all trips on Route 93. As well, there will be five supplemental trips in the morning peak period from Eagleson Park & Ride that follow the new routing to Kanata North, replacing the current Route 169 service.
Good idea on changing the local routing in Kanata. However, I think that most 93's should be extended to Mackenzie King instead of Lincoln Fields - namely in midday, early evening and on weekends for most of the day, while reducing the 96 to every 15 minutes from every 10-12 minutes. During peak periods in the peak direction (i.e. eastbound morning, westbound afternoon) and later in the evenings (after about 10 pm weekdays and 8 pm weekends) and Sunday before 11 am, it should end at Eagleson where transfers to the 96 can be made. During peak periods in the reverse direction, it should continue to end at LeBreton (due to overcrowding issues downtown).
94
Route 94 will have a new weekday westbound trip departing Millennium Park & Ride at midnight and ending at Tunney's Pasture. A new weekday eastbound trip will leave Chapman Mills around 11:51 a.m.
Maybe it is time to run the 94 up to 2 am? Ridership seems quite high there.
95
Route 95 will operate more frequently in the morning peak period from Baseline Station to downtown to better meet ridership levels.
Good as a short term measure, but redrawing the Transitway pattern should be a priority to reduce or eliminate short runs.
96
Route 96 will have an additional westbound trip to Kanata in the afternoon rush hour departing from Gatineau around 5 p.m. Service to Stittsville will be improved with three addtional trips between 5:30 and 7 p.m., which will increase the frequency from 30 to 15 minutes, and an additional late night trip that will increase the frequency to every 30 minutes between 11 p.m. and midnight.
Good idea. Also the irregular frequency in Stittsville should be changed to a consistent 30 minute frequency; that would be done by making it a 15 minute frequency instead of a 10 or 12 on the base of the route (see 93). Finally, late night (after 11 pm) and weekend trips should end at Mackenzie King due to low ridership east of there; all other trips on weekdays should run to Blair.
99
Route 99 will be revised in the northbound direction on weekends only to travel via Uplands Drive, instead of the Airport Parkway, in order to serve the new Capital Exhibition Centre.
That is already in effect but is not well known until now.
111
Route 111 will be reduced for the spring and summer to coincide with the end of the academic year. Some supplementary trips will continue to operate until April 24.
During the summer, 30 minute service to Carleton is reasonable, so every second weekday trip all day should end at Billings Bridge as 15 minute service is still needed on the main part of the route.
129
Route 129 will be reduced for the spring and summer to coincide with the end of the academic year. Some supplementary trips will continue to operate until April 27. Service hours to the Aviation Museum will be adjusted to better serve the needs of customers.
I'd run daily 6-8 trips to the Aviation Museum daily - about once every 90 minutes - due to the fairly low ridership yet able to schedule based on when people would be willing to go there and how long they would spend there.
134
Route 134 will have a new round trip departing Place d'Orléans at about 10 p.m. for improved service to the community south of Renaud.
Agreed, more service is needed down there, including later service on weekends.
143
Route 143 will have a new eastbound trip departing Greenboro Station at 8:43 a.m. to provide improved service to Tapiola and Johnston.
Maybe run it a bit earlier? That way it could easily run around then run a 43 to downtown without deadheading.
144
Route 144 will have two new morning peak period trips to provide Findlay Creek residents with improved connections to downtown. These trips will operate from Bank at Leitrim westbound through the community and connect with Route 99 at Leitrim Park & Ride lot at approximately 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. The first trip departing from Bridlepath and Albion at 6:45 a.m. will be cancelled due to low ridership.
Although confusing, one thing they could do to run direct-to-downtown service to Findlay Creek is to run them as 99's instead, and in the afternoon, have 99F Findlay Creek runs from downtown, through Leitrim and onward. (Alternatively, that could be run as a separate express route, say 44, but at express fare).
147
Route 147 will be modified to serve the new Capital Exhibition Centre. Buses will travel southbound along the Airport Parkway instead of Uplands, then via Lester and Uplands to the new CE Centre, and return to Uplands and the regular routing.
See 99 comments.
152
Route 152 will have improved late night service on Sundays. Three westbound trips, which currently end at Greenbank and Iris, will be extended to Bayshore to better serve the Qualicum-Redwood neighbourhood.
Seems like a good idea to me, as that area is fairly dense in development and otherwise unserviced at those times.
164
Route 164 will leave Hope Side Road about seven minutes earlier on the first morning weekday trip to improve connections at Hazeldean Mall, Eagleson Park & Ride and Teron Station.
No issues with that.
169
Route 169 be CANCELLED and REPLACED by NEW Route 181 to Herzberg and Carling, replacing 169X, and by modified Route 93 to Kanata North. See routes 93 and 181 for more information.
Good idea to scrub that route (I proposed it last September), but instead...I would replace it with a route starting at Terry Fox instead of Eagleson, which I numbered 160, to allow for a direct link from routes like the 118 and 163 that only serve Terry Fox and not Eagleson. In addition, it should run along Herzberg and Terry Fox to cover the east side of the business park.
177
Route 177 will be extended in the morning peak period, on a trial basis, along the Transitway to Fallowfield Station for improved connections to other routes, including express services and Route 94. Buses will operate northbound from Jockvale via the Transitway to Fallowfield Station.
Service will be removed from Greenbank north of Jockvale and from Marketplace Road northbound in the morning peak period only.The current detour routing in Stonebridge via Cambrian, Greenbank and Kilbirnie will become the permanent routing, with all service removed from Dundonald.
Good idea on both counts. I would increase the hours of service on that route, however, with 15 minute service during peak periods and new Sunday service.
181
NEW Route 181 will operate one morning and afternoon peak period trip between Eagleson Park & Ride and Herzberg at Carling, replacing the current Route 169X.
As mentioned farther up, it should instead start at Terry Fox, and extend farther up to Terry Fox and March.
201
Rural Shoppers Route 201 will be modified slightly to serve the King's Grant neighbourhood, reducing walking distances for customers. Buses will operate from Perth Road via Shea, Moore and Queenston to Huntley in both directions.
Not much knowledge of that route.
205
Rural Shoppers Route 205 will be modified to travel via the Transitway between Baseline and Lincoln Fields Stations, instead of Woodroffe, then via Carling to Carlingwood. This will provide improved connections for customers and access to Lincoln Fields shopping centre.
Agreed that is probably more beneficial.
232
Route 232 will be rerouted as buses will no longer be able to operate in the gravel parking lot at the Carlsbad Springs Community Centre. From the community centre, buses will continue west along Eighth Line Road to Anderson and their regular route and in the afternoon will follow the reverse routing. Service will be removed from Russell Road and Leitrim. New bus stops for Park & Ride customers will be installed at the community centre on Eighth Line Road.
Probably the best thing they could do there.
Schools
Special school trips on regular routes and the 600 series of routes will be adjusted based on ridership levels. Some trips will be cancelled while others will be added..
Why now? Why not just leave it along until June, then they can determine for September what is best for 2012-13.