Quote:
Originally Posted by Arts
Maybe this is where my understanding of a RT system is different than others... I thought the point was to move people between neighbourhoods rather than within... 800m distance between stops seems much too close (but then I'm comparing to LRT models in my mind where stations can be multiple kms apart). If we want a system where everybody along a corridor is within walking distance to a stop, isn't that just regular old transit, like we already got? The point of hierarchal nodes is so that we get the benefit of having fewer but busier, real, stations. Having distance between stops and separated busways, combined with efficient embarking/disembarking is what allows it to move people rapidly. I'd rather have a system with only 6 stations/stops (downtown, confed, Lawson, Stonebridge, University Heights and Centre mall, with good small feeder routes for everywhere else) than the 49 (wow 49 BRT stations lol!!! ) that everyone is within walking distance to.
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I think the distinction lies between a 'metro' system, which is designed to circulate people throughout a city and be in conveniently accessible locations to where people live, work, and play, and a 'commuter' system, which is designed to bring people from outlying suburban areas into core employment areas within a city.
They are separate types of systems that serve different functions. In my head, when I think of the system that is the city is trying to introduce, I think of a 'metro' style system, in the vein of the Vancouver Skytrain or Toronto Subway, rather than a 'commuter' system, which would be more like Toronto's GO Transit. The C-Train is a bit of an odd hybrid because while it is nominally LRT it functions more like commuter rail than a streetcar.
In my mind, if Saskatoon was to have a commuter system, it would be out to Warman/Martensville. I don't think Saskatoon is large enough to justify a commuter system within city limits, and having to wait 7 or 8 stops to get from Confederation to Downtown (or Lawson, University Heights, etc) doesn't seem especially burdensome to me when you look at metro systems the world over.
Obviously what's being proposed is nothing remotely close to a true 'metro' system, but maybe we could think of it as some kind of 'metro-lite' system for pint-sized Saskatoon. I'm hopeful.
EDIT: The other drawback to having only a few stations at the nodes you mention is that it serves to foster the hub-and-spoke model, except now it's further dispersed and requires a similar number of transfers (if not more) to get to your destination. This proposal allows for better leveraging of Saskatoon's basic grid system when it comes to conventional bus routes.