The future of Hamilton's public transit

[HillStreetBlues]

Good point, Thistleclub…it would make sense to focus that kind of effort on King…

[SteelTown]

Bus-lane pilot project gets green light

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/28...s-green-light/
By Emma Reilly

It's full speed ahead for a bus-only lane on King Street.

At Wednesday night's council meeting, city councillors voted to move forward with the $300,000 pilot project.

The move reverses a decision to scrap the proposal made at last Thursday's public works committee meeting.

The go-ahead means a bus-only lane of King will be enforced between Mary Street to just east of Dundurn Street during peak hours. According to city transit director Don Hull, the move is "an absolute fundamental requirement" for the city's future rapid-transit plans.

Hull said other municipalities have been forced to make weighty transit decisions "with a gun to their head" to try to resolve pressing gridlock problems. This project gives Hamilton the opportunity to experiment with moving toward streets that are friendlier to all forms of transportation without making rash decisions on quick fixes for traffic woes.

"We have a unique opportunity to take baby steps and take the journey over time in a controlled time frame," Hull told councillors.

The pilot had several vocal supporters, including councillors Brian McHattie, Jason Farr and Sam Merulla.

Farr said he and several city staff walked the neighbourhood along the affected route and found that between Bay and Queen, 15 businesses were supportive, three were against, two were unsure and 11 were either closed or not staffed by a manager at the time.

Merulla argued the move is about creating streets that are healthier for the community.

"It's a cultural shift," he said. "This is not about a bus lane only — it's about cultural aspects, public health and healthy living."

Still, several councillors had concerns with the project. Five of them — Chad Collins, Brad Clark, Brenda Johnson, Lloyd Ferguson and Robert Pasuta — voted against the move for various reasons, including the argument that the project should run the whole length of the LRT route and not just downtown.

The project is set to begin in September.

[thistleclub]

In the HSR’s 2010 performance review, 12 stops were identified as having weekday boarding volumes in excess of 1,000 passengers:

• King at Hughson: 4,461
• King at James: 2,924
• Sterling at University: 2,134
• MacNab Terminal: 2,042
• King at John: 1,866
• University at Sterling: 1,707
• Main at John: 1,652
• James at Main: 1,325
• Eastgate Terminal South Platform: 1,217
• Lime Ridge Mall Terminal North West: 1,091
• Eastgate Terminal Centre Platform: 1,059
• King at Bay: 1,034

And here are the B-Line’s 12 “Enhanced Stops,” as outlined in Public Works’ Quick Wins Project Update (PW11079d):

• Main at Osler
• Main at Emerson (Westbound & Eastbound)
• Main at Longwood (Westbound & Eastbound)
• Main at MacNab
• King at MacNab
• Main at John
• Queenston at Parkdale (Westbound & Eastbound)
• Queenston at Nash (Westbound & Eastbound)

Nearly all of these stops are currently served by Route 10, the B-Line Express. The one anomaly is King at MacNab, but presumably the HSR will be moving the 10 stop currently at King & James closer to the crosswalk to the MacNab terminal. There’s enough curbside real estate between James and MacNab to load three articulated buses simultaneously.

There are three other B-Line stops along the 2km pilot lane on King that will go untweaked. But at least Queen and Dundurn have shelters. Admittedly, King at Hughson is not the greatest backdrop, but the stop does seem to have respectable user volume, and appears to be the only single-stop intersection of the HSR’s two express routes. Yet it doesn’t rate more than a pole. (The shelters to the east roughly correspond to the 5C/51/GO and 5B/52/BT stops.)

[lucasmascotto]

Bus-lane pilot project gets green light
http://http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2883176-bus-lane-pilot-project-gets-green-light/
By Emma Reilly

It's full speed ahead for a bus-only lane on King Street.

At Wednesday night's council meeting, city councillors voted to move forward with the $300,000 pilot project.

The move reverses a decision to scrap the proposal made at last Thursday's public works committee meeting.

The go-ahead means a bus-only lane of King will be enforced between Mary Street to just east of Dundurn Street during peak hours. According to city transit director Don Hull, the move is "an absolute fundamental requirement" for the city's future rapid-transit plans.

Hull said other municipalities have been forced to make weighty transit decisions "with a gun to their head" to try to resolve pressing gridlock problems. This project gives Hamilton the opportunity to experiment with moving toward streets that are friendlier to all forms of transportation without making rash decisions on quick fixes for traffic woes.

"We have a unique opportunity to take baby steps and take the journey over time in a controlled time frame," Hull told councillors.

The pilot had several vocal supporters, including councillors Brian McHattie, Jason Farr and Sam Merulla.

Farr said he and several city staff walked the neighbourhood along the affected route and found that between Bay and Queen, 15 businesses were supportive, three were against, two were unsure and 11 were either closed or not staffed by a manager at the time.

Merulla argued the move is about creating streets that are healthier for the community.

"It's a cultural shift," he said. "This is not about a bus lane only — it's about cultural aspects, public health and healthy living."

Still, several councillors had concerns with the project. Five of them — Chad Collins, Brad Clark, Brenda Johnson, Lloyd Ferguson and Robert Pasuta — voted against the move for various reasons, including the argument that the project should run the whole length of the LRT route and not just downtown.

The project is set to begin in September.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Not sure where to put this, so feel free to move it to another thread.

As per usual, Paul Wilson took his readers on a nice walk down memory lane today on the topic of trolley buses. There's a video, too, with some decent shots of downtown ca. 1991.
http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/talk/stor...n-trolley.html

I love trolley buses. If the Province had come along six or seven years ago and said they wanted to invest in Hamilton's public transit (i.e. articulated trolley buses, dedicated lanes, higher frequency), I would have frothed at the mouth; I never considered LRT an option for Hamilton, though I do now.

In terms of cost, I've searched before and it's hard to find good data on how much trolleys cost per km in comparison to LRT. While cheaper, trolleys are still pretty expensive, not to mention having less capacity, less ROI and so on. Is it more or less expensive than BRT? No idea. I'll have another look and see what I can find.

Feel free to chime in with your ideas or with any data you've found.

[Innsertnamehere]

trolley buses are largely a relic of the streetcar era. When they removed streetcars they still had the leftover electric infrastructure so to save money they purchased electric buses and hooked them up to the old streetcar infrastructure. I can't think of a single new build trolley bus system..

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^I suppose you could characterize trolleys that way but I'm not sure all trolley systems are relics per se. I have to do more research on this topic but I'm pretty sure that Vancouver and Seattle have continued to invest in and expand their trolley networks. I know some UK cities have decent trolley systems as well as parts of continental Europe like Germany, Switzerland, etc.

I've just dug-up a piece on trolleys from the UK that compares it to LRT. From scanning the article quickly, it does appear that trolleys are actually quite expensive. A table shows the cost of LRT (in that particular case) to be $32MM per km compared to $20MM for trolleys.

As I said earlier, I much prefer LRT but trolleys could, at the very least, augment light rail better than diesel buses.

http://www.tbus.org.uk/costs.htm

[SteelTown]

If anything you'd likely get full electric buses than trolley buses.

This is what I'm betting on when they'll reveal HSR plans to link both of the GO Stations in 2015, electric buses (like the Ecobus in Quebec City) going up and down the two GO Stations.

[matt602]

Rumor is that the HSR is looking into buying more CNG powered buses for 2014, so that's probably the type of fuel the buses will be going in for the next decade or two.

[drpgq]

Originally Posted by matt602

Rumor is that the HSR is looking into buying more CNG powered buses for 2014, so that's probably the type of fuel the buses will be going in for the next decade or two.

Why the HSR didn't switch back to natural gas earlier is a mystery. Natural gas prices have been low for years. Diesel not so much.

[thistleclub]

Election-year budgets are always fun.

City eyes transit improvements despite goal of zero budget
(Hamilton Spectator, Matthew Van Dongen, June 20 2013)

A call for improved local bus service is set to collide with council's zero-increase budget goal later this year.

The general issues committee approved a motion Wednesday asking staff to bring recommendations for 2014 transit service improvements to budget deliberations later this year.

That direction came on the heels of committee approving budget guidelines recommending service enhancements be "limited or not considered" for 2014.

Councillor Brian McHattie, who pitched the transit motion, admitted it will be a challenge to find bus money — especially since "a fare increase isn't likely in an election year."

But he added council can't continue delaying local service improvements after approving a comprehensive transit report that includes support for an eventual light-rail line.

"That report identified the need for an extra $45 million to be invested in our local transit system," he said. "We can't ignore that, even if we start small."

Councillor Brad Clark said the strict budget guidance shouldn't necessarily discourage transit advocates.

"It is only guidance … the fact remains we haven't done very much in terms of service improvements for the last decade," he said. "Frankly, we have to put our money where our mouth is."

Clark added funding for bus service improvements doesn't necessarily have to come from the tax levy or hiked fares. He pointed to provincial gas tax money, which in the past has often been directed toward new buses.

Public works director Gerry Davis said staff would go back to a 2010 operational review to evaluate possible service upgrades and the associated costs.

More than one councillor asked staff to look beyond the downtown for route and frequency improvements.

"I would argue in many cases there is a much greater need on the Mountain," said Councillor Tom Jackson.

McHattie said he's interested in seeing suggestions to improve service to outlying communities such as Waterdown, Ancaster and Stoney Creek.

Some of those improvements are probably part of a five- or 10-year strategy, he said.

"But let's at least begin heading down that road."

[thistleclub]

Between a rock and hard place on transit
(Hamilton Spectator, Howard Elliott, June 21 2013)

Once again, Hamilton city councillors find themselves between a rock and a hard place, this time on the matter of investing in local transit improvements.

The rock is the city's ongoing financial dilemma. Some will argue it's a crisis, but it isn't because it is being managed reasonably well under the circumstances. But it's plenty serious. Councillors know they must do everything in their power to keep a lid on spending that drives up tax rates. They're already stuck with an expanding police budget and contract-driven labour cost increases. And they continue to face extra costs caused by the province downloading social support programs.

They are correctly putting spending increases under a powerful microscope and that demands a conservative, restrained approach.

The hard place? This situation isn't new. It has been happening since at least 2008, and the result in some cases has been delayed investment in local infrastructure, including transit. Council recently adopted the Rapid Ready report, which outlines a bold and holistic transportation strategy that covers everything from preparing for light rail to investing in existing HSR service. The report identified the need for an extra $45 million to be invested in existing transit, just to bring it up to an acceptable modern standard.

How can council honour the Rapid Ready vision at the same time as it keeps a tight lid on new spending? Questions such as this are where councillors and staff really earn their money.

[thistleclub]

Axe dedicated lane for “racing buses”: merchants
(Hamilton Spectator, June 24 2013)

A bus-only lane will make King Street too dusty, too noisy and too fast for shoppers, say a band of merchants demanding the city kill the pilot project.

A petition with about 20 names opposing the transit-only lane experiment will land at City Council Wednesday, about a month after council endorsed the $300,000 pilot project due to begin in September.

The bus-only lane, proposed to run from Mary Street to just east of Dundurn Street, is meant to speed up bus travel – and evaluate the traffic impact of a hoped-for light-rail line along the busy corridor.

In the petition, area merchants argue the dedicated lane will making parking difficult for customers and create noise, dust and safety issues due to "racing buses."

"We will protest with all our hearts to abolish the bus lanes all together," the petition reads.

The petition is recommended for consideration by council in Wednesday's agenda.

[mattgrande]

I'm so surprised that these people would oppose a vehicle delivering customers right to their door.

From that petition:

FACT Buses move at a more rapid pace than they should. Being a good judge of speed, I'd say some buses travel down King St. and other parts of the city beyond 70 km per hour. My concern for safety is most important in this letter. Without a buffer zone or pedestrian protection the risk of bus/pedestrian collision is imminent.

I've never seen a bus approach 70 clicks. Are they nuts?

In no way will we tolerate bus stops in front of our properties. This has been proven to create a place for loitering and trouble.

Proven by whom? Also, the bus stops already exist... this will just get people from the bus stops faster.

For years the description of King Street has been a Highway style road which is very unattractive. Now we are making is worse. Are the days of taking a stroll down an urban street with your family or lady gone? Will anyone be interested in visiting our establishments when this huge volume of bus traffic scares them off?

Providing a bus lane somehow makes King Street worse? What planet are they living on?

Edit: That being said, there is a lot of stuff on there I agree with (slowing traffic, increasing curb appeal, etc), but I don't think that runs counter to bus lanes.

[SteelTown]

To reverse any decision require 2/3 of council support. Not likely to happen.

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

In the petition, area merchants argue the dedicated lane will making parking difficult for customers and create noise, dust and safety issues due to "racing buses."

I was into racing buses, even though was illegal at the time. Nothing like me and my buds roaring past Eastgate Mall at 3:00am. Now it's legal. Damn you HSR fun-killers.

[SteelTown]

Remember it's also a pilot project.

[HillStreetBlues]

This city is one giant comedy routine sometimes. I suspect that this petition is at least partly a joke: at one point, it asks "Are the days of taking a stroll down an urban street with your family or lady gone?"

A few of their proposals make perfect sense to me. King Street is lacking in crosswalks, and a few pedestrian crossings would be great. A barrier between the sidewalk and road would be great, too.

It's interesting for me to read some of the businesses who for instance agree with the statement "In no way will we tolerate bus stops in front of our properties." Original Barber, Kampai, La Luna, Papagayo… I'm a bus rider, so why would I give these businesses my custom when, after spending money in their businesses, they interpret my waiting at a bus stop for my ride home as "loitering and trouble."

[movingtohamilton]

Do we know which moron originated the petition?

[mattgrande]

Originally Posted by movingtohamilton

Do we know which moron originated the petition?

On page 4 of the petition, he identifies himself as "Konstantine Takis." Google didn't turn up anything on him, that I could see.