London Roads

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by haljackey

I remember seeing it on the table for 2020+.

Its like every time this is brought up both Warncliffe's CN and CP underpasses are just thrown to the end of any fiscal chart in the hope that someone else will fix it later.

Dear god that is sad, just opening that up would be a huge improvement to traffic flow.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by haljackey

I remember seeing it on the table for 2020+.

Its like every time this is brought up both Warncliffe's CN and CP underpasses are just thrown to the end of any fiscal chart in the hope that someone else will fix it later.

As early as 1973 the CP project was on the table for completion by the end of the 1980s.

[haljackey]

Small update on the Southdale widening: Traffic has shifted to the newly built part of the road. The old road is now getting rebuilt. I do know that new sewers and stuff went below the new stretch so I am not sure how much work will need to be done here other than a resurfacing of the pavement.

Once the old side is done, I would assume traffic would shift one last time for a top coat of asphalt.

No guarantee but I may be able to snap a pic or two today or on the weekend. Problem is there really isn't a good vantage point to photograph the widening well.

[haljackey]

I didn't guarantee, but I did deliver!

[Pimpmasterdac]

Nice photo. Drove down there last week, they changed traffic to the south side of the road, projects coming along nicely. Be hard to imagine Southdale not horribly congested with traffic rush hour time in the near future..

Would be nice if they reconfigured Wharncliffe/Southdale intersection to have the double left turn lanes this year, but at least London's done something this year!

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

There's obviously no guarantee of success, but consider this: according to the person interviewed on The Sunday Edition, fewer young people than ever before have drivers licenses. And sure enough, among my peers in their 20s, very few drive. I made a personal choice to drive, but I don't use my car to go to work. It was not like that in my parents' generation in the 1970s, where owning a car was a lot more of a status symbol. It's not the status symbol it once was, at least in North America.

Where there's young talent, new businesses start up. Cities that can't attract young people are not going to foster innovation very well, as these people are starting their own businesses and hiring people. Those jobs count for something.

I work in marketing - opinion and perception are everything. If young people perceive a city or a neighbourhood to not meet their needs, they're less likely to live there.

What you said is very true but young people are not the only demographic that are changing their habits.

Our population is getting old and getting old fast. Seniors who may have never have been transit users before are beginning to realize that it is going from an alternative to a necessity. This is not only due to health reasons where driving may no longer be possible but also economic ones.

Owning a car is expensive and where 2 seniors may be able to handle the expense, a single senior may not and even if they can they may decide to get rid of it because the little amount they use it isn't worth the money on insurance or upkeep to say nothing of the cost of the car itself.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

What you said is very true but young people are not the only demographic that are changing their habits.

Our population is getting old and getting old fast. Seniors who may have never have been transit users before are beginning to realize that it is going from an alternative to a necessity. This is not only due to health reasons where driving may no longer be possible but also economic ones.

Owning a car is expensive and where 2 seniors may be able to handle the expense, a single senior may not and even if they can they may decide to get rid of it because the little amount they use it isn't worth the money on insurance or upkeep to say nothing of the cost of the car itself.

That's a very good angle to consider, as the Baby Boomers start to retire. There will be more people needing public transit in 10-15 years.

[haljackey]

I think this is one of the reasons why London is finally starting to plan rapid transit (even just BRT). Having bus jump lanes will make it easier for them to get through busy intersections, making the bus a more practical alternative to cars, possibly even faster than cars on some express routes.

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by haljackey

I think this is one of the reasons why London is finally starting to plan rapid transit (even just BRT). Having bus jump lanes will make it easier for them to get through busy intersections, making the bus a more practical alternative to cars, possibly even faster than cars on some express routes.

At the end of the day that is the key, especially when you are taking long bus routes. I have a guy at work who takes the bus from the east end out to my work Wonderland Rd South and it take him an hour to get here.

[MolsonExport]

An hour by transit in a place the size of London? That is truly wretched.

[K85]

Had a 3 hour break during college one year. Wanted to go to White Oaks. From Fanshawe to there, took 55 minutes. 58 minutes back

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by K85

Had a 3 hour break during college one year. Wanted to go to White Oaks. From Fanshawe to there, took 55 minutes. 58 minutes back

Not surprised at all, exactly the reason there needs to be BRT at minimum along Dundas / Oxford / Wellington and likely Wonderland.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by K85

Had a 3 hour break during college one year. Wanted to go to White Oaks. From Fanshawe to there, took 55 minutes. 58 minutes back

When I went to Western, it took me 1 hour 10 minutes to get to campus by London Transit, a distance that I could drive in 15-20 minutes. When I went to Fanshawe, it took 55 minutes, a distance that I could drive in 25 minutes. I wasted a lot of time commuting during my 5.5 years of post secondary.

[Pimpmasterdac]

LTC could improve their service/travel time if they eliminated every other stop along major routes. It's been 5 years since I taken a bus, which I did daily to UWO, but god the stops were utterly redundant. For example on 6 Richmond there would be a stop every cross street, even though some of the streets were barely 140 metres apart. Rather than having 12+ stops from Oxford to Campus they could have 6 and people could still get around, just more reasonable time..

[MrSlippery519]

I have been saying the same thing for years, there is no need for a stop every block. Dundas is another prime example of that, they could easily eliminate 5-10 stops from East end to Downtown. If someone has to walk an extra 10 seconds I do not think it is going to deter them from taking the bus, and in the long run will save 5 minutes getting downtown.

[MolsonExport]

Tram. I've been to similarly sized cities in Europe (e.g., Reims) where there is a tram. A single line running from Masonville through UWO, thence through downtown, then down Wellington to end at White Oaks for starters. Later, add another for the length of Oxfart, from Fanshawe college to Wonderbread Rd.


mobilicites.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reims_tramway

Edit: Reims metro is even smaller than London's, by quite a fair margin:

Reims as the effective capital of the province of Champagne, given its size as by far the largest city in the region. The 2008 census recorded 188,078 inhabitants (Rémoises (feminine) and Rémois (masculine)) in the city of Reims proper (the commune), and 291,735 inhabitants in the metropolitan area

Wikipedia

Could you imagine how such a system would transform our city for the better? versus spending zillions on almost useless interchanges out in the boonies?

[Pimpmasterdac]

No arguments here, many more projects that are in London that warrant more immediate attention for commuters that travel within London. Province has been tooting its horn about these interchanges it seems for couple of years now and they've only begun preliminary work for 401/Wonderland. The other ones are scheduled up to 4-5 years in the future. And this is for work that's been deferred for way too long and is necessary for long term goal of a minimum 6-laned 401. No real favours to London here, just catching up on shit they put off...

Any BRT/LRT would be a major improvement. However IMO don't think it'll be easy, there will be a BIG NIMBY backlash at proposed BRT, talking partial/total expropriation of dozens, if not ~100 of properties along Wellington/Richmond & Oxford. City's had its thumb up its ass and done nothing about widening Commissioners Rd cause of some hold out and Sarnia Rd. cause of people bitching about turning lanes, which delayed these projects big time. These are pretty petty things, let alone the mass expropriations that would be needed for BRT. Hope it does happen, but need a Council with some balls,which lately have been lacking/non-existent.

Originally Posted by MrSlippery519

I have been saying the same thing for years, there is no need for a stop every block. Dundas is another prime example of that, they could easily eliminate 5-10 stops from East end to Downtown. If someone has to walk an extra 10 seconds I do not think it is going to deter them from taking the bus, and in the long run will save 5 minutes getting downtown.

+1

Quicker routes & more excersize. As Ricky from TPB getting two birds stoned at once

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

When I went to Western, it took me 1 hour 10 minutes to get to campus by London Transit, a distance that I could drive in 15-20 minutes. When I went to Fanshawe, it took 55 minutes, a distance that I could drive in 25 minutes. I wasted a lot of time commuting during my 5.5 years of post secondary.

I feel so sorry for people who do that whole transit commute thing. When I was going to Western it took me about 15 minutes by car or bike to get from my front door to a seat in my class (parking the car took up a lot of time). I recall the bus was just as fast but liable to arrive at the wrong time, and once you missed it then you were in for a half-hour wait. Faster to walk.

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Tram. I've been to similarly sized cities in Europe (e.g., Reims) where there is a tram. A single line running from Masonville through UWO, thence through downtown, then down Wellington to end at White Oaks for starters. Later, add another for the length of Oxfart, from Fanshawe college to Wonderbread Rd.


Edit: Reims metro is even smaller than London's, by quite a fair margin:
Wikipedia

Could you imagine how such a system would transform our city for the better? versus spending zillions on almost useless interchanges out in the boonies?

Density is everything. I'll bet Reims has a density up around 3,500 to 4,000 people per square kilometre, while the built-up area of London is probably around 1000. Not sure if you could support a serious tram line with that kind of density. Streetcars would have been neat though.

[K85]

Reims density = 4,010 /km2 (10,400 /sq mi)

London density = 870.6/km2 (2,255/sq mi)


Saying they are similar cities is kind of moot

[MolsonExport]

Yeah, London is bigger, but less dense. Not really the point I was trying to make.