Rapid Transit - Page 81

MalcolmTucker · #**1601** Posted **Jan 20, 2011, 6:35 PM**

Hard to tell from the renders - is it obvious on any other public documents if they are building or leaving room to run multiple unit trains in the future if need be?

SteelTown · #**1602** Posted **Jan 20, 2011, 6:38 PM**

Main Boards (14.5 MB)
http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...TIONBOARDS.pdf

Design Boards (17.5 MB)
http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...AGESforweb.pdf

matt602 · #**1603** Posted **Jan 21, 2011, 12:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown

From what I heard it's near the West Harbour. Would be the yard for B-Line and A-Line.

Except that doesn't make sense unless one were to assume:

- They build both lines at the same time
- Both lines are LRT
- If neither of these two, a special track system would need to be designed to take LRT cars from the B-Line, North to the WH area.

I think this was more based on when it was looking very likely that West Harbor would be the Pan-Am area.

markhornich · #**1604** Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 2:48 AM**

i talked to jill stephen and some other people on the 'rapid transit team', and i was surprised to find that no one that is employed to direct the future development of hamilton's public transit has given any thought to a 24-hour bus route (which i think should essentially run Mac-Eastgate, taking over once the LRT ends at 1:30am, and ending once the LRT starts up again).

I understand there are some hurdles, but even an hourly bus in each direction would be a huge positive for the freedom of movement in this city, and i dont think the buses would be empty. However, I found that i was the only person campaigning for/suggesting this.

What are everyone's thoughts on such a route?

Berklon · #**1605** Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 3:48 AM**

I cant believe there'd be many passengers at all to warrant running 24 hours. Plus if they're going to do that - why not just let LRT run in those hours with much less frequency? Why does it have to be a bus?

emge · #**1606** Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 5:57 AM**

If a bus runs 24 hours, it's more a question of future ridership based on jobs, but also whether there's viable transportation options for businesses with very early/late hours that aren't car-centric.

I've taken the "blue line" buses in Toronto a few times - whether heading to an early morning job that starts at 4 a.m., or heading home from a night shift, they're pretty valuable to have for people who would otherwise require a car. (Or late at night after a night out). I've waited at empty stops and at stops with a dozen people, and often the buses were half-full. Sometimes they were empty, though.

I don't think it's a question of "will these buses be jammed with enough fare-paying passengers to offset the cost" but "will this city provide another service that makes transit a viable option for greater numbers of people in a greater number of situations"?

beanmedic · #**1607** Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 10:09 AM**

Why should the city lose money to operate buses at 4am when they probably won't be full?

On a related note, why does the city continue to operate swimming pools that barely generate enough money to pay their staff?

Also, why does the city continue to spend millions to build and maintain roads only to let people drive on them for free?

If you know the answer to one, you know the answer to all three.

flar · #**1608** Posted **Jan 23, 2011, 2:12 PM**

I would have loved 24 hour bus service back when I lived in Dundas. I've taken the bus at 3 or 4 am in Ottawa on a few occasions. There were people using it. There are some drunk people at that time of night, I suspect that's the holdup in Hamilton.

markhornich · #**1609** Posted **Jan 24, 2011, 5:52 AM**

ok, so (for example) flar, when you were living in Dundas, were there a few nights that you would've ridden the HSR home even if it was really late and only dropped you off at Mac?

I think that the option has to be available before people start putting themselves in situations that require late night access. I feel that though there isn't much that is going on in Hamilton at the moment, whatever is going on is probably going on within a stone's throw of the B Line corridor, and there live most of the people that are likely to be participating. I think it would help a lot with making us not one of those cities that completely shuts down at night.

Considering how many drinking and driving incidents there are in our city (reference the latest Spec "Police Blotter") ....i'm surprised there are so few calls for late night transit options.

flar · #**1610** Posted **Jan 24, 2011, 1:30 PM**

Terminating at Mac would have been useless for me, just like the LRT will be for Dundas residents.

As an aside, I just don't get why they wouldn't continue the LRT into Dundas, which is one of the highest density nodes outside the lower city and has a large shopping district, lots of seniors without cars, students and the types of professionals who would actually use transit if it was decent (ie, not the grossly unreliable 52 bus)

padthai · #**1611** Posted **Jan 31, 2011, 7:19 PM**

Did anyone attend either of the recent reviews of the draft design?
Any updates/news?
I see there's another one this Wednesday - I may check it out.

http://www.hamilton.ca/ProjectsIniti.../RapidTransit/

padthai · #**1612** Posted **Jan 31, 2011, 7:22 PM**

BTW, I laughed out loud at the top comment on the YouTube rendering of the project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJVa-rSXOSA

"This isn't Hamilton. I don't see a single scooter."

miketoronto · #**1613** Posted **Feb 1, 2011, 12:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berklon

I cant believe there'd be many passengers at all to warrant running 24 hours. Plus if they're going to do that - why not just let LRT run in those hours with much less frequency? Why does it have to be a bus?

Guelph operates almost 24 hour transit service on I believe Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, with last buses at about 3 or 4am.

If they can support it, I am sure Hamilton can.

drpgq · #**1614** Posted **Feb 1, 2011, 4:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Guelph operates almost 24 hour transit service on I believe Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, with last buses at about 3 or 4am.

If they can support it, I am sure Hamilton can.

I can never understand why the city can't at least run the King on those nights. Maybe there's a problem with having to staff extra supervisors and maintenance staff for those hours or maybe the fact Mac students already have bus passes so there's going to be less extra revenue. The MSU should ask for this service in their next funding referendum.

drpgq · #**1615** Posted **Feb 4, 2011, 3:31 PM**

Check out this weird animation of the HSR on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Whhnggo00. Somebody posted the link on the Hamilton subreddit and I thought the denizens here might find it interesting

matt602 · #**1616** Posted **Feb 6, 2011, 12:59 AM**

That is actually really cool.

SteelTown · #**1617** Posted **Feb 7, 2011, 1:54 PM**

So it appears the Federal Conservatives brushed off Hamilton's LRT funding request.

Summed up use the Federal gas tax or join the P3.

http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...eb09Item53.pdf

The federal government is MIA once again.

MalcolmTucker · #**1618** Posted **Feb 7, 2011, 3:55 PM**

How do you think other cities fund transit via the federal government? It is all through the gas tax / new deal for cities and communities funds. There isn't a special fund to tap into for federal funding of projects. If you want an exceptional amount for transit, you stretch the project timelines and decide not to renovate community centres for a while.

Heck, Edmonton took out a huge loan against future value of the gas tax transfer to pay for its south LRT line.

I am surprised this is news to the city of Hamilton.

SteelTown · #**1619** Posted **Feb 7, 2011, 4:08 PM**

On Thursday September 2nd, Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Kitchener to announce that the federal government would contribute up to $265 million of the $800 million needed to build a rapid transit system linking Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge. The federal government agreed to fund one-third of the proposed system as part of the Building Canada Plan.

http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/2010/09...terloo-region/

The federal government will contribute $600 million toward Ottawa's new proposed light-rail transit plan.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/stor...#ixzz1DI2mIMUz

Canada is contributing as much as $59 million to the City of Mississauga

http://transit.toronto.on.ca/archive...rt_1_--_.shtml

Harper and McGuinty said that together they'll commit $950 million — two-thirds from Ontario and one-third from Ottawa — to build the LRT.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto...#ixzz1DI3mux9c

MalcolmTucker · #**1620** Posted **Feb 7, 2011, 4:45 PM**

All those funds are out of the gas tax / new deal for cities of communities that is now the Building Canada Plan. Which:

Quote:

Funding will be allocated for projects in the various provinces and territories based on their population (as of the 2006 Census)

Over the ten year timeline of the Ottawa project, the $600 million is more than covered in existing federal transfers. It is similar for all these communities for these projects. Hamilton is not being screwed - no one is getting extra money (besides Toronto for Waterfront revitalization through Waterfront Toronto)