Well, I decided to go out and try out this new "rapid" transit all the kids are talking about these days. And by "kids," I mean "20 to 30 - somethings like me who are fuckin' geeks." I boarded a # 170 U of M @ the new downtown Balmoral / AnX station. I then road to the end of the "rapid" section, got off @ Jubilee, and subsequently took the # 160 back to Osborne Station and left said station on foot. Here are my thoughts....
I like what they have done with the Balmoral / AnX station, but I think it's pretty close to Graham Avenue Mall and the numerous buses that already stop there. It seemed odd that seconds after leaving the Balmoral Station we turned onto Graham and stopped along that stretch roughly 4783 times. There's nothing rapid about this downtown stretch, which I had anticipated going in, but I thought perhaps it would be a little faster than before given all the bus priority signage. I was wrong. With Graham Avenue being fairly underdeveloped, I would really dig seeing something more along the lines of this in the future: route ALL the Graham Avenue Mall buses to the Balmoral station. Take out all the lights on Graham toss in stop signs at all the intersections. Private traffic could still cross, but buses would have priority. Then the buses utilizing the rapid transit stretch could blast through most of downtown (see: RAPID), with perhaps one more major station around Graham and Main. Thinking long term, Union Station is the obvious great choice as the metro's major transit hub. Crossing Main would probably require a tunnel or something, so until it's a viable option to use Union Station, another station at the eastern terminus of Graham might be nice for commuters to have two locations to board downtown. This way the "rapid" portion of the routes could be extended by a kilometer or two. Except for the necessity of crossing Portage Avenue, this would essentially mean faster, more consistent service for the entirety of the route(s), not just the new 3.7 km section. Two main downtown stations is all we need, I suspect, and Graham Avenue Mall feels a little bit redundant now.
The above might sound ignorant or naive, and to be honest I only pondered this today as I took my first ride. I also understand my proposed 'bus only, no stops' solution for Graham would create some parking issues, but these can perhaps be addressed utilizing some of the underdeveloped stretches of Graham Avenue.
As for the actual "rapid" section of the route, I thought it was delightful. I will probably never use it, but I think it's great for the city to have. The length is so short that if you blink you'll miss it, but maybe that's the point. It's a start.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the 80 km/h stretch actually extends to Jubilee. I had expected the normal route to commence again after the Fort Rouge Station. The actual stop @ Jubilee is, however, anticlimactic and kinda counter intuitive. It felt kinda like the director decided to stop shooting three seconds before the money shot.
I realize funds are tight and that this stop is currently the last leg of the rapid transit segment, but if we are to extend this line in the future, it would be sorta nice to have a real station at Jubilee as well; something that's enclosed, and actually connected to the surrounding streets so pedestrians can easily access it. It seems like it would be difficult for some locals to access this stop, even though it's so close to major streets. Much harder to access than the other stations. We're talking hard, as in harder than a priest at a playground here. You get off in the middle of nowhere, and there's no crosswalk or signage to cross to the other side. The street merges with another around a bend in the road, so on a busy day it may not be the safest place to cross the street for pedestrians. This seemed ill conceived to me, at such a new stop. Blind spots all around, very little signage, exposed little bus shacks far removed from each other, and poor pedestrian access to the surrounding area.
Again, nothing I write here is really informed. I'm naive, and clearly not a transit planner. I'm just a skyscraper geek, so please take my ill informed first impressions with a large grain of salt. As in, a fucking salt lick.
On one final positive note, I got off @ Osborne Station, and was impressed. It turned out to be everything I had hoped for. Very sophisticated and urban feeling; very "big city." Also, it was pretty damn busy, which was nice. I know it's the first official day running, but it's also Easter Sunday, and I was the only one who looked like he was riding for fun. It seems to be a well thought out, sufficiently linked and used terminal. Good access, very good signage, and a safe and secure atmosphere. I dug it.
Anyways, there's my lengthy rant regarding my first impression. Overall I liked the experience very much. It's a bit feeble now 'cause it's so short, but, like I tell my lady friends, it'll grow just fine. I am excited to secure funds for the future lengths, so this segment will feel more relevant and cohesive. I think it's a pretty good start to what will hopefully soon become a more comprehensive system.
Oh, here's a neat lil' view I captured after hiking up a little dirt hill at the Jubilee terminus:
P.S. - the tunnel is pretty cool too. I'm secretly happy we had to finance its construction, because it feels nifty and urban.
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this from a GTA born and raised girl 
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