Compass & Fare Gates Discussion | u/c

[Waders]

Originally Posted by Jimbo604

Seems a bit odd that this wasn't mentioned up until today, right before the fare gates are to be installed in May, don't you think?

Faregate construction for these 2 stations is not in Translink's Base Plan.
The planning is always to have them installed when the stations got renovated. The construction work required is quite extensive and will take a long time to complete.

...about 18 months of construction work is expected at Main Street and as much as two and a half years at Metrotown.

Source: Burnaby NewsLeader

[SpongeG]

i thought it was common knowledge that those two stations were getting renovated and therefore not getting faregates until renos were completed? now the media is all over it - a few years too late

[nname]

Well, the budget deficit after 2009 was first reported back in the 2005 report, and the proposed 2013 fare increase was first proposed back in 2009.... look how media jump on it and blame everything on TransLink when no one even bother to read them years earlier...

I'll wait and see how the media going all over TransLink in 2015 and 2018 when there are further fare increases revealed - when these was all proposed back in 2009...

[twoNeurons]

Will it matter? Unless you're going between these two stations, you'll still have to tap off at your destination or tap on at your starting station, anyhow.

[DKaz]

That's it, I'm going to drive to around Metrotown and park south of the station, , Skytrain to Main St.-Science World, and walk the rest of the way to work. lol.

[DarkVenegance]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I was talking to one of the attendants on the Canada Line today about only installing 5 gates at Broadway, and he said that they will be using the 3 month trial period to test and see if more gates are needed.
Thats what he told me, if it is true, we will find out later.

According to Wikipedia Commercial Broadway had 5,173,542 boardings in 2009. Grand Street on the Manhatten Subway (I was in a hotel in the area once) had 7,770,139 passengers. The station has exactly two turnstiles. Two, for in and out together! And just as many very narrow (like 2 meters or so) stairs up to the surface.

Not pretty, but it still worked. Obviously, the Broadway plan has three superfluous gates

[SpongeG]

it sounds worse than it will be - its part of city life - in london i remember having to line up for the gates - no big deal - people here in Vancouver are far too spoiled, if they have to wait for anything they start whining

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

it sounds worse than it will be - its part of city life - in london i remember having to line up for the gates - no big deal - people here in Vancouver are far too spoiled, if they have to wait for anything they start whining

They line up because that's so many more people than on any line in Vancouver. That said, I've only ever seen lined at stations with 10-12+ fare gates! Liverpool street for example has about 10 in and 10 out gates and there are always lineups. Then again, the station does service 1 tube and 3 SSL lines plus a mainline station. I don't want to image how packed it will be once they add in Crossrail as well!

[lightrail]

Originally Posted by galeforcewinds

They line up because that's so many more people than on any line in Vancouver. That said, I've only ever seen lined at stations with 10-12+ fare gates! Liverpool street for example has about 10 in and 10 out gates and there are always lineups. Then again, the station does service 1 tube and 3 SSL lines plus a mainline station. I don't want to image how packed it will be once they add in Crossrail as well!

Part of Crossrail includes adding many many more faregates and new ticket halls for Liverpool street and other affected tube stations. They're building crossrail so it will last 100 years without any major modifications.

Another area to consider is escalator capacity - stations have to have neough up and down capacity to handle the expected traffic. No point inn running 12 car trains every 120 seconds if the escalators can't handle the flow. Same goes for the fare gates.

[DKaz]

*ahem*Burrard Station*ahem*

They should just permanently open up the emergency exit stairs for general use, at least in the up direction only, since a quarter of those getting off at Burrard head straight for those stairs anyway. In the down direction, they're a bit scary to take since they're quite steep.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by DKaz

*ahem*Burrard Station*ahem*

They should just permanently open up the emergency exit stairs for general use, at least in the up direction only, since a quarter of those getting off at Burrard head straight for those stairs anyway. In the down direction, they're a bit scary to take since they're quite steep.

Actually, that brings up an interesting point. For existing emergency doors, I wonder if they can come up with a better one-way system. Whether that's metal turnstiles like they have in New York and Paris, or something else, those doors are often propped open at certain stations (Sapperton and Metrotown are infamous for it) allowing people to directly enter and exit the platform without using the faregates.

[Dave2]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

Actually, that brings up an interesting point. For existing emergency doors, I wonder if they can come up with a better one-way system. Whether that's metal turnstiles like they have in New York and Paris, or something else, those doors are often propped open at certain stations (Sapperton and Metrotown are infamous for it) allowing people to directly enter and exit the platform without using the faregates.

To paraphrase the Dos Equis guy, I don't often travel through Nanaimo Station, but when I do, there's always someone who uses the "Emergency Exit" at the east end of the e/b platform. If I lived east of Nanaimo, I'd probably use it too. Compass will probably end that practice.

re Burrard, one day when the crowd was busy, I asked a [can't remember what _kind_ of employee] why the stairs were not open... his reply was something to the effect of he couldn't. it wasn't up to standards.. Well, the stairs are open whenever there is an escalator out of service, and when the elevator was out of service for several months. In the future, the chokepoint will be the faregates, so the backlog for the escalators won't be like it is now.

Burrard at 5:30PM today was like a police state, cops everywhere, all busy with "perps"

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by Dave2

To paraphrase the Dos Equis guy, I don't often travel through Nanaimo Station, but when I do, there's always someone who uses the "Emergency Exit" at the east end of the e/b platform. If I lived east of Nanaimo, I'd probably use it too. Compass will probably end that practice.

Why will Compass end that practice?

[jlousa]

Because if you exit that way you don't scan out you would get dinged the maxinum amount, people learn pretty quick when it starts costing money.

[DKaz]

At least at Burrard Station, the stairs are outside the fare zone. Still, I hope they can manage to increase the capacity. The second set of escalators did wonders at Granville Station.

[red-paladin]

Originally Posted by DKaz

At least at Burrard Station, the stairs are outside the fare zone. Still, I hope they can manage to increase the capacity. The second set of escalators did wonders at Granville Station.

Well, I heard the station was desgined for an entrance from where Park Place is now, presumably the blank wall across from where the escalators enter the mezzanine.

[McPaul]

I've only spent less than a year here, but I always thought those "emergency exit" stairs were simply general purpose stairs. I see them used at many stations. are they actually supposed to be only for emergency? are they locked or alarmed doors?

[Dave2]

Originally Posted by red-paladin

Well, I heard the station was desgined for an entrance from where Park Place is now, presumably the blank wall across from where the escalators enter the mezzanine.

The Royal Centre connection took some time to build, so who knows, maybe some day the Park Place connection will happen... It only took 20 years for an elevator to be built at Granville.

laughed at this news "Residents and transit riders used to the downtown oasis of greenery called Discovery Square [at Burrard Station] may soon find themselves relaxing in Art Phillips Square." One...has anyone ever called it "Discovery Square"? Two.. It's not square.

Originally Posted by McPaul

I've only spent less than a year here, but I always thought those "emergency exit" stairs were simply general purpose stairs. I see them used at many stations. are they actually supposed to be only for emergency? are they locked or alarmed doors?

The stairs at Burrard are "alarmed"... Every so often someone fed up with the backlog at the escalators takes the stairs, and sets off an annoying bzzzzzz..IIRC, the exit at Nanaimo says "Emergency Use Only" At Brentwood, it's "Emergency Use Only, Penalty for intentional misuse" which is enough for me to avoid it... I've seen it used, but with my luck, that would be the day a bored Transit Cop (or three) is loitering on the mezzanine .

[SpongeG]

i use burrard during rush hour most mornings - it's never that backed up

you wanna talk backed up though - trying to get from commercial drive to broadway - that is the worst they need more stairs or something - its awful awful awful and i hate it - lots of people use the set of stairs just next to the elevator there, i don't know if they are emergency stairs or general use - they are doored off - i always assumed they were emergency use only

i've seen people use the emergency stairs at sapperton on a number of occasions, they really should have had a stair or something for people to get to all those warehouses and businesses down there, the gate makes a noise when opened but doesn't stay on once its closed again

[Dave2]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i use burrard during rush hour most mornings - it's never that backed up

I'll have to take a photo sometime of the blob of humanity lined up for the escalators when a 4 MK-2 or 6 MK-1 train releases a couple of hundred office drones at 8:50 AM... True, it's not *that* bad, it's probably under a minute, but usually the tail end of one trainload is still clearing when the next one arrives, or a train from Waterfront full of Seabus/WCE passengers.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryawesome/4397229832/

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i
you wanna talk backed up though - trying to get from commercial drive to broadway - that is the worst they need more stairs or something - its awful awful awful and i hate it - lots of people use the set of stairs just next to the elevator there, i don't know if they are emergency stairs or general use - they are doored off - i always assumed they were emergency use only

The stairs at the west end of platform 1/2/? Totally legal... they even have doorstops now. The yellow 'centre lines' are mostly a joke. Other than the Broadway Overpass, they're pretty much pointless.