Upcoming Metrolinx Report to Include Ideas From This Site?
I can’t exactly claim credit, but in a National Post article on the soon-to-be-released Metrolinx Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), there are some recommendations that could have come directly from my York Region analysis. In particular:
Northward extensions of TTC light-rail lines planned for Jane Street and Don Mills north to Highway 7 in York Region
These were part of my analysis that showed what could be done with the money that will only build 12 km of subway extensions. The money for a Yonge Street subway from Steeles to Highway 7 could be used to build an LRT line along that corridor and continue all the way to Major MacKenzie Drive, AND build an LRT line from the Donwsview Subway station all the way up Dufferin to Langstaff (just north of Highway 7) AND a third line that extends the Transit City Don Mills line up Don Mills and Leslie to Highway 7.
The money for the Spadina extension north of Steeles could build the LRT line from there going up Jane Street to Highway 7, and continue west on Highway 7 to Weston Road, PLUS an east-west line from Jane and the 407 to Centre Street and then follow the VIVA Purple route east to Leslie Street. If none of the Spadina extension were built, the money could provide an LRT line over the entire length, including an underground section through York University’s campus, plus what was described above could go as far west as Pine Valley Drive and as far east as the Unionville GO Station at Kennedy Road.
By the way, some revisions are in the planning stage to my York Region analysis. Watch for them in the next few months.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Leslie Street & Highway 7 is not a destination worthy of a terminus. It should go to downtown Markham instead.
Cal’s comment: It is the centre of a business park, that now has a “ring” bus service. More importantly, it is a connection with VIVA Blue and Pink. One day these services will likely warrant upgrade to LRT and if travel patterns had a significant number of passengers coming up Leslie and heading to downtown Markham, an interlined route could easily be implemented with the infrastructure in place.
September 7th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I have to disagree with you Luke and side with Cal. I work in the Beaver Creek area and it can support a terminus, for the area. Granted, I also would like to see a terminus in downtown Markham, at the present moment, Leslie and HWY#7 would be a better option. The long-term development options for the business and residential portions of the area would be enormous. At a later date I believe that there would be no problems with a connection to downtown Markham. Since, at some point, an upgrade to an LRT would happen anyway. The long-term question is the coordination between the TTC and regions around the city in terms of LRT technology. I also am assuming that the comment is framed on the future development of downtown Markham and density. The traffic in the Beaver creek area during peak periods is quite substantial. It would be nice if an upgrade to to an full blown LRT for VIVA pink/purple happened much more sooner.
March 19th, 2012 at 1:56 am
I have a better idea; Lets aneccl this entire B.S. LRT crap altogether, it is the biggest waste of money I have ever seen in my life. Take a look at St. Clair an absolute disaster! You’ll save 5 min on existing surface bus routes and walk a lot more!Lets instead build an Eglington subway from Keele to Laird.
Cal’s comment: First, St. Clair is not LRT, it is a legacy streetcar route. Second, and by far more importantly, it was the PROJECT that was the disaster. Anyone worried that another transit construction project will be a similar disaster should be against any subway construction as there are far more chances that subway construction will become a worse disaster.
Extend the Sheppard subway from Yonge to Downsview. Extend Yonge line to Steeles.They are going to extend the Spadina line anyway to York U. Put 6 lanes on Eglington W. from Keele to 401 and make extra lane diamond for express bus rush hour service, same from Laird to Kennedy on the east route.
I am in favour of extending Yonge to Steeles and implementing LRT northward from there. Much of Eglinton from Laird to Kennedy is already six lanes, but two of those lanes are reserved for buses. An LRT line will be added in the middle and ALL six lanes will be free of any transit vehicles. In the west end, there is an opportunity for side-of-the-road LRT that should be considered.
Yes use Weston rail route for streetcar LRT from Bloor up to Finch Hydro ROW. and use Finch Hydro right of way for north crosstown LRT way from Airport to Zoo. Then you can connect the Scarbrough line from Town centre to this.
Easier said than done. New regulations prevent placing an LRT line with an active railway right of way. While I believe that portions of the Finch Hydro corridor would be useful for LRT placement, the entire route is not possible, particularly the huge expanse of water near Dufferin that would have to be crossed.
They can make 6 lane Sheppard from Don Mills with diamond HOV to this line as well. Don Mills rd already has HOV lane! Money spent = about the same, traffic surface disruption = much less. Future capacity = much greater as subways beat out glorified streetcar lines any day and these stupid LRT lines will disrupt surface traffic with this plan permanently causing traffic jams and much more CO2 output as well as lost time!Steve: The St. Clair car is only barely LRT by virtue of the fact that it has a reserved lane, but it is by no means an ideal implementation. Far too many concessions were made to motorists in the number of crossings and left turn signal arrangements, let alone parking and sidewalk width problems. The transit priority signals on St. Clair do as much to hold up streetcar service as to assist it, and buses running beside the streetcars can make better time in mixed traffic which gets better treatment.
Transit priority signals, or the lack of them in this city, is the fault of the traffic services people. The mess they have created seldom gives transit vehicles priority when they needed AND often holds up other traffic when transit vehicles do not need it. A major need in this city is to set policy that traffic services will follow or people should be replaced.
As for your subway dreams, don’t hold your breath. We can barely pay for what’s on the drawing boards now, and quite bluntly, the VCC extension is a travesty of politics over good planning. This should have been the beginning of an LRT network in York Region, but instead at vast expense we are building a subway whose projected demand is barely in the low end of LRT territory.
No argument with that point. It is another example of us pissing away good money on a useless subway project while an overdue one (the DRL) sits on the back burner.