Great video! I feel like this project has a lot of potential but currently is really restricted by low service levels and bad walkability around stations. These will hopefully get better in time as development and ridership increases.
I think the timing and the 3-cycle set up of the rapidway is the biggest problem with the system at the moment. You don't want to know how many time I missed a bus simply because it drove past the stop while I was waiting for the signal to turn green. It doesn't help that many of the routes have extremely long headways, sometimes 30 minutes, which means that if you missed the bus, you're in for a massive loss. There is also the matter of the 3-cycle set up of the traffic lights, which by only allowing left turns to be done in very specific time frames, you incentivize drivers to try and skip cycles, usually by driving into the crossing road by using a nearby plaza, an action that could be dangerous to pedestrians.
Yeah, I think the traffic signal programming is one of the biggest problems with the lines. If they provided stronger priority for late buses, they could cut time from the schedule, allowing the frequency to be improved with the same number of buses.
What's the point of rapidway stations being fare-paid zones when there's fare inspectors on the buses? It's not like TTC bus terminals at subway stations where there's no inspections on trains or buses.
I think the biggest flaw is not reducing the amount of car lanes. None of the rapidways are at a human scale and the insanely wide intersections are really uninviting to pedestrians. There's also not a lot of moments of interaction such as street-facing commercial/residential buildings on the rapidways which makes the whole street feel like a glorified highway. But I still feel that having the physical BRT lanes is a big win as it creates a sense of permanency and reliability to the concept of public transit. Hopefully in the future they can remove the outermost car lane and turn it into sidewalk, tightening the urban fabric.
Since it's in suburb, retaining four lanes each direction might be a comprise to drivers, consider the plazas and office areas along hwy 7 are quite car friendly
The VivaNow machines for validating tickets from a 10-pack have all been removed, as paper 10-packs are no longer sold or accepted. The oneRide machines to purchase single use tickets remain in place.
I miss using Viva :(. I used to think that I would use Blue a lot but in the end it’s just Purple/Pink and Orange because of my trips to the now closed Seneca College Markham campus Update September 2021: Used it a few times. Mainly Orange & Blue to/from the subway and from Cineplex/Colossus Vaughan lol
the biggest flaw is the entire VIVA system itself To alleviate the flaw I read in Wikipedia that the rapidway can be replaced by a *Light Rail Transit system I hope it does to resurrect the Old North Yonge railways (the rails had been ripped up in 1948 and paved with tarmac)
Happy to see a Safer Walk & bicycle path on highway 7 at the expressway overpass. York Region was never transit friendly. Was car friendly KEELE @ highway 7 is all industrial. 1 blocks of House 1 KM away. KEELE street @7 is very busy back in the mid 1990's I m sure is even more busy. The zum 501 Brampton is speed up resident to get into Brampton. Use to be 77 Vaughan & 77 Brampton transit. Co route. Brampton Transit discontinued Sunday Service from 1993 -1998. 5 years no Sunday service. Sunday service 1998 only route 77 was operate by Brampton transit. Vaughan never had Sunday service even up to 2003 I don't know when Sunday bus operation was add it. During the restore Sunday Bus Service on Route 77 every 60 minutes. Trip time on Sunday for end to end is 50 minutes provide if bus driver Experience operating his or her bus at @110 Km/h peak. Usually was 57 minutes driver doing 100 KM/H. NEW Brampton bus driver would drive the speed limit end up being 45 minutes late after 2 trips. System stay til around 2003. I wasn't living in the area don't know improvement time was.
11:25 Hardly a big deal. Seems very nitpicky to me. 11:40 Only someone seriously nerdy would wait to cross "legally" if they have 30 seconds left (most could easily cross both sides of the rapidway in that time), or be a jackass cop to ticket someone who didn't.
It is a big deal...there's nothing more insulting than being told to wait at a green light. Worse, teaching pedestrians to ignore signals is fundamentally stupid...if you build infra that requires pedestrians to break the law is pretty much broken by definition.
Great video! I feel like this project has a lot of potential but currently is really restricted by low service levels and bad walkability around stations. These will hopefully get better in time as development and ridership increases.
I really enjoy these videos, thanks for doing them!
Why couldn't the Eglinton LRT or Finch LRT outdoor stops look more like these? These seem to provide more protection from the elements
I think the timing and the 3-cycle set up of the rapidway is the biggest problem with the system at the moment. You don't want to know how many time I missed a bus simply because it drove past the stop while I was waiting for the signal to turn green. It doesn't help that many of the routes have extremely long headways, sometimes 30 minutes, which means that if you missed the bus, you're in for a massive loss. There is also the matter of the 3-cycle set up of the traffic lights, which by only allowing left turns to be done in very specific time frames, you incentivize drivers to try and skip cycles, usually by driving into the crossing road by using a nearby plaza, an action that could be dangerous to pedestrians.
yea every 30 minutes is not rapid transit
Yeah, I think the traffic signal programming is one of the biggest problems with the lines. If they provided stronger priority for late buses, they could cut time from the schedule, allowing the frequency to be improved with the same number of buses.
What's the point of rapidway stations being fare-paid zones when there's fare inspectors on the buses? It's not like TTC bus terminals at subway stations where there's no inspections on trains or buses.
I imagine it’s to reduce loitering, although that doesn’t seem to be a problem outside of Newmarket.
I think the biggest flaw is not reducing the amount of car lanes. None of the rapidways are at a human scale and the insanely wide intersections are really uninviting to pedestrians. There's also not a lot of moments of interaction such as street-facing commercial/residential buildings on the rapidways which makes the whole street feel like a glorified highway. But I still feel that having the physical BRT lanes is a big win as it creates a sense of permanency and reliability to the concept of public transit. Hopefully in the future they can remove the outermost car lane and turn it into sidewalk, tightening the urban fabric.
Since it's in suburb, retaining four lanes each direction might be a comprise to drivers, consider the plazas and office areas along hwy 7 are quite car friendly
I totally agree. These wide intersections are so ugly.
I think those brt lanes should get protected bike lanes
Excellent work, thank you!
Damn these wide streets and intersections in suburban Canada are so dangerous and unappealing.
3:54 - How can you have a proof-of-purchase if paper tickets are discontinued? Those machines aren't going anywhere.
The VivaNow machines for validating tickets from a 10-pack have all been removed, as paper 10-packs are no longer sold or accepted. The oneRide machines to purchase single use tickets remain in place.
I miss using Viva :(. I used to think that I would use Blue a lot but in the end it’s just Purple/Pink and Orange because of my trips to the now closed Seneca College Markham campus
Update September 2021: Used it a few times. Mainly Orange & Blue to/from the subway and from Cineplex/Colossus Vaughan lol
I think in the future they will turn into streetcars as it’s more suitable and more fitting for it
that would take a very long time and be very expensive but that would be a good idea
I live near Wooten way N and
the biggest flaw is the entire VIVA system itself
To alleviate the flaw I read in Wikipedia that the rapidway can be replaced by a *Light Rail Transit system
I hope it does to resurrect the Old North Yonge railways (the rails had been ripped up in 1948 and paved with tarmac)
Happy to see a Safer Walk & bicycle path on highway 7 at the expressway overpass.
York Region was never transit friendly. Was car friendly
KEELE @ highway 7 is all industrial. 1 blocks of House 1 KM away.
KEELE street @7 is very busy back in the mid 1990's I m sure is even more busy.
The zum 501 Brampton is speed up resident to get into Brampton.
Use to be 77 Vaughan & 77 Brampton transit. Co route.
Brampton Transit discontinued Sunday Service from 1993 -1998. 5 years no Sunday service.
Sunday service 1998 only route 77 was operate by Brampton transit.
Vaughan never had Sunday service even up to 2003 I don't know when Sunday bus operation was add it.
During the restore Sunday Bus Service on Route 77 every 60 minutes. Trip time on Sunday for end to end is 50 minutes provide if bus driver Experience operating his or her bus at @110 Km/h peak.
Usually was 57 minutes driver doing 100 KM/H.
NEW Brampton bus driver would drive the speed limit end up being 45 minutes late after 2 trips. System stay til around 2003. I wasn't living in the area don't know improvement time was.
Seems like things are changing
11:25 Hardly a big deal. Seems very nitpicky to me. 11:40 Only someone seriously nerdy would wait to cross "legally" if they have 30 seconds left (most could easily cross both sides of the rapidway in that time), or be a jackass cop to ticket someone who didn't.
It is a big deal...there's nothing more insulting than being told to wait at a green light.
Worse, teaching pedestrians to ignore signals is fundamentally stupid...if you build infra that requires pedestrians to break the law is pretty much broken by definition.
@@DanielBrotherston What I meant by it not being a big deal was that you could easily just ignore the nitpicky rule