Greenwood Subway Yard - Only at yards can TTC trains turn 180 degrees.

Rollsigns!  Those useful little things that tell us where the train is going so that we know where we’re going when we get on.  A small but very important detail in every transit system. 

I remember when I was travelling by transit to get to college (Sheridan’s Davis campus), I would take the Spadina line to Yorkdale to connect with a GO bus.  In the mornings, many trains short-turn at St.Clair West.  And sure enough, both the desitnation signs and the Solari signs (those signs on the platform that tell you where the next train is terminating) would switch between Downsview and St.Clair West as appropriate.

I’ve been noticing something that I typically never saw, or at least saw so rarely that I don’t remember it happening.  For reasons that I do not know, subway rollsigns are losing their accuracy now.  I’ve noticed this now 5 times in about as many weeks.  From “almost never” to “about weekly” is a big jump. (more…)

DRL Map by C. Livett, adapted from Network 2011 DRL plan

On Wednesday, Toronto city council voted to study the possibility of fast-tracking construction of the long-dormant Downtown Relief Line — perhaps even putting it ahead of plans for extending the Yonge line further north. Not only was the Yonge North extension approved in principle with previous conditions attached, but council also moved to study the Downtown Relief Line in detail and suggest having it moved from Metrolinx’s 25 year plan to the 15 year plan.

And they want to replace the technical name ”Downtown Relief Line” with something more imaginative and marketable. Ideas, anyone?

According to an article in the National Post, Councillor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre), who proposed asking Metrolinx to review its priorities, said the downtown relief line might be a solution to the overcrowding that is expected to result from extending the Yonge line north.

“The residents of Toronto deserve better, the riders of the TTC deserve better,” said Mr. Thompson. “From a perspective of cost, the downtown relief line is cheaper, it is more efficient, it provides a utility that is needed.”

Over at Spacing Toronto, Sean Marshall wrote an article noting the opposition within the TTC to the Yonge extension and staffers’ views that the DRL should be “a last resort”. However, with the Yonge extension becoming a more likely reality, if the DRL is already in place when the Yonge extension is completed, it would relieve future overcrowding on the Yonge line as a result of the new stops. As well, the new subway line would put off or even altogether negate the need for an expensive and awkward second renovation of Bloor-Yonge station, the worst bottleneck in the subway system, and relieve crowded streetcar routes on Queen and King. (more…)

Yesterday evening, I was shooting a Gears of War 2 Launch Party event in Lower Bay Station. It was my first time in the station which is pretty similar to Bay station, except more dirty and run down. It was the perfect setting for the games launch.

Nuit Blanche sign and car

Toronto’s white night of culture returns on the evening of Saturday, October 4th, 2008.  Since 2006, Nuit Blanche has engaged Torontonions in an ‘all night contemporary art thing’ running from dusk until dawn.  Transportation issues link to the event in two key ways.  First, the TTC functions as a people-mover to transport audience members between the exhibit zones, located across the city.  Second, a number of the Nuit Blanche exhibits and installations consider transit thematically or use the system’s infrastructure.

To aid in the logistics of moving people at Nuit Blanche, the TTC is essential.  During Nuit Blanche’s 2006 Toronto launch, 425,000 art goers were estimated to be in attendance.  This figure almost doubled to 800,000 art goers in 2007.  To try to better move the crowds in 2008, Nuit Blanche features extended TTC hours, special shuttle buses, and limited all night subway service.  The Nuit Blanche website features a page with getting around information which is essential for those who plan to use the TTC to navigate the event.

Transit as a thematic interest of Nuit Blanche attendees came to the forefront in 2007 with the popular Ghost Station installation in the lower Bay subway station by Kristen Roos.  In 2008, at least two installations continue the transit theme.

• Art for Commuters and Onestop Media Group:  Much like the Toronto Urban Film Festival discussed previously on Metronauts, 250 TTC subway platform screens will become exhibition space for Nuit Blanche.  The screens will display poetry styled as motion graphics to feature the work of numerous poets and animators.

• U of T Art Centre & WayUpWayDown: This exhibits focuses on the ““Vehicle” …a multi-car, multi-artist exploration of the aesthetic possibilities of the car as a site of community contact.”  Interactivity is a compelling reason to attend this exhibit.  The Nuit Blanche website promises trampoline activated SecondLife avatars and parking art.

Jason Paris unleashed a firestorm in raising the now-decades old DRL theme for discussion here, and among other comments was the issue of subway alignment, as there are now several to evaluate for the DRL. So what influences alignment for new subways to be constructed?

Historically, while alignments would generally follow streets, as often as possible they tried to avoid going directly under the street, as service relocations and temporary decking for existing streetcar services, not to mention road replacement when the decking was removed, were huge hassles that came at great cost.  Expropriating properties was far cheaper, easier, and timely.  This was why the Yonge subway was not built beneath Yonge between Alexander (just north of College) and, I believe, Orchard View (just north of Eglinton), except for the part where it crosses to the other side of Yonge around Glen Elm (just north of St. Clair).  Apart from the portion between Church and Sherbourne bored directly beneath Bloor St., the Prince Edward Viaduct, and Sherbourne station, the Bloor-Danforth subway was kept entirely north of Bloor and Danforth proper (excluding the extension to Kipling).

However, attitudes of both property owners and those of and towards labourers changed, which in turn impacted what subway construction methods became acceptable.

(more…)

Photo by Duchamp

The iPhone has this weird photo bug that appears once in awhile, where it renders your images in this strange but artistic cubist fashion. I was taking a quick picture at Yorkdale subway station when I got this surprise.

Map by C. Livett and adapted from Network 2011 DRL plan.

The Downtown Relief Line (DRL) continually falls somewhere between long-term planning and long-term lore when it comes to heavy rail infrastructure ideas for Toronto.  While the idea lay dormant for a generation, we now seem to be back in an era when it has come out of its fabled state and into some vision of long-term reality.  While it might not be something on the average Torontonian’s radar yet, it is once again being seriously discussed, not only on transit blogs and forums, but also in some halls of power.

The DRL was first studied in the mid-1980s as part of the Network 2011 transit plan for what was then Metro Toronto. The line was envisioned to connect Union Station with Pape and Dundas West Stations by running large portions of the line at grade via mostly existing railway right-of-ways which would also help to significantly reduce the cost of such a major investment.  The DRL would, in effect, have created a second, wider subway ‘U’ for Toronto, and thereby taken enormous pressure off the existing system.  For instance, if one were coming from the east, one would have the option of switching lines at Pape instead of Yonge-Bloor Station for a quick ride downtown.  The DRL could also be thought of as a heavy rail version of the King streetcar, but following a wider route and playing a more regional role.

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Should cyclists be allowed to use the elevators to bring their bicycles onto the subway?

I think so, provided they are not crowding out people who use mobility devices. Carrying a bike up or down stairs can be very difficult especially after a long ride, and sustainable, multi-modal trips could be just what the doctor ordered for this region.

Should subway stations be integrated into buildings where possible?

I also thing so. Subways stations should be placed close to planned and development, as stand-alone station buildings aren’t necessarily the best use of the land. Taking it to the next step and putting subway station entrances into malls and office buildings results in a synergy where the property management company gets guaranteed traffic in front of their retail spaces while the TTC saves money on building infrastructure and accessible facilities. This seems to have worked well in many locations, and passengers have enjoyed the ability to walk from the subway to their office indoors for years.

But, what happens when the property management company bans bicycles or other objects from their buildings?

Today, I observed what appeared to be a security guard for a downtown mall (I won’t say which one) escorting a gentleman with a bicycle out of the building. It appeared that the gentleman brought the bike inside in order to use the elevator to get to the subway. At this particular station there is barrier-free access to the station using only public property, but what about a station like York Mills, where the only barrier-free access from the street is through an office building – where it is their prerogative to ban certain items from their property.

On one hand, there is no dispute that the mall is private property and that the property management company has the right to welcome or turn away any visitor of their choosing (within reason, of course). On the other hand, aren’t they infringing on reasonable freedom of mobility?

In the gray area between private and public property, who has control and who should have control?

Image source: Flickr user “naturalkinds” and is licensed under Creative Commons

While the rest of the city gets ready for TIFF, Toronto International Film Festival, the TTC and One Stop Media are ramping up for TUFF, Toronto Urban Film Festival.

TUFF is an 8-day (September 5th – September 12th) long public film festival for commuters, featuring 1-minute silent films each day on the One Stop network screens in various subway stations.

So if you are on your way to work, or in-between TIFF movie, keep your eye out for these quirky and quick films.

I stepped on the bus and left my whole life behind. Showed my student i.d. card and dropped a dollar twenty-five into the change box. Proceeded down the aisle past the factory workers and kids heading to the mall, towards my favourite spot at the back of the bus: always (when available) the seat closest to the window, last row. Whether I chose the right or the left side didn’t matter at all, it was rather dependent upon availability and occasionally determined by which way the sun was shining and of course whether that suited my mood. I liked sitting in that little tucked-in corner, the final statement on a row of about three or four two-seaters lining one side — a long single row of seats facing diagonally across on the other. There was always a spot to put my feet up; this small comfort made up for the rattle and clang of the windows that shook in their frame. I don’t know whether the roads were much bumpier then, nevertheless even the smoothest of drivers couldn’t help the high-decibel clamour that accompanied every ride.

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Are subways better for Toronto, or is light rail the way to go?

This question has polarized the community more than any other in recent memory.

Subways offer a speed and a capacity advantage, and have traditionally been the preferred choice for rapid transit construction in the city. But, modern subway lines are usually built with stations greater than 1 km apart to keep speeds up. This makes mid-block access a bit more difficult. Light Rail Transit, which proposes to run sleek, modern streetcars in transit-only lanes on the surface, offers a cost advantage and, indirectly related, a advantage in the placement of stations. Since they are less expensive and since speeds are lower anyway, LRT stations can be placed closer together. This means that it won’t be a long trek to a destination which isn’t at a main intersection.

Your ability to walk, how you rank speed and ease of access, and your opinion about how much capacity is needed will define where you stand on the endless waltz that is the LRT vs Subway debate, but one difference between the two still has the jury deliberating.

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