It’s been about 12 months since I purchased my Avenir folding bicycle, and while the head-turning novelty has worn off, the flexibility that a bicycle adds to my commute has not. Originally, the decision to buy a bicycle came out of a parking problem. My house is a 15 minute drive from Brampton GO station, but the parking lot tends to fill up by 7:15 am. If there were no spots remaining then the only other solution was to drive another 20 minutes across Brampton to Bramalea GO station. In order to avoid the parking lot altogether I would have to walk 20 minutes from my front door to the Orangeville GO bus stop for a 15 minute trip to Brampton GO. A bike would have cut the walk to 4 minutes, but there was no place I felt comfortable locking up the bike for the day and I had a desire to take the bike downtown to save on TTC fares. The solution was a folding bike, which are allowed on rush hour GO trains and could be folded, bagged, and placed in the luggage compartment of almost all GO buses. (more…)

No, it wasn’t an elaborate April Fools Day joke…

On April 1st, the Government of Ontario announced funding a collection of transit projects across the GTHA. While many of the projects are in the central parts of the region, and there has been some criticism of this fact, these are the projects that are closest groundbreaking – some will see construction start next year. We can’t forget that we need to build a region-wide network, but we need to start somewhere.

Here’s what was announced: (more…)

Source: ITS America

Imagine sending a cell phone text message with your location and destination, and instantly getting back region-wide information on real-time traffic conditions, travel time, best route, and next bus or train. This could soon be a reality in the Greater Toronto Area.

Metrolinx has proposed one of the eight “Big Moves” to be the creation of a regional transportation information portal that is accessible online and by telephone, email, or PDA that provides travellers with easily accessible, standardized information on the full-range of transportation alternatives available to them.

BIG MOVE #6: Create an information system for travellers, where and when they need it.

Here are the features, in order of importance, that I think a transportation information system should have:

1. Real-time (GPS) display of next bus/train at major station stops
2. Information portal covers ALL transit systems across region
3. Information is user-friendly and accessible using a wide variety of methods
4. Portal compares all transportation alternatives
5. Amenities offered on-board transit systems (e.g. wi-fi access on buses)

What are your priorities for a traveller information system?

Do you think this is a Big Move?

Have you been to a place in the world that has a great traveller information system?

I encourage you to leave a comment. I’ll summarize the comments and pass them on to Metrolinx.

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Rutherford GO Station

During the evening rush, a race plays out at every GO Transit train stop. Commuters preparing to exit the train line up at their cabin door, elbows out, sometimes a few stops before their own to get the front position. Then, the doors open and the race is on: ladies in heals and men in suits break into a full sprint for their car! They jump in, almost Dukes of Hazzard style, and peal the tires in an effort to beat the rush and save a few precious minutes exiting the parking lot. But can you blame them? Most GO stations are massive parking lots that contain too many cars to manage the traffic effectively.

GO Transit ridership is up, there’s no doubt about it.  I first took the GO train from Maple Station to Union Station about four years ago.  Back then there were three trains in the morning, and three returning in the evening, and I had no trouble finding a seat.  Now there are four trains each way, the line has been extended to Barrie, and extra cabins have been added, and it’s increasingly more difficult to get a seat in the morning.  Parking is at capacity.  In fact, cars park illegally at the nearby cemetery and line the road all the way to Major Mackenzie.

I think there exists a great opportunity at the local level to increase cycling, walking, and transit use to connect with a GO Transit trip.  Most people using the train probably live within 5 km of the station, but the overwhelming majority decide to get there by car.  By building stations that cater to cars, is GO Transit achieving it’s ultimate objective of getting people out of cars?

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“There are 14 TTC bus routes operating directly between York Region and subway stations in the City of Toronto, giving riders a convenient way to connect without changing buses.” I sometimes take one of these routes—the 107 Keele North. When the TTC goes outside of Toronto’s city limits, they are operating under contract to the local service (in this case, YRT), and therefore must collect the local fare.  Therefore, if I intend to cross Steeles Avenue by bus, even for just a few blocks, I must fork over two full fares. But I ask the question: Is there a better way?

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