Winnipeg City Transit/Rapid Transit

[rivercity]

Having recently used the Calgary transit app a few weeks, coming back to Peggo is like entering the stone age

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by rivercity

Having recently used the Calgary transit app a few weeks, coming back to Peggo is like entering the stone age

Ditto with Edmonton. When i put funds on their cards, it would load within 5 minutes. At 7-11 it also lads right away. However, the second time I attempted this, it was through the website. It took over 24 hours!

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by Justanothermember

I believe it's these kinds of derailments in the threads that are causing people to participate less on this forum. This thread has become nothing more than an echo-chamber for a few select forumers who want to do nothing more than propagate negativity. The exact same thing has happened in the Jets threads.

1. There are issues downtown, we get it.
2. You think downtown is a horrible place, we get it.
3. You sit on your collective asses in front of a computer/phone bitching and moaning about it while doing absolutely nothing to address the problem. That's useless.

I get the feeling these same posters enjoy stewing in their negativity...they must be fun at parties.

This thread is now completely derailed, as is the Winnipeg Jets thread.

Enjoy marinating in your negativity, select forumers.

On the contrary, I believe people like you are the problem. The ones that not only deny that Winnipeg transit has a crime issue, but actually attack posters who point out the obvious. Typical gaslighting.

Negativity would be saying that everything in Winnipeg is going poorly. You have a selective memory, since some of us have an issue with the crime in and around Winnipeg transit, and are looking at ways to solve the dilemma. It does nothing to attack and ridicule people who point out of the obvious.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by pegster

A reminder that transit is having a round of public information sessions across the city about the new network plan this week: https://www.winnipeg.ca/city-governa...ransit-network

I would love to ask what they are doing to ensure drivers and passengers safety, but I would probably get cut off.

[bodaggin]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

I would love to ask what they are doing to ensure drivers and passengers safety, but I would probably get cut off.

Drivers? Easy. Full polycarbonate enclosure. They don't already have that?!

Passengers, not as easy.

[zalf]

Originally Posted by zalf

Don't have a phone with you? Phone battery is dead? Don't have a data plan, or your data plan is used up for the month? It's -30 and your phone powers itself off to avoid battery damage? It's -30 and it just plain hurts to have your hands exposed while you fumble with their app? If your answer to any of these has ever been 'yes', then too bad, no bus schedule for you.

Originally Posted by FactaNV

For the poor and elderly, paper timetables should be available.

I'm neither of these things, and it's still something that frequently enough makes taking transit into a needlessly hairpulling experience. But you're totally right too - being poor, elderly, or both is a multiplier on the baseline difficultly of a smartphones-mandatory approach to the most basic aspects of this city service.

I picked the examples I did because all have happened to me at various times since they scrapped proper timetables and replaced them with QR code nonsense. I'm a modern, smartphone-brandishing millennial who works in a high-tech field, and I don't want to be forced to use a flaky phone app (they should still have a decent digital experience, just not mandatory) - I just want to take a quick glance at a paper schedule, which is something they already had and isn't exactly a giant capital investment.

Originally Posted by FactaNV

I mean little QoL things. My big one would be implementation of a direct payment system on board. Peggo is no biggie for me but it's a pain in the ass watching people fumble their ticket or change. It'd speed things up for sure with debit/credit tap.

Other than my grousing about paper timetables, this is 100% my top choice for QoL improvements. Just based on anecdotes from friends and colleagues who aren't regular transit users, WT is leaving riders on the table by not having it.

I wouldn't mind seeing cleaners occasionally, too. I get that it's most efficient to clean the buses when they return to base, but having a couple guys to clean up the detritus and wipe down dirty seats during the day would go a long way to making the buses subjectively more pleasant to use.

[Justanothermember]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

On the contrary, I believe people like you are the problem. The ones that not only deny that Winnipeg transit has a crime issue, but actually attack posters who point out the obvious. Typical gaslighting.

Negativity would be saying that everything in Winnipeg is going poorly. You have a selective memory, since some of us have an issue with the crime in and around Winnipeg transit, and are looking at ways to solve the dilemma. It does nothing to attack and ridicule people who point out of the obvious.

Maybe it's time you packed your bags, and hit the road. If you aren't going to help Winnipeg, leave.

LOL I'm not the one crying in every thread about crime and homelessness. But by all means continue on if that is what makes you feel better. For the record, I don't deny the issues and I help out at soup kitchens when I actually have spare time, which isn't often.

This will be my last post replying to you. Another one added to my ignore list, and it's great!

[EdwardTH]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

On the contrary, I believe people like you are the problem. The ones that not only deny that Winnipeg transit has a crime issue, but actually attack posters who point out the obvious. Typical gaslighting.

Everyone fully acknowledges it's a problem. It was item #1 on the post you're replying to. Seems to me like you're doing the gaslighting.

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

You have a selective memory, since some of us have an issue with the crime in and around Winnipeg transit, and are looking at ways to solve the dilemma.

Ok, so what are you doing to solve the dilemma?

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

It does nothing to attack and ridicule people who point out of the obvious.

But that's just it, it's obvious. You're not proposing solutions, in your own words you're just pointing out the obvious which achieves nothing. What exactly is the point of telling people what they already know?

Do you expect us to put on capes and masks and go fight crime on buses? You lead the way. For what it's worth transit JUST rolled out their first batch of security officers, there literally ARE people working on the problem and we need more of that, not more people wallowing in despair on the internet.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by EdwardTH

For what it's worth transit JUST rolled out their first batch of security officers, there literally ARE people working on the problem and we need more of that, not more people wallowing in despair on the internet.

Not part of the transit discussion, but I've noticed that folks who tend to focus on the negative don't want solutions to the problem, they just want to recruit others into their circle of complaints. Misery, it seems, demands company.

As to Transit, I'm glad to see the security efforts they've started.

[FactaNV]

I miss when this sub forum was about ideal transit routes, cool infrastructure ideas and commiseration about LRT or commuter rail lol.

I do understand people's concerns with safety but my two cents /anecdote is it can be overblown. I live in West Broadway and take the bus all the time for work, leisure and to appointments, it's so damned convenient for me. But taking the 20, 10 and especially 17 can have some characters. I can understand how someone may feel unsafe despite the characters mostly being harmless. While the actual safety of transit is drastically understated, it's the perception that really matters at the end of the day. I hope the transit security system will help and hope they become "deputized" to make arrests and issue fines for fair evasion. That said, shining even more light on an already over exposed issue is just going to cause more issues as it further deteriorates the perception of safety. So instead of complaining about safety and instead of calling the guy complaining a gas lighter, why don't we start an actual discussion on tangibles to help our system thrive. We already have one of the better bus systems in North America (I know, lowbar) so how do we build on that constructively?

[bodaggin]

What I can't figure out is why that Blue BRT line goes allllllllll the way around to union station on Main and adds 10, TEN stops downtown! WTF. It's a RAPID LINE.

To me it would make more sense to split downtown right down the middle via Donald/Smith. Funneling riders in from both sides.

They don't even need a dedicated lane persay. Just prioritize the lights for busses. Knock it down to 2 or 3 downtown stops for the major congregation centers only. Build out the skywalk system to funnel in from there. And/or add a downtown "shuttle" bus that does downtown only. And runs every 1-2min.

That blue line could get U of M to downtown in 15min, and end to end under 20min. Actually RAPID transit. Not 35-40min like now.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by bodaggin

What I can't figure out is why that Blue BRT line goes allllllllll the way around to union station on Main and adds 10, TEN stops downtown! WTF. It's a RAPID LINE.

To me it would make more sense to split downtown right down the middle via Donald/Smith. Funneling riders in from both sides.

They don't even need a dedicated lane persay. Just prioritize the lights for busses. Knock it down to 2 or 3 downtown stops for the major congregation centers only. Build out the skywalk system to funnel in from there. And/or add a downtown "shuttle" bus that does downtown only. And runs every 1-2min.

That blue line could get U of M to downtown in 15min, and end to end under 20min. Actually RAPID transit. Not 35-40min like now.

Gotta remember the plan for the future, union station and Portage & Main are going to be the major transfer hubs in the city. The plan is to use the highline and Stradbrook and Main and feed it above grade to US and P&M. In my perfect world a highline would run all the way down Portage to the areas where the boulevards are wide enough for separated lanes, like West of Moray. I agree wholeheartedly there are too many stops downtown. Maintain the U of W stop then maybe Fort and Graham and then the train station. The rest of the stops are superfluous.

[bodaggin]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

Gotta remember the plan for the future, union station and Portage & Main are going to be the major transfer hubs in the city. The plan is to use the highline and Stradbrook and Main and feed it above grade to US and P&M. In my perfect world a highline would run all the way down Portage to the areas where the boulevards are wide enough for separated lanes, like West of Moray. I agree wholeheartedly there are too many stops downtown. Maintain the U of W stop then maybe Fort and Graham and then the train station. The rest of the stops are superfluous.

Explain highline. Viaduct? Above grade? Where to where?

Honestly making Graham bus-only was brilliant. You get the parallel action of Portage, but you separate the bus + pedestrians from the cars on portage. Excellent. You want to keep pedestrians/bikes and cars as separate as possible.

CoW pushes this "share the road" bs too much. Sidewalk on every road, crosswalks everywhere. Not good. Separate them, safer, faster. Downtown routing is NOT an easy problem to solve, I'll give them that.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by bodaggin

Explain highline. Viaduct? Above grade? Where to where?

Honestly making Graham bus-only was brilliant. You get the parallel action of Portage, but you separate the bus + pedestrians from the cars on portage. Excellent. You want to keep pedestrians/bikes and cars as separate as possible.

CoW pushes this "share the road" bs too much. Sidewalk on every road, crosswalks everywhere. Not good. Separate them, safer, faster. Downtown routing is NOT an easy problem to solve, I'll give them that.

From what I understand the plan is to build above grade lanes along CN line on S Main heading North towards the train station. From there I'm fuzzy how it gets to P&M but there's supposed to be an above grade station above P&M that splits off to the cardinal directions. Its in the TMP.

[audie]

The TMP just kinda handwaves some manner of at-grade implementation for portage and main. Would love to see an elevated section to clear all that nonsense, but I would expect queue jump lanes and priority signaling to be the actual results. I don't believe that the downtown corridor study has started in earnest yet

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by audie

The TMP just kinda handwaves some manner of at-grade implementation for portage and main. Would love to see an elevated section to clear all that nonsense, but I would expect queue jump lanes and priority signaling to be the actual results. I don't believe that the downtown corridor study has started in earnest yet

For what it's worth, the map they generated shows the blue and rose lines running along the CN highline all the way to Portage E/William Stephenson Way where it hooks West and joins into P&M. A good idea if implemented.

[bomberjet]

Above grade from the current terminus at Stardbrook and Main. Overhead across the Assinniboine, through Union Station, over York and back down to grade somewhere around William Stephenson/Portage E.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Above grade from the current terminus at Stardbrook and Main. Overhead across the Assinniboine, through Union Station, over York and back down to grade somewhere around William Stephenson/Portage E.

It's too bad they couldn't swing that all the way West to Moray.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by pspeid

Not part of the transit discussion, but I've noticed that folks who tend to focus on the negative don't want solutions to the problem, they just want to recruit others into their circle of complaints. Misery, it seems, demands company.

As to Transit, I'm glad to see the security efforts they've started.

Typical denialists.

Complain about one thing in the city (while the rest of our posting history indicates we speak very positive about this city), and we are all painted with this "negativity" brush.

There is no point on having a discussion with some of the Winnipeg who ahve never bothered to live in other comparable Canadian cities. If you did, God forbid, you may realise there is indeed a problem here.

Calgary has the right approach with granting their Transit Police the ability to arrest, detain, and hand over criminals to the Police. We need that in Winnipeg.

However, I am sure the usual suspects will bash me about how we do not need this, and how "hysterical" I am about the problems with antisocial and criminal activity on or near Transit.

[zalf]

Some notes from the Transit Master Plan engagement session yesterday at Millennium Library:

• The new design will net the same number of buses, though concentrated on fewer routes.
• Greater use of articulated buses is expected where geometry allows.
• The first infrastructure priority is dedicated guideway on Main Street between Graham and where the existing guideway terminates
• The elevated section running along the tracks behind Union Station is still in the design
• A similar redesign in Edmonton led to an immediate 10% increase in ridership
• Winnipeg Transit feels the redesign of the Southwest system was a pretty successful experiment that informs the changeover for the rest of the city