HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada > Ontario


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #81  
Old Posted May 11, 2008, 4:12 PM
jcollins jcollins is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 1,148
Quote:
Originally Posted by plam View Post
Greyhound often annoys me.
For example....?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #82  
Old Posted May 11, 2008, 5:11 PM
jeicow jeicow is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 202
Out of curiosity, anyone know how much the city is charging Greyhound for using the terminal?

I see this as mixed apples. It's will be terrible trying to get there from Waterloo, but it will be a huge boast over the current Cambridge stop where getting on a bus is completely hit and miss (I got bumped twice while waiting to get back on Friday, once because the driver couldn't count). I see them at least putting in a bus stop somewhere in Kitchener (limited stop) without the full terminal/ticket purchasing equipment. I see the logical thing would be to add an iXpress stop at Sportsworld, which wouldn’t be such a difficult idea. I’ve noticed some get off there already whenever the 8 is backed up, and then get back onto the 401 further down and I don’t think it was ever late getting to SmartCentres, though it did idle less there. But it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #83  
Old Posted May 12, 2008, 11:31 PM
kitchener-lrt's Avatar
kitchener-lrt kitchener-lrt is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 698
I'll try to keep this forum updated with GRT info. All information courtesy of GGHT from CPTDB:

Alrighty...three reports are going before the Planning and Works Committee this week regarding GRT. It appears there's going to be a lot of activity at GRT over the next several years, needless to say things look exciting...

1) Proposed New Transit Environmental Assessment Regulation
http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web...df?openelement

Most of us know about this already. Regional staff have determined (despite my earlier doubts) that a transition to the new EA process could save up to 22 months in planning for the new Rapid Transit system. This means POTENTIALLY that the Rapid Transit system could be implemented nearly 2 years eariler, but we'll have to see how that pans out in the long-run

2) New Grand River Transit (GRT) Business Plan 2008-2010
http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web...df?openelement

A summery of the new GRT business plan has already been posted, but the report goes into much further detail regarding proposed programs and transit service improvements that staff are looking into. A summery of planned improvements can be found on pages 16 and 17, but the entire report is an interesting read.

3) 2008 Transit Facilities Strategy Update
http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web...df?openelement

Planning is beginning on the next phase of garage expansions for GRT, the report is very detailed about what is planned, so I'm not going to summerize it again, so please read :-)

Comments??
__________________
Toronto FC Supporter
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #84  
Old Posted May 13, 2008, 5:33 AM
DHLawrence DHLawrence is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Cambridge, Ontario
Posts: 937
Couldn't agree more with the Route 7 renumberings (I wouldn't mind seeing it split into different routes) and the linkage with Guelph Transit. If they could get an iXpress bus running to the University of Guelph, it would be perfect--it would meet up with the GO Bus to Meadovale/Square One stations.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #85  
Old Posted May 13, 2008, 1:09 PM
rapid_business's Avatar
rapid_business rapid_business is offline
Urban Advocate
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 6,888
It would need some sort of cost sharing with Guelph however...
__________________
Cities are the most extraordinary human creation. They are this phenomenon which has unbelievable capacity to solve problems, to innovate, to invent, to create prosperity, to make change and continually reform. - Ken Greenburg
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #86  
Old Posted May 14, 2008, 3:04 PM
jcollins jcollins is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 1,148
Quote:
Greyhound says bus service to core will continue

May 14, 2008
Jeff Outhit
RECORD STAFF

KITCHENER

Greyhound says it will continue running all its buses from downtown, after adding a Sportsworld Drive terminal in July.

"We will continue to have every schedule operate through downtown," senior vice-president Stuart Kendrick said yesterday.

Pending negotiations, the company hopes to continue using a platform at the Grand River Transit terminal on Charles Street.

Kendrick apologized for confusion over Greyhound's relocation plans, which have left passengers and politicians uncertain about the future of downtown buses.

"If there is a reduction in the bus service from the downtown, that is unacceptable to me," Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr said yesterday.

Greyhound says it is adding the Sportsworld site near Highway 401 to improve service for commuters who can park there for free.

After July 20, tickets will no longer be sold at Charles Street and parcel courier service will no longer be available.

But passengers will be collected downtown even if they have yet to purchase tickets, Kendrick said.

jouthit@therecord.com
Nice to see the Mayor taking a stand and supporting Greyhound presence downtown.
It's going to be interesting to see how they make it work with picking people up downtown, bringing them to sportsworld, having them get off and get tickets. Seems like a complicated process.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #87  
Old Posted May 14, 2008, 3:31 PM
jcollins jcollins is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 1,148
Quote:
Originally Posted by kitchener-lrt View Post
2) New Grand River Transit (GRT) Business Plan 2008-2010
http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web...df?openelement
Noticed that for 2009, route 52 (sportsworld) will be increased to every 15 minutes. I like this, especially in light of what we've been talking about (greyhound) but I'd love to see it happen this year.

Im also a big fan of the Fare Card initiative. Maybe have some kind of kiosks at the terminals to reload cards. Thats how the Washington DC transit system works, and it works great.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #88  
Old Posted May 14, 2008, 7:11 PM
plam plam is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcollins View Post
For example....?
Probably the most annoying thing was Greyhound moving to have Allo Stop shut down a few years back. There are other things, none of which is terribly annoying in itself, but which combine to create great annoyance at Greyhound. (It always seems harder than it should be to find schedules on their page, for instance).

In general I don't like inter-city buses much; I took them too many times between Boston and Montreal. (Crossing the border on a bus is not very pleasant). I much prefer taking the train. I wish the Toronto-Kitchener train was faster and ran more often (I read that it used to run 5x a day in the 90s, before budget cuts).
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #89  
Old Posted May 16, 2008, 9:16 PM
jcollins jcollins is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 1,148
Region's plan to boost ridership includes expansion, newer buses

May 16, 2008
Jeff Outhit
RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO REGION

Grand River Transit plans to operate newer buses more often, in a bid to boost ridership by 17 per cent by 2010.

This week, regional councillors endorsed a transit expansion that will cost taxpayers $5 million over three years. Highlights include:

Modernizing the fleet by replacing buses after 12 years rather than 18.

Adding evening and weekend buses and more daytime buses on various routes.

Launching service to Elmira by next year.

Expanding service for disabled passengers on Mobility Plus.

Making fare changes, including a discounted summer "eco-pass" for adult passengers in 2009.

In addition, the regional transit service intends to:

Launch a study to redesign the bus network to integrate with a rapid transit system in 2013.

Evaluate a smart card system for fares that could launch in 2011.

Enhance driver training and programs to improve employee productivity and effectiveness.

Councillors who have made transit expansion a key policy hailed the proposed improvements. But Coun. Sean Strickland, of Waterloo, opposed the plan, concerned it does not propose how to improve financial performance.

For example, fares pay just 45 per cent of local transit costs. That's well below the benchmark of 55 per cent on average by comparable transit systems.

"It's really hard for me, as much as I support transit, to support this business plan, with that lack of analysis," Strickland said.

Transit service is expected to rise by 6.5 per cent a year. Ridership is expected to rise by 5.8 per cent per year.

"It takes a while to change the transit culture," explained Graham Vincent, director of transportation planning.

jouthit@therecord.com
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #90  
Old Posted May 22, 2008, 9:10 PM
kitchener-lrt's Avatar
kitchener-lrt kitchener-lrt is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 698
EasyGo is Running, on a "test basis"!!!
http://grt.ca/web/transit.nsf/fmFrontPage?openform
Test it out!


Also, the GRT 2008-2010 Business plan got approved:
http://grt.ca/web/transit.nsf/$All/5...A?OpenDocument

Greyhound News:
http://grt.ca/web/transit.nsf/$All/9...2?OpenDocument
__________________
Toronto FC Supporter
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #91  
Old Posted Jun 9, 2008, 3:15 PM
jcollins jcollins is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 1,148
There's only so much technology can solve

June 07, 2008
JEFF OUTHIT
RECORD STAFF

Grand River Transit wants you on their bus and they're using technology as a lure.

Yesterday, the regional agency launched its EasyGo service, intended to make it easier to ride public transit. Highlights include:

A website where you can plan your trip from door to door, showing times, distances and transfers.

A telephone number to provide you with departure times at your stop.

Text messaging, to reveal the next three times the bus is scheduled at your stop.

Governments are spending $3 million on consumer-friendly technology to promote transit. Other elements, already in place, include flat-panel information displays at terminals, real-time displays on express buses, and green-light priority for express buses at 17 intersections. These are all welcome initiatives, detailed at www.grt.ca. They will make public transit a better experience.

"The goal really is to get people out of their cars, and change their habits," Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy said.

It's a laudable goal. Unfortunately, what EasyGo shows me is why I still drive my car.

Let's say I want to commute by bus, leaving home at 8 a.m. and returning after 5 p.m. I asked the online trip planner: What's the fastest way to get from my front door to The Record and back again?

As promised, the planner told me where to walk, where to catch the bus, and what buses to take. A helpful map was provided. But the result was disheartening. My daily commute by Grand River Transit would require a transfer each way at Fairview Park mall and consume 91 minutes. This includes:

24 minutes of walking to bus stops.

15 minutes of waiting for buses.

52 minutes on buses.

The online planner missed the closest bus stop to my house, making me walk a bit longer than necessary. But here's the bigger concern.

I live seven kilometres from work. I can drive there and back in 24 minutes. So my commuting options are 24 pleasant minutes by car or 91 minutes on transit, outside in bad weather, mingling with strangers.

It's a no-brainer.

Taking transit would consume an extra 67 minutes of my day. I have other things to do with that time. I can actually walk to work and back in two hours, which is not much slower than taking the bus.

So yes, soaring gas prices hurt, and driving is bad for the environment. But EasyGo reminds me that public transit is achingly slow. In my case, it's almost four times slower.

Until that changes, I'll be in my car.

Jeff Outhit can be reached at jouthit@therecord.com and 519-894-2250, ext. 2654.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #92  
Old Posted Jun 9, 2008, 3:41 PM
waterloowarrior's Avatar
waterloowarrior waterloowarrior is offline
National Capital Region
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Eastern Ontario
Posts: 9,243
GRT will work with the university to redesign the bus system
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #93  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2008, 3:30 PM
jcollins jcollins is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 1,148
Region narrows transit options

June 11, 2008
Jeff Outhit
RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO REGION

Planners have shortlisted rapid transit options to a train route and a bus route, pending public review.

One route and technology will be chosen later this year for a proposed transit system linking Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge, along the central cores of the cities. Councillors have previously leaned to trains, arguing they will draw more passengers and buildings to the transit corridor. But buses are estimated to cost much less.

Proposed routes for trains and buses are the same in some places but differ in others.

Maps of the shortlisted routes can be found online at www.region.waterloo.on.ca/transitea.

Three public consultation centres are scheduled this month to help planners get to a final option.

Coun. Tom Galloway expects increased interest among landowners as route options narrow. "Some will see this as very positive," he said. "Some may not actually like it."

Regional council is pitching rapid transit as a way to draw homes and jobs to underbuilt areas and make the community more compact. Ridership projections have been modest.

Costs for a first phase of light rail, linking Kitchener and Waterloo, have not been finalized but could exceed $450 million, based on previous estimates.

The province has agreed to pay two-thirds of the startup costs for a system that could launch by 2013.

Public consultation centres run from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. They are:

June 17 at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 54 Queen St. in Kitchener.

June 19 at First United Church, 16 William St. in Waterloo.

June 24 at the United Kingdom Club, 35 International Village Dr. in Cambridge.

jouthit@therecord.com
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #94  
Old Posted Jul 8, 2008, 1:04 PM
DHLawrence DHLawrence is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Cambridge, Ontario
Posts: 937
Greyhound moves, but downtown service will remain

July 08, 2008
Jeff Outhit
RECORD STAFF

KITCHENER

Greyhound has added a Sportsworld stop in south Kitchener, while pledging to keep selling tickets and collecting passengers at the downtown bus station.

Intercity buses have been stopping on Sportsworld Drive since last month. Tickets will be sold there starting July 21 at a temporary terminal.

The company hopes to lure commuters with free parking and closer access to Highway 401.

Greyhound spokesperson Randy Padley said the company adjusted its plans after hearing complaints from upset passengers who favour the Charles Street terminal operated by Grand River Transit.

"We're trying to minimize the problems," Padley said yesterday.

Among the adjustments:

Greyhound and Grand River Transit have negotiated a one-year, renewable contract for intercity buses to continue stopping at Charles Street.

Tickets will still be sold downtown after July 21, on the platform rather than in the terminal. Previously, downtown sales were to end.

Internet ticketing for Kitchener is to launch by July 21.

Departures have been advanced 10 minutes to maintain Toronto arrivals.

Two express trips have been added from Kitchener and Cambridge.

Greyhound is also relocating its Cambridge terminal. It will move one block west on Aug. 1.

The new Cambridge terminal, at 1139 Industrial Rd., Unit 3, has more parking and a better waiting area, Padley said.

A permanent Greyhound terminal is planned at Sportsworld. Buses are stopping near the entrance to the Sportsworld arena.

Kitchener resident Paul Nowak, who commutes daily on Greyhound to his Toronto job, said it was wonderful to hear that tickets will still be sold downtown. The transition to the new Sportsworld terminal has been unsettling for many downtown passengers, he said. "What bothers me is their lack of communication."

Windsor Viney, who rides Greyhound to Toronto once a month, worries Greyhound may eventually abandon the downtown. This would cause him problems because he has no car, and transit to Sportsworld is weak.

Padley says Greyhound intends to stop downtown as long as there are passengers to serve there.

"We don't want to lose one rider," he said. "The intent was always to gain more riders, not to lose any."

Grand River Transit has no immediate plans to improve transit to Sportsworld, which is served by one bus route.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #95  
Old Posted Jul 8, 2008, 1:57 PM
jcollins jcollins is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 1,148
No too happy that GRT isnt going to improve service to Sportsworld. If it's going to be a Greyhound hub, its the ideal location for a GRT hub. And if thats the case, one bus line going there is just embarrassing.

On a positive note, although I dont know the new cambridge location, it's gotta be better than the old one!
Anyone know what the new location's like?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #96  
Old Posted Jul 8, 2008, 8:56 PM
jeicow jeicow is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 202
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcollins View Post
On a positive note, although I dont know the new cambridge location, it's gotta be better than the old one! Anyone know what the new location's like?
Based on Google mapping this one, I know for sure it's worst than the old one. It's further away from Hespeler meaning a longer walk coming in from the 51 or that general direction. Depending on which side of the street it's on, it's either a unit in an old warehouse that closed, or a small-ish unit in a multi-company warehouse kinda complex. I wonder if they'll move the taxi phone from the current place, since it's the only way of getting downtown (besides the 1.5 hr walk) after the buses stop running at 6pm on Sunday (I'm still bitter about that).

Without dedicated Sportsworld buses, the current problem of the buses by-passing the terminal once they're filled at Charles Street will continue to make it an unattractive option (especially on Fridays). It's also a bitch that you can't buy student tickets from the driver. It will be interesting to see how they handle his one when they go to sell them from the platform.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #97  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2008, 2:15 AM
mark76 mark76 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kitchener,Ontario
Posts: 174
grt

Hi !!
New to this forum ,which I like to read and to see what`s new in k-w in regards to public transit.

There are some improvements but can guys for transit planning use a bit of common sense ??? Sometimes I don`t get it.If they don`t know how, lets see other places like Europe or even South America.

You can`t expect to run buses in sub-divisions picking up 5 passengers and take you an hour to get to downtown kitchener instead of 10-15 minutes??People are being turned off by that and of course there is lack of passangers.

one thing is evident :people are not use to public transit like in other parts of the world and also population density.

just expesssing my opinion and would like to discuss it with other people as well.I think k-w deserves better city and intercity transit.
My wish : daily commute to work by public transit,not car!!!

as for greyhound hub :good location, but grt need direct line from downtown to sportworld

Thank you
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #98  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2008, 3:07 AM
Cambridgite
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Quote:
Originally Posted by mark76 View Post
Hi !!
New to this forum ,which I like to read and to see what`s new in k-w in regards to public transit.

There are some improvements but can guys for transit planning use a bit of common sense ??? Sometimes I don`t get it.If they don`t know how, lets see other places like Europe or even South America.

You can`t expect to run buses in sub-divisions picking up 5 passengers and take you an hour to get to downtown kitchener instead of 10-15 minutes??People are being turned off by that and of course there is lack of passangers.

one thing is evident :people are not use to public transit like in other parts of the world and also population density.

just expesssing my opinion and would like to discuss it with other people as well.I think k-w deserves better city and intercity transit.
My wish : daily commute to work by public transit,not car!!!

as for greyhound hub :good location, but grt need direct line from downtown to sportworld

Thank you
Hi Mark76. Welcome to SSP!

I completely agree with what you're saying and you're certainly not the only one on here who is baffled by the inefficiencies of our transit system.

The busses need to try and stick to the major roads. Looping wastes time and makes the trip much longer. People will walk a little further to the bus station if it means the bus will actually take them where they want to go.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #99  
Old Posted Jul 10, 2008, 9:02 PM
kwoldtimer kwoldtimer is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: La vraie capitale
Posts: 23,490
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cambridgite View Post
Hi Mark76. Welcome to SSP!

I completely agree with what you're saying and you're certainly not the only one on here who is baffled by the inefficiencies of our transit system.

The busses need to try and stick to the major roads. Looping wastes time and makes the trip much longer. People will walk a little further to the bus station if it means the bus will actually take them where they want to go.
The service has improved considerably in recent years, but still has a long way to go. One gap that strikes me as odd, each time I come back for a visit, is the lack of a bus route along Ottawa St. The street has become a major cross-town route in Kitchener and is intersected by, or used for short stretches, by any number of GRT bus routes, but there is still no direct route from the Sunrise Centre to Stanley Park Mall, for example. A route along Ottawa would permit you to transfer at any number of spots, including to the express bus at Charles, without having to go downtown.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #100  
Old Posted Jul 11, 2008, 2:46 AM
mark76 mark76 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kitchener,Ontario
Posts: 174
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwoldtimer View Post
The service has improved considerably in recent years, but still has a long way to go. One gap that strikes me as odd, each time I come back for a visit, is the lack of a bus route along Ottawa St. The street has become a major cross-town route in Kitchener and is intersected by, or used for short stretches, by any number of GRT bus routes, but there is still no direct route from the Sunrise Centre to Stanley Park Mall, for example. A route along Ottawa would permit you to transfer at any number of spots, including to the express bus at Charles, without having to go downtown.
cambridgite ,thank you!!

kwoldtimer:yes ,that is true ,I live in Stanley Park Area and there is no line for Ottawa st.!Except line#7 and ixpress ,i think k-w must have 2 or 3 "backbone" lines ,one would be for Ottawa and another for Victoria St ( but that area from Lackner all the way to King Street is nothing than car dealership lot
For Ottawa line i would suggest next:
make it from Breaslau or Waterloo Region Airport, then Victoria St ,turn to Lackner and then all the way to Sunrise Plaza ( that area is so car congested ,brrr)or maybe even to run to Prosperity Drive.More or less.
Imagine that, how would be much easier to go either Fairway or Conestoga Mall,Sunrise Plaza and Stanley Park Mall??
Its a good thing we discuss it here ,but how can we "push " grt ,city or region to actually listen our voice???
Reply With Quote
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > Canada > Ontario
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 12:03 PM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.