A trip to Hamilton

Wednesday, the Urban_Empress and I boarded the #47 GO bus bound for downtown Hamilton, a city which many lump in with the supposedly-homogenous “905″. Shortly thereafter, another passenger boarded the same bus at Burlington Carpool Lot. But, they soon realized that they were travelling in the wrong direction. This individual got off at McMaster University for the return trip to York University, but it left us wondering what could be done to prevent this from happening. Countdown timers at stops could be helpful, but these did not stop a couple from boarding a late night bus to Brampton last week when they really wanted to go to Square One. We expect perfection from our transit agencies, but we must concede that there is a small group of people who will forget to tap their PRESTO cards, will board the wrong bus, or will miss the announcement of an upcoming service change. Continue reading

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The Downtown Relief Line

Immediately after Toronto city council voted in favour of reverting to the at-grade LRT transit plan for Eglinton, Finch West and Sheppard East, I wrote a post saying that I felt that it was a vote to apply the most cost-effective solution to a transit problem (curiously, this was the post that crashed my old blog). I have always been of the opinion that both modes could provide the local service and development style we desire, so unless there was a need to go under narrow streets, needed capacity was the only justification for the added expense. Since developing Sheppard to the point where the capacity was needed would not be in keeping with our development vision, the right decision was made. However, there are proposed corridors where the capacity of an underground line is needed from day one. Continue reading

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Niagara Falls in the off-season

GO Transit’s summer weekend excursion train service was never the only option for those who wanted to visit the falls but weren’t interested in driving. The joint VIA Rail / Amtrak Maple Leaf train to Toronto was always an option, as well as Greyhound and Coach Canada buses, but the GO trains (and the buses which run all year) brought the sustainable options to the front of the public consciousness. While the falls are best enjoyed in the summer, the Urban_Empress and I decided to spend Valentine’s Day alongside one of the seven wonders of Canada. Continue reading

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