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Post by HYBRID0920 on Mar 7, 2010 22:57:34 GMT -5
Hey, I think there is a strong need for Articulated buses in Toronto. I live in Hamilton and whenever I go and visit out in Toronto I always get jam packed buses and street cars. There are a few routes in need of longer buses, and I would love to see that happen. We, in Hamilton have them. We are a smaller city than Toronto. So why shouldn't Toronto have them?
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Post by Mark Dewdney on Mar 8, 2010 0:06:01 GMT -5
Hi "Hy"! Thanks - that's a great question, and one I hadn't really thought enough about. Bear with me; this one deserves some thorough explanation about why I feel the way I do;
I feel like Toronto needs subways. NOTHING moves people (the ONLY goal of a transit system) like a subway - thousands at a time in one train, while buses might carry a couple of hundred, and streetcars likewise.
Right now, Transit City wants to install hundreds of kilometers of SRT (streetcar rapid transit, if you're not a "buff" like me) rails and right-of-ways. That's a great idea, until you realize exactly what that means for the TTC's future; ten years from now, when the SRTs aren't enough to cope with the potentially 3+million citizens (and many more coming in to work daily), we will ask for more funding.
When we do, I'm worried that Queen's Park and Ottawa will say "Sorry, guys, we gave you a ton of money to put in the streetcars. We can't afford more right now." Whoops.
I also feel that, if we show fiscal restraint, showing Queen's Park and Ottawa that we actually HAVE a long-term thought in mind, that they might be more inclined to support a subway line every 10 years or so (which would be a HUGE help to Toronto, if properly planned ALONG THE RIGHT STREETS.)
So - after that long and convoluted thought process (necessary to show you why I favour "smelly old buses" over sleek and modern streetcars);
I favour articulated buses. Our current "short buses" do not handle enough people at a crack. Before we buy "artics" in bulk, though, it's plain that operators will have to be trained up to standards, routes identified that need the new artics, transit barns and toolkits will need to be retooled, subway-station bus platforms will have to be widened and lengthened...in short, it's not just enough to buy the buses and run 'em out there.
HOWEVER - the final word for me says that a properly-designed and maintained articulated bus will a) move as many people, b) with new clean-fuel and air technology, will be as clean or nearly so, and c) will be more flexible - streetcars can't move off their rails to go around an accident, and you can't use a streetcar to help subways that have broken down or are dealing with an emergency.
In short, "artics" HAVE to be seriously considered, and I welcome all your feedback on this subject (that is, if you're not tired of hearing me prattle on about it...)
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