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+--- Thread: Grand River Transit (/showthread.php?tid=13)
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RE: Grand River Transit - timio - 02-23-2018
$$$$$
RE: Grand River Transit - chutten - 02-23-2018
It is unclear if, by BRT, they mean a -real- BRT instead of a bunch of buses at low headways. That would delay deployment.
RE: Grand River Transit - Canard - 02-23-2018
Yeah, sorry - I’m assuming it’s just buses like we see going to Cambridge (which they’re sort of untruthfully calling BRT).
Why $$$? We already have buses, just shift them around to make the new routes.
RE: Grand River Transit - KevinL - 02-23-2018
All those corridor segments are from current or planned iXpress routes, it should be noted, with the possible exception of the Fairway-Airport bit.
RE: Grand River Transit - timio - 02-23-2018
(02-23-2018, 09:06 PM)Canard Wrote: Yeah, sorry - I’m assuming it’s just buses like we see going to Cambridge (which they’re sort of untruthfully calling BRT).
Why $$$? We already have buses, just shift them around to make the new routes.
If you just shifted existing buses around, you'd be removing service from other areas. Sure, high frequencies on the iXpress routes, but what about those into the far reaches that are supposed to feed the main routes? Need more buses to handle increased frequencies. Or grade separate every intersection and increase the speed limit for buses to ensure you can do the route in a shorter length of time. Regardless, it costs money to bring good service without harming existing service elsewhere.
RE: Grand River Transit - Pheidippides - 02-24-2018
The report also hints that University/Erb or Highland/Charles/Victoria would be the preferred candidates for the next phase of rapid transit (but doesn't say if that would be true BRT, aBRT, LRT, etc.):
One interesting piece of the preliminary work is that the region has identified four "types" of people in the region and that they need to focus on "interested but concerned" group by reducing the actual and perceived barriers to those people shifting modes:
Also, I noticed today, in a completely new level of irony and insult to its passengers, that there is a new bus wrap ad that is advertising the bus wrap ad services of some firm. It was on the #8 this morning, but I did not get a picture.
The report also talks about new, planned, and potentially deferred roads projects, but I will list them over in the roads thread.
RE: Grand River Transit - danbrotherston - 02-24-2018
Sadly I didn't get a picture but I just saw a GRT bus drive past me on Front Street in downtown Toronto.
RE: Grand River Transit - tomh009 - 02-24-2018
(02-24-2018, 01:07 PM)Pheidippides Wrote: Also, I noticed today, in a completely new level of irony and insult to its passengers, that there is a new bus wrap ad that is advertising the bus wrap ad services of some firm. It was on the #8 this morning, but I did not get a picture.
Why is it an insult to the passengers?
Bus advertising provides revenue to the transit system and helps keep the fares moderate.
RE: Grand River Transit - Canard - 02-24-2018
Because wraps are horrible for people on the inside.
RE: Grand River Transit - timio - 02-24-2018
Wrap ads take away the ability to clearly see the surroundings, which apart from general aesthetics, and the inability to clearly see landmarks that might be used for wayfinding, can be an issue for those who tend to get motion sickness.
RE: Grand River Transit - tomh009 - 02-24-2018
Fair enough, but that's true for all wrap ads, not just this particular one.
RE: Grand River Transit - ijmorlan - 02-24-2018
(02-24-2018, 09:12 PM)tomh009 Wrote: Fair enough, but that's true for all wrap ads, not just this particular one.
True, but there is something about a wrap ad for wrap ads that feels worse.
Please keep in mind also that ad revenue is typically not a large component of transit income. I couldn’t quickly find actual numbers but I would be surprised if it covered more than a few percent of expenses. So it doesn’t make sense to significantly worsen the transit experience for the sake of advertising. It would be a different calculation if the ads allowed for free boarding, or for an entire rapid transit line to be run at no cost to the Region, or something like that.
Personally, I think window-covering wrap ads should not be done, except that if some small component of the ad extends over a small fraction of the area of the window, I would allow that. For example, if an ad has a hockey stick and the hockey stick extends across the window I would be OK with that. But not more than maybe 10-15% of the glass area should be covered.
Also note that there is no expectation that the road network contribute to its upkeep by selling advertising (or collecting fares). 100% funding out of taxes is fine there, apparently. It’s not clear to me why transit is considered so different.
RE: Grand River Transit - tomh009 - 02-24-2018
So I will say up front that I am very interested in the concept of "free transit" (fully funded by the government, with no fares) and would love to see some serious study of this option. And I've posted about this before. But it doesn't seem that the population at large is ready for this.
But whether it's fare-free (fully government-funded) or not (only partially government-funded), advertising probably will contribute to the revenues. If we don't want full wraps, we need GRT to set the rules on that -- the individual advertisers are only operating within those rules.
RE: Grand River Transit - Canard - 02-24-2018
Wraps look awful. Designers put a hell of a lot of effort into making a really nice fleet livery, and then it just gets destroyed by what is essentially graffiti over the entire vehicle. It makes me want to puke.
RE: Grand River Transit - KevinL - 02-24-2018
(02-24-2018, 10:01 PM)Canard Wrote: It makes me want to puke.
Something you share with the riders within such a vehicle who are prone to motion sickness...