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Grand River Transit
(08-29-2023, 12:29 PM)clasher Wrote: I'd had a few pops so I was a bit pissed so I ended up with a 18$ cab ride. I'd normally just do a drunken walk home but my partner was in heels.

I could understand a bit less service along school routes but the LRT should run until 2am all year.

Totally agreed. I think we should pay for 10 minute service too — get people used to the idea that the LRT is always there for them.
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What does the current LRT agreement stipulate? Is there an option to increase service faster than planned (either longer hours or more frequent services). Of course, pushing LRT service past midnight on the Waterloo Spur, the LRT would have to dodge the CN freight service.
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(08-29-2023, 05:42 PM)nms Wrote: Of course, pushing LRT service past midnight on the Waterloo Spur, the LRT would have to dodge the CN freight service.

If they reduce frequency they can use just the northbound track between Waterloo Park and Northfield, and only need to time around crossings at Erb.
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(08-29-2023, 12:29 PM)clasher Wrote: I'd had a few pops so I was a bit pissed so I ended up with a 18$ cab ride. I'd normally just do a drunken walk home but my partner was in heels.

I could understand a bit less service along school routes but the LRT should run until 2am all year.

So New York City's transit is famous for running 24h (at less frequency in the wee hours), but even Montreal's metro closes at 1am on Saturdays and 00:30 on other days. They do have the excuse that they need to do substantial tunnel maintenance all the time. LRT does not have that excuse.
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Hah, 2AM for the LRT? Not a chance. Waterloo Region isn't a 24 hour city like Toronto, Berlin, New York City. There is no reason to operate the LRT past midnight and pay all of that money just to move a dozen people.
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(08-30-2023, 06:33 AM)ac3r Wrote: Hah, 2AM for the LRT? Not a chance. Waterloo Region isn't a 24 hour city like Toronto, Berlin, New York City. There is no reason to operate the LRT past midnight and pay all of that money just to move a dozen people.

If you take that line of reasoning, we get to the historical GO Transit pattern where we only move people to get to work for their 9-5 job. Public transport should move the public, and people need to get to work for 5am jobs as well as 9am jobs. And service on Sundays and in the summers has been lacking historically. They shouldn't be. It should be something that we can depend on at all times.
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They could at least have the ticket machines working so schmucks like me can buy a bus ticket after midnight.
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(08-30-2023, 06:50 PM)clasher Wrote: They could at least have the ticket machines working so schmucks like me can buy a bus ticket after midnight.

Why don't you have an EasyGo card?
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(08-30-2023, 08:01 PM)Acitta Wrote:
(08-30-2023, 06:50 PM)clasher Wrote: They could at least have the ticket machines working so schmucks like me can buy a bus ticket after midnight.

Why don't you have an EasyGo card?

Why aren’t the machines working?
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(08-30-2023, 08:01 PM)Acitta Wrote:
(08-30-2023, 06:50 PM)clasher Wrote: They could at least have the ticket machines working so schmucks like me can buy a bus ticket after midnight.

Why don't you have an EasyGo card?

Not worth the effort for a trip or two a year.
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(08-30-2023, 06:18 PM)plam Wrote:
(08-30-2023, 06:33 AM)ac3r Wrote: Hah, 2AM for the LRT? Not a chance. Waterloo Region isn't a 24 hour city like Toronto, Berlin, New York City. There is no reason to operate the LRT past midnight and pay all of that money just to move a dozen people.

If you take that line of reasoning, we get to the historical GO Transit pattern where we only move people to get to work for their 9-5 job. Public transport should move the public, and people need to get to work for 5am jobs as well as 9am jobs. And service on Sundays and in the summers has been lacking historically. They shouldn't be. It should be something that we can depend on at all times.

Well it runs from 05:45 to 24:23 which I think is fine for Waterloo Region. We don't have the money to be running the LRT any longer than that. The only people on the LRT at 2AM would be homeless and the odd person who works really weird hours. Not sure that justifies paying the wages of a dozen drivers, security, fare inspectors, Keolis staff and then all the money spent on power it draws.
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There is a middle ground here. I think a reasonable service would be:
  • Last train leaves after midnight from both Conestoga and Fairway, 7 days/week
  • Friday and Saturday night service runs Northfield - Borden until 2am

Having the train running Friday and Saturday nights would do wonders to get students out, and create more nightlife in DTK. I don't want DTK nightlife to be all student, but I absolutely think that it's chicken and egg. Make nightlife convenient and we'll get more of it, and students are one of the easiest demographics.

Of course, this would require regional council to want more nightlife, which I largely think they don't. But more nightlife would do wonders for attracting the young professional demographic they do want.
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Perhaps a precursor to the LRT at night would be something like Toronto's Blue Night routes. Even an overnight truncated 7 would be useful.
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You mean like the 91 Late Night Loop? I forgot it had existed until just now.
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Friday and Saturday are also nights the freight tends not to run so the logistics would be simpler than earlier in the week.

I believe the freight sometimes runs Friday but rarely if ever Saturday.
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