[Monarch Butterfly]

In the addendum, they suggest a peak-service LRT headways of 2 minutes in the tunneled section and 3 minutes in the at grade sections.

Comments are being made that LRV trains could short turn at Don Mills, should ATO (Automatic Train Operation) work as advertised.

There is another option. Longer trains in the at grade sections? Couldn't the cars be decoupled and coupled together or apart, as needed? Depends on how that sort of operation (coupling and decoupling) can be handled (manually or automated?). Personally, I think doing that would just be too complicated, better to keep it simple.

 

[Adjei]

One thing the Liberals have done right is gotten us talking about proper ways to fund transit instead of delusional government efficiencies and private funding which will never materialize and lead us straight back to square one.

 

[DKsan]

In the addendum, they suggest a peak-service LRT headways of 2 minutes in the tunneled section and 3 minutes in the at grade sections.

Comments are being made that LRV trains could short turn at Don Mills, should ATO (Automatic Train Operation) work as advertised.

There is another option. Longer trains in the at grade sections? Couldn't the cars be decoupled and coupled together or apart, as needed? Depends on how that sort of operation (coupling and decoupling) can be handled (manually or automated?). Personally, I think doing that would just be too complicated, better to keep it simple.

In San Francisco, they have the MuniMetro, which includes a tunneled light rail portion. All of the lines merge together at either one or two points on the south end or at one point at the north end.

Lines use between 1-3 per line, but they all merge to form the core line under Market Street through some process.

However, my experience with it is it takes few minutes to longer (5-10 minutes) for this process to happen. Probably would be simpler not to do so on Eglinton.

 

[innsertnamehere]

As bad as a job the libs have done, you're just asking for a world of trouble by voting NDP or especially PC.

Indeed. I maintain my position that the Libs are the best of 3 evils.

 

[GenerationW]

The PC would most likely cancel Sheppard and Finch to bury Eglinton and connect it to the SRT. ( I disagree with that but elavated + Finch would be a better option). But I do conceed that the DRL would be in danger

So then no change since the DRL is in danger right now.


As for the timing of an election, Wynne is in a precarious position as an "unelected" Premier. She wants to take enough time to create an impression while also trying to reduce the effects of McGuinty's scandals, but she's still operating under his mandate, and if she waits too long she risks being seen as an illegitimate leader who is afraid to take her case to the electorate. I say Wynne calls it by Spring 2014 at the latest.

 

[nfitz]

... but she's still operating under his mandate, and if she waits too long she risks being seen as an illegitimate leader who is afraid to take her case to the electorate. I say Wynne calls it by Spring 2014 at the latest.

Is that a realistic concern though? Surely for each extra month of delay in calling an election, she also further distances herself from the previous regime. Win a few, lose a few.

Look back to history. The last Ontario Premier who left this early in a mandate was Premier Frost, who retired in 1961, only 2 years after the 1959 election. Incoming Premier Robarts didn't go to the polls until fall 1963, 4 years and 3 months after the previous election! And his penalty for governing rather than going to the polls, was that he got 49% of the vote and 77 seats, compared to 46% of the vote and 71 seats in the previous election.

There's no indication historically that the electorate will react to an incoming leader not going to the polls. However there is relatively recent evidence that the Ontario electorate will severely punish a Liberal Premier who calls an unnecessary election. David Peterson called the 1990 election less than 3 years after winning the 1987 majority (with 47% vote and 95 of 130 seats), and despite leading in the polls before the election, he got only 32% of the vote, and 36 seats ... with Bob Rae and the NDP being elected. I'm sure you recall the very anti-Liberal backlash that occurred because he called an early election.

The Liberals will clearly remember this lesson, and won't be any rush to go to the polls ... I really doubt that they'll call anything before 2015 themselves.

 

[Rainforest]

From the transit perspective, it is definitely better if Liberals hold power at least till the middle of 2015. By that time, Eglinton will be more or less safe, and hopefully some progress will be made on the Big Move funding strategy.

On the contrary, a PC government will likely cut the transit funding, and is very unlikely to support any transit-dedicated taxes.

NDP will not get enough seats to form the government; and even if they did, they have not presented any appealing transit strategy so far.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

There is an East Alignment Environmental Assessment Update at thecrosstown.ca website at this link.

You can download the presentation in PDF form from this link.

After reading the presentation, you can complete the survey at this link.

The major change is:

Relocating the Laird LRT Station to Brentcliffe Drive

 

[GenerationW]

Aren't we now up to a re-relocation of that station?

 

[datamouse]

Metrolinx is now saying they're sticking to the original EA with stop at Leslie retained.

 

[Voltz]

Metrolinx is now saying they're sticking to the original EA with stop at Leslie retained.

Seems that brief period of common sense that stated with the redesign of Mount Dennis did not continue to the east end of the tunnel.


Metrolinx needs to stop trying to make all of the loud mouth complainers happy.

 

[nfitz]

Metrolinx needs to stop trying to make all of the loud mouth complainers happy.

Given that City Council has to sign off on any changes, I expect Metrolinx is terrified on putting any changes in front of council currently, given how out of control it has come with it's lack of leadership.

 

[Ozman]

Councillors Stintz, Parker and Robinson are saying as datamouse said, that they're sticking with the original EA to retain Leslie stop. This is a cowardly backward step by Metrolinx which was finally making some sense and tunnelling to Don Mills, only to wimp out in the face of a few dozen condo dwellers on Leslie who never ride public transit anyway. (The bus stops are virtually empty). And as far as people going to the park, nobody takes transit to the park. They walk, bike or drive on weekends in order to haul their bbq's and picnic supplies.

Let's hope at least Metrolinx puts the surface LRT on the south lanes of Eglinton so it can still be separated from traffic until Don Mills and it will not mess up the Leslie/Eglinton intersection. This whole thing has become a joke.

What about the slope stability issues on Eglinton east of Brentcliffe? They'll be lucky if they get this thing open by 2030 if ever!

 

[Voltz]

Given that City Council has to sign off on any changes, I expect Metrolinx is terrified on putting any changes in front of council currently, given how out of control it has come with it's lack of leadership.

of all things, a longer tunnel should be the one thing they can agree on.

 

[nfitz]

of all things, a longer tunnel should be the one thing they can agree on.

With so many of them fighting to restore the Leslie stop?