[81-717]

Why would an artic get stuck at a rail crossing where a regular bus wouldn't? It's not like a big truck with a long trailer with low ground clearance getting stuck at a crossing where the road slopes before and after the tracks, causing the trailer to scrape the ground and the wheels to lose contact with the ground. Transit buses (including artics) don't have a long enough wheelbase (the bendiness of artics and the extra axle cancel out their increased length) or a low enough ground clearance for this to happen. Not to mention the crossings in question (Steeles Finch East, Finch West YorkU Busway) are generally flat. Wicksteed is a different story.

 

[smallspy]

Why would an artic get stuck at a rail crossing where a regular bus wouldn't? It's not like a big truck with a long trailer with low ground clearance getting stuck at a crossing where the road slopes before and after the tracks, causing the trailer to scrape the ground and the wheels to lose contact with the ground. Transit buses (including artics) don't have a long enough wheelbase (the bendiness of artics and the extra axle cancel out their increased length) or a low enough ground clearance for this to happen. Not to mention the crossings in question (Steeles Finch East, Finch West YorkU Busway) are generally flat. Wicksteed is a different story.

It has nothing to do with getting stuck.

There were, however, about a dozen level crossing incidents - things like the gates getting contacted by vehicles, vehicles getting caught under gates, or vehicles operating through crossings with the lights going but before the gates come down - in the space of two weeks this past fall on Finch and the Finch busway, and several of them involved artics. This in part led to the TTC's new rules around operating through level crossings.

It was also decided that it would be helpful to get the artics off of Finch, as being slower to take off than the 40 footers that they would be more susceptible to accidents if an operator is trying to accelerate from a stop at a level crossing (ignoring the fact that the rule above which has just taken affect, and means that buses no longer need to stop at gated level crossings).

Dan

 

[kvvoyage]

On the 38 today and the driver stopped at Midland & Ellesmere to walk into Tims for a cup of coffee - excuse my lack of knowledge as I'm only in Toronto for uni, but is this allowed? It's happened a few times at the exact same place so I thought I'd point it out.

 

[DSCToronto]

On the 38 today and the driver stopped at Midland & Ellesmere to walk into Tims for a cup of coffee - excuse my lack of knowledge as I'm only in Toronto for uni, but is this allowed? It's happened a few times at the exact same place so I thought I'd point it out.

Sure it happens sometimes if routes do not end at a place with facilities. It was damned cold today, give the operator a break.

 

[drum118]

On the 38 today and the driver stopped at Midland & Ellesmere to walk into Tims for a cup of coffee - excuse my lack of knowledge as I'm only in Toronto for uni, but is this allowed? It's happened a few times at the exact same place so I thought I'd point it out.

Very common as a lot of routes are long with nothing at either end to get a drink or take a bathroom brake if the washroom is only at one end. On hot days, drivers need to drink more as well refill their water bottle. This happens on other systems as well.

Some driver inform the riders what they are doing before getting off.

 

[Steve X]

On the 38 today and the driver stopped at Midland & Ellesmere to walk into Tims for a cup of coffee - excuse my lack of knowledge as I'm only in Toronto for uni, but is this allowed? It's happened a few times at the exact same place so I thought I'd point it out.

Yes but he is suppose to announce to the bus what he is doing. Not just walk out leaving everyone stranded in the darkness but they often get confronted or stalled with questions, so some avoid saying anything.

 

[kvvoyage]

Apologies for my lack of knowledge and if I sounded like I was complaining, but as Steve was saying I've been walked out upon multiple times absolutely confused about what was going on. Nice to know as it's happened a few times.

 

[evandyk]

A driver should absolutely never leave a bus without announcing to the passengers when their plan is to be back.

 

[reinventingthewheel]

This happened a couple times to me in Mississauga about 10 years ago, completely unannounced that the route 44 driver was feeling a bit peckish.

 

[drum118]

This happened a couple times to me in Mississauga about 10 years ago, completely unannounced that the route 44 driver was feeling a bit peckish.

I have it happen to me a number of times in Mississauga on various routes with some drivers informing the riders about the delay while others say nothing. Same on other systems. Yes drivers should inform the riders. It is still common today to see a driver stop off at the Tim's.

The same thing for sitting at stops up to five minutes and this is caused by a number of things. Driver has a lead foot, lack of riders being pickup, most of all, the schedule has been padded because drivers complaining there isn't enough runtime.

 

[Northern Light]

@Steve Munro is out with a piece on TTC on-time performance, which can be found here:

Delving Into TTC “On Time” Performance

The TTC produces a monthly summary of On Time Performance for its bus and streetcar networks. To call it superficial would be generous, but there are pretty charts. First and most obvious among the…

stevemunro.ca

Its an excellent piece and fits with a report from TTC Riders (the advocacy group), which is similar, but different, looking at Metrics vs Actual Performance

Lucky or late: A report on TTC metrics vs. rider experience

www.ttcriders.ca

This piece is also excellent, its got lots of charts that very digestible; but its also got useful comparisons to other transit systems showing how they measure performance differently.

There's so much here that I can't really bring it all forward.......but this item is one I wanted to highlight:

I also want to bring some of those data comparisons, showing how other transit authorities report on OTP:

I note that Boston employs a measure of Zero early, 3M late for its on-time window for any service with a 15M or better frequency.

This compared to TTC's recent history of +1 early to -5 late as being on-time, with the one minute early now being rescinded.

*****

Suffice to say, some great reading for transit nerds and just interested riders!

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Got this through Google AI Overview...

In Toronto, the cycle time for traffic signals varies depending on the intersection, but generally falls within a range of 60 to 90 seconds; with the City of Toronto adjusting timings based on traffic volume and patterns at each location, aiming to balance the needs of pedestrians, motorists, and public transit.

Key points about Toronto traffic signal timings:

• Minimum pedestrian walk time: The standard "walk" time is set at a minimum of 7 seconds.
• Left turn signal duration: A minimum of 6 seconds is allocated for a left-turn green arrow.
• Signal timing adjustments: The City reviews signal timings based on public requests and traffic conditions at specific intersections.

To get specific information about signal timing at a particular intersection in Toronto, you can contact the City of Toronto directly.

A bus or streetcar's dwell time can be extended by 90 seconds because of a red signal light. That means an additional 1 1/2 minute added to the run, for each traffic signal. So if a bus or streetcar comes to a nearside stop, and the passengers have disembarked and people entered, but the traffic signal turns red just as the doors close, they have to wait another one and a half minutes.

 

[T3G]

It is hard to imagine that setting -5 as a metric for running "on time" was done for any other reasons than to cook the numbers, in a system that has headways superior to 3 minutes on many services.

The fact that running +1 was considered on time is also farcical. There is no reason why a transit service should EVER run hot. Ever. End.

 

[Northern Light]

It is hard to imagine that setting -5 as a metric for running "on time" was done for any other reasons than to cook the numbers, in a system that has headways superior to 3 minutes on many services.

The fact that running +1 was considered on time is also farcical. There is no reason why a transit service should EVER run hot. Ever. End.

Prior to +1/.-5, the old metric was +3/-3.

So they simply maintained the six minutes, but shifted from 3 early, 3 late to 1 early, 5 late.

I don't think there was great thought put into it other than buses really shouldn't leave 3 minutes early, and we don't want to have a fight over reducing the 6 minute window.

To be clear, I think they were wrong, and a change to 0 early/3 late was the reasonable path forward. We're inching that way, but more work needed.

Of course, its not just about the metric. Its about the fact that the TTC only measures that metric at terminal points, and not mid-route.

Its also not just about correct metrics, but about service management to ensure you're actually meeting them.

 

[christiesplits]

I’m curious to see the January ridership figures.

I suspect some employers increased their in-office requirements starting on January 1st, which could explain why the TTC feels busier lately during rush hour.