[allabootmatt]

Almost every one of my recent streetcar experiences has been terrible -- like, 90% have been either so slow I wished I'd walked, or afflicted by some serious issue (like a 15-minute dead stop in the Queens Quay tunnel with no explanation). There needs to be an aggressive revamp of the system, with an emphasis on adopting best practices from other cities. Melbourne would be a good start; while riders there complain a lot, it's way better than the current Toronto situation.

I just don't see how this is sustainable as Toronto gets even more crowded, and RTO mandates take hold downtown. I like Not Just Bikes pointing out all the crazy issues, but disagree that there's some pro-car conspiracy here. The City does things that inconvenience drivers all the time -- for example, putting bike lanes on many major streets. The likelier explanation seems to be pure institutional inertia. Something as simple as flipping the light cycle on Spadina to put the left-turn signal last instead of first would cost nothing and probably barely be noticed by the car lobby.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Mayor Olivia Chow needs to make use of her "strong mayor powers". Currently, we have suburban councillors who are automobile disciples who tend to be stifling, deferring, and arguing against making streetcar and transit, in general, better.

HOWEVER, there are limits on what she can do. There are laws or regulations made by MTO (under the control of another automobile disciple, Doug Ford) who can and does limit what Toronto can do. Before 1990, streetcars were considered "street railways". As "railways", they had the right-of-way over most motor vehicles. No longer, they have to follow MTO regulations. (Did you know that before 1990, streetcar and subway drivers did not need a driver's license.)

At the very least, Mayor Olivia Chow should override the automobile disciples opposition and put public transit first. Start with "YIELD TO STREETCARS" signs at streetcar loops, subway station egress intersections, and streetcar carbarns & yards. May not be "legal", but consider it "advertising".

BTW. Buses have YIELD TO BUS signs on their rear left. Not streetcars anywhere.

 

[Amare]

I think now is the best time to email the new TTC CEO and advise him of all the streetcar operational concerns:

Mandeep.Lali@ttc.ca

He'll likely be looking at suggestions on how to improve the system and will likely take them far more seriously than the previous clown CEO that was in place.

 

[C_Johnson_1995]

Like others here, I enjoyed this video. I also share his concern about the ultimate survival of the network. Given its current state, it's hard to imagine who would step up to voice support in saving it next time someone powerful suggests it's removal.

 

[Jeff Morgan]

I think now is the best time to email the new TTC CEO and advise him of all the streetcar operational concerns:

Mandeep.Lali@ttc.ca

He'll likely be looking at suggestions on how to improve the system and will likely take them far more seriously than the previous clown CEO that was in place.

Tried to send an email but...

 

[Amare]

Tried to send an email but... View attachment 668273

Indeed, i got the same notification myself.

Who would've thought that somehow, the TTC's IT department moves even slower than molasses with setting up basic things.

 

[reaperexpress]

Something as simple as flipping the light cycle on Spadina to put the left-turn signal last instead of first would cost nothing and probably barely be noticed by the car lobby.

Changing the order of signal phases would accomplish nothing. If the streetcar gets 30 seconds of green every 90 seconds, the delay is the same regardless of what order the other signal phases are. The 14 seconds you save at the beginning of the phase are exactly cancelled out by 14 seconds lost at the end.


What the streetcars need is the ability to insert an additional thru green if they are detected prior to the start of the left turn phase. So they can save 14 seconds at the beginning of the green without losing 14 seconds at the end.

 

[Jonny5]

Changing the order of signal phases would accomplish nothing. If the streetcar gets 30 seconds of green every 90 seconds, the delay is the same regardless of what order the other signal phases are. The 14 seconds you save at the beginning of the phase are exactly cancelled out by 14 seconds lost at the end.
What the streetcars need is the ability to insert an additional thru green if they are detected prior to the start of the left turn phase. So they can save 14 seconds at the beginning of the green without losing 14 seconds at the end.

For the order of the signal phases, there is also a benefit if the streetcar is turning, which a lot of them are right now, such that it is prioritised first on all phase changes for any direction. Let the streetcar turn before any other vehicle movements happen.

 

[reaperexpress]

For the order of the signal phases, there is also a benefit if the streetcar is turning, which a lot of them are right now, such that it is prioritised first on all phase changes for any direction. Let the streetcar turn before any other vehicle movements happen.

There is no such thing as "first" in a signal cycle. It's a cycle. There is always a preceding movement, whether that be a left turn phase, parallel through phase or cross-street phase.

Streetcars turning off of Spadina already have an inserted phase that comes up before left turns.

 

[DSCToronto]

Indeed, i got the same notification myself.

Who would've thought that somehow, the TTC's IT department moves even slower than molasses with setting up basic things.

Why do you think he is using that address? He may not want to be flooded by emails from transit geeks.

 

[Jonny5]

There is no such thing as "first".

That's the whole point of my comment. There should always be "first" for streetcars. This isn't complicated. Any streetcar making a turn, travelling in any direction, should always be "first" ahead of any other signal phases for any traffic movements in any direction. This is not what happens now.

 

[reaperexpress]

That's the whole point of my comment. There should always be "first" for streetcars. This isn't complicated. Any streetcar making a turn, travelling in any direction, should always be "first" ahead of any other signal phases for any traffic movements in any direction. This is not what happens now.

If you're saying the streetcar should always be 'next' once it's detected, then yes that's what I said in the first place. That's an inserted phase. All I'm saying is that changing the default order of phases doesn't matter, what matters is inserting a phase whenever the streetcar shows up.

 

[Amare]

Why do you think he is using that address? He may not want to be flooded by emails from transit geeks.

The TTC's email addresses typically follow the same format.

 

[DSCToronto]

The TTC's email addresses typically follow the same format.

Yes, but not always and he may have decided, rightly or wrongly, not to have such an easily guessed email address.

 

[dowlingm]

The A/C worked from day 1 on the cars, and works regardless of the method of current collection used.

I suspect that he got that information third-hand - there were people high-up at the TTC who made rather inaccurate claims about the requirement for pantograph operation with the new cars. They would share that information with others such as various bloggers and the claims would thus get repeated without contest.

Dan

I remember those rumours.

Interestingly, this paper appears to indicate that power draw beyond acceptable limits for trolley poles, even adjusted ones, was expected for Flexity and this drove the decision to go with pantograph… but because the paper is wiring focused it does not speak to how the TTC mitigated the issue such that Flexities did indeed run with trolley pole power, and for a long time.

https://transittoronto.ca/archives/reports/ttc-conversion-to-pantograph-experience-apta-2016.pdf