Waterloo Region Connected

Full Version: Grand River Transit
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
(10-27-2015, 11:27 AM)Canard Wrote: [ -> ]You don't get up by 8? What job do you have? Smile everyone is in our office by 8 at the latest, most are here at 7, some people start at 5-6am.

Professor. I often get up at 9 and go to bed around 1.

(10-27-2015, 11:31 AM)tomh009 Wrote: [ -> ]There are references for the amount of sleep needed.  But no references for the (biological) inability to get to sleep before 11.  That is the key question, are humans really unable to go to sleep earlier?  (It certainly wasn't the case in the old days before electric lights and TV.)

I'm definitely no teenager any more, but I normally get up between 6 and 7 AM.  Without an alarm clock.  And I think the morning hours are the most productive for me.

There are all sorts of interesting facts about sleeping. People used to sleep for 4 hours, then get up in the middle of the night, and then go to sleep again.

Having said that, there is also new research about traditional peoples: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/our-an...ght-either

High school students think they're busy and so they will tend to stay up past 11. (What I've found since then is that at stage X you always think you're busy but then somehow stage X+1 is even busier...)
(10-27-2015, 11:38 AM)MidTowner Wrote: [ -> ]I'm probably off topic, too. I wonder what impact the iXpress and 7 (and other) detours have had on ridership. At least a few riders must have found other modes of travel.

I was expecting that ridership would take a large hit, thanks to all the detours. It's not just the 7 and 200. Everything downtown has been heavily disrupted.

I know that for me, it was enough to get me biking regularly to work ever since June started. I'd tried to bike regularly in previous summers, but the bus was just too easy. The detours, schedule padding, and early service reductions all pushed me away. I can't imagine anyone with remotely easy access to a car sticking around under the present circumstances.
(10-27-2015, 11:45 AM)plam Wrote: [ -> ]
(10-27-2015, 11:27 AM)Canard Wrote: [ -> ]You don't get up by 8? What job do you have? Smile everyone is in our office by 8 at the latest, most are here at 7, some people start at 5-6am.

Professor. I often get up at 9 and go to bed around 1.

I guess you don't need to teach any 8:30 classes!
(10-27-2015, 12:56 PM)Markster Wrote: [ -> ]
(10-27-2015, 11:38 AM)MidTowner Wrote: [ -> ]I'm probably off topic, too. I wonder what impact the iXpress and 7 (and other) detours have had on ridership. At least a few riders must have found other modes of travel.

I was expecting that ridership would take a large hit, thanks to all the detours.  It's not just the 7 and 200.  Everything downtown has been heavily disrupted.

I know that for me, it was enough to get me biking regularly to work ever since June started.  I'd tried to bike regularly in previous summers, but the bus was just too easy. The detours, schedule padding, and early service reductions all pushed me away.  I can't imagine anyone with remotely easy access to a car sticking around under the present circumstances.

I used to bike to work once or twice a week, but since iXpress no longer stops at GRH it increased my commute to 45 minutes from 25, whereas biking takes only 20. So I started biking 4-5 days a week and working from home more. I started biking to the Kitchener Market on most Saturdays, and stopped going downtown otherwise. I also used to regularly take the bus a few stops to Uptown Waterloo but now I just walk or bike. So I'm probably using GRT 80-90% less than this time last year. Unfortunately I'm locked in to my corporate pass at work so I'm still paying GRT $60+ a month for the handful of times I do take the bus.
(10-27-2015, 01:56 PM)goggolor Wrote: [ -> ]I used to bike to work once or twice a week, but since iXpress no longer stops at GRH it increased my commute to 45 minutes from 25, whereas biking takes only 20. So I started biking 4-5 days a week and working from home more. I started biking to the Kitchener Market on most Saturdays, and stopped going downtown otherwise. I also used to regularly take the bus a few stops to Uptown Waterloo but now I just walk or bike. So I'm probably using GRT 80-90% less than this time last year. Unfortunately I'm locked in to my corporate pass at work so I'm still paying GRT $60+ a month for the handful of times I do take the bus.

[Image: 297301.png]
Yeah, I'm not complaining... I'm just stating the facts about how the construction has impacted my travel habits, since someone asked. I'm sure the money I'm donating to GRT every month by my underused pass will be more than offset by the increase in the value of my station-adjacent house.

And the number of people who have stopped taking GRT because detours are a PITA will be offset by the people who start using it once there is a clear, convenient system in place. In the meantime though, biking is a better option for me than taking the bus and it's not a surprise that others would feel the same way.
Has anyone taken the new 204 express bus to boardwalk? I don't really have business in that part of town but was wondering if anyone knows how it is starting to work out?
(10-27-2015, 01:03 PM)tomh009 Wrote: [ -> ]
(10-27-2015, 11:45 AM)plam Wrote: [ -> ]Professor. I often get up at 9 and go to bed around 1.

I guess you don't need to teach any 8:30 classes!

Has happened sometimes. Is always terrible.

(10-27-2015, 02:19 PM)goggolor Wrote: [ -> ]And the number of people who have stopped taking GRT because detours are a PITA will be offset by the people who start using it once there is a clear, convenient system in place. In the meantime though, biking is a better option for me than taking the bus and it's not a surprise that others would feel the same way.

In many places, for me, biking is often a better option than transit: usually faster as well as cheaper. I don't especially mind the cheaper part but I do appreciate the faster part. Biking can even be faster than the subway over short distances.

I've been on sabbatical in Zurich (so no 8:30 classes). There is a hill between the main train station, which I pretty much go to every day, and my place. There is a tram that goes up the hill but even walking is almost always faster than waiting for the tram.
(10-27-2015, 05:44 PM)clasher Wrote: [ -> ]Has anyone taken the new 204 express bus to boardwalk? I don't really have business in that part of town but was wondering if anyone knows how it is starting to work out?
I would say ridership is 'healthy'.
I've been on it a few times between downtown and Westheights/Eastforest. It's been well-used most of the time. Once or twice I've been one of a handful of passengers, but you get that on any bus.

Ridership will improve in the winter. Travel time should improve dramatically once the construction on Highland is complete. One time I was riding, it took 15 minutes to go from Belmont to Westmount. A guy got off at Lawrence and handily beat the bus to McDonalds on foot.
These detours are getting slightly ridiculous:

Route 7: Buses will be travelling from Charles Street Terminal, left on Gaukel St, right on Joseph St, left on Victoria St, right on Park St, left on William St, right on Westmount Rd, right on Erb St, left on Albert St, right on Central St, left on King St, then resume regular routing.
(10-29-2015, 09:00 AM)timio Wrote: [ -> ]These detours are getting slightly ridiculous:

Route 7:  Buses will be travelling from Charles Street Terminal, left on Gaukel St, right on Joseph St, left on Victoria St, right on Park St, left on William St, right on Westmount Rd, right on Erb St, left on Albert St, right on Central St, left on King St, then resume regular routing.

WESTMOUNT? Good gravy! They can't use Euclid or Roslin or something?
(10-29-2015, 08:39 PM)KevinL Wrote: [ -> ]
(10-29-2015, 09:00 AM)timio Wrote: [ -> ]These detours are getting slightly ridiculous:

Route 7:  Buses will be travelling from Charles Street Terminal, left on Gaukel St, right on Joseph St, left on Victoria St, right on Park St, left on William St, right on Westmount Rd, right on Erb St, left on Albert St, right on Central St, left on King St, then resume regular routing.

WESTMOUNT? Good gravy! They can't use Euclid or Roslin or something?

Or Caroline and Willis? Turning radius too small I suppose? The ridiculous thing is that King and William hasn't actually been closed the last two days as it was scheduled.
They said on the radio that King/William was closing today.
(10-29-2015, 08:39 PM)KevinL Wrote: [ -> ]
(10-29-2015, 09:00 AM)timio Wrote: [ -> ]These detours are getting slightly ridiculous:

Route 7:  Buses will be travelling from Charles Street Terminal, left on Gaukel St, right on Joseph St, left on Victoria St, right on Park St, left on William St, right on Westmount Rd, right on Erb St, left on Albert St, right on Central St, left on King St, then resume regular routing.

WESTMOUNT? Good gravy! They can't use Euclid or Roslin or something?

Now you understand why that neighbourhood fought tooth and nail against reclassifying their roads, thus keeping them out of purview for GRT routes. If you're starting out at Conestoga Mall, and heading to Kitchener, I'm pretty sure the 6 and iXpress are both better options.