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(11-16-2015, 11:57 AM)mpd618 Wrote: [ -> ]
(11-16-2015, 10:21 AM)yige_t Wrote: [ -> ]Hanson/Family Centre BusPlus (Page 61)

This proposed route will connect Forest Glen Terminal with the Family Centre on Hanson Avenue. Proposed service hour is Weekdays 8 am to 8 pm and headway is approx. 15-30 min. depending on route length.

It's absurd to me that we would spend $150K per year subsidizing the poor location of the Family Centre. If the public is going to subsidize, wouldn't it be cheaper to subsidize directly the extra rent of a location that has better access to transit?

It might be nice if a route could connect Forest Glen, Activa Sportsplex, and, eventually, the Block Line ION station. Building a connection just from Forest Glen to the Family Centre does seem a bit much, even if it is busPLUS.
I think this was a left hand not talking to the right hand issue. As I recall, the Family Centre needed to move (or was being built). There was likely a series of needs that needed to considered including the budget for rent. I'm not familiar with the space, so I'm not sure what they needed. While transit would likely have been one of their priorities, the other financial and size issues could have constrained their choices. Likewise, the facility might have been useful if it had been located in something like the former courthouse on Weber Street, however at the time that move was needed or construction was built, the court house could have been unavailable for repurposing.

Similarly, I wonder if the Region (plus Cities and Townships) are able to update their decision matrices to factor in access to transit. Is there a point (and a program for that matter), where someone could say, "All right, we'll ask the Region/City/Township to subsidize the rent (or even outright buy a building in question) in order to get the location we need rather than settling for something on the outskirts". I believe the Food Bank had a similar situation where they were located close to transit but then the bus route was moved further away.
It's not just the Family Centre that would be serviced, but also Family and Children's Services.
I imagine the new residences along Fallowfield Drive will be included as well.
A combined Hanson/Fallowfield service would probably build decent ridership. They actually added a stop on Fallowfield to the route 12 detour in September, I imagine due to requested stops by residents there taking advantage of its proximity.
(11-16-2015, 03:40 PM)nms Wrote: [ -> ]Similarly, I wonder if the Region (plus Cities and Townships) are able to update their decision matrices to factor in access to transit. Is there a point (and a program for that matter), where someone could say, "All right, we'll ask the Region/City/Township to subsidize the rent (or even outright buy a building in question) in order to get the location we need rather than settling for something on the outskirts". I believe the Food Bank had a similar situation where they were located close to transit but then the bus route was moved further away.

I know this was discussed a week ago, but I found the conversation about the Family Centre really interesting, and especially nms' point that regional and municipal governments should be factoring transit into their decision-making, or including GRT in their planning for new amenities or services.

In the same neck of the woods we're talking about, Kitchener is in the planning stages of a huge new recreation facility at Fischer-Hallman and Huron. With an undertaking like this, I would expect that the cost of land and new suburban developments are the most important criteria by far, but I've followed the planning and consultation a little and there seems to be no consideration of transit. As it stands now, the only bus that can get someone close to the site is the 33, with poor service. No consideration (even passing) seems to have been given to the principle of Being on the Way. It would be really interesting to me if access were taken seriously to the point that the City of Kitchener would consider (for instance) asking and compensating the Region for increased frequency on the 33, or (less likely) slightly rerouting the 201. It would be nice if the right and left hands would speak, but so far I'm not familiar with situations where agencies have taken transit into serious consideration while planning new initiatives.
That would be more than a 'slight' reroute of the 201. I imagine the 33 will get increased service as that neighbourhood grows, though.
(11-22-2015, 02:47 PM)KevinL Wrote: [ -> ]That would be more than a 'slight' reroute of the 201. I imagine the 33 will get increased service as that neighbourhood grows, though.

Ha! That's true, 'slight' was not the right word. I expect you're right about the 33 getting reduced headways as that area is populated. But I really do think transit should be part of the planning for things like this.
(11-16-2015, 11:57 AM)mpd618 Wrote: [ -> ]It's absurd to me that we would spend $150K per year subsidizing the poor location of the Family Centre. If the public is going to subsidize, wouldn't it be cheaper to subsidize directly the extra rent of a location that has better access to transit?

It's 800 feet from the Ion line. How much better can you get?
(11-22-2015, 03:17 PM)kps Wrote: [ -> ]
(11-16-2015, 11:57 AM)mpd618 Wrote: [ -> ]It's absurd to me that we would spend $150K per year subsidizing the poor location of the Family Centre. If the public is going to subsidize, wouldn't it be cheaper to subsidize directly the extra rent of a location that has better access to transit?

It's 800 feet from the Ion line. How much better can you get?

They were discussing the Family Centre on Hanson, near St. Mary's High School. Hanson/Lennox Lewis Way is a non-through-street near Homer Watson: kind of in the middle of nowhere, especially from a transit perspective.
(11-22-2015, 03:21 PM)MidTowner Wrote: [ -> ]
(11-22-2015, 03:17 PM)kps Wrote: [ -> ]It's 800 feet from the Ion line. How much better can you get?

They were discussing the Family Centre on Hanson, near St. Mary's High School. Hanson/Lennox Lewis Way is a non-through-street near Homer Watson: kind of in the middle of nowhere, especially from a transit perspective.

Yes, here, 800 feet from the Ion line. Last week, an old car lot twice that distance was a ‘prime location’.
(11-22-2015, 04:35 PM)kps Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, here, 800 feet from the Ion line. Last week, an old car lot twice that distance was a ‘prime location’.

It has to be much more than 800 feet from there to either the Block Line or Mill Street stop. Are you talking about the Ottawa Street site that had been rumoured to be under consideration for a grocery store development? That had to be closer to the Ottawa Ion station than this is to Mill Street.

Anyway, it came up because Family Centre was asking for GRT bus service, after locating there presumably knowing that bus service was sparse.
You can be right next to the LINE, but it's no good if you're nowhere near a STOP.
(11-22-2015, 05:50 PM)KevinL Wrote: [ -> ]You can be right next to the LINE, but it's no good if you're nowhere near a STOP.

It's about one kilometre to the nearest ION stop. A tad further than 800 feet.
Maybe once the 201 is extended to BlockLine station they can have it do its turnaround via Courtland/Hanson/Lennox Lewis and back to BlockLine