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Grand River Transit
I don't think that's a laughable inference. The 205 iXpress should certainly open no later than Ion. Hopefully it is launched in early 2018 to coincide.

I take exception to the Record's wording that transit improvements "had an easier ride" in budget deliberations. What does that mean? That line is preceded by a quote by Councillor Clarke saying that she wanted to monitor the new resources given to ambulance services. Was there no debate before council voted to approve two of the three transit improvement bundles? That doesn't seem likely.
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I'm laughing at the idea that we'd let an almost $1bn piece of rail infra sit idle for almost a year just because we want it to synch up with a "bus route change". I keep reading all this "but it has to line up with the bus route changes in the fall" and I just don't buy it.

The busses can accommodate the train opening date. They'll figure it out. It's just a bus.
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That's not what dunkalunk was saying. He was saying that, if GRT is preparing to delay the 205 until late 2018, it means they suspect that Ion will be delayed until late 2018.

Ion doesn't need to line up with the bus routes, the bus routes should line up with the launch of Ion, whose launch is indeterminate. We don't know, but I suspect (as others have suggested) that bus route changes will happen at another time of year, even if that's not GRT's normal practice.

We're not talking about "just a bus," though, we're talking about brand new routes.
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The idea with ION opening is that it signals a bunch of transit pattern changes. Several of its stops are not served by the 200, and it will require current users to adjust travel patterns. Making changes all at once seems to be more frustrating than any individual trickle of change, but when you trickle down changes such that a person might have to relearn a different part of their route every few months, the add-up of those effects is far worse. When you put a bunch of changes together, too, it can be easier to market and generate excitement for.
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There is an extensive network rebuild in southwest Kitchener planned to coincide with Ion launch, just one part of which is the 205. The 3, 11, 12, 22 and others will be thoroughly overhauled at the same time. To not coincide the 205 launch with Ion would throw deep chaos into those plans.
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It's nice to see increased frequency on the 201/202.

I don't think that a delay of implementation of the 205 means that ION will begin service in the fall. Ideally, according to the plan, the 205 was to begin service this year to build ridership in anticipation of ION. There just wasn't enough money to do that. From the report:

Quote:The Route 205 does not exist yet so its implementation could be delayed to 2018. However, without implementing the Route 205 along Ottawa Street in 2017, the route will not be able to develop ridership in anticipation of the ION implementation. The route will then need to be implemented in 2018 to integrate with ION, adding resource needs in 2018. Other route improvements in south-west Kitchener are contingent upon the 205 iXpress being operational and would be impacted if this is delayed. "

By the way, has the UW transit plaza plan been finalized?
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(01-12-2017, 04:42 PM)timc Wrote: By the way, has the UW transit plaza plan been finalized?

Well, all public consultation is complete, so as far as we the public are concerned, yes it is. I doubt we'll see any new drawings before they start construction.
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You can watch the debate at the link below. It starts at about the 37:35 mark.
http://ec4.cc/ag22eaac5
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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I wonder if they will still put the 205 stops and shelters in place on the original schedule. The rfp for shelters in 2017 is still up.

Download the bid document from:
https://regionofwaterloo.bidsandtenders....4b9e24e846
 
The details are on page 29/30.

The contract is for 2017-2019 standard and iXpress style shelters. Including 25 iXpress shelters in 2017, 22 in 2018, and 46 in 2019.

Does the delay of the 205 imply a delay of addition iXpress routes like the 206?
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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(01-12-2017, 10:10 AM)MidTowner Wrote: That's not what dunkalunk was saying. He was saying that, if GRT is preparing to delay the 205 until late 2018, it means they suspect that Ion will be delayed until late 2018.

Ion doesn't need to line up with the bus routes, the bus routes should line up with the launch of Ion, whose launch is indeterminate. We don't know, but I suspect (as others have suggested) that bus route changes will happen at another time of year, even if that's not GRT's normal practice.

We're not talking about "just a bus," though, we're talking about brand new routes.

This exactly. Thank-You!

While a Spring 2018 opening is optimistic, I'm not holding out hope that we will have enough trains by then. I would hope for revenue service at the earliest Summer (June) 2018 and it's my hope that if ION does have an earlier opening, money can be found to implement the route restructuring associated with 204's introduction at the same time. That, and we are still waiting on the farecard system which we were supposed to get last fall but won't be in operation until this fall.

I think Fall 2018 ION opening is realistic, given the above and that GRT will probably want the summer schedule period to re-train drivers on new routes.
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It will still be some time before the 7 returns to King in midtown, but shelter pads are being prepared. This one's in front of Central Fresh.

[Image: QaAhDXZ.jpg]
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It is kind of ironic that the northbound 7 through uptown has to stop at the freight tracks and look both ways to make sure the one 10kph freight train on that line isn't coming at some other time than 3am, but in order to do so has to stop with its back end sitting on the Ion tracks which will come every few minutes, 18 hours a day, at a much higher speed and it doesn't even stop and look both ways at the Ion tracks.
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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My hope is that when they get the crossing arms and signals activated, GRT will work out an arrangement where GRT buses will no longer have to stop at designated railway crossings. Buses don't have to stop at some railway crossings in Ottawa, for instance.
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(01-23-2017, 10:24 PM)Markster Wrote: My hope is that when they get the crossing arms and signals activated, GRT will work out an arrangement where GRT buses will no longer have to stop at designated railway crossings.  Buses don't have to stop at some railway crossings in Ottawa, for instance.

Haha, good one.  Remember that crash in Ottawa?  Everyone who hears this story is going to think of that, and assume that stopping is safer, and that "people will die" if they don't stop.
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(01-23-2017, 11:14 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Haha, good one.  Remember that crash in Ottawa?  Everyone who hears this story is going to think of that, and assume that stopping is safer, and that "people will die" if they don't stop.

Well, Ottawa hasn't changed their rules. Though they're talking about grade separation there now.

All we need to do is get the Car Lobby to start complaining about congestion on University.
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