Grand River Transit

[ijmorlan]

Aaaaaand it has been updated:

After they were sure enough they had to do the detour that they installed a bus shelter on William St.? Weird… but I won’t really believe it until I see bus stop signs on King. Although I did notice when I walked by last night that the William St. stop is marked as “temporary”.

[dunkalunk]

Route 16 needs to serve Mill ION. In runs so close to making a meaningful transfer there.

I should also note that almost all sections of the former Route 8 except for the Weber Street portions are seeing a not insignificant service cut. Courtland, Belmont, Margaret, and Franklin are all dropping down to 30 minute peak frequency compared to 15 minute peak they have today.

[Pheidippides]

The neighbourhoods along Queen, especially between Highland and Courtland, are losing service a lot of service between 2018 and 2021, especially in the peak periods:
The #8 usually runs every 15min to Charles in peak, is not being replaced on Queen until the new #28 in 2021, and the new #16 does not go (quickly) to/near Ion/Charles on its 2018 or 2021 routing and only runs every 30min anyway.
The #2 usually runs every 30min to Charles in peak, is not being replaced on Queen, and shifted away from Queen to Stirling.
 
So usually there are 14 buses per hour (four 204s, four 8s, four 1s, and two 2s) during the peak hours along that stretch, which is admittedly very good compared to other areas in the region, but from 2018 to 2021 there a loss of 6 buses per hour connecting to Ion in an area that is just beyond the 800m walk-shed of several Ion stations.

I wonder if they would consider increasing the 204 to every 10min (all day) to partially compensate. 
 
Also, with the #16/#3 dropping people at Mt. Hope and King they really need to fix the access to the GRH station's Ion platform at the north end.

[ijmorlan]

Also, with the #16/#3 dropping people at Mt. Hope and King they really need to fix the access to the GRH station's Ion platform at the north end.

That platform access is really weird. The platform has tactile plates on both sides as if crossing to the sidewalks is contemplated, but the curb between LRT and vehicle lanes runs through continuously and there are no curb cuts on the sidewalks. Very strange, and definitely incorrect design. Of course people who can handle steps will cross there anyway but that leaves wheelchair users in the lurch (literally, if their wheels are big enough to bump over the curbs!).

[KevinL]

They're supposed to be adding curb cuts and removing the lane curb for that, and a similar treatment at Frederick, Kitchener Market, and Borden would be expected.

[KevinL]

We heard about bus stop upgrades earlier this summer. This afternoon I got to see some work in progress firsthand, at Ottawa and Westmount.

On Ottawa, here's the existing stop for the outbound 3 and future 205. Replacement and upgrade of the existing concrete (and hopefully with a shelter, too).



In the other direction on Ottawa, this is a completely new stop in front of the funeral home - it will consolidate two existing stops, the one further up Ottawa (you can see it in the background) and one on the opposite side of Westmount. Clearly a pad for a shelter, too. 



On Westmount, here's the Conestoga-bound 12 platform. They're replacing and lengthening the pre-existing stop (which had a shelter, so should again).



And finally, the Fairway-bound 12. This gets the least work, just a lengthening of the existing platform (which will be a big help for wheelchair users, they'll no longer need to exit with the shelter in front of them).

[Elmira Guy]

They really need to put down a concrete pad on the north side of Lincoln at Weber (#12 route). It's a reasonably busy stop so everyone waits on the sidewalk and (unintentially) blocks the sidewalks for pedestrians.

[jerryhung]

2018 route changes
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-...-1.4283315

I can't see anything that really impacts me on the east side/RIM Park (202/31) so meh..

[Markster]

2018 route changes
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-...-1.4283315

I can't see anything that really impacts me on the east side/RIM Park (202/31) so meh..

We already got our sole improvement this September. 10 minute rush hour frequency on the 202.

There's the outstanding question of whether we will get a King/University stop on the 202.

[goggolor]

I see the #9 will be rerouted to run through Research & Technology Park, which I'll probably take advantage of in the winter to cut 500m off of the 1km walk from the LRT stop to my office. (I've already asked the park management and they have no plans to implement any shuttle or internal transit to encourage park employees to use the LRT).

[timc]

I'm in the same situation at R&T Park. I'm disappointed to hear there will be no shuttle service. The placement of the ION stop is really unreasonable, especially when the 200 that runs through the heart of the R&T Park is being taken away.

[Canard]

I wish some kind of PRT circulator (ULTra) could have been built in R&T Park. I'm sad the shuttle concept was removed. I remember it being on the initial concept drawings.

[ijmorlan]

I'm in the same situation at R&T Park. I'm disappointed to hear there will be no shuttle service. The placement of the ION stop is really unreasonable, especially when the 200 that runs through the heart of the R&T Park is being taken away.

The whole design of the R&T park is atrocious. It should have been done as continuous buildings along Hagey Blvd. and Wes Graham Way, with parking behind. Then you could walk indoors or at least covered from the LRT stop to whichever section you needed (possibly ducking outside to cross the street, depending on the exact design). Also the streets would feel like somewhere, instead of just another suburban car-oriented space full of parking lots.

Note: I’m not proposing the absence of parking lots, which, combined with enormously better transit, would be my actual preference. I understand we’re not there yet.

[goggolor]

The LRT is going to put the R&T Park main transit stop 500 meters further from every current employer (although are new buildings going up next to the station). I can't see anyone who currently drives to work deciding to switch to public transit when faced with a 1km walk in the snow every day in winter (it's an annual struggle just to get the park and its tenants to clear snow and ice from the public pathways so transit users can get from the bus stop to work).

[Markster]

Online comments for the GRT proposals are now open:
https://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/274/Issue_5366

As for R+T Park, it's really the fault of the companies locating there. They're the ones who picked which plot of land to develop. Open Text wanted the choice property next to the creek. They clearly didn't care that it was far from the bus stop (I did that walk once in the winter, and it was not good), and farther from the future LRT station.

In the next 10 years, we're going to see the park begin to orient a little better around the LRT station. Hopefully, some developments are more than just single-use office buildings, and begin to have public lunch spots for the different offices.

Things will also likely improve when Wes Graham is connected to Laurelwood. It will be possible to run an actual bus route connecting Laurelwood to the offices, to the LRT station.