Grand River Transit

[timio]

On a different note, has anyone heard a timeline as to when Rt 204 stops will be getting shelters?  The pads are in place as are conduits for wiring. 

I was also told via Twitter a few months back that temporary pads would be added at Westheights/EastForest and Westheights/Westforest to carry through until Highland is reconstructed between Fischer Hallman and Ira Needles in a few years, but no action has taken place yet.

[Spokes]

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?

Seems good so far in terms of ridership.  But is it just me or are there a surprisingly high number of stops for an "express" route?  Many of which are close together

[Markster]

Why, I don't think anyone else has noticed that!

(kidding! There was a multi page debate here back in the spring)

[timio]

I was also told via Twitter a few months back that temporary pads would be added at Westheights/EastForest and Westheights/Westforest to carry through until Highland is reconstructed between Fischer Hallman and Ira Needles in a few years, but no action has taken place yet.

Crews were out yesterday preparing the sites for pads and access. Should be something in place soon.

[yige_t]

This year's Budget Paper includes two budget requests from GRT. If approved both services will launch September 2016.

http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/region...Papers.pdf

Conestoga College U-Pass (Page 57)
Cost of the pass will be ~$120/term due to the "peripheral location" of the Doon/Cambridge campuses requiring proportionally more service hours than UW and WLU. 9 expansion buses are required to provide the following service increases (Fall-Winter only unless noted):

• 10 Fairview Park: Weekday peak to every 15 min, Saturday morning/evening & Sunday to every 30 min (year-round)
  
• 16 Forest Glen: Weekday peak to every 15 min, new weekday evening service every 30 min until 10:30 pm (year-round)
  
• 61 Cambridge Centre: Weekday peak to every 15 min, new weekday evening service every 30 min until 10:30 pm (year-round), new Saturday service every 60 min 10 am - 6 pm (year-round)
  
• 110 Fairview Park Express: Weekday peak to every 15 min
  
• 111 Ainslie Express: Weekday peak to every 20 min
  
• 116 Forest Glen Express: Weekday peak to every 20 min
  

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.

[mpd618]

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?

[timc]

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.

[nms]

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.

[isUsername]

It's not just the Family Centre that would be serviced, but also Family and Children's Services.

[KevinL]

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.

[MidTowner]

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.

[KevinL]

That would be more than a 'slight' reroute of the 201. I imagine the 33 will get increased service as that neighbourhood grows, though.

[MidTowner]

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.

[kps]

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?

[MidTowner]

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.