Grand River Transit

[jwilliamson]

I'm surprised there will be so many GRT bays at UW. I had expected GRT would try to get rid of the 7D & 7E and the 200, leaving only a single bus travelling through campus. If they divert all the University and Columbia buses up Philip and Ring Road it will be pretty bad for travel times.

[BuildingScout]

I'm surprised there will be so many GRT bays at UW. I had expected GRT would try to get rid of the 7D & 7E and the 200, leaving only a single bus travelling through campus. If they divert all the University and Columbia buses up Philip and Ring Road it will be pretty bad for travel times.

Make that two: 9 and the 13 travel on ring road. Additionally after the LRT opens it would make a lot of sense to terminate the 201 at UW instead of Conestoga Mall.

[KevinL]

Even if the 201 doesn't terminate, it can still come through here. They may even divert the 202 (unless that moves to Seagram). I can also see GO buses moving here from their current spot on Ring Road.

[Pheidippides]

Can someone map out the intended flow of buses through that proposed UW transit facility?

Having read through the document, and thought about it a while, it seems like this is a solution in search of a problem and does not add anything to the transit network, but perhaps I do not understand its intent.

It seems like the decision not to have the Ion station right at university has, as predicted on this forum, limited the options for integration with the bus network and this is now the result.

What am I missing?
Thanks.

[Markster]

Can someone map out the intended flow of buses through that proposed UW transit facility?

I'd expect that most buses that are now on University to follow the red path, and most buses that are now on Columbia to follow the blue path.

   

Routes that terminate at the university, like the 13, may do something more like a one-way loop around one of the ends.

Having read through the document, and thought about it a while, it seems like this is a solution in search of a problem and does not add anything to the transit network, but perhaps I do not understand its intent.

It seems like the decision not to have the Ion station right at university has, as predicted on this forum, limited the options for integration with the bus network and this is now the result.

What am I missing?
Thanks.

You are missing nothing. It's a simple operational consequence of the political choice to have a "Laurier University" stop at Seagram, and a "University of Waterloo" stop mid-campus.

[Pheidippides]

Perfect. Thank-you!

[isUsername]

It's surprising that the Fairview Mall buses are so far away from the mall - about 225 metres. It's only a couple of minutes, but that's a big change from 10 seconds.

I wonder if Cadillac Fairvew was giving the Region grief, so they moved it to a far corner of the property. I know that the mall management hasn't had a very pro-transit attitude (in the past, at least), but a lot more terminal users are shoppers than they may think.

[KevinL]

It's surprising that the Fairview Mall buses are so far away from the mall - about 225 metres. It's only a couple of minutes, but that's a big change from 10 seconds.

I wonder if Cadillac Fairvew was giving the Region grief, so they moved it to a far corner of the property. I know that the mall management hasn't had a very pro-transit attitude (in the past, at least), but a lot more terminal users are shoppers than they may think.

Well, it's simply no longer on Cadillac Fairview property - the Region is buying out the land under the two restaurants. The Ion station is in the hydro ROW, which is only an easement.

[panamaniac]

It's surprising that the Fairview Mall buses are so far away from the mall - about 225 metres. It's only a couple of minutes, but that's a big change from 10 seconds.

I wonder if Cadillac Fairvew was giving the Region grief, so they moved it to a far corner of the property. I know that the mall management hasn't had a very pro-transit attitude (in the past, at least), but a lot more terminal users are shoppers than they may think.

Well, it's simply no longer on Cadillac Fairview property - the Region is buying out the land under the two restaurants. The Ion station is in the hydro ROW, which is only an easement.

How far will this be from the ION station?

[isUsername]

That answers that question.

Region to expropriate Fairway Road restaurants for bus terminal

Coun. Tom Galloway said the region hasn't been able to reach an agreement with Cadillac Fairview Corporation, which owns Fairview Park mall, to replace the existing Grand River Transit terminal there.
...
"They've been quite unwilling to negotiate anything so it forces our hand into having to purchase these properties," he said.

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6397...-terminal/

[ijmorlan]

That answers that question.

Region to expropriate Fairway Road restaurants for bus terminal

Coun. Tom Galloway said the region hasn't been able to reach an agreement with Cadillac Fairview Corporation, which owns Fairview Park mall, to replace the existing Grand River Transit terminal there.
...
"They've been quite unwilling to negotiate anything so it forces our hand into having to purchase these properties," he said.

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6397...-terminal/

Why not just expropriate the existing bus terminal?

[Canard]

Why would you expropriate a bus terminal to build a bus terminal?

[YKF]

Why would you expropriate a bus terminal to build a bus terminal?

The existing terminal is located on CF's property (I believe). With CF apparently being unwilling to negotiate/cooperate with the Region, expropriating the existing bus terminal lands would make CF's position less of an issue, as the Region would own the land. Since the Region doesn't own the bus terminal, they're at CF's mercy.

[ijmorlan]

Why would you expropriate a bus terminal to build a bus terminal?

The existing terminal is located on CF's property (I believe). With CF apparently being unwilling to negotiate/cooperate with the Region, expropriating the existing bus terminal lands would make CF's position less of an issue, as the Region would own the land. Since the Region doesn't own the bus terminal, they're at CF's mercy.

Exactly. Expropriate it, then change it to whatever the Region wants.

Which really ought to involve a large structure that allows moving between LRT, buses, and mall without getting rained on. Hey, we even have such a structure temporarily set up!

Given the ambivalent-at-best attitude of the malls towards transit in the past, I have previously mused about the idea of expropriating both entire malls, building the LRT, then re-selling them (other than the transit terminals) for more than the expropriation price once the land value increase that can be expected from LRT is realized. This one isn’t a serious suggestion for a number of reasons and I think is actually illegal because there are limits on what municipalities can do with expropriation, but I really do wonder why they chose to expropriate Burger King rather than the existing bus terminal.

[Canard]

I think where they're expropriating makes a lot more sense. Having s little bubble surrounded by CF lot seems risky and silly. But by taking that whole corner (Leon's and Restaurant), now they have a nice little chunk off in the corner. Not a weird shaped bubble.