City
The City that Only Sleeps Intermittently
There was a time, before many of our readership (and indeed, some of our writers) were legally allowed to drink, when a subway closing of 1:40am made sense. At the time Toronto's bars closed at 1am, giving 'late night' revelers the better part of an hour to find their way to the subway. Now, with last call at a later - if still early - time, anybody hoping to ride the Rocket home must say their goodbyes nearly a half hour before last call if they are to avoid the infrequent blue-night busses - or worse, driving home.
If reports are true, this may all be changing in the next few years. Aparently the TTC is commissioning a study on the possiblity of switching - at long last - to 24 hour service; allowing Torontonians to focus more on getting where they're going, and less on the time they're getting there.
The idea is a winner for everybody: environmentalists will have another reason to coax people out of their cars; culture mavens will be able to attend parties and events regardless of the time of day; the police will be able to expect a curtailing of drunk driving; and the TTC itself will be able to present a better - and more comprehensive - face to the public. It's just one more step in our city's slow quest to become 'world class'.
I just hope that it doesn't stop with the TTC. Torontonians are mature enough to set their own bedtimes without having the Provincial goverment telling us when we've had enough fun. The next important step would be the issuing of late licenses to bars and clubs that can demonstrate responsible service. With that, and with more events like Nuit Blanche hopefully in the works, Toronto may just start living up to its billing as a big city where people can enjoy life whenever they choose.
Image by Neurotic Jose
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1) A new signalling system must be installed - and for just the Yonge-University-Spadina line (in the works already), that will take until 2016 to complete. The signalling system will enable them to time trains more effectively - they could not do so now with a 24-hour scenario that would require closing of inactive stations, lining up service with the Blue Night bus network, and routing trains around work crews.
2) in order to route trains around crews or inactive stations, the system NEEDS the new signalling system because we only have two tracks. New York's 24 hour system has three and sometimes four tracks in specific places that make routing and switchbacks much easier. We simply don't have the infrastructure available.
Don't get your hopes up for 24-hour subways any time soon!
If you read the article that I linked to, it suggested the possibility of doing maintenance in the interim by temporarilly closing sections of track and replacing them with bus service for the period.
This would be much better for crews, allowing them 40-60 consecutive hours for maintenance, rather than having to work for three hours, and then leave it until the next day.
It certainly has some kinks to be worked out, but if there's the political will, it can be done.
I'm with you on that (both times). It is incomprehensible that they close down the subways before last call, giving people the choices of coffeeshops, vomit-comet, taxis, or drunk driving. Sadly, too many people probably choose the last one; we need to do everything we can to get that to stop, not just pay lipservice to the idea.
Matt:
I think we need more details... what happened?