Is the York BRT a Waste of Money?
As construction nears the scheduled November completion of a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line to York University, reaction on campus is mixed. Although students who take the TTC's heavily traveled 196 express route to school look forward to the reduction of their commute time, eyebrows are being raised over the timing of the project and the plans for a subway line to the school.
As Aurelie Mulolo, a student at Seneca College's York campus, puts it, "I think it would be better to spend that money once and for all on the subway to campus. I'm sure we can handle our current routine for a while longer."
But with the subway not set to reach the university until 2015, the TTC felt action needed to be taken in the meantime. As Scott Haskill, a senior planner for the TTC, explains, "ridership has been steadily increasing on the 196 for the last three years... The point of the BRT is to make immediate improvements."
According to the TTC, the BRT will reduce the current trip from Downsview station to campus by around 7 minutes.
The key time-saving component of the project will be the use of the hydro corridor between Dufferin and Keele streets north of Finch Ave. to insulate buses from traffic on the westward potion of the route.
But at a cost of approximately 40 million dollars, there are questions as to whether such a modest reduction in travel-time is the best use of TTC resources. Dr. Sheetal Lodhia, who like Mulolo commutes to Seneca's York campus, wonders if 'it's worth 40 million to save seven minutes... I'd rather see [that money] get funnelled into more buses and drivers, rather than road construction, which seems like a band-aid solution."
Another concern relates to the fate of the BRT when the subway finally does reach York. While Haskill confirms that the 196 will be removed from service at such a time, he notes that plans are in place to use portions of the BRT for other existing land routes.
Mulolo, however, remains unconvinced. "I don't see the point in using such a vast sum of money on something that's not really going to be there to stay."
View York U BRT in a larger map
Comments (26)
I think it'll shave off a lot more than just 7 minutes. During rush hour it's not uncommon for the bus to take up to 40 - 50 minutes to get to Downsview station, especially in the winter. Try standing on a crowded 196 for 50 minutes. It sucks.
I'm all for the BRT because knowing the TTC the subway extension will never get built.
Seems like something people should have been concerned about before construction began, not weeks before it opens.
It's not only students who will benefit from this. As the area grows (and has grown) more and more non-students rely on transit here. The 196 is painfully overcrowded and often buses arrive in groups because of traffic on Keele and Sheppard. I welcome dedicated bus/transit routes in this area that is dominated by people in cars who don't carpool.
our city is run by idiots, what do you expect..it's the same thing with YRT, or whatever viva you wanna call those leaving finch to richmond hill... there is no long term vision.. politicians spend more them debating and talking than actually getting things done
I think it's a great idea; BRT has a place in GTA transit and we may as well see how it works here. Better, more reliable service will increase ridership and while the $40 million could in theory be used to buy more buses, in practice, for many routes the only way to improve service is using a right-of-way, priority transit signalling, or better route management.
It will be great to see this area in 10 years, with a BRT, the Finch LRT, the Jane LRT, and the subway expansion. As long as it all happens...
So the author of this article found one dumb student who doesn't understand the difference between a capital budget and an operating budget. Then the author made that ignoramus's comments the basis for an article decrying the utility of a much-needed infrastructure upgrade that will in fact have the effect of adding more buses to the 196 without the operating costs. I thought you guys had at least slightly more thoughtful analysis than the Sun.
I am for the dedicated BRT. For those of you who haven't taken the 196 during the day, it does take up to 40-50mins during rush hour. Spending the money on more buses wouldn't help because they're competing with traffic and would end up getting bunched up as commented in previous posts.
I've waited over an hour on the 196 coming home and waited at the bus stop in a line of hundreds for over 30 minutes. This is really gonna streamline the commuting for thousands of students. Anyone who rides the 196 daily knows this should have been opened for September.
I actually agree with the sentiments expressed in this article. While the BRT will be somewhat useful, it'll also be completely obsolete in 5 years. It's not really going to help other land routes, and having rode the 196 for years, I can honestly say it's not that bad anymore.
In reality, I spoke to over 30 students about this matter, most of whom had the same thoughts: they're happy about the reduction in time, but don't really think it's going to alter their commute dramatically (and hopeful that this isn't a sign that the subway will take longer to complete). Alas, in a 350 word article, I can't quote each response. As such, I opted instead to feature the people I thought best summarized the general sentiment of the sample.
And, having formerly taken the 196 for years, I think the other commenters who are suggesting a commute time of just under an hour are over exaggerating. The estimated 7 minute reduction in time is the TTC's own number.
Sadly, they are not exaggerating. Since the school year started, the 196 has been taking far longer than the supposed 20 minutes the TTC estimates. Particularly in the afternoon, when it turns off keele onto finch - that one turn can take over ten minutes to make in heavy traffic, making my average 196 trip well over 30 minutes. As a student who hopes to be finished well before 2015 (!) I could not be happier about the BRT.
it cost 40 million? 40 million for 5 years usage isn't that much money in the grand scheme of things. Entire budgets of cities and provinces are in the billions and tens of billions -- every year.
plus, that's just looking at the outlay for the project. What's the savings to people and businesses when people can get around the city faster? Grid lock isn't just a little inconvenience.
I also wonder if they can use the busway as a regular road once the subway is finished. Then you have a pressure release valve for car traffic in the area.
Lastly, of course the bus ride to York and back is not going to have the same delay at every time of day. Just as our highways do not have traffic jams 24 hours a day. But there are times when I take that bus route (just like when people drive to work on the 401 at 8:30am or 5pm) and it's crazy packed. Our world is scheduled such that at some times of day there are jams such a 40 minute road to go a few kilometres to York or to Downsview. If this eliminates that problem, it's good for people's lives and for business.
$40M divided by 5 years (but more likely 6 or 7) divided by however-many hundred thousand annual passenger trips probably works out to a pretty good deal.
Is the TTC going to let Viva Orange use this thing?
Sorry, Derek, your story is the one that seems at odds with reality. Sounds like you asked the questions you'd need to confirm your own opinion. Anyone with half a brain can see why this project has merit. Also, you should know that this project should have been completed a couple years ago but the York admin dug in their heels for some unexplained reason and blocked it for as long as they could.
The BRT is another example of how north york and York University are afterthoughts to our municipal leaders. Any student taking the 196 'express' from York to Downsview knows how poor service has become. 30 to 45 minute waits are actually becoming the norm. The trip itself can vary between 25 and 50 minutes. All of that and you still have the rest of your trip from Downsview to look forward to. It wasn't this bad as recently as a few years ago. The TTC has been totally unresponsive to the terrible state of the 196.
The route itself is terribly designed, the express bus stops at least six or seven times and meanders through a network of side-roads before even hitting Keele, wherein it gets bogged down in traffic. The BRT was to be finished last year, but they made the announcement after the funding but before the planning. The project has now been delayed indefinitely (according to Giambrone) while the TTC negotiates with re easements across the hydro lands.
What municipal government DOESN"T KNOW ABOUT EASEMENTS? It boggles the mind that Giambrone would make a big show of announcing the BRT only to mumble about indefinate delays when the York student newspaper asked him what happened. It's become typical now to announce something before you've done all the leg work (be it financing or planning).
The state of things right now is that part of the BRT is open north of Finch. The problem is this was never an issue - the stretch up Murray Ross or Keele north of Finch never slow.
You know what would help? Stop forbidding empty buses along this route from picking up passengers. Yes, I'm looking at you, TTC. Grow up, learn to play with others, and integrate your fricking transit system with those around you already. You are not an island.
Will students really be travelling through that "electric field" (literally) when the bus route is completed? (road shown in the photo).
They'll certainly be charged-up and ready to go upon arrival.
The BRT was planned before the subway extension was announced. That`s really all there is to it. It also predates transit city, it would likely have been a branch of an LRT under that proposal.
Do you understand that cutting the trip time so dramatically means the same number of buses will be able to carry many more people? It's a smart project - higher capacity per hour AND a much faster trip.
Good to see it finally near completion, it's *sorely* needed. And with regards to the question of post-subway utility, I understand that other routes will use it, and I also understand that VIVA, GO, YRT, and the Glendon shuttle will all be using the link.
My question is this: how is the "transit only" provision going to be enforced? Police cars stationed at both ends?
Investing in dedicated bus infrastructure is important for Toronto, with its focus on dedicated LRT and subway expansion. A large section of the $40M pricetag is producing a dedicated bus lane on Dufferin, an important step for supporting diverse transit options in the region. The GTA is a large region that needs to explore a range of integrated transportation options for its multiple communities. Hopefully other networks (GO, VIVA, etc) will be able to share this feature that runs prominently to the Allen.
Meanwhile, an immediate solution to the problem is important since most 196 riders (myself included) only use the system for 2-4 years, undermining meaningful citizen action to establish a long term solution. The subway was supposed to come to York since the 1970s and the 2015 timeline is likely optimistic at best.
And in defense of the author, this article serves its purpose of presenting a potentially controversial issue that spurs meaningful debate on the topic.
All I can say is, a week ago, I lined up for the 196A at 4:00PM to get to my job at Yorkdale. I arrived at Yorkdale station at 5:08 PM.
Reasonable? No. I know it was rush hour, but come on. This transitway is desperately needed, even if it's only going to be in use for 6 years. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes just to get to Keele and Finch.
The BRT is desperately needed, the wait times and travel times are ridiculous, sometimes I feel like I could probably walk faster than the bus. 7 minutes is huge, I don't think people realize what a significant amount of time that is.
In response to 196rider, that's like asking how the city is going to enforce stop signs. If you tell people the lane is bus only, most people aren't going to enter it...
The only problem I have with the BRT is that I get on the 196 from Keele and Finch, which won't be an option after the BRT comes out. I don't know how I'll get to York. Hopefully from Dufferin & Finch I guess.
Honestly ... buses are a comparatively cheap means of public transport. There wouldn't be any major infrastructural changes in the area in order to accommodate them, either.
Besides, subways take a long time and barrels of cash to complete. Most current York students won't see the benefits during their term of study – which might also explain some of the lukewarm response. With that much time and money, there is a good chance that the project may even stall several times before completion, extending its benefits even further down the line.
Buses are immediate and instantly address the complaints of transit-dependent students. My girlfriend travels up to York every day and is often met with ridiculous commutes and crowded buses. Even if commute time is only seeing an increase of several minutes, the lightening of the load on current buses is more than worth it.
Not to mention that, once the subway line is in place, the buses can easily be re-purposed elsewhere in the system.
A change I would love to see, though, are several new North-South bus routes leading to York. I live in the West End of TO, which means that the commute to York is a roundabout trip that involves a lot of doubling back. I think a lot of people would be excited about a couple more routes linking the Bloor line with the university.
Semi-express buses running from Keele and Dufferin would be ideal! Not only would they alleviate the Bloor line by allowing West-End students alternative and more direct routes North, but those two routes alone would open up easy access to York for a huge portion of potential students.
Granted, they may not be any faster than the current combo of subway and bus routes, but the convenience of a direct route and fewer transfers would undoubtedly appeal to a lot of people.
"Semi-express buses running from Keele and Dufferin would be ideal! Not only would they alleviate the Bloor line by allowing West-End students alternative and more direct routes North, but those two routes alone would open up easy access to York for a huge portion of potential students. "
41E Keele Express to York U service begins October 19, operating via Keele/Weston/Rogers/Keele.
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