City
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."
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Discussion
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I'm all for the BRT because knowing the TTC the subway extension will never get built.
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...
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.
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.
Is the TTC going to let Viva Orange use this thing?
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.
They'll certainly be charged-up and ready to go upon arrival.
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.
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.
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.
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.
41E Keele Express to York U service begins October 19, operating via Keele/Weston/Rogers/Keele.