TTC's Worst Bus Stops

This post was inspired by an annual survey by Streetsblog USA. Called 'Sorriest Bus Stops,' it attempts to find the worst stop in the North America (it was originally just for the USA, but both Metro Vancouver and Quebec City have won in recent years).

As such, I have decided to find the twelve worst bus stops in Toronto. I am only focussing on TTC stops, and won't focus on other agencies. I will be sure to make a blog post to find the worst stops in the rest of the GTA (I already have a feeling that a particular stop in Oakville might win the worst award). Obviously this is based on what I know, and I'm sure I've missed a few terrible stops. Please let me know; I can add them in!

What Makes a Stop Good or Bad?

There's a number of criteria that makes stops good or bad. While some people may consider some to be option, I think they all have their place in making a bus stop a good place.

The number one most important piece of stop infrastructure is a concrete pad. A hard surface allows for easy boarding and alighting, and it provides a place to stand that isn't muddy during a rainstorm. The vast majority of stops in Toronto have a concrete pad, but this is less true as you get further from the city. (Some places, like Guelph, map which stops have hard surfaces).

While a concrete pad is nice, sometimes they are narrow, and some may not even connect to a sidewalk. Without a sidewalk connection, the stop cannot be considered accessible, and it often forces passengers to cross streets dangerously in order to complete their trips. As such, connection to a sidewalk is another mandatory piece. This is more of an issue than the above in Toronto: while most streets have sidewalks on both sides of the street and thus connections, this is far from all. Toronto's sidewalk installation program is... slow at best. This is actually what makes most of the TTC bus network inaccessible.

The importance of a shelter can vary stop-by-stop. A small shelter, for example, works at a local stop, but not at an intersection like Jane and Wilson. Nevertheless, some shelter from the elements is required. I think Toronto's shelters are okay for rain and snow, but because they are all glass, less so for heat during the summer. This is offset by trees providing shade, or shadows from buildings, but this is not consistent, and can vary by time of day and time of year. It would be interesting to see which stops are shaded the most. I want to add that TTC does not install shelters; Astral Media does. They have a contract with the city to install all throughout the city, hence why when a stop is moved it takes time for Astral to get the notice and remove it. Sometimes they don't, as they use it as advertising (are the Keele/Steeles shelters still up?) The contract sucks, so hopefully after it the TTC produces a new design.

Lighting is also very important for waiting at night. As most Toronto streets have streetlights, lighting at stops is decent. I'm aware of one problematic stop: the southbound stop on Midland at Romulus used to be a bit further north than the corner, in the hydro corridor, and so it was incredibly dark early in the morning and late at night. It has since been moved to the corner where there is a streetlamp.

Seating is also important, especially when services are infrequent or there is a high population of seniors nearby. This is often incorporated in shelters, but some stops have benches without shelters. Garbage bins are at most TTC stops, but not all. Keeping bins at a predictable interval, like at bus stops, encourages people to dispose of waste at a bin. Heated shelters occur in a few places in Toronto, but are not common. As TTC adds more accessibility hubs throughout the city, these will be added on.

One other note is that some amenities are less necessary depending on context of the stop. A stop where many people board needs all of the above. However, there are some stops where few people board, and many get off (one that comes to mind is westbound Disco at Carlingview). In this case, it may be worthwhile having just a garbage bin at these stops if cost is an absolute issue.

Toronto's Twelve Worst Stops

Now, we get to the bulk of the article. These are in no particular order, and they each have different issues. I apologize for using Google Streetview screenshots for this: going to each stop is not super feasible since some are so isolated.

#1: Southbound on Weston south of Albion

This stop is located at the complicated Weston/Albion/Walsh intersection, under the bridge carrying Albion, serving routes 89 Weston and 989 Weston Express. The stop looks okay at first glance, with a shelter and garbage can, as well as stairs and a ramp to get from the stops on Albion down here. However, you really see the issues when you wait at it. Here, since Weston has no light, and this road leads right onto the 401, cars speed through here. Even with the curve on Weston, cars regularly clock 80-90 kilometres an hour here. I see it being inevitable, unfortunately, that a driver will lose control, and careen into the shelter. Whenever I wait here, for the sake of my nerves, I wait on the stairs.

#2: Eastbound on Humber Blvd at Weston

Man, Weston twice in a row! This stop serves route 161 Rogers Road. This whole area is complicated by the fact that the channelized Humber River runs through here. The fence on the right of this picture blocks access to the river. The 161 detours onto Cliff, Cordella and Louvain nearby to allow for stops to have space, but this one is unavoidable. No amenities, concrete slants towards the river, and with the most minimal amount of space makes this stop not one I would personally want to wait at.

I want to note: the stops nearby at Cliff and Humber Blvd are not great either, based on the way they sit adjacent to the parking lot in the northeast corner. They won't be featured here, but I figured it was worth a mention.

#3: Eastbound on McNicoll at Boxdene

This stop is served by the 42 Cummer bus. The lack of amenities is acceptable I suppose, since it's mostly a stop for alighting. That said, McNicoll is a road where speeding is the normal, and there is little respite for those who need to cross. I would not be as harsh to this stop if there were destinations on the south side where the stop is, but it's just a hydro corridor.

#4: Westbound on Disco west of Brockport

When I first had the idea for this blog post, this stop serving route 112 West Mall was the first to come to mind. Being on grass is bad enough, but being in a ditch right beside a drain is adding insult to injury. This must be miserable to wait at during or after a rainstorm. Additionally, the ditch itself makes the stop access difficult. Shoutout to the tree for providing some shade I guess.

#5: Southbound on the East Mall south of West Deane Park Road

In this stretch, the East Mall is pushed right up against Highway 427's sound barrier. Three stops on the 111 East Mall route have limited space, but the two further north have shelters. However, none of them have lights to cross from the neighbourhood safely: in fact, there is a gap of 2.1 kilometres without lights here that encourages speeding. This stop, however, is the worst of the three. No shelter, just a sliver of space to wait. I highly doubt there's space for the doors to swing open and pick someone up!

#6: Southbound on Parkside at Geoffrey

This stop served by route 80 Queensway is similar in issue to numbers 3 and 6 above, limited space to wait, no safe crossing, yet opposite destinations. The barrier side this stop is High Park, which has no entry here. This is one of the worst roads in the city for speeding, with daily accidents and regular fatalities. While Toronto Police are 'busy' ticketing cyclists in High Park, they excuse dangerous driving here, ignoring the poor person who has to get on or off the bus here.

#7: Cherry Beach Loop

Cherry Beach is pretty isolated, but during the summer, the 172 Cherry Beach route runs to serve it. This stop is okay: it has shade, and the adjacent building has public washrooms. The issue? The stop is on sand. I think this is genuinely worse than having a stop on grass, and the risk of injury is increased. I wonder why pouring a few square metres of concrete has yet to happen.

#8: Eastbound on Yorkdale Road at Yorkdale Mall

I'm sure the vast majority of people heading to Yorkdale Mall use the subway or GO Bus, but this stop is an option if you take the 47 Lansdowne. Opposite the 401, it forces people to walk a long distance across Yorkdale's insane parking lot to actually get to the mall. That said, I feel this stop is never used: the 47 Lansdowne also stops at Yorkdale Station, right by a mall entrance, and since the route ends there, no one is getting on here.

#9: Eastbound on Steeles at Staines

This stop is a wild one, served by the 53 Steeles East and 953 Steeles East Express. The grassy landing is not great, and customers have to walk through the grass to get to any houses. However, there's a kicker: there's no pedestrian crossing at Steeles and Staines. People who live on the east side of Staines either have to cross carefully, avoiding speeding cars, or take the bus further down Staines and walk back. Either is not great.

#10: Northbound on McCowan at Highway 401

This weird stop is served very frequently by a number of buses: 129, 130, 131, 132 and 169. It may look peculiar, but it serves a purpose: across the street is a walkway into the CTV Building on Channel Nine Court, reducing the walk from the Milner stop by quite a bit. However, the main issue is being located at a 401 off-ramp. Despite a crosswalk being there, many drivers drive without acknowledging pedestrians also use highway ramps. As soon as the ramp's light goes green, cars turn, likely not seeing a person crossing.

#11: Eastbound on Forthbridge at Calvington

Not only is this stop on grass, it's definitely on someone's lawn. I'm positive the person who owns the home has disputed with where people wait, and I would be uncomfortable waiting here to be honest. I'm curious as to how this has continued to exist: maybe the city just hasn't noticed? The 120 Calvington bus, which services this stop, has a few others on grass: the stop going the other way (which is also on private property), and the stop on Giltspur at Jane.

#12: Eastbound on Sheppard east of Murison

So, for whatever reason, the stops served by the 85 Sheppard East and 985 Sheppard East Express west of Neilson and east of Morningside are normal, but the stops between the two look like the above. There is no clear separation between the sidewalk and the street, the waiting area is basically on the road, and there is not even a curb for easy boarding. This is insane considering how busy these stops get, how frequent the service is, and especially considering the LRT proposal along here: how can you justify rapid transit when you can't even build a safe stop?

Who's to Blame?

While it is easy to blame the TTC, I think majority of the blame lays with the City. The city decides how streets are designed and stops integrated, and have made these stops afterthoughts. That said, the TTC is also to blame for not advocating for upgrades to these stops. The solutions for these stops would be relatively low-cost, yet they have yet to be done. Oh the bureaucracy!

What can be done?

Write to your councillor! Link this post! Tell them how much of an embarrassment it is that Torontonians must endure these conditions!

Additionally, if you think your stop is just as bad as these, let me know! If you know of a stop outside Toronto that's pitiful, send it my way for part 2 of this post.