Bike Walk Bus Toronto

 Hey everyone! A few months ago I wrote a piece here about some of the changes that the TTC has planned for 2023, subject to feedback. The first round of consultation is now complete, and TTC has modified some of the proposals. Additionally, a number of area studies have been complete that hope to refine service on a larger scale, which was proven a success by the Junction study a few years back. In this piece, I will outline my thoughts on these changes, and provide some of my opinions on what could change. I have submitted these comments to the TTC, and I hope that you submit some of your thoughts as well! Some Notes Just a few notes before I start. Firstly, the changes that will be coming with Line 5 are not featured here, and have for the most part been confirmed. I haven't spoken too much about it on here, but I am broadly supportive of the plan, albeit with a few issues around Laird and Science Centre Stations. Secondly, the TTC has provided some information on hours of serv...

  This is the third in a three-part series. It's always fun to write about an transit agency you never have. It's not fun to have to target one agency specifically because of their established practices. Unfortunately, today's target is Barrie Transit. There's nothing wrong with an agency having their own wayfinding practices, typically when the agency is isolated. If, say, Sault Ste. Marie Transit had a unique wayfinding system, it would make sense since they don't connect to other agencies. However, Barrie Transit is not isolated: it connects to GO Transit, and so its service is an important piece of the Greater Golden Horseshoe Transit network.  While I'm sure long-term locals understand the network well, the unique methods employed for wayfinding are a barrier towards people moving to the city, or those visiting. I consider myself a seasoned transit user, and even I have to keep checking my phone when in Barrie just to make sure I'm going the right way....

This is the second in a three-part series. The most important piece of transit infrastructure is the bus stop. I've talked at length about bus stops, and what can be done to make them better. Here, I will discuss how many bus stops make wayfinding difficult, particularly due to naming conventions that do not cross municipal boundaries. (I forewarn, this piece is kind of boring and technical, so apologies.) What is the best format for naming stops? I think Ottawa has the best format in Ontario for transit stops. It follows a simple pattern: X street or destination/Y street or destination. When the bus calls out "on Hunt Club at Uplands" you know the stop is physically on Hunt Club, at Uplands, the cross street. When in destinations, there is also a consistent format: "Queensway Carleton Hospital at Emergency" lets you know which stop within the destination you are at. The one issue is when there are stops on both sides of the street. The 90, for example, says ...

  This is the first of a three-part series. I am someone who regularly travels the Greater Golden Horseshoe on my adventures, and as such, I use a number of agencies that present information in different ways. Usually, it's pretty straight-forward to figure out information, but from time-to-time, I find myself having to pull out my phone to confirm I'm going the right way, or got on the right vehicle. This three-part series was inspired by two things. First, I have recently used a transit agency that presents information in a very peculiar, non-intuitive way, which will dominate the entire third part of this series. Secondly, recent discussions about wayfinding on the subway have brought up points about general issues with finding out that you're going to the right place. Line 1's Perpetual Problem Relatively recently, TTC replaced signs saying cardinal directions with ones that say the terminus. I think this works okay on Lines 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, but definitely not on L...