Comment 116825

By mdrejhon (registered) - website | Posted March 04, 2016 at 13:27:11 in reply to Comment 109921

Let's also mention I am impressed by NiagaraGO's passion in bringing GO train service to the Niagara area:

"Niagara smashes through barriers to GO rail expansion"

Also following developments on the @NiagaraGO twitter, as well as www.niagarago.ca.

All the different Niagara-area mayors -- who normally fight each other -- are so unified behind Niagara GO expansion that they worked nearly unamiously hard on this. Given 17 obstacles from Ontario, solved all of them, and committed 1/3rd of the cost of the GO expansion. Now Ontario is working with them. Obviously, this is still tentative, but is quite an obvious incremental improvement to GO service that is easily doable by the end of this decade (assuming #elxn2018 doesn't cancel this mid-construction, 1990s Eglinton Subway Style).

Now they've successfully gotten (provisionally) included in the 2016 Ontario budget. They even, on their own initiative, successfully negotiated a Welland canal GO priority guarantee! (boats now have to wait for GO trains). This is a recent breakthrough. West Harbour GO will be a stop on the new Niagara service, assuming this momentum keeps up.

There is a June 2016 announcement on Niagara GO expansion. West Harbour GO becomes a major stop on the new Niagara 2-way commuter service (yay for #HamOnt, too).

Corollary: I wish Hamilton City council had a similar zeal as the team of Niagara area mayors, on transit improvements in Hamilton (especially HSR).


Side note #1: If only we market HSR better, with publicity, a HSR website, a HSR twitter, and some minor HSR service optimizations (predictability) -- we could win FEDERAL funding for the HSR bus garage expansion more quickly. Federal is currently quickly shoveling money right now to shovel-ready transit/infrastructure projects Canada-wide. Every unfunded transit related project that already had their EA and is shovel-ready, are potential recipients in the next 12 months. Why are we missing this opportunity to get the garage funded, and a potential HSR fleet expansion? In other words: Why are we leaving this MONEY on the table? (This is a separate debate than "how much should the bus garage cost" which the article aims at)

Side note #2: Even today, I sometimes get confused whether I'm able to catch #10 B-Line Express (stops service shortly after ~7pm weekdays, doesn't run weekends) or have to wait for a #1. Google Maps on my phone helps, but it needs to be better. Not everyone uses a smartphone, or knows enough to use transit apps, to "trust" a bus stop. Consider the elderly, as well as those who can't afford data. I often don't bother, and often just grab a SoBi bike, or drive my car (to Aldershot GO), since my working hours often varies wildly due to working late. Depending on where I am in the city, I don't even know which bus stop actually has running buses -- there are multiple bus stops in Hamilton that confusing has no buses stopping at them for several daylight hours (they instead go to an adjacent bus stop for example). It is my opinion that all municipal bus stops (not clearly visibly labelled as "LIMITED SERVICE") should always have a bus passing the stop all day long. Toronto relies on this assumption. I like transit, but why is HSR so confusing sometimes to the point where I don't always bother? Let's fix HSR. Improve HSR clarity 100% across the board. Not just to improve transit numbers, but also to attract FUNDING -- MONEY. Studies/reports are important, but better service visibility, all across the board, reducing confusion, online and offline, makes it easier to keep all of this "on the radar" (including internal government communications, etc).

Comment edited by mdrejhon on 2016-03-04 13:57:47

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