9 replies to this topic

[19200]

Last of the Chester Subdivision was removed a number of months ago.

Few years back HRM stood by while a fair bit of the Bedford Subdivision single tracked down from double.

Has HRM missed the boat?

With a downtown core that is a peninsula, isn't a more efficient mode of moving people to the core needed?

Thoughts and opinions please....

[hfx_chris]

And HRM continues to miss the boat. In fact HRM has a nice little information piece on the Metro Transit website that basically says rail transit is not at all feasable for HRM and to basically stop talking about it.
http://www.halifax.c...muterRail2.html

The HRM transit planners seem to be anti-rail, which is a huge shame because this is something they should have been working towards years ago, so that when the day comes we're not trying to play catch-up.

[jc.theriault]

hfx_chris, on Nov 29 2010, 04:18 PM, said:

And HRM continues to miss the boat. In fact HRM has a nice little information piece on the Metro Transit website that basically says rail transit is not at all feasable for HRM and to basically stop talking about it.
http://www.halifax.c...muterRail2.html

The HRM transit planners seem to be anti-rail, which is a huge shame because this is something they should have been working towards years ago, so that when the day comes we're not trying to play catch-up.

I'm in Halifax for the first time in 9 months and it's clear Metro Transit is already too far behind to bother playing catch-up. Running the Portland Hills Link at 60 minute frequencies off-peak will just push people onto conventional buses and give management a reason to cut off-peak Link service for good. Things seem to be going backwards on Ilsley.

Now if they looked at Calgary's BRT setup, they'd understand that you don't need super-fancy buses but instead sell the route on "fast" travel time. And like Calgary, lose the premium fare and charge the same as regular routes.

I'm looking over the route changes that recently took effect and what I see are far too many cuts to routes where the average income is less per household, ie. 51 & 53 and very little increases to exisiting areas where additional routes and re-routing of others are urgently required. I'd be happy to live in downtown Dartmouth and take an early morning job in B'side but the 52 can't quite get me there for 6:30am on weekdays. Management makes it quite obvious they, for the most part, aren't transit users.

And what about service out #7 to Musquodoboit Harbour?? The demand is there, consultants gave a viable plan and city hall doesn't get buses out there.

Grumble, grumble... but on the other hand its nice to be back in the city for a week

JC

[hfx_chris]

Welcome back JC

[calamin]

jc.theriault, on Dec 1 2010, 03:03 PM, said:

I'm in Halifax for the first time in 9 months and it's clear Metro Transit is already too far behind to bother playing catch-up. Running the Portland Hills Link at 60 minute frequencies off-peak will just push people onto conventional buses and give management a reason to cut off-peak Link service for good. Things seem to be going backwards on Ilsley.

Now if they looked at Calgary's BRT setup, they'd understand that you don't need super-fancy buses but instead sell the route on "fast" travel time. And like Calgary, lose the premium fare and charge the same as regular routes.

I'm looking over the route changes that recently took effect and what I see are far too many cuts to routes where the average income is less per household, ie. 51 & 53 and very little increases to exisiting areas where additional routes and re-routing of others are urgently required. I'd be happy to live in downtown Dartmouth and take an early morning job in B'side but the 52 can't quite get me there for 6:30am on weekdays. Management makes it quite obvious they, for the most part, aren't transit users.

And what about service out #7 to Musquodoboit Harbour?? The demand is there, consultants gave a viable plan and city hall doesn't get buses out there.

Grumble, grumble... but on the other hand its nice to be back in the city for a week

JC

The reason why you see cuts in on these routes is two fold one is money ( ya I know Duh lol). Second is that every year they hire load counters to work on the routes from their numbers is where they get a lot of the increase and decrease plans. While some maybe less the 10% care about what they have been asked to do and employed to do. Most do not give a care, I have had some on my routes who just write down whatever they want and mostly play on their cell phones, so fudging data. This has been reported by drivers to management with no response but to hire the same people back next year. Also they have a habit of hiring some people that have been banned for a 3 or 6 month period from transit property and have just finished their ban.

[jc.theriault]

Thanks Chris, layoffs came without advance warning. Just pulled out of camp when my supervisor called me and a dozen or so other guys - "don't bother running today, we're done.... NOW". So now I'm in a great debating mood thanks to the ex-employer disqualifying me from getting the $1700 several cheque, just because I'm 4 or 5 days short according to the rules in the AB labour laws. Public humiliation for the company and upper management is my next course of action But I'm just relaxing in a Dartmouth hotel for another 4 nights before heading to NB for the holidays.

calamin - Sounds like those load counters would make great candidates for key management positions on Ilsley, ie. totally out of touch with the world outside.

JC

[19200]

What was the supposed run time for this fast ferry idea from Bedford to Dtown Halifax? Did they ever put a firm number on it?

[hfx_chris]

Not that I recall

[Halifax_Route10]

19200, on Dec 7 2010, 12:17 PM, said:

What was the supposed run time for this fast ferry idea from Bedford to Dtown Halifax? Did they ever put a firm number on it?

I was on one of the Fast Ferry test runs back in 2005, and it took about 15 minutes, if I recall. If you were standing outside the cabin, you didn't want to wear a hat, that's for sure!

Of course, that's not factoring in any docking and loading times, but I still think the fast ferry idea is more feasible and realistic than commuter rail at this point. Would commuter rail be doable if MT's planners had more vision? Probably.

[19200]

So if we upgrade the old DAR, and run an RDC in from Middle Sackville, then add the double track back as far as the Hammonds Plains Rd at the Sobeys, you could run the Ferry from there.

I bet you could beat the the car time from the same location with a combo of rail and ferry. Have a dedicated bus run in Hammonds Plains rd to the same Ferry terminal and maximize the potential.

This is assuming you can't get CN to play ball on running over their trackage. If you can work with them, then it gets even easier.

What's HRM's forcast for the next 10-20 years in terms of $$ to be spent on more roads or upgrading of roads to handle increased traffic flow from Sprawl?

Anyone have an idea?