Interesting links and notes on updates to my main website.



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in which I ride the double-decker

It was a rather disheartening chilly day at the Blair stop watching one "out of service" bus after another whizz by, interspersed with Hurdman buses, but it was worth it, because The Double-Decker arrived.

Good:
* takes up less space
* cool view from up top

Not so good:
* garbled announcement from driver (he was saying "there's lots of room up top" but I heard "there's no room up top")
* narrow and (I think) single set of stairs up and down to the upper deck
* you are not allowed to stand on the upper deck until the bus has completely stopped (there was an OC Transpo guy up there forbidding everyone to stand) which means you're supposed to
1) Somehow ring your stop (I didn't see many places to ring on the upper level)
2) Wait until the bus has come to a full stop
3) Shove your way down the stairs as fast as you can in order to
4) Get out of the bus before the driver closes the doors and continues to the next stop

Also I suspect some people may find the unobstructed view through the front window



either terrifying or (in the case of the guy who was there today) so entrancing it's possible all they do is ride on the upper level front row all day.

Overall it's cool, but they need to resolve the issues of loading and unloading the top level (particularly if the bus is full) before it will actually be useful.



You can see the full photoset on Flickr: Ottawa Double-Decker Bus.

Labels: ottawa, public transit

posted by Richard at 23:20 / permalink (post) | permalink (numeric)

Ottawa transit: road to the 22nd century

Which is about when it will be built.

A city report says Ottawa's transit plan will dramatically transform Carling Ave. -- but don't expect any big changes for more than two decades.

After much review and public consultation over recent weeks on the city's long-range transit plan, city staff are expected to recommend today Carling as the route of the secondary east-west transit corridor. But construction won't begin until at least 2018, when the main rapid transit line is projected to be completed.

Carling on right track: LRT would double employment along roadway - Ottawa Sun - November 10, 2008

Ah, beautiful Carling, darling of people driving as fast as they can to get somewhere else. Much like most every other street and road in Ottawa.

Hey Ottawa, I have an idea for doubling employment along streets: how about having some places in the city that don't suck, so that people actually want to spend time there.

Labels: ottawa, public transit, train

posted by Richard at 13:42 / permalink (post) | permalink (numeric)

Ottawa LRT plan changes for 4367452th time

The city's latest light-rail transit plan might be moving in a different direction.

Based on feedback from a series of public consultations that began in September, city staff are expected to alter the plan, which takes light rail from Riverside South to the Blair Rd. transit station.

About 5,000 people participated in public meetings, wrote to the city or visited the city's website, offering alternatives and suggestions on how to proceed with rapid transit. Many said taking light rail east-west should be the priority.

Coun. Alex Cullen, chairman of the city's transit committee, confirmed staff will be tabling a modified transit plan on Monday.

"What councillors will likely see is a modified east-south proposal that will move up the western corridor earlier than had initially been planned," said Cullen.

LRT changing tracks - Ottawa Sun - November 7, 2008

Oh for the love of god, just build the f-ing thing.

Labels: ottawa, public transit, train

posted by Richard at 14:08 / permalink (post) | permalink (numeric)

$3.8 billion down the DRTN?

The latest in Ottawa's string on transit plans is the Downtown Rapid Transit Network (DRTN). If you read their strawman options, it's pretty clear they want you to choose the $3.8 billion tunnel with LRT option 4, unless you believe in option 1's "articulated bus every 14 seconds" which seems, shall we say, somewhat improbable.

http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/beyond_2020/tmp/transit_options/index_en.html

Honestly, just call the train a tram, which is more accurate, and build the fucking thing. Everyone's all "billions of dollars blah blah blah". We're the capital of a rich country, this is ridiculous.

So far we can't build:
* a new central library
* a new central concert hall
* a new tram-based rapid transit system

Jesus Christ, if they can have buses AND trains AND a subway in Copenhagen, population 500,000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen#Public_transport

You would think Canada, one of the richest countries in the world, could manage to build a little fucking TUNNEL.

Labels: ottawa, public transit, rant

posted by Richard at 19:32 / permalink (post) | permalink (numeric)

slowpid transit

Another opportunity... that Ottawa will surely miss.

Budget 2008 sets aside up to $500 million in 2007–08 to be paid into a
third-party trust, allocated on a provincial-territorial per capita basis, for
public transit infrastructure. Funding will be paid into the trust, once
legislation has been passed, for only those beneficiaries that have made
public commitments before March 31, 2008 to undertake investments
in public transit. The beneficiaries of the trust will have the flexibility to
draw down the funding as they require over the next two years. They are
encouraged to report publicly on the expenditures financed and
outcomes achieved.

Emphasis mine. The trust will be used for specific projects of capital infrastructure such as
rapid transit, rail, transit buses, and high occupancy vehicle and bicycle lanes.

If only they could have used some of their endless planning sessions and reports to come up with, you know, an actual credible plan that the Fed and Prov government would believe in enough to fund.

It's going to be buses for us forever :( Nitwits.

Labels: ottawa, public transit

posted by Richard at 17:37 / permalink (post) | permalink (numeric)

the bus

So for one thing, block one street off and everything breaks down.
Sometimes they stop at the regular stop, and sometimes they drive right past it.
Sometimes they stop at the temporary stop, and sometimes they drive right past it.
Or maybe they're just avoiding stopping for me, I don't know.

Then coming back downtown holy Rideau-Wellington busjam clusterf*ck. There must have been at least 50 buses lined up bumper-to-bumper. Does it maybe indicate a slight dysfunction in your transit system if your buses are lined up for (starts up Google Earth)... a solid kilometer. I'm not kidding. At least a kilometer, nothing but bus.

Labels: bus, ottawa, public transit, rant

posted by Richard at 20:54 / permalink (post) | permalink (numeric)

light rail shakedown

Ok, I'll be the first to admit having no understanding of matters of high finance.
But if I hire a contractor for my house, and then I change my mind half way through, I expect to compensate them somewhat for their time. I don't expect them to charge me massive "non-completion" penalities. But apparently that's how it works in the heady world of secret contracts

The motion was brought forward after the city received two letters from the contractors Wednesday morning, demanding the city choose one of two options.

In the first letter, the companies offered to accept $175.3 million "in full and final settlement of all claims against the city arising from the wrongful termination of the project agreement."

The amount includes direct costs of $25.3 million and $150 million in lost opportunities, profits and damages.

The second letter said that the companies are alternatively willing to go forward with the original $778-million contract if the city agrees to pay an extra $70 million and makes its decision by the end of February.

CBC - Ottawa's light rail gets another chance - February 14, 2007
What the f***? Demand? Deadlines? Who is in charge? Why don't we just let city council be run by corporations. Who did we hire to build this train system, the mafia? Who put together this contract? Are they retarded?

Don't get me wrong: I love the idea of public transit and rail-based transit.
I tried to sort out all the different options and debate, but all I could come up with was:

1. Run a subway downtown
2. On the face of it, it appears to make sense to use the existing rail lines and the existing trains, as in the Friends of the O-Train proposal

http://www.friendsoftheotrain.org/

In future I advise:

1. Stop this "secret meeting, secret contract" bullshit
2. Don't sign contracts that impose massive penalties if you change your mind
3. How about council is in charge, instead of apparently handing over the power to make demands and set deadlines to their corporate "partners"?

Labels: ottawa, public transit

posted by Richard at 08:01 / permalink (post) | permalink (numeric)