What would Light Rail be like?
What Would Light Rail Be Like? - Torontoist
Underground, LRT it would be about as fast as the existing subway trains. Above ground, where there are more frequent stops, it would be slower (as would the subway if it had more frequent (meaning close together) stops).
It would not reduce the number of car lanes (where it looked like it would, they put it underground so it wouldn't).
From comments to the article:
Rich1299: Transit City lines would not take away any lanes for cars, none at all,
two car lanes in each direction before an LRT line and two car lanes
afterwards, plus there won't be dozens of buses constantly stopping in
those car lanes so car traffic will flow much more smoothly on routes
with an LRT on them. In fact the reason the section on Eglinton is being
buried is because they would have had to reduce car lanes if they
didn't so the myth that LRTs take away from cars is just that, a myth.
xtremesniper:
Subways are great. I don't think anyone would actually
take LRT over subway if they had a realistic choice. But given what we
have learned over the past 50 years, I think I'd rather have something
that has a chance for completion in my lifetime over mystical subway
lines that will forever haunt political history files for decades.
Underground, LRT it would be about as fast as the existing subway trains. Above ground, where there are more frequent stops, it would be slower (as would the subway if it had more frequent (meaning close together) stops).
It would not reduce the number of car lanes (where it looked like it would, they put it underground so it wouldn't).
From comments to the article:
Rich1299: Transit City lines would not take away any lanes for cars, none at all,
two car lanes in each direction before an LRT line and two car lanes
afterwards, plus there won't be dozens of buses constantly stopping in
those car lanes so car traffic will flow much more smoothly on routes
with an LRT on them. In fact the reason the section on Eglinton is being
buried is because they would have had to reduce car lanes if they
didn't so the myth that LRTs take away from cars is just that, a myth.
xtremesniper:
Subways are great. I don't think anyone would actually
take LRT over subway if they had a realistic choice. But given what we
have learned over the past 50 years, I think I'd rather have something
that has a chance for completion in my lifetime over mystical subway
lines that will forever haunt political history files for decades.
Ford is only pushing so hard for subways because he knows that there
won't be ANY ground-breaking on any subway project while he's still in
office. He'll do what he actually wants (to kill Transit City) and the
actual task of starting real subway development will be left for the
next mayor or the one after that.
Toronto needs expanded and improved transit. Doesn't matter how or in
what form, so long as we can get people moving sooner rather than
later. The whole excuse of "do it right the first time" is just hurting
everything even more because it's a simple fact that the TTC wastes a
huge chunk of their budget on union wages and so our government does not
take public transit seriously because they just view it as a cash cow.
I'll take what I can get. Maybe I'll be able to take transit to work by the time I retire. Maybe.
Stells Bells: I'm staggered by Doug's claim that he has been to "every single city in
North America". Surely that claim alone proves that he is full of sh!t
and one need go no further.
Nick: I think Doug's polling question would have to be
examined. For instance, you can ask the question "Does Toronto need more
subways and fewer streetcars?" (obviously, yes) or "Does Toronto need
7.5 km of subway serving a small percentage of its population or 75 km
of right-of-way separated LRT that serves 80% if its population and
frees up space for cars on the road and that's already funded by the province" (obviously, yes!!).
I wish Toronto had votable propositions like US states do, which
allocate specific funds for specific purposes, and which can't be
overturned by the latest dullard to take office. I don't think Ford got a
mandate to forge ahead with some half-baked subway plan but rather to
stop some ill-defined gravy train.