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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Over capacity - short film about TTC passenger congestion from the National Post

12 comments:

ExGOnowTTC said...

299 Bloor. 299 Bloor. 299 Bloor, please call control.

deepfish said...

The Yonge station has always struck me as having a really piss poor design. The door donkeys must love it though....

Dan-1 said...

Now they need to do one on GO trains during rush hour.

Anonymous said...

As a TTC employee, I'm stunned to see how so many riders aren't PROACTIVE enough when it comes to riding transit. If you see more space or capacity down the platform then move there. At Bloor station SB, too many people wait at the N end of the SB platform when there's more room at the S end of the SB platform.

Squiggles said...

@ Anon TTC employee:

I think it has to do with the sheer laziness of people. Why should they walk down the platform to a car that would cause them to walk back up the platform at their chosed exit station?

As for the "saviour" cars: those annoyed the hell outta me when I would see them go by waiting for a full train that to stop at my station to let people jam on.

Lil Nat said...

As a TTC rider, I have serious issues with this ridiculous set up. Their rationale (at least originally) was to reduce the "bottle-neck" effect and the charging of the doors (people who come up from the lower tracks and run straight ahead to jump on the waiting subway). What they have done is set up a longer and more narrow "walkway" and people coming upstairs have to follow a much slower flow, with a longer "bottle-neck". That leads to people charging, but instead of at the doors they are threatening the safety of other customers by trying to weave around them (e.g. if they walk too slow). I've seen small children almost trampled, have had my heels stepped on, been shoved, watched the elderly, disabled, less stable, and pregnant being thrown to and fro. This creates a very unsafe scenario for the majority of riders. Additionally, people line up where they do because of where they need to get off at their station, and where the stairs/escalator up are located at their destination. It often isn't possible to move down the track, because of the flow of people from the walkway back-tracking to their regular standing spot. If the TTC wants to reduce THIS crowding, they should consider upgrading the stations to accommodate for the increase in ridership. Lastly, I've seen many trains leave during rush hours that are barely full with a large amount of people following the walkway to board, only to have the doors close. As far as I'm concerned, while the TTC is claiming they are more efficient because more trains are coming through the station, I feel that they are not because those trains are only half full. They've left much of their ridership on the platform, desperate for the next train.

Lil Nat said...

wow that was quite a rant I left...one more point - Door Donkeys are terrible here. People will shove to get on the train, and then stand right at the doors, thus not allowing anyone else to get on unless THEY shove. Domino effect...

W. K. Lis said...

#1 reason for a DRL (Downtown Relief Line) before extending the Yonge line any further north.

ExGOnowTTC said...

@Lil Nat
That's especially true at stations like bloor or st george. People stand there because those doors won't open after there as they open on the other side. Been a few times i've physically pushed someone further in so i can get on.

Lil Nat said...

@ExGOnowTTC most definately! I've taken to going King to St. George on the rides home in the evening, because the extra 5 minutes to my commute is worth it to have slightly less shoving compared to Bloor.

HK said...

I avoided Bloor when I used to ride the TTC. I have seen women trying to exit only to get shove back onto the train and one poor lady was so TERRIFIED she was having a meltdown. No one deserves that! If there is any emergency on the YUS, then I would be better off walking down Yonge St. It is for this reason I pay extra to ride the GO and walk the PATH.

We need a downtown relief line East-West or another North-South subway line perhaps down Lower Bay to Union. If necessary, make it rush hour only. NYC has a Shuttle Line S that runs cross town parallel to the 7 train, why can't we get a Bay Express? That would be much more useful than anything on Shepperd! Personally, Rob Ford is an idiot who doesn't ride the Subway during rush hours and doesn't give a dime about the flow of people. Downtowners get Subway because that is where the Financial District is! Build the same in Scarborough and we will talk about a subway line there!

Anonymous said...

And this is all occurring in a time of peace - how shameful! The TTC is not the only thing to blame. Riders need to be more courteous. Many times I'll ask - would these riders be doing the same thing in front of their superiors or to people that they know? The simple answer is no - as they would be better judged by individuals known to them.

So, lady, next time you decide to bring an extra large tote filled with nothing on the crowded subway, think of how it feels when it's the other way around. And, buddy, don't think that just because space is tight you can have your butt right against mine and just claim that it's because of lack of space - next time, I'll be sure to press the alarm bell for harassment. Just some examples of people being selfish...the list does not end here...