Calgary Transit

[Red Star]

The Teal does seem to be the best option for that NW/SW link but I wouldn't want something cutting through the wooded area on the south side of the bow unless it was something truly integrated with the park/river scape but that would likely cost $$$.

I'd be between two choices on a terminal, do you go to Brentwood or up to Tuscany/Crowfoot.

Brentwood, cut down Bow and Crowchild to Memorial then do you follow your routing through the U of C or follow the Orange from Foothills up and around through UD.

Tuscany/Crowfoot, supplement or replace the 29 hitting Trinity Hills, Bowness (route 1 link)but then do you go up Nosehill to Crowfoot for the 'central' NW station or through Tuscany for links out to Sage Hill, Evanston etc.

For the initial phase of the Teal, Westbrook made sense but now it's somewhat established, it could be used as a base for a solid N/S link on the Westside.

Those are good points. Unfortunately, a new bridge will be very costly.

The problem with using Bow Trail/Crowchild/Memorial is that it is a long and slow detour.

A successful transit route should be:
1.Direct
2. Fast
3. Frequent

 

[badc0ffee]

That's why the gondola was proposed in the first place - it's direct, cheaper than building a bridge, and less impactful on the landscape.

I don't think there's any chance of a bridge being built in that location. It would be expensive, and wreck both the Douglas Fir Trail and the community of Parkdale, while being comically close to an existing bridge.

I think there's a better chance of the Windsor Park <-> Altadore 50 Ave SW bridge happening.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

Those are good points. Unfortunately, a new bridge will be very costly.

The problem with using Bow Trail/Crowchild/Memorial is that it is a long and slow detour.
View attachment 635898

A successful transit route should be:
1.Direct
2. Fast
3. Frequent

I mean 6 minutes isn't bad at all. In the grand Calgary Transit scheme of things, that's better than some routes.

 

[Red Star]

That's why the gondola was proposed in the first place - it's direct, cheaper than building a bridge, and less impactful on the landscape.

I don't think there's any chance of a bridge being built in that location. It would be expensive, and wreck both the Douglas Fir Trail and the community of Parkdale, while being comically close to an existing bridge.

I think there's a better chance of the Windsor Park <-> Altadore 50 Ave SW bridge happening.

Gondolas are neat. But I think they work better as a single point connector only. Moving people to one destination to another.

For example: Moving people from the top of a Hill -----> a Metro station

When there are multiple stops at Foothills Hospital and UofC and Brentwood station I think it turns into a bit of a Gadget-Bahn as you have to have an attendant at each station.

But then again I've only ever taken the Portland Aerial Tram so my personal experience is limited.

 

[Red Star]

I mean 6 minutes isn't bad at all. In the grand Calgary Transit scheme of things, that's better than some routes.

True.

But that was route was calculated at 11am on a Tuesday. I'm sure during rush hour it's longer

 

[CalgaryTiger]

True.

But that was route was calculated at 11am on a Tuesday. I'm sure during rush hour it's longer

Say it with me, bus lane! Could do it down the median on Bow Trail and on the shoulder of Crowchild and the curb lane of memorial. Simple lines of paint and there you have it. Don't need the other infrastructure required in other places.

 

[darwink]

Gondolas are neat. But I think they work better as a single point connector only. Moving people to one destination to another.

For example: Moving people from the top of a Hill -----> a Metro station

When there are multiple stops at Foothills Hospital and UofC and Brentwood station I think it turns into a bit of a Gadget-Bahn as you have to have an attendant at each station.

But then again I've only ever taken the Portland Aerial Tram so my personal experience is limited.

Recently in Mexico City I took one of the Cablebus lines from end to end. 10.5 km, 7 stations total. at one of the stations in the middle, you have to transfer, otherwise, it is through service, like the Sunshine Gondola, but a bit more compact.

Spoiler: Images

A station with a turn

Going under power lines

The main problem is staffing costs as you say. For turns and stations. There is tech to get rid of the accessibility issue, but that raises costs even further, and is quite gadgetbahn-y.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

Curious to know how many people a gondola moves versus a bus. Having people there isn't a big issue because those are people that would be driving a bus.

Biggest problem for me is a gondola flying through Parkdale just seems like a non starter. You can envision it from Westbrook to Memorial but north of there I just can't see it and there's nothing at Memorial that would warrant a gondola ride to.

 

[darwink]

Curious to know how many people a gondola moves versus a bus.

Really depends on how many gondolas you buy. The Line I rode was very frequent, less than 15 second headways midday. 36 minutes in one direction, 10 person cars, 377 cars,

Assumming they're using 320 cars regularly for rush, (60/36)*10*(320/2)=2595 ppdph

They claim 4,000 ppdph ultimate capacity.

 

[badc0ffee]

Can anyone dig up the map for this? It's not on the current RouteAhead, and if Calgary loves one thing more than deleting old buildings and plazas, it's deleting old municipal documents and links.

I can't remember whether the aerial tram/gondola would actually cross the river near 29 St, or if it was more like 37 St.

 

[ByeByeBaby]

When there are multiple stops at Foothills Hospital and UofC and Brentwood station I think it turns into a bit of a Gadget-Bahn as you have to have an attendant at each station.

But then again I've only ever taken the Portland Aerial Tram so my personal experience is limited.

The minimum stations would be Westbrook, Foothills, U of C and Brentwood. An expanded set of stations could include University District/ACH, Parkdale, Spruce Cliff. So 4 attendants minimum, up to 7 total.

The route 9 takes 34 mins to go from Westbrook to Brentwood; add in a 6 minute driver's/schedule break and that's 40 mins one way or 80 mins round trip. So to get 10 minute headways, we need... 8 drivers. For 5 minute headways (still much longer than gondola headways), 16 drivers. To be fair, this is a bit of a false economy because the 9 will in all likelihood still need to run, but it's not that uncomparable.

Say it with me, bus lane! Could do it down the median on Bow Trail and on the shoulder of Crowchild and the curb lane of memorial. Simple lines of paint and there you have it. Don't need the other infrastructure required in other places.

Bus lanes are great, but there's only so much you can do with paint when you want to go from Westbrook to Foothills - 3 km due north but have to travel 6 or 7 km because that's where the road is.

 

[Transit Apologist]

Edmonton's went through a deep rebuild in the 2000s at Bombardier. They look like U2s, but I don't know how much commonality they have anymore.

ETS did buy a few of our retired U2's to use for parts several years back, so they must still have some mechanical similarities.

 

[badc0ffee]

IIRC:
* The main difference between their cars and ours was the wheel profile (their tracks cross a CN line so need the rounded profile, and our tracks run in the street on 7 Ave so they need a flat profile)
* Cars 2101 and 2102, the so-called "U2 AC" cars, started life in Edmonton. At the time I guess we needed those cars more than they did.

 

[ctraindude]

Edmontons U2s were also lucky enough to basically run indoors for a good portion of their life. Calgarys U2s were run more through elements and at grade so really destroyed the bodies.

I still can’t believe Edmonton put CBTC in those things.

Calgary’s U2s will be gone before Edmonton’s, so we might expect to see another few trains or buckets of parts headed that way. Calgary has placed the LRV orders already to replace the last U2S, while Edmonton’s is just out to tender now (I believe it’s short-listed).

 

[lemongrab]

New bus barns location:

https://calgaryherald.com/news/citys-new-bus-barns-spell-the-end-for-popular-motocross-track

The facility will replace the city’s bus garage in Victoria Park and will double the bus maintenance and storage capacity in central Calgary, to support the many buses that travel in and out of the core.

“These two parcels of land were selected because they are centrally located, city-owned sites, potentially large enough to accommodate the size of the South Central Bus Garage development.”

Plans for the future Rivers District are also a driver for the decision, the city noted, as the Victoria Park garage will be torn down to accommodate other developments. No other sites nearby have the accessibility, size or appropriate zoning for a new bus maintenance and storage facility, the city added.

Personally I don't give a crap about motocross, but it's disappointing to lose a unique amenity.

But a casualty of the decision would be the Wild Rose Motocross Association (WRMA), which is currently leasing land from the city at the north end of Burbank Road for its six motocross tracks.

The track was originally built in the 1960s as ‘Blackfoot Park.’ The site was initially leased from the city and made available for a wide range of motorsports, including motocross and off-road riding.

The 88-acre motocross facility welcomes more than 20,000 visitors a year, hosts various race competitions, and is the only venue of its kind in Calgary, according to the association.