Raise the Hammer

Shame, I do not understand why your 100% valid point is being downvoted.

MattM, I understand what you are saying but you are basing it on an assumption of "leaving th&b exactly as-is" which is not a necessary or valid assumption.

First of all, there are definitely empty bus bays behind TH&B, and through more efficient bay planning, more HSR buses could use the space. FOr example, instead of having permanent signs for certain buses, the bays could have LED signs so they could be dynamically allocated when necessary.

Secondly, the bays on the south curb behind TH&B are inefficiently laid out and more buses could be accommodated there.

Finally, the space in front of TH&B is not being efficiently used. The ultra wide sidewalk could be reconfigured to accommodate bus bays on the south curb.

With some creative thinking, TH&B could have been a fantastic terminal for much less than the cost of macnab.

Why? Other than cost savings, a huge problem with having a local transit terminal physically separated from the regional station is the simple matter of visitors arriving and asking "Where do I go now?"

WIth a single terminal, figuing it out (or getting the info) becomes very easy. With separated terminals, it becomes a huge obstacle, not only for tourists but for commuters and regular local users.

We should be going out of our way to make all of the regional and local transit options very easy to use, and make the experience as smooth as possible.

This is also why I am against separating the all-day go station from the TH&B, and why I believe VIA should be at TH&B as well.

Of course, this is "impossible" because of the hunter street tunnel... except it's NOT impossible. Expensive, yes, but not impossible.

We can build a highway in a riverbed. We can replace a 4 lane overpass over a single long weekend. But we can't widen a train tunnel? The only thing stopping us from building a single fanstatic regional/local transit hub is a lack of will.

Comment edited by seancb on 2010-09-29 10:35:23