Wednesday 29 July 2015

Entry #29 New September Routes & Detours

After my last blog with respect to being on hiatus, I decided to come back after looking at what the Region of Waterloo looks like with respect to the LRT construction and other construction projects occurring within the Region.

To begin lets look at the new routes for September.
I do like how our system is becoming more grid like with the creation of new transfer points. For example, to head to Charles St. Terminal downtown kitchener, passengers would have to get off at the Kitchener rail station and make connections with either routes 4 Glasgow, 6 Bridge, 34 Bingemans or the 204 (204 temporally servicing Charles St. for a year) since the route 20 Victoria-Frederick will not be servicing Charles St. terminal. Another benefit, the crosstown routes are coming back. When the "preferred" changes for September  were released, I looked at the older GRT schedules from the year 2000, I did see some similarities like the route 1 replacing route 25, but the difference is route 1 will be servicing The Boardwalk and Fairview Park mall. Route 2 will become longer again (but not combined with route 22 Laurentian West in the year 2000) and will service the Forest Heights community. With the crosstown routes making a comeback, and new subdivisions being developed, current routes are being "straitened" out to make it less "curvy." For example, Route 23 will be servicing the Fairway Road corridor and being extended into the Zeller Drive and Oldfield Drive neighbourhoods connecting Fairview Park and Stanley Park Mall. Route 34 Bingemans will be serving the Bingemans Centre corridor and Shirley Avenue employment area. This route will get extremely busy during the afternoon peak periods due to the families using the 34 to get from Bingemans Park to get home. The 204 Victoria-Highland iXpress will be heavily used. This will connect the Boardwalk and the Stanley Park Community at the intersection of Ottawa and Lackner running every 15 minutes and 30 minutes evening and Weekends. Route 27 Chicopee will have increased service from 60 minutes during the evening and weekends to 30 minutes. This needed to happen due to Freeport Health Centre. There is a lot of people that use that stop, and with more frequency for the 27, it would make it more appealing to riders. Route 7 would become straighter along Weber Street, route 1 would cover Kinzie and Thaler, route 8 would have the same routing along Weber Street.

The downside to September:

Route 1 Queen-River - The evening for Sunday service will remain the same, which is 60 minutes. I can argue that the 1 needs 30 minute service along Krug Street, River Road, Kinzie Avenue, Thaler Avenue and Fairway Road. Since the 23, which services the majority of Fairway Road, does not get Sunday service, at least some of it would be covered by the route 1, and would be popular to riders with 30 minute frequency at nights on a Sunday

Route 2 Forest Heights - I do take my hat off to the planners and schedulers that extended the 2's evening service and gave the Saturday service back, but what would make the 2 busier would be the introduction of at least a 60 minute Sunday service trial period for 6 months to see if ridership would increased then increase the frequency from 60 minutes to 30 minutes and make the Sunday service permanent.

Route 7 Mainline - Riding route 7, it needs to lose the 7D University, 7E Columbia, and 7F branches and have 3 branches 7A via Wilson, 7B via Weber and 7C Conestoga Mall and have the 92 University Loop replace 7D and 7E, but modify it to become an express to Charles St. terminal. This would have made a huge impact on route 7, but that would occur in the year 2017.

Route 8 via Franklin - Route 8 should be servicing Connaught Street from day 1 when it came out. The 8 should be traveling down Franklin Street to Connaught Street to and from Fairview Park. This would help the current schedule and the connections route 8 would make.

Route 20 Victoria-Frederick - Keewatin Avene and the Heritage Park shopping plaza are losing bus service. What I believe the 20 should be servicing is Lorraine Avenue, Lackner Boulevard, Keewatin Avenue, Holborn Drive, Old Chicopee Drive and Ottawa Street. This would provide 7 day a week service, plus 15 minute rush-hour service so people can make connections at Stanley Park Mall.

Route 22 Laurentian West - Providing Sunday service between Highland Hills and Forest Glen is a good idea, I do know what the planners are planning to do. Once they see the numbers for September, 2016 or 2017 is when route 11 loses it's Strasburg Extension and the 22 would get full routing on Sunday. I am not sure how the 11 would be modified to operate on a Sunday.

Route 23 Idlewood - No service on Lackner Boulevard. That is a huge problem for those houses on Lackner. the 23 should have 2 branches, a Sims Estate Drive-Lackner Boulevard Branch and a Fairway Road-Zeller Drive branch, each brach would operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday, 60 minutes Sunday. Sunday service for each branch would start out like previously mentioned for the route 2, 6 month 60 minute trial period for each branch, if ridership increases, then increase each branch to 30 minute Sunday service.

Route 27 Chicopee - Route 27 should also be servicing Sims Estate Drive with 2 way service on Morgan Avenue, and Summer midday service would be reinstated for the passengers to get to Freeport Health Centre.

Route 34 Bingemans - This is a peak only bus service. From what I heard, Bingemans has been fighting for YEARS to get bus service, and they get service, but peak only. That to me is an insult, I can see Bingemans continue fighting to have 7 day a week bus service. I can see plans being changed for the 34. The 34 Centennial-Forewell section would be peak only, and have the 34 turn around within Bingemans Park - Front Door Service!

204 Victoria-Highland iXpress - No service to Stanley Park mall on Sundays. This would be a very good connection maker of the 204 went to Stanley Park Mall temporally. It would provide 7 day a week service along Ottawa Street, and a reliever for the 23 when it gets busy.

205 Ottawa Street iXpress - No Ottawa Street iXpress until 2017. This is a huge shocker. When I chatted with the planners, they were in full favour of implementing the 205, but because of LRT construction and budget the 205 would be deferred until 2017. I personally believe, implementing the 205 would help with the 204 because the 204 turn around is Oldfield and Shaftsbury. If you got goosebumps, yes that turn around, in my personal opinion is not the safest of turn arounds. Temporally, the 204 should have been extended to Stanley Park Mall to provide connections with routes 1, 20, and 23. Plus Ottawa Street would get Sunday service.

That is my look for September, now for the detours.

The Detours in the Region are getting worse and worse by the day. The main roads are under construction AND the side roads are under construction. It is like we are getting boxed in like rats, and the only way to get around construction is to walk or bus. I understand that many people do not like that idea, but if you can't get anywhere you have to re-evaluate you options and take a chance. Yes, I do understand there will be delays, but people may enjoy taking their minds off the construction and just relaxing.

I do hope everyone has enjoyed this blog post, have a great evening everyone!

David Sej.

Friday 3 July 2015

Entry #28: Job Hunting & Hiatus of Blog

It has occurred to me, I have been looking for a full-time position since April (since I have finished my program of Public Service at Conestoga College). I have been looking for a good job since then, but all that was left were not so good jobs. So I did some looking around, and came across a place that employers go to advertise their jobs and look at the applications they get in, as well as conduct interviews there as well. Since I have a background in factory work (working all three shifts morning, afternoons and nights) I have decided to reopen looking into factory work. The position I looked at specifically was for a packager in Waterloo. I applied to that and now I wait to see what happens. The shift I would more than likely take would be the nightshift and then work my way back up into afternoons and mornings. I do understand a lot of my new friends might be upset finding out I might be working nights at factory, but it is only temporary until I can look at pursuing a new career.

Since I announced that I applied to that position, and hopefully I can get a call back for an interview, I will be putting the blog on hiatus until further notice.

I would like to thank everyone who has read the blog for these past years, I do hope to start it up again in the future, but I am unsure when.

Have a great evening/day folks

David Sej