Two Marpole Loop bus bays switch places on Mon Sept 21
September 16, 2009
Two Marpole Loop bus bays switch places on Mon Sept 21
September 16, 2009
Marpole Loop riders, look out! Starting on Monday, September 21, service at Bay 1 and Bay 2 will be flipped to improve customer access and operator facilities.
Here are the new bus bay assignments:
Bay 1 (#50738)
100 22nd Street StationBay 2 (#51120)
10 Granville (to Marine Drive Station)
Previously the 10 stopped at Bay 1 and the 100 stopped at Bay 2.
If you’re curious, moving the 10 to Bay 2 will provide a better pickup/dropoff point for customers—the current configuration of the trolley overhead wire makes it a bit challenging for the 10 to access the curb at the stop. As well, the 100 will now be laying over next to operator washroom facilities at Bay 1.
Hello, I have a couple of general question:
why the Marople loop has not been decomissioned with the introduction fo Canada Line and new loop at Marine drive station?
why the #100 route goes west up to Marpole loop, it seems it could stop sooner at Marine drive station loop, where it connect with the #10 if people look for this connection?
Why the #480 use Oak bridge and not Arthur Laing bridge like the defunct #98B (god bless him, amen!): looking at the map it seems the route could be faster, to cross the Fraser from Granville to BridgePort station? is it right?
The 100 was kept in place for Marpole residents insisting the the buses on Granville coming less than every 10 minutes simply wasn’t enough. TransLink thinks that there will be enough ridership to support the spur, so residents won’t have to walk a dreaded extra two blocks to catch the 10, 16, 17, 100, or 480; almost all of which already operate every 10 minutes or less during much of the day.
The 100 could be run westbound on 70th Avenue and turn left on Hudson to Marpole Loop instead of having to double back like it does now. Better yet, it could be extended to UBC to take the load off the other buses.
I also think the 480 maybe faster going across the Arthur Lang because of the HOV 3+ queue jumper lane there and also because it would skip Bridgeport Station to do it. But I’m not really sure as I don’t commute through the area.
An earlier post in another thread also questioned why the 480 is forced to run through the Kerisdale community. It could be run down 49th avenue to help with overcrowding in that area.
Cliff, I think that the whole point to preserve the #480 is to offer a seamless connection to UBC for south of fraser resident, so skipping Bridegport station could not really be an option.
Also, as a taxpayer, I find curious translink maintain a questionable service (#100 in Marpole) because resident like the comfort of it when the area is already so well serviced by other route (mostly #10 extended to Marine Drive station), but sure I don’t use the #100 and may be there is enough ridership to justify such heavy service in the area;)
Just to follow up: here’s some info from CMBC planning.
Getting more on the 480 a little later…
And here’s the word on the 480 from CMBC planning.
Hope this helps!
Hi, Jhenifer:
I wonder if the planners will ever get tired of all our comments on this blog?
But I do have a practical question regarding the 100…
Since one of its purposes is to provide Marpole residents with two bus routes to get to Marine Drive Station (along with the 10), would it make more sense to route the 100 counter-clockwise, so that it goes north on Hudson, west on 70th, and south on Granville?
That way, riders could simply wait at the stop on Granville Southbound at 70th, and catch whichever bus comes first, rather than having to decide whether to wait for the 10 going southbound on Granville or the 100 going northbound.
It would also eliminate the need for the reroute via 71st Avenue during the afternoon peak hours.
Thanks.
Then again, maybe it’s a pointless question, because the 100 lays over at Marpole Loop anyhow, so any advantage in catching it first before a 10 may be lost by waiting at the loop….
Stefan: I don’t know if they’re sick of them yet — they seem very nice and willing to answer all of your questions so far!
Here’s the response after I sent your question along:
The 100 is very busy in the marpole area still. Lots of people go to the marpole area and the Canada Line using the 100. I agree with Stefan, about the 100 laying over at Marpole loop, the bus is usually full at that point and sometime two 10’s go to the station while the 100 is laying over.
I don’t own a car and use public transit almost daily – occasionally during rush hour but mostly at ‘the edges’ and Sundays. I have yet to wait less than 15 minutes for the #10 at 71st and Granville! (and twice along Hastings/Victoria)
The drivers are subjected to a lot of manifestations of frustration by the passengers who are very agitated. Much of the delay is, as I understand it, due to construction (on Hastings and Howe). Surely you can schedule the service to take these disruptions into account.
thanks for your answer.
just I note that concerning the #480, connection with the #10 can be done along Granville, and people along Marine Drive connecting with the #480, could use #10 as well now it is extended to Marine drive…that was the reasoning behind my questioning of the servicing of Marpole by the #480 (people leaving east of Cambie and going to 41st west of Granvile, are probably better to use other trolley route to connect with the #41, #43, so it is not anyone is left with no alternative)…
Regarding the #100,
if #10 is not enough to handle the traffic betwneen Marpole and Marine Drive (what is a good news), does it has been considered to extend the #16 to Marine Drive station instead to keep the #100 servicing marine drive west of cambie.
I see a couple of advantage to it:
(1) #16 could take exactky same route as #10 de facto doubling the frequency south of 64th avenue
(2) Connect Kerrisdale area directly to Canada Line (offering a competitive alternative to bus #49 or even overcrowded #41, #43 for people along Arbutus corridor in the vicinity of #49…)
(3) Have more use of trolley (and less of diesel)
…alternatively, if bulk of traffic for the #100 is along 70th avenue, may be it could be a good idea to extend the #100 up to the #16 loop, thru the 70th avenue, improving the connection of the Kerrisdale with the rest of the world ;)
I use the 100 and Canada Line on average 3 times a week sometimes during peak hours. The speed of the Canada Line into town via the 100 at the Marpole Loop has totally won me over. Tonight it took 30 min. to go from my home walking to the Marpole Loop to walk in the door at SFU Harborside. Just as quick coming home.
Another comment would be about the bicycle and handicap seating area. It would be helpful to bikers who may not use the system that much to have a symbolic designated waiting area on the platform so that they know which cars are for that purpose. It would keep others out of the way permitting easier access for wheelchair and bikers.
One more thing since I’m on a roll. I would ask moms with BIG strollers to sit somewhere appropriate and not block the aisles with their strollers. It makes coming and going really hairy.
Great job by transit workers; terrific people who represent the company well. Terrific first impressions for visitors.
I’ve seen a number of interesting suggestions here to improve service. I hope CMBC is listening.
A few of the suggestions, however, would require buses to make left turns in heavy traffic. I think we should also remember that drivers are people too and making a route too long can be hard on their bladders.
The following is not meant to embarrass TransLink because the situation on Knight is better than it was a few years ago. I’ve included it for the amusement and horror of readers
Massive bunching up of buses followed by long gaps without service were the norm on Knight street back in 2006. I recall having a day off that summer. I thought I’d surprise my wife and meet her at the bus stop on Knight at 33rd. Around 4:30 I saw two buses arrive together at the stop. When they pulled away I saw a third #22 sitting at the red light. I was thinking to myself that it would be weird if there was a 4th bus sitting immediately behind the third one. After the light cycled the third pulled into the stop and my wife got off. We’d barely turned to walk home when a 4th bus pulled up to the stop. My wife told me 4 in a row was nothing special, that she’d seen five. As if to prove her point a fifth #22 arrived less than two minutes later.
But that’s not a record.
Later that year, around 5:00PM on a cold winter evening my wife was walking up Knight Street to get our daughter from daycare and in the time it took her to get from 35th to 39th, a total of SEVEN southbound #22 buses passed her. She saw all of them stop at least once to let passengers disembark.
For those who don’t have the 2006/07 afternoon peak frequency chart handy, that’s an hour and 12 minutes worth of buses compressed into a 5 minute span. I know what you’re thinking, but the roads were bare and wet that day.
I have to say it’s worse on Commercial/Victoria. Diesel’s can leap frog one another when there are anomalies on the road. Trolley’s and articulated trolleys must wait single file. One joke is the 54th and Victoria street car turn around. During morning coffee it’s not surprising to see everyone waiting single file for a bio-break Northbound and Southbound. 8-)
Seriously there have been many studies that have identified the downtown segment with strong ridership departing Chinatown that makes the 20 Victoria (Southbound) extremely unreliable. Combining the #3 and #20 service doesn’t really help with Southbound reliability leaving the core. Severing the Hastings segment from Victoria/Commercial is the best solution as originally discussed in the 2005 area plan.
One of the reasons why the #100 runs west of Marine Drive Station is to accommodate operator reliefs at Main & Marine, Fraser & Marine, etc. Operators can travel from the Vancouver Transit Centre to points beyond Marine Drive Station without having to transfer, meaning less time having to pay operators for a relief. This, combined with the additional service for paying customers makes the #100 in its current form a good idea.
David: Yep, I’ve sent the link to this post over, so CMBC is listening :)
I’m commenting on the sad decision to cancel the 491 bus. From my perspective the bus had steady ridership, I can remember half the bus getting off at Worksafe some days. It was fast and it was direct. Now I have two buses, skytrain and three waits each leg for a commute that has doubled and thankfully the rain hasn’t come in yet.
Before labour day I enjoyed my commute to work, now I’m looking forward to buying a car for a twenty minute commute or moving to Richmond to walking distance of work, and either way voting with my pocket book, no transit or no bus pass.
Ryan, to clarify on your comments about the 491. Your 491 description is what I describe as a “second generation” service. The initial 491 service only operated to downtown in the morning and took people to Richmond in the afternoon for several years.
That changed to bidirectional rush hour service when the 98 BLine was introduced. I assume in your comments that you want to see restoration of the second generation bi-directional service. Not just the service to downtown in the morning and afternoon service to Richmond.
I agree the 491 served neighbourhoods West of No 3 and West of Oak very well. Even with the 98 Bus Only lanes, the service on the 491 was very quick.
I rode the 491 a few times, being caught in Marpole, Seymour and Arther Lang congestion wasn’t pretty.
all good things