Saturday, November 18, 2017

A use for the Sheppard subway?

Subways, subways, subways

When I heard that I cringed. They didn't get it. Right-wing fascists. Whatever. Those corridors won't support the traffic?

But maybe we should examine the idea. A use for subways where the density is not high enough to support let's call it 'standard' service. There are metrics for this, density of people within a certain distance, etc.

Secondly, we have a 'stubway' that, frankly, is not much use. The Sheppard Subway.

Now, what if we could find a use for that stubway in the context of larger planning? Of providing an alternative to automotive commuting across the city.

My idea, for your consideration, is to use this stubway as part of an 'express' route across the city. From the Scarboro Town Centre to Pearson Airport. Today, to go between these two points, you have the 401. There are no direct transit routes, though the Scarboro Town Centre has an express bus to the Sheppard subway.

I was thinking about this because the Eglinton LRT is not really rapid-transit over a long distance. It serves the street well, but taking it from Kennedy to Mount Dennis is not that rapid. And an extension west would not be that rapid either. It designed to serve the corridor, but not to get across the full distance quickly.

So, it will not likely reduce any auto usage from the two endpoints, or from endpoints further east and west.

But if you extend the Sheppard subway east and west, and place few stations, the subway trains can travel very fast and potentially compete with the 401. I've prepared a map, with some suggested stations. The precise stations could be varied. Islington or Kipling? I don't know. Also, the express should probably not stop at Bessarion (between Leslie and Bayview). It seems a waste of resources.

Click to view in full size