Toronto has the slowest streetcars in the world
Yes…you read that right. According to a recent review, TTC streetcars are the slowest on the planet! And honestly, who’s surprised?
Constantly stuck behind red lights, left-turning vehicles, and just about everything else you could imagine, our streetcars are in trouble!
That’s why we’re pushing to give the red rockets the fuel they deserve, so they can really fly!
Scroll down for more, or click the button below to see our full plan.
Our Ten-Point Plan, Summarized
1
Make TSP Work Better
Use phase rotation and insertion to provide better signal priority, and supercharge these with better vehicle detection that can see streetcars further away.
2
Split the Crossing, Speed Up Signals
Split large intersections into multiple safer, shorter crossings, enabling fine-grained and stronger signal priority.
3
Stop Slowing Down Streetcars That Could Safely Go Faster
Review overly restrictive slow zones and operating practices, taking an approach that asks how fast a streetcar could safely go in any given place.
4
Prevent Unnecessary Emergency Stops
Speed up service, encourage our professional operators to use their judgment to safely operate faster, and prevent rough stops for riders.
5
Eliminate Left Turns Where They Don’t Belong
Get rid of left turns at the busiest intersections where alternatives exist and reuse that time to provide more through movement capacity for both transit and cars.
6
End Stopping at Every Switch
Modernize the dated switch control system to bring it in line with cities around the world and end the practice of stopping at every one of our many switches.
7
Stop Installing Obsolete Switches
Double-blade switches are the global standard, and we even use them on the LRT lines, so the time has come to install them across the streetcar network.
8
Optimize Stop Spacing Across Entire Routes
Rebalance stops to speed up vehicles, improve service frequency, and maintain access.
9
Leave Replacement Buses in the Past
Portable track segments like those seen Europe and Australia could be used to end the constant diversions and replacement buses.
10
Plan for Future Double-Ended Streetcar Procurement
Make sure our next order of streetcars supports the next steps of network modernization.