A fundamental tenet of a usable bus service is to have stops that are accessible. A glaring exception is the Carling Avenue bus stop near the O-Train. Inconveniently far from any signalized cross over, the traffic department has resisted for a decade putting in ped-activated crossing lights. They have relented now, and agreed to a ped and cyclist activated crossing signal can be installed during the reconstruction of Carling Avenue.
Alas, that project has been rescheduled from 2011 to some unspecified future date, so bus users will have to continue to cross without signals.
I was unaware of how popular this bus stop was until earlier this week when I went by at ten in the morning. As shown in the pic below, two buses stopped at the same time, but I think most of the transferees got off the first bus.
Until now, my favorite “bad” bus stop was the corner of Greenbank and Baseline. Stops on the SW and W are so far away from the intersection it seems like a real hike to make a transfer. Of course, that is what we get when we locate bus stops to suit motorists rather than transit users.
Another really unsafe one (outside your area) is on the east side of Merivale across from 1220 Merivale. Right across from a big apartment building, on a busy road with no median. Every single morning I see pedestrians playing Frogger in an attempt to get to their bus stop, inevitably getting stuck standing on the double line as cars whiz past them in both directions.
The stop is obviously placed close to the apartment buildings – there is absolutely nothing else around – but the only way to get at it is to jaywalk across a four lane road.
If I’m not mistaken, OC Transpo didn’t even put up any signs advertising the presence of the O-Train station there when it first opened. A member of Transport 2000 (now TransportAction) had to go out and put some up himself, paying out of his own pocket.
Worse still: when they design bus stops (and the sad-sack Transitway stations) with buses, not their riders, first and foremost in their minds.
Exhibit A: Temporary Baseline.