York University Busway
Encyclopedia
The York University Busway is the collective name for a series of bus lanes and bus only roadways leading from Downsview station
to York University
, in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. It is used by the Toronto Transit Commission
's 196 York University Rocket and York Region Transit
's Viva Orange
bus rapid transit
routes in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. The busway was constructed to address over-crowding and reliability issues on the route 196 York U Rocket.
The busway increased the average speed of route 196 by 41% from 23.3km/h to 32.8km/h, making it the third fastest TTC route at rush hour, after the Scarborough RT and route 192 Airport Rocket. It is now faster than any of the subway lines. Due to the savings in time from using the busway, service frequency on route 196 was increased from every 2 minutes 15 seconds to every 2 minutes while reducing the number of buses operating on the route from 20 to 16.
Total Length: ~6.5 km
The busways consist of a single lane in each direction with barriers along the side. The busway within the hydro corridor has Ontario Tall Wall barriers and the busway within York University has guardrails
. Dedicated bus priority
traffic signals are present whenever the busways intersect normal traffic. To facilitate left turns from Dufferin Street to the hydro corridor busway, there is a jughandle
with bus priority
.
The busway in the Finch hydro corridor is officially named "York University Busway", but the busway within the York University campus is unnamed. In TTC route descriptions, the busway within York University is referred to as "busway" (i.e. Buses turn north on busway...) and the busway in the Finch hydro corridor referred to as "busway on hydro corridor."
The stops are as follows, from north to south:
Groundbreaking occurred on July 25th 2008, at a ceremony featuring Mayor David Miller, provincial Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman and federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. The York University Busway was scheduled to be completed for the Fall 2009 school term.
During construction, it was discovered that a gas pipeline was closer to the surface than had been thought, so the busway in the hydro corridor had to be redesigned to accommodate it. This caused it to be delayed, and the only part that was open for the fall 2009 school term was the busway within York University, which started operation on September 6 2009. Consequently, route 196 buses continued to use Keele and Sheppard avenues.
The busway was officially opened on November 20 2009 and route 196 was rerouted immediately. Other TTC routes using the busway were rerouted a week later.
The final cost of the busway was $37.8 million, of which $18.4 million was contributed by the City of Toronto, and $9.6 million was contributed each from the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario.
In early 2010, the "busway on hydro corridor" was given the official name "York University Busway".
On May 1, 2011, Viva Orange began using the York University Busway.
Other transit agencies are welcome to use the busway:
Downsview (TTC)
Downsview is a station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at the intersection of William R. Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue West. The station is currently the northern terminus of its western branch, the Spadina line. It is also a ‘Vivastation’ on the...
to York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is used by the Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
's 196 York University Rocket and York Region Transit
York Region Transit
York Region Transit is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road....
's Viva Orange
Viva Orange
Viva Orange, or the Martin Grove-York University-Downsview line, is a line on the Viva bus rapid transit system in York Region, north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its entire route is also served by other agencies' bus rapid transit services...
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
routes in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The busway was constructed to address over-crowding and reliability issues on the route 196 York U Rocket.
The busway increased the average speed of route 196 by 41% from 23.3km/h to 32.8km/h, making it the third fastest TTC route at rush hour, after the Scarborough RT and route 192 Airport Rocket. It is now faster than any of the subway lines. Due to the savings in time from using the busway, service frequency on route 196 was increased from every 2 minutes 15 seconds to every 2 minutes while reducing the number of buses operating on the route from 20 to 16.
Overview
Going north from Downsview station to York University, the segments are as follows:- Allen RoadAllen RoadWilliam R. Allen Road, known more commonly as Allen Road, The Allen Expressway or simply The Allen and formerly as the Spadina Expressway, is a short expressway/freeway in Toronto, Ontario, which runs from Kennard Avenue in the north, to Eglinton Avenue West in the south...
/ Dufferin StreetDufferin StreetDufferin Street is a major north-south street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions west of Yonge Street. The street starts at the foot of Lake Ontario, continues north to Toronto's northern boundary with some discontinuities and continues into York Region where it...
- Bus lanes on regular road: 2.7km - York University Busway - Dedicated bus only road within Finch Hydro Corridor: 2.1km
- Murray Ross Parkway - Mixed traffic: 0.1km
- "busway" - Dedicated bus only road within York University: 1.0km
- York Boulevard - Mixed traffic: 0.2km
- York University Commons - Bus only road and bus terminal: 0.6km
Total Length: ~6.5 km
The busways consist of a single lane in each direction with barriers along the side. The busway within the hydro corridor has Ontario Tall Wall barriers and the busway within York University has guardrails
Guard rail
Guard rail or guardrail, sometimes referred to as guide rail or railing, is a system designed to keep people or vehicles from straying into dangerous or off-limits areas...
. Dedicated bus priority
Bus priority
Bus priority or transit signal priority is a name for various techniques to speed up bus public transport services at intersections with traffic signals amongst other methods. Trams and light rail vehicles can also be given priority...
traffic signals are present whenever the busways intersect normal traffic. To facilitate left turns from Dufferin Street to the hydro corridor busway, there is a jughandle
Jughandle
A jughandle is a type of ramp or slip road that changes the way traffic turns left at at-grade intersections. Instead of a standard left turn being made from the left lane, left-turning traffic uses a ramp on the right side of the road...
with bus priority
Bus priority
Bus priority or transit signal priority is a name for various techniques to speed up bus public transport services at intersections with traffic signals amongst other methods. Trams and light rail vehicles can also be given priority...
.
The busway in the Finch hydro corridor is officially named "York University Busway", but the busway within the York University campus is unnamed. In TTC route descriptions, the busway within York University is referred to as "busway" (i.e. Buses turn north on busway...) and the busway in the Finch hydro corridor referred to as "busway on hydro corridor."
The stops are as follows, from north to south:
| Stop | Connections |
|---|---|
| York University York University (YRT) York University is a York Region Transit bus terminal on Ian Macdonald Boulevard near York Boulevard in York Commons , within the main Keele Campus of York University in Toronto, Canada.... |
TTC 35E Jane Express, TTC 41 Keele, TTC 60 Steeles West, TTC 106 York University, TTC 107 Keele North, Viva Purple Viva Purple Viva Purple, or the York University/Richmond Hill/Cornell line, is a line on the Viva bus rapid transit system in York Region, north of Toronto, Canada... , YRT 3 Thornhill, YRT 10 Woodbridge, YRT 20 Jane-Concord, Züm 501 Queen Züm Züm is a bus rapid transit system for the suburban city of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, northwest of Toronto owned and operated by Brampton Transit. The first phase calls for three corridors operating in mixed traffic, similar to York Region Transit's Viva network... |
| Murray Ross | |
| Dufferin-Finch | TTC 36 Finch West, TTC 104 Faywood, TTC 105 Dufferin North, TTC 117 Alness |
| Downsview Station Downsview (TTC) Downsview is a station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at the intersection of William R. Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue West. The station is currently the northern terminus of its western branch, the Spadina line. It is also a ‘Vivastation’ on the... |
TTC Spadina Subway line, TTC 84 Sheppard West, TTC 101 Downsview Park, TTC 104 Faywood, TTC 105 Dufferin North, TTC 106 York University, TTC 107 Keele North, TTC 108 Downsview, TTC 117 Alness |
History
The busway was proposed in 2004 to increase speed and reliability on Route 196.Groundbreaking occurred on July 25th 2008, at a ceremony featuring Mayor David Miller, provincial Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman and federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. The York University Busway was scheduled to be completed for the Fall 2009 school term.
During construction, it was discovered that a gas pipeline was closer to the surface than had been thought, so the busway in the hydro corridor had to be redesigned to accommodate it. This caused it to be delayed, and the only part that was open for the fall 2009 school term was the busway within York University, which started operation on September 6 2009. Consequently, route 196 buses continued to use Keele and Sheppard avenues.
The busway was officially opened on November 20 2009 and route 196 was rerouted immediately. Other TTC routes using the busway were rerouted a week later.
The final cost of the busway was $37.8 million, of which $18.4 million was contributed by the City of Toronto, and $9.6 million was contributed each from the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario.
In early 2010, the "busway on hydro corridor" was given the official name "York University Busway".
On May 1, 2011, Viva Orange began using the York University Busway.
Routes
- TTC route 196 York University Rocket uses the entire York University Busway.
- TTC route 117 Alness uses the busway on hydro corridor from Alness Street to Dufferin Street, as well as the bus lanes on Dufferin Street and Allen Road for their entire length to Downsview Station.
- TTC route 105 Dufferin North uses the bus lanes on Dufferin Street and Allen Road for their entire length to Downsview Station.
- TTC route 104 Faywood uses the bus lanes on Dufferin Street from Finch AvenueFinch AvenueFinch Avenue is an arterial thoroughfare and concession road which travels east–west through the city of Toronto. The road also has short extensions into Peel and Durham Regions as Peel Regional Road 2 and Durham Regional Road 37.-History:...
to Kennard Avenue. - TTC route 41E Keele Express uses the busway within York University.
- YRTYork Region TransitYork Region Transit is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road....
route Viva OrangeViva OrangeViva Orange, or the Martin Grove-York University-Downsview line, is a line on the Viva bus rapid transit system in York Region, north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its entire route is also served by other agencies' bus rapid transit services...
uses the entire York University Busway. It was rerouted to use the busway on May 1 2011, more than a year after the original target date of March 1 2010. Since a portion of the Hydro Corridor busway is on Imperial OilImperial OilImperial Oil Limited is Canada's largest petroleum company. The company is engaged in the exploration, production and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It is controlled by US based ExxonMobil, which owns 69.6% of its stock...
property, York Region TransitYork Region TransitYork Region Transit is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road....
needed Imperial Oil's permission to amend the existing agreement with the City of Toronto to allow Viva vehicles to travel on the busway. Delays in this process prevented Viva Orange from using the busway earlier. The late start to use the busway was also due to the need to relocate VivaNow machines from Keele-Finch to Murray Ross, and from Downsview station to Dufferin-Finch.
Other transit agencies are welcome to use the busway:
- GO TransitGO TransitGO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
doesn't have any routes that would benefit from the busway, but they are permitted to drive out of service buses on it to save time driving back to its Steeprock depot. - The York University Shuttle that goes between York University's main campus and Glendon CollegeGlendon CollegeGlendon College is one of the two campuses of York University, Canada's third-largest university, in Toronto, Ontario. A bilingual liberal arts college with 84 full-time faculty members and a student population of about 2400, Glendon is located in midtown Toronto's Lawrence Park neighbourhood...
is welcome to use the busway. - Brampton TransitBrampton TransitBrampton Transit is public transport bus operator for the City of Brampton in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Brampton Transit began operations in 1974....
is welcome to use the busway for their Queen Street ZümZümZüm is a bus rapid transit system for the suburban city of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, northwest of Toronto owned and operated by Brampton Transit. The first phase calls for three corridors operating in mixed traffic, similar to York Region Transit's Viva network...
route if it is extended beyond its current terminus at York University.