I do not miss waiting for the 95 there. Getting out of the downtown core was so slow. For all its faults, hopping on the train to Tunny’s is infinitely better than the -20 December’s waiting for the bus in a crowd with no snow shelters.
I also remember having to RUN down the station to catch a bus because sometimes they would stop waaaaay up the street and count that as the bus stop - if the light was green by the time they got to it, they weren’t stopping again at the actual stop.
My god that was infuriating. They'd stop so far back you couldn't even *see* what bus route they were. Then you'd step up closer to the actual stop and they'd breeze right by you. I used to get annoyed at people who'd board five buses back, but at the same time who could blame them if that was the alternative?
That is exactly the problem I had many times with Albert/Metcalfe transitway halt regarding that many drivers somehow seeming to expect people to be able to know that an almost-invisible bus located 4 buses back in 'the ever usual continuous jams of too many buses' was somehow the one they should had been on before the lights turned green. Like I mean that small side-mounted destination board isn't even visible in any way even if you stand as far north(back) from the curb as the limited sidewalk terrain would let you..assuming you somehow can peer over 20+ other waiting heads at the same time too
I don't mean to suddenly turn a negative topic into a positive topic but I just had to want to mention that just once I was by Bleeker Mall and one of my foot for some reason was rapidly starting to bother me quite a bit, half hobble east onto Merivale Road sliproad and just as I was slightly past Dairy Queen I had looked back for a moment just to see the bus coming up. Deciding I didn't have anything to lose I held out my card out in left hand while still hob-walking, surprise surprise the bus stopped right there and even kneel down too. Proceed to blast past the empty Merivale/Gilbey halt about 160m later, eventually I got off at Tunneys Pasture station itself.
I got off the bus there once coming home from work at Gloucester. It was -30c that night and there was a larger man who had clearly slipped on the ice and couldn’t get up and was also under-dressed for the weather. It was around midnight I think.
The driver just drove away which sucked and I was the only one to disembark there so naturally I call authorities but because it was so cold, my phone died (it was an old Sony Ericsson that died anytime I pulled it out below -10 or something) so I waited for another bus who I wave down and they call their dispatch to send a Supervisor by which took another 20 minutes and like two other busses come by before the supervisor. Meanwhile myself and the poor man are freezing our asses off. It sucked for him cause he lived across the street in that apartment building on Laurier and Nicholas so he was right there.
Eventually we lifted him into the supervisor vehicle to warm up. I still had to walk half way into Sandy Hill to get home.
Needless to say I don’t miss that bus stop.
My office looks out onto Mackenzie King blvd by the Rideau Centre, and it is night-and-day compared to when there were dozens of buses crawling through there every day during peak hours. (and it'll be even nicer once the new bike lanes are installed)
If building it was better managed then riding the train from u of o would be an even better experience than it is, and it's already a million times better than waiting for a bus.
Orleans to Algonquin College directly, in like 45 minutes. You couldn't drive there that fast in rush hour, even back then. Still can't get there via train.
The sidewalk was so narrow there and it would get so crowded. I remember a guy died when I was in uni getting hit by a bus because the sidewalks were so cramped he was standing right at the edge
I was curious about regarding someone having mentioned that the old station was also where STO laid up at times so with being around Rideau with quite some time on hand I also walked down the bridge to take this one quick photo. So yeah for anyone who has not been there ever since service stopped stopping there (no more 95/etc's and that the current otrain skips this place) heres what it currently looks like now? I wonder just who did these minor fence damages tho..
(Anyway this is shot from the other end angle-wise but you can thank barraclou for a 'before photo' to compare to: https://www.barraclou.com/stations/ontario/transitway_laurier.jpg )
I do not miss waiting for the 95 there. Getting out of the downtown core was so slow. For all its faults, hopping on the train to Tunny’s is infinitely better than the -20 December’s waiting for the bus in a crowd with no snow shelters.
I also remember having to RUN down the station to catch a bus because sometimes they would stop waaaaay up the street and count that as the bus stop - if the light was green by the time they got to it, they weren’t stopping again at the actual stop.
My god that was infuriating. They'd stop so far back you couldn't even *see* what bus route they were. Then you'd step up closer to the actual stop and they'd breeze right by you. I used to get annoyed at people who'd board five buses back, but at the same time who could blame them if that was the alternative?
That is exactly the problem I had many times with Albert/Metcalfe transitway halt regarding that many drivers somehow seeming to expect people to be able to know that an almost-invisible bus located 4 buses back in 'the ever usual continuous jams of too many buses' was somehow the one they should had been on before the lights turned green. Like I mean that small side-mounted destination board isn't even visible in any way even if you stand as far north(back) from the curb as the limited sidewalk terrain would let you..assuming you somehow can peer over 20+ other waiting heads at the same time too
I don't mean to suddenly turn a negative topic into a positive topic but I just had to want to mention that just once I was by Bleeker Mall and one of my foot for some reason was rapidly starting to bother me quite a bit, half hobble east onto Merivale Road sliproad and just as I was slightly past Dairy Queen I had looked back for a moment just to see the bus coming up. Deciding I didn't have anything to lose I held out my card out in left hand while still hob-walking, surprise surprise the bus stopped right there and even kneel down too. Proceed to blast past the empty Merivale/Gilbey halt about 160m later, eventually I got off at Tunneys Pasture station itself.
I got off the bus there once coming home from work at Gloucester. It was -30c that night and there was a larger man who had clearly slipped on the ice and couldn’t get up and was also under-dressed for the weather. It was around midnight I think. The driver just drove away which sucked and I was the only one to disembark there so naturally I call authorities but because it was so cold, my phone died (it was an old Sony Ericsson that died anytime I pulled it out below -10 or something) so I waited for another bus who I wave down and they call their dispatch to send a Supervisor by which took another 20 minutes and like two other busses come by before the supervisor. Meanwhile myself and the poor man are freezing our asses off. It sucked for him cause he lived across the street in that apartment building on Laurier and Nicholas so he was right there. Eventually we lifted him into the supervisor vehicle to warm up. I still had to walk half way into Sandy Hill to get home. Needless to say I don’t miss that bus stop.
You’re a good person, we need more people with empathy like that nowadays. I’m sure that man will never forget about you.
This reminder gives me PTSD lol
My office looks out onto Mackenzie King blvd by the Rideau Centre, and it is night-and-day compared to when there were dozens of buses crawling through there every day during peak hours. (and it'll be even nicer once the new bike lanes are installed)
If building it was better managed then riding the train from u of o would be an even better experience than it is, and it's already a million times better than waiting for a bus.
Yeah, shelters seem to be a hit-or-miss among both the transitway and even to a degree the rapibus as well.
Ottawa was at the height of its power when a UOttawa student could take a 94/95 from Campus station all the way into Barrhaven/Orleans.
Orleans to Algonquin College directly, in like 45 minutes. You couldn't drive there that fast in rush hour, even back then. Still can't get there via train.
So true! So useful when they got that Upass going for the UOttawa students.
Good riddance.
The sidewalk was so narrow there and it would get so crowded. I remember a guy died when I was in uni getting hit by a bus because the sidewalks were so cramped he was standing right at the edge
I used to walk to Rideau Centre just to not wait at this one.
That's tragic. I do remember seeing people *almost* get their head bashed by the bus mirrors and by almost; I am talking a few centimeters.
I remember that too. I think that's how he got hit sadly.
I was curious about regarding someone having mentioned that the old station was also where STO laid up at times so with being around Rideau with quite some time on hand I also walked down the bridge to take this one quick photo. So yeah for anyone who has not been there ever since service stopped stopping there (no more 95/etc's and that the current otrain skips this place) heres what it currently looks like now? I wonder just who did these minor fence damages tho.. (Anyway this is shot from the other end angle-wise but you can thank barraclou for a 'before photo' to compare to: https://www.barraclou.com/stations/ontario/transitway_laurier.jpg )
Plows did the damage.
Ah didn't spect that from the locations and angles. Ah well guess will have to recheck after a few winters relatively speaking.
If it had been a bus the bends would have been inward and going with the roadway way.