Posts about Toronto

Mayors on transit: Toronto's Mayor Ford fired its transit chief for opposing the mayor's increasingly controversial policies to only focus on building subways, not light rail or streetcars. (Toronto Star) ... Chicago's Mayor Emanuel dedicated $7.3 million in tax increment financing to build BRT lines. (WBEZ) (Comment)

Pedestrians

Weekend video: Toronto's Pedestrian Jar

by Stephen Miller • September 18, 2011 10:44 am

Safety for bike riders and pedestrians has become a big issue in Toronto lately. One workplace there has come up with an innovative idea to help improve safety for people crossing the street.

Maybe money raised from the jar could help Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his allies on city council pay for the $375,000 study of a popular "Barnes Dance' pedestrian scramble already installed at a major intersection that handles more pedestrians than automobiles.

Thanks to Where the Sidewalk Starts and Walk Silver Spring for the link.

1 comment

Tags: Canada, humor, pedestrian safety, Toronto, video

Don't believe everything you read: A Toronto street study claimed there was no room for bike lanes and wider sidewalks on a road, and that only 2% of the traffic was bikes. A resident proved both wrong, the first with a tape measure, the second with a team of volunteer traffic counters. (Mez Dispenser, azhers) (Comment)

Metro adding more hybrid buses: WMATA is adding 152 new hybrid buses to its fleet at a cost of $90 million, replacing older diesel buses, some of which are 15 years old. The buses are New Flyer Excelsiors. (Post, New Flyer) (Comment)

Weekend whimsy: Dulles and DCA are hosting concerts. (Post) ... Toronto has a wave-form deck along their waterfront. (David Garber) ... When regular no parking signs don't work, try a handmade wooden one. (TBD) (Comment)

Toronto surrenders (to cars): Declaring "the war on the car is over," Toronto's new mayor scrapped a comprehensive light rail system on his first day in office. However, unlike a US politician, the mayor wants to see subway expansion. (The Globe and Mail) (Comment)

Toronto may look to alley density: Toronto could add density without building higher by adding more alley dwellings in its many "laneways," argues Christopher Hume. But some oppose the idea, saying it will stress the existing infrastructure like water and sewers. Richard Layman says, then build better infrastructure. (Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space, Michael P) (Comment)

Not so bike friendly: Michael James Bryant, Ontario's former attorney general, killed a cyclist in what appears to be a road rage incident. After some sort of "altercation," according to witnesses, Bryant was driving down the street with the cyclist holding on to the side of the car, and Bryant brushing against trees and mailboxes to knock the cyclist off. Police are still investigating. (CBC, Kevin) (Comment)

Roads

Breakfast links: It's the 21st century

by David Alpert • March 19, 2009 8:45 am

Union Station Bicycle Transit Center rendering. Image from DDOT.

Union Station bicycle transit center photos: DC has begun construction on the Union Station bicycle transit center, which will have parking for 150 bikes and lockers, though no shower facilities. DC Bicycle Examiner has more information and a slide show of the station's construction.

Toronto's TTC also beta-phobic: Toronto riders discovered a publicly available test of their own NextBus implementation-in-progress. And just like here, the transit agency asked NextBus to pull the link. (Toronto Star)

Wake up, VDOT, it's not 1950: Under orders from the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, Cathy Hudgins voted to reinstate the I-66 widening in the region's plan. However, the compromise resolution only allows the first of three phases until VDOT completes the promised multi-modal analysis. BeyondDC calls it a "wake up call" forcing VDOT to "take multimodalism seriously".

DOT, HUD create livable communities task force: A new initiative between the federal DOT and HUD departments will coordinate transportation and housing policy to encourage "affordable housing near employment opportunities, more transportation options, ... and safe, healthy and livable communities." Ryan Avent is especially enthusiastic about the part where the agencies will produces useful research to help regional planning. (Yglesias)

Nominate an innovative land use project: The Committee of 100 may often disagree with us on land use, but they're still interested in your nominations for an "innovative" project, plan, or organization in planning and land use. Nominate something using this form.

On the calendar: Friday is Gabe Klein's confirmation hearing to head DDOT, rescheduled from an earlier date which coincided with the big snowstorm. Despite what the notice says, it'll be at 2 pm, right after our live chat with Zachary Schrag. ... Saturday evening, get gussied up for WABA's annual gala and silent auction at the German Embassy.

3 comments

Tags: bicycling, Catherine Hudgins, DC, DDOT, events, Gabe Klein, HUD, I-66, links, real-time bus, Toronto, Union Station, USDOT, VDOT, Virginia, WABA

Development

West Coast cheers and jeers

by David Alpert • May 31, 2008 11:31 am

Photo by minwoo on Flickr.

Cheers...

Want transit? Build housing: Toronto has a new policy to only build transit in neighborhoods that zone for enough housing units within walking distance. The Bay Area already does this, and Antioch, CA may even move its stop so it can be near more housing. (The Overhead Wire)

Jeers...

Radical idea: hailing cabs: It's illegal for cabs to pick up people who hail them in LA. The city is considering changing that. But only in two neighborhoods and only if it doesn't slow down the real cars, of course. (Streetsblog LA)

Comment

Tags: California, density, housing, links, Los Angeles, San Francisco, taxis, Toronto