Kevin Rupasinghe
@KevinRupasinghe
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Former Scarborough Southwest City Council candidate. CitiesEng @UofT. Board @UnlockCanada. Formerly @CycleToronto & @TorontoRaBIT #Ward20 #ScarbTO
Scarborough Southwest, Ontario
Joined March 2018
I was so proud to stand with my friends & family this morning as I registered to run for City Council! I’m now a candidate for the by-election coming up on Nov 30 for Scarborough Southwest, Ward 20! I'm running to build a better Scarborough, together. #TOPoli #ScarbTO #ElectionTO
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400 people on buses & 100 people in cars in 5 minute timelapse👇🏾The red #RapidTO #TTC bus lane on Kennedy is doing exactly what it's meant to do. This is the type of project we need to do more of to keep #Scarborough moving!. Some benefits. [1/4]
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7m40s time lapse: Left, 66 CARS. Right, 293 PEOPLE. Thousands of Torontonians were able to experience pure BLISS during this first weekend of #ActiveTO on Lakeshore & Bayview. A citywide network of safe #bikeTO lanes would be enjoyed by millions. Toronto needs this.
A few minutes of Lakeshore today. So many people out enjoying themselves in a physically distant and healthy way. Barely any cars in the other 3 lanes. This was a great start, and we need more of this for #ActiveTO + major rapid expansion of bike network. #walkTO #bikeTO #TOpoli
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OMG these kids gave the cutest deputation in favour of #Yonge complete street 😍. @CllrAmberMorley asks what they'd say to drivers feeling inconvenienced by congestion. Response: "Maybe it's because there's too many cars - try biking more"😂. #BikeTO #WalkTO #ActiveTO @Yonge4All
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Such nonsense. On Adelaide:.-cycling increased ELEVEN-FOLD.-at rush hour 1 of every 3 vehicles is a bike.-cars traveled up to 1.5 min FASTER than pre-bike lane. On King:.-daily streetcar ridership grew from 72,000 to 84,000 -cars travel about 1 min slower to 1 min faster. [1/3]
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Southbound on York has no car lanes - bike lane and TTC lane only. Is this the future that liberals want???
Pleasantly surprised to see a streetcar only lane on York Street for the Ontario Line diversion!. Red lanes should be painted on Adelaide and Richmond too
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Wellington St in #Toronto from Spadina to Bathurst is a whole new experience, wow 🚲 #BikeTO #VisionZero #TOpoli #BikeMonth
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3 mins on a fall evening on the new Shaw Street in #Toronto. Not quite a fietstraat but gives a sense of how much a cycling city we could become w/ the right infrastructure. Kids, seniors, & families safely biking 🚲. What's stopping us from doing this on more streets? #BikeTO
The Dutch "fietstraat" (bicycle street) is an inspiring example of how we can prioritize cycling. A "local" street for cars can serve as a "highway" for bikes. A few simple design tweaks convey priority for cyclists without affecting the street's ability to serve local traffic.
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Tonight's #GhostRide for the 24-year-old woman killed while riding a bike on Bloor Street east of Avenue Road last week in #Toronto #BikeTO
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That's interesting given cars moved faster along Adelaide after the bike lane was installed & speed limit lowered. Driver comfort up from 5.2 to 8.1 out of 10 & car collisions down 18%. Number of people biking went up 1,194% & more people bike than drive at rush hour ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@marymargaretbey @AislinnClancyKC @LaurieScottPC @JoelHardenONDP @PrabSarkaria New: Campaign Research, Ford's preferred pollster, had a survey out over the weekend asking not just whether the Bloor, University and Yonge bike lanes should be ripped out, but also those on Richmond, Adelaide and the Danforth. #onpoli #topoli
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A train every 15 minutes to travel the ~500 km from Milan to Rome in less than 3 hours, twice as fast as driving. A train every 2-4 hours to travel the ~500 km from Montreal to Toronto in more than 5 hours, slower than driving.
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On May 2, I will register as a Toronto City Council candidate for my community in Scarborough Southwest. Whether for safe streets, affordable housing, climate action, and much more, we need fresh leadership that will fight for the future. Join me:
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Ugh, every streetcar rider's worst nightmare. Hope she'll make a full recovery. A reminder that provincial legislation allows the TTC to have automated cameras on streetcars to ticket scofflaw drivers - has this been implemented yet @TTChelps ?
COLLISION:.Bathurst St & College.7:02 pm.- woman struck by vehicle as she was exiting a streetcar.- police o/s.- driver remained o/s.- woman transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.- expect delays in the area.#GO1972205.^sc.
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Amazing improvements for people walking & cycling across the Don Valley along Millwood Bridge! Once a treacherous & uncomfortable journey, much safer & welcoming now, and with a lovely view of the ravine 😍 #BikeTO #WalkTO
The Millwood bridge really has such a beautiful view of the Don Valley & Toronto skyline, though the six-lane speedway makes it unpleasant for people cycling & walking. Looking forward to the planned improvements here! #BikeTO #WalkTO
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TTC subway shutdown between Victoria Park & Kennedy is wild. - dedicated left turn? No.- traffic agents? No.- on-street parking ban? No.- Victoria Park to Kennedy express shuttle bus? No.- line of left turning buses at Victoria Park & St Clair stretching past the horizon? Yes
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-Scarborough RT replacement buses aren't stuck in traffic.-more than 1 bus per minute.-bus lane is moving 3-4x as many people as the car lane.-cars flowing at reasonable speed.-safer and calmer traffic flow in 1 lane (less merging, aggressive driving, racing).[2/4].
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2019 map of arterial roadways w/ speed limit 60 kph+🤔🤔
Pretty stark rendering of traffic collisions, via the @TorontoStar, makes abundantly clear that suburban design kills
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Saw these examples of diff types of housing in #ScarboroughSouthwest while canvassing. We need to have honest conversations about diff housing options like missing middle housing. I'm committed to having those discussions & finding a way out of the #HousingCrisis #ScarbTO #TOelxn
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A LOT of folks out today from all walks of life! This clip could have been much longer. people marching the entirety of Queen's Park Crescent. #ontedstrike #ETFOstrike #ONpoli
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FINALLY zebra paint markings added to the crosswalks at Birchmount Rd & Danforth Ave, nearly 2 school years since a high schooler was killed here. I've started a petition & email form asking for a few more safety improvements: #ScarbTO #VisionZero #WalkTO
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These concrete barriers should have been placed to the left of people biking. So uncomfortable.
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Incredible piece in @nytimes featuring my friend @Suresh and a snapshot of some 'delicious Scarborough cuisine'. I live down the street from New Kalyani & often visit 😋 We're blessed to have the food options we do here in #Scarborough #ScarbTO.
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We changed the conversation in #ScarboroughSouthwest. Thousands of our neighbours know we need a generational change in leadership for a better future. Be proud of our campaign & please join me in the work ahead. #TOPoli #ElxnTO #ScarbTO #Ward20
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-faster, more reliable buses = fewer people choosing to drive = fewer cars on the road = better for everyone.-important and effective short-term measure to help keep transit riders moving after the RT shutdown.-very efficiently using limited road space to move more people.[3/4].
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Decided to make a map showing which Toronto City Councillors voted to legalize multiplexes in residential areas citywide across Toronto #TOpoli.
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Walked by this shortly afterwards. This is the second person to be killed riding a bike in Scarborough this month. Our neighbours are being killed trying to get home on roads designed to be the deadliest in the city. Preventable carnage. Rest in peace. #BikeTO #WalkTO #VisionZero
Collision: (UPDATE).-@TorontoMedics transported male to hospital.-male was pronounced deceased at hospital.#GO431448.^av.
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Dundas & College intersection made a little safer for people walking & cycling. A left-turn queue box on Dundas to get onto College. Traffic signal added. Wider/clearer paint markings. Smoother streetcar tracks. #BikeTO
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One encouraging aspect of the 2023 City budget is that investment in cycling hasn't been chopped. And there are some exciting projects coming soon based on the 2022-2024 Cycling Network Plan & 2023-2024 projects in TOINview👇🏾#BikeTO #VisionZero [1/5]
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Bloor near Lansdowne in #Toronto:.🚗 7 cars parked.🚗 8 driving.🚲 19 in bike lane.🚶🏽♀️ 28 on sidewalk. Streets that only accommodate driving are inefficient & unsafe. A #CompleteStreet with just a little space for other road users can go a long way! #BikeTO #WalkTO
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It is utterly futile to tackle Toronto's congestion by focusing on cars rather than transit, cycling, and walking. It doesn't scale; it can never work long-term. Also King Street was installed 6 years ago, Richmond / Adelaide nearly 10 years ago. can we move on already??? [3/3].
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Honestly, it's fantastic that Kitchener GO trains are now running on weekends! The trains are busy, lots of people are already using the service. For me it means a weekend visit from Scarborough to my folks in Rexdale can be done by transit instead of driving! #ScarbTO #GOtransit
Incredibly, it's only about 50 minutes from Etobicoke North GO to Scarborough GO! That's pretty great!. Unfortunately, if I missed my 305p train I'd be waiting 5 hours until the 805p train. I'd get there around the same time if I walked the 30 km lol
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The drivers of these cars in the daytime parking lot near Finch station could all fit in just 1.5 #TTC subway trains. The Line 1 Yonge subway line can move 30,000 people per hour; this parking lot is like 1,600 for the day🤯
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People take pictures of empty #BikeTO lanes and argue for their removal. Does this photo mean we should remove all car lanes from Danforth? Of course not. #DestinationDanforth is a complete street - there's enough space for everybody whenever they show up! #ActiveTO
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I've advocated for expanding the automated speed camera program for a long time. When I'm your City Councillor, I'll make sure there's a camera in front of every school in the ward. Learn more about my advocacy work: #ScarboroughSouthwest #ScarbTO #TOPoli
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The waterfront trail at Lake Shore E & Cherry is ridiculous. No #ActiveTO; still dozens of people cycling & walking, navigating 4 separate crossings across multiple signal phases, spilling off concrete islands onto road. Hope @WaterfrontTO has some fixes planned🤞🏾#WalkTO #BikeTO
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Toronto (and the rest of Ontario) could use this so badly! A quick & cost-effective win to get people moving on our roads #TOpoli #ONpoli.
Drivers, you're on camera 📸🚗. Effective Monday, August 19, fines take effect for vehicles blocking bus stops or double parking on 14 bus routes equipped with Automated Camera Enforcement. These cameras are active on the B44-SBS, B46-SBS, Bx12-SBS, Bx19, B62, Bx41-SBS, Bx36,
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Here are the bright red RapidTO TTC bus lanes in Toronto. Absolutely gorgeous especially with the blue & green of our ravines.
A streak of fresh red bus lanes down Van Ness in San Francisco.
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Help us bring the 'West Scarborough Rail Path' to life!. Join the many people in Scarborough and across the city who are pushing to make this happen! Sign the petition: #BikeTO #WalkTO #ActiveTO #ScarbTO #TOpoli
I'm thrilled to share my vision for the 'West Scarborough Rail Path' with @SCMirror!. There is SO much opportunity in our community. It's time to elect a Councillor who has bold, fresh ideas. Join me - let's fight for our future. #VoteKevRup.
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I remember doubting, when deciding to print thousands & thousands of these, if it would be worth it. It was SOOOO worth it 😍 come out and experience the magic of #DestinationDanforth! #WalkTO #BikeTO #ActiveTO
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Right now, if you get off the GO and get on the TTC, you have to pay two fares. I want to see integration between GO and the TTC so our #ScarboroughSouthwest transit riders only have to pay once. 1/2
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Thank you to everyone who believed in this campaign. I am SO grateful. The urgency of our movement remains. Now we organize, advocate, & build on the foundation we’ve laid. We’re going to keep fighting for our future. Get some rest & stay in touch:
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My piece in @TorontoStar: Until Vision Zero becomes a priority, it’s hard not to think ‘Am I next?’. Tragedies on Toronto's streets seem to mirror my own life. I feel connected to them and I know they form part of a troublingly predictable pattern.
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Get your last look of this view 👀 - midtown Yonge ain't never gonna look the same again. #CafeTO & #ActiveTO incoming! #CompleteStreets install starts tomorrow #BikeTO #WalkTO
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The SRT is shutting down & Scarborough will be stuck on the bus for 7+ years. Running 70 buses per hour on Scarborough's roads is a disaster for transit riders & drivers. Would you email City Council asking for a better solution? Here's a one-click form:
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Hehehehe University Ave bikeway not so temporary anymore 🙃🥲
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Give the people shade! I saw so many people in Mississauga relying on transit getting cooked in the sun with inadequate shelter. We should strive for a comfortable passenger experience, not just a tolerable one.
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Game changer from @BikeShareTO! Cruised up 2 major Toronto hills without a sweat. New e-assist bikes + new cycling infra = opening up cycling to lots of people! E-bikes & e-buses will help #Toronto address #ClimateCrisis!🌍 #BikeTO #ActiveTO #Canada #ClimateChange #GreenRecovery
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Today Hafeez & I joined local volunteers handing out flyers for @Law_Prospect campaign. City's resurfacing Lawrence (VP to Warden) in 2023-24 without changing deadly 7-lane design to be safer & better for everyone. Learn more & share support! #ScarbTO
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Why is drivers' time more valued than everyone else's?. When ~8,000 drivers had about 1 minute delay*, the Brimley ActiveTO bikeway was removed. When ~20,000 transit riders (~43,000 pre-COVID) save 5 minutes along the Eglinton East RapidTO bus lanes: "is it really worth it??"
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I deeply appreciated Deputy Mayor @CllrAmberMorley accepting an invitation to today's memorial ghost ride and bringing flowers. A leader who shows her humanity and believes people should be safe in the community she represents. Thank you. #BikeTO #WalkTO #TOpoli #Ward3 #Etobicoke
Thank you Deputy Mayor @CllrAmberMorley for joining us at today’s somber memorial for the young woman killed while riding her bike on Burnhamthorpe. #biketo
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We need your help. Scarborough can't be stuck in traffic for the next decade. I'm calling on Premier Ford @fordnation & Scarborough MPPs to urgently fund an SRT replacement busway & free TTC-GO transfers. I've put together a petition. Add your voice now:
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From my deputation, per @GraphicMatt's req, comparing #KingStreetPilot w/ & w/o 10pm taxi exemption. Ubers/Lyfts follow cabs through. Traffic laws become optional. Transit grinds to a halt. We need transit priority ALL hours of the day. @joe_cressy @kristynwongtam @JohnTory
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🤯The Eglinton @CrosstownTO will have a transit capacity to move people to & from #ScarbTO comparable to the combined car capacity of every arterial road south of Hwy 401. That's 2 LRT tracks vs 28 car lanes (Ellesmere, Lawrence, Eglinton, St. Clair, Danforth, Gerrard, Kingston).
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I doubt my parents ever thought, when they immigrated to Canada, that they'd sit in their son's campaign office folding letters & stuffing envelopes for his election campaign, and yet here we are. At each step, they've supported me. I need your support too
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I am running to fix our roads so they are safe for everyone. Today I ran over this massive hole on St. Clair which could wipe out someone on a bike or scooter, give bus riders a jolt, or break a car suspension. 10 minutes later, a cyclist popped their tire in the same place.
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Tenants like me have been left behind by City Hall. 50% of Torontonians are tenants but aren't represented on City Council. Vote for me on Thursday Nov 30. Let's send a tenant champion to City Hall!. #ScarboroughSouthwest #Ward20 #TOPoli #ElxnTO #ScarbTO
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Pre-pilot on King, eastbound streetcar riders outnumbered eastbound cars more than 5 to 1 at morning rush hour. In fact, at morning rush hour nearly as many people were headed eastbound on 504 King as there were cars on Queen+Adelaide+King+Front COMBINED. [2/3]
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Had a great time with @CycleToronto at #Danforth #VisionZero pop-up. Cheers to @880Cities, @BradMBradford, @TO_Transport, @mary_margaret32, and everyone who made it a reality!. Now let's get non-pop-up #bikeTO lanes on Danforth next summer! 🚲
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Seeing this many people on walking and biking along the trail was unreal. It's like something you see in a @BicycleDutch video. Except we had to wait 2-3 light cycles to cross. That wouldn't happen in the Netherlands 😉 #walkTO #bikeTO #ActiveTO
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From pool noodles to concrete: I was proud to help @CycleToronto demonstrate a protected intersection in 2018 at @OpenStreetsTO at Bloor & St George in #Toronto and it is simply amazing to see the intersection opened in 2024. Congratulations to everyone involved! #BikeTO #WalkTO
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One of my favourite shots from yesterday, a continuous conveyor belt of people cycling up a switchback #HighlandCreek #Meadoway #BikeTO #ScarbTO #Scarborough
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Not really sure what "marking the first subway tunnel built in Toronto in 60 years" means given the several subway extensions since 1964, most of which involved tunnels
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"Every four hours, a pedestrian is hit in Toronto" - @moore_oliver, June 2016, before Council adopted #VisionZero. 5 years later? Like clockwork:.-230pm Yonge/Finch, serious injury.-630pm Avenue/Bloor, death.-11pm Kipling/Dixon, serious injury. #TOpoli
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Amazing how Toronto's King Street Pilot is internationally lauded 😍 Yet since it launched 4 years ago on Nov 12 2017, King hasn't been extended east or west, nor have other streetcar routes been prioritized. We ought to replicate its success to tackle the #ClimateCrisis #TOpoli.
And those claiming “sure we need more alternatives to the car, but that would take too long, so we should focus on EVs since they can be realized faster”— I’m working with cities on the big challenges of EV infrastructure growth, & without a doubt alternatives can be MUCH faster.
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'Use Other Sidewalk' on Birchmount by Highview. The only crossings are at Danforth Ave or Danforth Rd, 1100+ metres apart! A friend & campaign volunteer struck here 3 years ago, crossing from the TTC bus stop, has yet to recover. #ScarbTO streets need to be redesigned for safety
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This is not an easy decision at all. It takes a huge toll on candidates, their teams, and their supporters. And it's entirely a product of our First Past The Post voting system, which municipalities cannot change because the province has stripped them of making that local choice.
Today, Don Valley West by-election candidates @EvanSambasivam and @DhruvJain4DVW made the difficult but important decision to endorse @rchernoslin for city council. I really admire Evan and Dhruv for putting their community ahead of their political interest by recognizing that….
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Great read by @GraphicMatt re: TTC's performance. I flipped through the TTC's report when it was released. The maps of 'on-time' routes were comical👇🏾. Soon City Council votes to further cut service & increase fares. send an email NOW w/ @TTCriders tool:
My @TorontoStar column this week: I’ve always recommended out-of-town visitors take the TTC to get around. These days, that’s bad advice. The TTC has never felt so broken. The new board needs to demand some real accountability from CEO Rick Leary.
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Rent strike march by York South Weston Tenants Union joined by hundreds of tenants, members of community organizations, and labour unions near Weston & Lawrence in Toronto on Saturday July 15, 2023. #RentStrike #Rent #Strike #YorkSouthWeston #YSW @yswtenantunion
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I was wondering why drivers were actually following the 40 kph limit on the viaduct. A rare day indeed. Redesigning this bridge to not be treated as a highway is overdue. #VisionZero should be achieved by design, not enforcement.
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Toronto's #TransformTO climate action plan now calling for "75 per cent of school/work trips under 5km are walked, biked or by transit" by 2030! . Good thing City staff are recommending making #ActiveTO permanent. More major bikeway expansion is needed to hit 2030 target #TOpoli.
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Feeling devastated about Jasper, and I hope everyone there is safe. We will all pay dearly for denial and inaction on the climate crisis. The next time somebody pitches to #AxeTheTax, remember Jasper.
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There's a stretch of Birchmount where the only places to cross the road are more than 1 kilometre apart. I wanted to show what that looks like & some of the related road safety issues in this video. #VisionZero #WalkTO #ScarbTO #Ward20 .
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The #Bloor bike lane was built for only $0.5 million and allows for 1 million carbon-free trips per year. Amazing ROI. If there's a #ClimateEmergency then we need elected officials to make protected bike lanes a priority. #bikeTO #TOpoli #cdnpoli
If a city were serious about tackling a climate emergency, there might not be a greater return on investment (low cost/high impact) than rapidly building out bike infrastructure.
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Hi @311Toronto not sure what's happened along Bloor near Bellair, Bay, and Park but planters broken & strewn, wave barrier squashed. Thanks
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Proud to have the endorsement of Deputy Mayor & City Councillor @CllrAmberMorley. A strong, progressive voice on council, she has demonstrated how a new Councillor can dive into the work of representing her ward & also tackling the difficult challenges our city is facing. 1/2
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2024 will likely be Toronto's deadliest year for cycling: 4 people killed in the first 4 months. In past, the worst years saw 4 deaths over the *entire* year. How many deaths will it take to get installation of the Cycling Network Plan "Back on Track"? #TOpoli #BikeTO #VisionZero
Thinking of this cyclist and their family. #YouNeverRideAlone. That's 4 in 2024.
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WTF, you know what's better than generating $0.9 billion in tax revenue? Not spending $10 billion building a highway. also not destroying our environment is pretty cool too.
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I'm thrilled to share my vision for the 'West Scarborough Rail Path' with @SCMirror!. There is SO much opportunity in our community. It's time to elect a Councillor who has bold, fresh ideas. Join me - let's fight for our future. #VoteKevRup.
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I'm grateful for the endorsement of @TorontoStar as the best candidate for City Councillor of #ScarboroughSouthwest. On Monday, vote for change in #Ward20: I'm here to invest in our community, to work with my neighbours to make the vibrant places we love even better. #TOPoli
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Very cool. Downtown Toronto condo replaced their natural-gas-fired boiler with a heat pump. Huge drop in emissions, more than twice as efficient as a boiler, doubles as A/C, long-term cost savings. We need more of this basically everywhere! #TransformTO.
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I've been working with neighbours in #ScarboroughSouthwest to create the West Scarborough Rail Path from Victoria Park to Kennedy. As your City Councillor, I will make it a reality. Add your name to support the WSRP: #Ward20 #TOPoli #ScarbTO #ElxnTO
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In a city of 3 million people, it should not be possible to drive so dangerously that a vehicle can catastrophically rollover on the same streets where people walk, bike, or take transit to schools, shops, libraries, community centres. #Scarborough deserves a safe #KingstonRoad.
[1/2] Yesterday's collision on Kingston Rd east of Midland is a stark reminder of how fast and dangerous cars travel along the highway cutting apart our community. We deserve a safe street for students, parents, families, friends, and neighbours in our community, not a highway.
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