Observing The City
@observinthecity
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Observations from around the city (in most cases, Toronto)
Joined September 2022
You know who doesn't get stuck in traffic heading downtown?
Toronto is so unserious for this gardiner bullshit. This traffic is absolutely insane. I will never come downtown again.
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Thousands of Ontario residents came together to send a message to @fordnation and @PrabSarkaria that bike lanes save lives, solve congestion and transport goods.
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Construction of the new bike lanes on Umiversity Ave is complete, and they set a gold standard for lanes on arterials. How did we get here? 🧵
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Bloor St rush hour, November 2024. 12 bikes occupying the same amount of distance as 3 cars.
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Why does @VIA_Rail insist on treating it's train experience like flying? From limiting baggage allowance, to lining up before boarding for ticket checks, to prices. Pretty much every aspect mimics the negative parts of flying.
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Hard to claim that the TTC is “The Better Way”™️ right now when it is moving slower than the traffic on the Allen.
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This video is for @fordnation, @PrabSarkaria and all others saying bike lanes "stop emerg. vehicles from getting to their destination". They *allow* emergency vehicles to get to their destination, as seen here on Adelaide. They were designed with emergency services in mind.
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Critical mass ride in Bloor West Village to save the bike lanes!
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Residents are out on Danforth today to fight Bill 212 and advocate for true BALANCE on our streets between all transit modes with safe and connected micromobility infrastructure. This intersection in the danforth moves 20x this number of people in the bike lane every day.
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Torontonians along these routes elected Olivia Chow, Diane Saxe, Alejandra Bravo, Ausma Malik and Amber Morley to handle the *municipal* issue of our streets. They all support active transportation networks. This is undemocratic and sets a dangerous precedent.
NEW: As first reported by Global News, the Ford government has begun the process of removing bike lanes from three Toronto streets: Yonge st., Bloor St., University Ave. #onpoli.
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This video was filmed during Rush hour in Late October (temperature 8C). Most people who watch it would say it seems like there are more cars than bikes. There are actually exactly 15 bikes and 15 cars, despite bikes being allocated half the space.
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I made a video in May counting the number of bikes vs cars on Bloor. My comments got filled with people telling me that no one bikes for 6 months of the year. I just took a new video in February to prove my point. Cycling solves congestion year round!
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ok, bloor bike lanes (February 20, 2024)
@DaveLikesBikes @PrabSarkaria Give us the February video too.
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Today’s turnout for the memorial ride for the cyclist who was killed at Bloor and Avenue. One death is too many, we’ve had 5 this year.
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It seems like @MayorOliviaChow is going to introduce some type of item that outlines the city's response to our local democracy being overridden. There must be firm resistance to Bill 212. If the province gets its way, no municipal decision is safe: transit, sidewalks, housing.
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Meanwhile in Toronto, despite 90% of respondents saying they support pedestrianization in Kensington Market, consultation continues for the 4th straight year.
London mayor to overrule local council and pedestrianise Oxford St.
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Ontario's Ministry of Transportation staff did not support this. They actually wrote internal reports claiming this will not improve congestion. The entire department has been compromised for a wedge issue from the PCs.
Toronto has become one of the most congested cities in the world. The Ontario government is preparing to reinstate vehicle lanes on Bloor Street West, Yonge Street and University Avenue. To learn more, visit:
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Remember in 2012 when Ford spent $300k to remove the painted bike lanes on Jarvis in order to supposedly "save 2 minutes". Driving travel time actually *increased* by 50% along that stretch, and speed went down. Combo of induced demand and street parking causing congestion.
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When talking about neighbourhoods, certain people often complain about all the new "condos" replacing historic buildings. In reality, those historic buildings were torn down for parking lots. The new buildings replaced parking lots, not historic ones.
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Brian's whole thesis of this video is that no one uses the bicycle lane, and he is proving it by showing only 6 cyclists pass him over the course of the video. The problem is only 15 cars pass him over the course of the video and they are allotted 3x the space (including parking).
It’s rush hour and there are still very few cyclists in the bike lanes on University Avenue.
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦
We just lost to Canada in beach volleyball. Canada. How is that even possible. Do they even have beaches.
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If traffic was moving this slowly on the Gardiner there would be an emergency council meeting. Where is the outrage?
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One minute of rush hour on Bloor in -10C weather on January 7th. 7 bikes and a skateboard using the bike lanes, 11 cars. 2 of which are blocking pedestrian crosswalks and causing gridlock.
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Today is Toronto's 224th consecutive day with a maximum temperature above 7C. That's weird, I was told that there was snow on the ground 6 months of the year?
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This new cafe in Kensington applied for a sidewalk cafe that met all the criteria for approval. 190 mailers were sent out, 3 neighbours complained. It was refused by staff. Luckily, @DianneSaxe overturned this refusal. Why have the criteria if 3 neighbours can overrule it?
Neat retro themed cafe, Made Rite, in Kensington I saw this weekend. Opened just over a month ago. The Tik Tokers are into it for the aesthetic but it also smelled incredible. On da try list.
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The day it leaked that @fordnation is planning on banning new bike lanes, there was a new @BikeShareTO ridership record, over 34,000 trips! At 12% of total micro-mobility usage, this corresponds to about 280,000 total trips in one day. 280,000 cars taken off the road.
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The anti-bike lane legislation passed by the Ontario government saw a record number of comments, over 19,000. Virtually all comments seem to be in opposition. The ERO has released a summary. Meanwhile, in Toronto, decisions are regularly made based on 5-50 public comments.
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Ontario is out in full force today to tell @fordnation he’s not going to endanger thousands and incentivize more congestion all based on how some people *feel* when they see any modicum of space dedicated to active transportation.
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Ridership on Toronto's Bike Share system reaches new heights, with 7 million rides for the year! This 23% increase from last year is due in part to the expansion of the system, but also additional safe infrastructure. Toronto is a cycling city!
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Hey @fordnation, Berlin has about 1 million more people then Toronto. It also has a safe and connected active transportation network and bike lanes on pretty much every major arterial. It has far less congestion than Toronto. Ranked 42nd in the world vs Toronto at #3.
Joined Premier @fordnation and @GerAmbCanada to discuss enhancing our trade partnership. This meeting followed Ontario’s recent trade mission to Germany in October, which focused on strengthening our key sectors and fostering new opportunities. DYK: In 2023, two-way trade
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Rob Ford ran on ripping streetcars out on Dundas because he saw them as clogging up his commute to city hall. Doug Ford will now rip up lanes that he sees as effecting his commute to Queens Park. They will come for King Street next, then other street car lanes, bus lanes etc.
NEW: As first reported by Global News, the Ford government has begun the process of removing bike lanes from three Toronto streets: Yonge st., Bloor St., University Ave. #onpoli.
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There are about 140 pedestrians and 3 cars in this photo. Each group is allotted the same amount of space.
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This is not a “drivers vs cyclist” debate. Re-allocating space to active transportation moves people more efficiently and helps solve congestion.
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In a new video, I take a look at the number of pedestrians vs cars in Kensington market, and discuss the problems with the new plan that was approved by Toronto city council. #TOPoli
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There are so many simple things we could do to speed up streetcar routes. If we’re not going to give them right of way, the least we can do is ban left hand turns.
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Can any "fiscal conservative" justify this? Somehow the Ontario government has managed to take a giant swath of prime waterfront real estate, sell it to a private company, and *lose* money over the next 95 years! It would be more financially viable as a public park.
Ontario Place Therme Ont Auditor report Page 9. Present value of rent is only $163 million. On $2.237 billion: interest costs-rent = $78,295,000-$1,715,000=$76,580,000 Landlord Loss @ONPlace4All @chrisgloverndp @TDotResident @corruptario
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The solution to "bringing downtown back to life", is shifting the focus from funnelling office workers in to funnelling life in. People-first places with pedestrian focused spaces and activities coupled with efficient and prioritized transit will revitalize the downtown.
Olivia Chow wants to bring Toronto's downtown back to life — and she's meeting bank CEOs about increasing office days to do it via @torontostar.
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Just brainstorming here, how much interest would there be for a group ride where we take the lane on Bloor, Queens Park, and Yonge? To demonstrate the congestion that would be caused when we force micromobility users to share the lane with vehicular traffic.
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Remember when I was told this photo was staged? Back to back light cycles today. I could stand here from 4-6 and find the same thing every time there is a red light.
Bloor St rush hour, November 2024. 12 bikes occupying the same amount of distance as 3 cars.
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Did you know Toronto fire stations each have unique patches? Some have fun animals or characters, and others represent unique aspects of their areas.
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Law and Order: Toronto has set up a fake encampment in Bickford Park. Anyone else feel that this is kind of in poor taste?
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With a homeless population of 11,000 in Toronto. If an average groundbreaking is for a building that provides housing for 42 people. They would need to have a groundbreaking once a week, every week, for 5 years.
Mayor Chow and Housing Chair Gord Perks break ground on a new supportive housing site on Brock Ave. It’s scheduled to open in early 2026 and house 42 people.
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It is disgraceful that no one from the TTC Exec, Board (@CllrJamaalMyers) or Mayor (@MayorOliviaChow) have said anything regarding the 3 major subway shutdowns during rush hour over the past week.
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Yesterday, @BikeShareTO had it's highest ridership day of all time, with over 27,000 trips! I have a feeling this record is going to be re-set many times this summer.
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Toronto has an extensive tram network. It also has the slowest tram network in the world, and it’s not close. The city could transform how people get around for cheap if they had political will. What’s the point of having streetcars if we don’t exploit their benefits?
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Ridership of @BikeShareTO is exploding! Averaging over 30,000 trips per day over the last 2 weeks. That is 30% higher than this same time last year. Annual ridership is up 21% over last year and has already surpassed the total count for the entire year of 2021!
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Toronto takes traffic counts on all these streets, which show as high as 37% cycle ridership. Instead of using that data, the province gets their propaganda arm to take a survey of the province and poll on one type of commute across region instead. Decision-based evidence making.
NEW: @abacusdataca poll for the @TorontoStar finds strong support for Premier Doug Ford’s bike lane reduction scheme. Even in Toronto where only 1% ride to work. #topolj .#onpoli .
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For context, this is what a 300-car parking lot looks like.
Bikes Galore! 🚲🙌 . This morning saw 310 bikes corralled at the King / Bay commuter superstation! We've enjoyed seeing regular and new users of superstations all summer and look forward to servicing your commute into the fall season! 🍂
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What can we learn from this? We don’t need years-long consultation processes before initial rapid deployment of lanes. Get the cheap, quick, win. Prove the usage, then adjust and harden the infrastructure when there is a chance to bundle it with other road works. Repeat.
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Patios can only be on main streets. New housing can only be on main streets. Bike lanes can't be on main streets. Young person - enjoy your dinner right next to unfettered vehicle traffic and fumes, make your way back to your apartment to enjoy in the noise and fumes at night.
Councillor Holyday's motion to refer the corner store legalization item back to staff for more consultation CARRIES 18-1.
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Sharing for those who want to be involved in more direction actions against Bill 212. This one is organized by UofT students:
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They say there is “no data to back up” @BikeShareTO usage. This data comes directly from the hardware provider of the docking system, not the city (since these conspiracy theorists claim not to trust city data). Over 30k trips in a day, on track for 6.9 million over the year.
@only_clickbait @CBailey6 Of course. Just no data to back it up. Bloor West does though. And it tells a story of a few people being indulged. Do carry on.
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@VIA_Rail Somehow, in Europe they are able to run intercity trains that don't have any of these absurd measures. Tickets are checked after boarding between stops and there is no baggage allowance/charge (within reason).
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@fordnation @PrabSarkaria The lanes on University, which @fordnation likes to cite as "causing congestion for ambulances", were designed with the hospitals to be used by ambulances, specifically.
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Extremely disappointing answers from @MayorOliviaChow 's AMA on Reddit. Shrugs off pedestrianization, points to Market St (where city won't pedestrianize a 200m stretch year-round) and Distillery (privately owned and not city streets) and weekend festivals.
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The TTC has taken a completely ridiculous position on slow zones. Under different leadership, slow zones were virtually non-existent. Now we are led to believe that is impossible. Our politicians need to hold the organization to account and hire leadership that gives a damn.
TTC says there will 'never be zero' subway slow zones. Their target is keeping the number under a dozen. They are also likely to increase after the TTC's upcoming spring geometric survey. Last year's survey resulted in a significant rise in slow zones.
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In this clip, @fordnation really tells on himself. "The first responders take the back routes in." That's because all the first responder entrances aren't on University. The hospitals support the lanes.
We’re bringing sanity back to bike lane decisions to get drivers moving again. The 1.2 per cent of people who commute by bike shouldn’t be clogging primary roads for the over 70 per cent of people who drive. It’s just common sense.
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If you read the headline "Two huge condo towers proposed to rise above a quiet Toronto cul-de-sac," you may be surprised when you discover the following: .1. The site is 100m from a subway station.2. There are about 9 slab towers a block away that were built as TOD in the 70s
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Yonge is street in North York: 4 vehicle traffic lanes, 2 street parking lanes and rammed with bumper to bumper traffic. Adjacent to a 16 lane highway and the same street has 6 vehicle traffic lanes a block south, you’ll get traffic if there are bike lanes or not.
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Hundreds of residents turned out on a snowy December day to @CHogarthPC’s office in Etobicoke to send a message. Safe streets save lives and the environment! Thank you @TOforFuture for organizing!
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For context, the Gardiner East sees 110,000 vehicles a day, around 3.5x this. The rebuild costs 1.2 billion. @BikeShareTO 2023 expenses were 13.4 million, and revenue was 10.7 million. Cost to city: 2.7 million.
We're breaking daily records! 🌟 On June 15, you set a new record with an incredible 30,442 daily trips. 🚴♀️🎉 Your dedication to micro mobility is transforming our city into a more vibrant and eco-friendly place. Let's keep up the momentum and ride into the future together. 🚀
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Kingsway resident: "You can't go down to Bloor St. and park anymore." Meanwhile, parking along Bloor:
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Older gentleman gets ushered off of steps of an office building on Spadina, told its “private property”. Notice the lack of benches/anywhere to sit along the wide sidewalk. Were there previously benches or planters along this stretch? (Now filled in with asphalt)
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The Transportation Tomorrow Survey from 2022 that @PrabSarkaria and @fordnation were hiding has been released. It shows cycling commute mode share is up 300% in Old Toronto since 2001. Now sitting at 11.3% in Old Toronto wards (4, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14), 10x bigger than "1.2%"!
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2 of the largest lobbying efforts for @fordnation's anti bike lane bill have been "Balance on Bloor" and @TorontoRBOT "congestion task force". What do you notice? CEO's, Executives, and NO urban planners, transit experts or knowledge from cities that move millions.
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@VIA_Rail Oh, they are also now charging for you to change your assigned seat? This is just awful.
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While your city dreams of BOD, Toronto makes it a reality.
@davidcapizzano BOD (Bagel-Oriented Development).
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@zd_jones I know what a reduced speed zone is and what it’s for. The fact that there are 28 across the network right now (and since the spring) should be an all-hands on deck situation. TTC exec, Mayor and TTC chair should be giving regular updates. It’s been crickets and no urgency.
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It has been proven that we will not solve congestion with cars. The framing of “congestion” vs “cyclist and environmental activists” is also false. It’s more than safety or environment, providing safe routes to incentivize travel without needing to drive helps SOLVE congestion.
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What about deliveries? We need more studies to see if this could ever be possible. We need to consult the public on their feelings as well, they are the experts, not the people from the places where it has already been implemented.
Tokyo urbanism: 4-metre streets, no setbacks, shops on every block, virtually no cars. Magnificent.
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I've mapped locations where cyclists are either at least 15% of traffic or where there are more than 1500 in a day. It shows how even downtown, where there are lots of cyclists, they stick to where there are lanes. It's useless to count cyclists before a route is installed.
.@GraphicMatt has put together city data on mode share at intersections across the city. I’ve mapped all the intersections where pedestrians represent 50% or more of all traffic. Pedestrians typically have no more than 33% of road space. Original data:
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Hard to resist the urge to post this screenshot every time Brad Brad goes on a transparent media tour trying to boost his rep as the head of the city council "opposition". While completely dismissing transit/cycling and investing in/prioritizing reliable car-alternatives.
@MooreintheAM You can read my full op-ed in the @TorontoStar here:
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Why do we let city trucks tear up our parks like this?
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Last week, @BikeShareTO ridership passed the annual ridership for the entirety of 2022, with 3 months left! It's also 22% higher than 2023.
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These are being sold at Costco for private home installation and yet municipal staff always claim they are not a financially viable solution for pedestrian/transit priority corridors.
Auto theft is so bad in Canada, Costco is capitalizing on it now. Retractable security bollards for home driveways.
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Note from the Don Valley West by-election. It shows what can happen when the left unites. There were NDP, Liberal, and Green staffers working on the campaign and at the Rachel CL camp. Many were commenting on how they were so surprised to be working alongside each other.
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Originally, when Bill 212 was introduced, @PrabSarkaria said that they were going to review lanes and ask for ridership numbers to justify existence. Then, they added Bloor, Yonge and University without “studying” them because they know the numbers don’t justify removal.
And here are new and updated ridership numbers for Bloor, University and Yonge bike lanes. Increases as high as 600%.
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The city is trying to demolish the COVID-era shelter addition of Wanda’s Pie in the Sky. Sometimes it seems like the city wants to destroy everything that makes it liveable and lively. Kensington Market was built without needless regulations, and that’s what makes it great.
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Oh sweet summer child. In Toronto we do not simply pedestrianize streets, we spend 10 years engaging stakeholders, hosting consultations and writing in depth reports in order to reduce 4 traffic lanes to 2, and introduce curbside "activity zones".
@observinthecity Isnt Yonge Street supposed to be getting pedestrianized at this point too?.
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The city is installing bi-directional bike lanes on Marlee to connect the Beltline and only continuous North/South route north of Davenport. They will not reduce vehicle lanes, they are not on an arterial. Local NIMBYs are still lying to stir opposition:
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Random guys in my replies: “How will emergency vehicles be able to access the hospitals???!!!!”.The actual hospitals: “We support the bike lanes 👍”.
@m_layton Without @m_layton, @joe_cressy and the hospitals executives leadership, we could not have implemented University and so so so many other projects across Toronto. Thankful to them everyday of my job 🙏.
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The Gladstone Hotel applied for a sidewalk cafe permit along a newly constructed wide sidewalk. Neighbours whined and the city denied the request so the streetscape can continue to look awful. Council has a chance to reverse this decision this week.
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East end protest against Bill 212, Sunday November 17th, 3:30 at Danforth and Logan!
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The city is refusing a 17-storey building above a subway station. Yet it’s encouraging this type of development along an above ground LRT (without signal priority) way further from the core. A complete disservice to all newcomers and young residents of Toronto.
Am I the only one who thinks this should be a lot taller?
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Cafes in Toronto are placed in parking spots. There isn't a single traffic lane that was removed for the CafeTO program.
@PrabSarkaria @yelich_ivana Start with Bloor St then University Avenue and prohibit the grotesque remnant of the Covid horrors cafe to and stop pretending this is Amsterdam or the hills of southern France. The car will always be the transport mode of choice in Canada.
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At the end of the day, Toronto city council is ruled by Residents Associations that don't want the largest city in Canada to be a city. All these RAs were writing against the item to allow small-scale retail in neighbourhood zones.
Councillor Holyday's motion to refer the corner store legalization item back to staff for more consultation CARRIES 18-1.
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@anthonyTkim This was “never a thing” on Bloor *until* the bike lanes were built. Measuring demand for a bridge based on how many people are swimming across the river.
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Implemented as a "pilot", they used pre-cast curbs and flexible bollards to create separation for cheap. Almost every single one of these projects was eventually made permanent. They proved that if you build it, riders will come.
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Man leads with saying he's focused on road safety, then highlights Bill 212, which is going to have people killed on our roads and make congestion worse.
Hello Brampton East, . "Since returning to the Legislature, I’ve been focused on addressing key issues and working collaboratively with my colleagues to make progress on behalf of our community. Looking forward to sharing more updates on the work ahead."
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It's great these priority transit lanes are being accelerated! However, it begs the question why our politicians move faster to support visitors for a week long sporting event, or out-of-town commuters with Gardiner work, over the millions who rely on the TTC every day.
On a FIFA item, Council votes 18-2 to accelerate the design of transit priority lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst to help get people to BMO Field
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I know stats don't really matter in this bike lane rhetoric from the Ontario government. However, in many places in Toronto, bike commute share is greater than 20% and in some tracts along Bloor it is above 30%. Also, in 2019, 48% of households had someone who biked for errands.
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The mayor and TTC chair do not care about transit riders. If they truly do not implement Jane street as bus only lanes as planned, we can expect that RapidTO (and transit priority in general) is functionally dead in this city over the near future.
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