On December 7, 1896, the Globe heralded “the dawn of the horseless era” in Toronto, following the test of a motor vehicle at Dixon’s Carriage Works at Bay and Temperance streets. Dixon’s had hitherto dealt exclusively in horse-drawn vehicles, and this “motor carriage” was the first of its kind in Toronto, the personal property of [...]

WHERE: Toronto waterfront, starting near Sunnyside and ending near the foot of Jameson Avenue. WHEN: 1:30 p.m. WHAT: Bambi, like the rest of us, just wants to be free, to explore and roam the world and have new experiences. Unfortunately, some experiences aren’t safe, and officials had to intervene to prevent this particular deer from [...]

With the passage of provincial legislation on April 2, 1953, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto became a legal reality, joining together the City of Toronto with its twelve neighbouring municipalities in a regional federation. But few of the region’s 1.1 million inhabitants perceived Metro Toronto, with its combination of dense urbanization and abundant farmland, as [...]

At the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee this morning, councillors voted in favour of a proposal that would see fines for parking illegally during rush hour—defined as 6:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. on weekdays—go up substantially, to $150. A $150 fine would also apply to parking in a bike lane at any time. [...]

The northern road blockade at this year’s instance of Car Free Day. Today was Toronto’s tenth annual iteration of World Car Free Day. This year, for the first time, the event was held in Queen’s Park North, where roads were blockaded to car traffic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Few people turned out for [...]

Photo by chewie2008~ from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. If city cycling staff get their way, downtown will be transformed by cycling projects in 2010. Partly to accommodate the planned launch of the public bike program and partly to address concerns over the way the Bikeway Network has been assembled piece by disconnected piece over the [...]

Photo by Metrix X from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. City Council is wrapping up its monthly meeting (extended to a third day to accommodate a full agenda and some election-laced rhetoric), one which has been particularly action packed. In addition to banning new bars and restaurants on Ossington for a one year “cooling off” period, [...]

Map from the Star’s Map of the Week. What to make of a map of cycling accidents that shows that the most dangerous street for cyclists also happens to have a bike lane? The Star‘s Map of the Week blog presented that dilemma to cyclists in yesterday’s map of traffic accidents involving cyclists. With all [...]

Every Saturday morning Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today. Noon Hour Traffic, Queen Street West Looking East From James Street, 1924. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 1115. Following her usual route home from work, Della Hazelton made her way [...]

Photo by Lex in the City. With Bike Month on the horizon and a newly launched advocacy group, cycling in Toronto is undergoing a renaissance (as Val Dodge put it earlier this week). The attention is well-deserved: cycling is one of the most healthy and environmentally conscious methods of commuting. The joys are eloquently captured [...]

Dalton McGuinty unveiled a new plane yesterday, which will be used by the OPP to deter dangerous drivers on Ontario highways. To encourage courteous motoring, the plane is armed with four Maverick air-to-ground missiles and a 30 mm cannon capable of piercing two inches of armour plate. Actually the plane just reports bad driving to [...]

Jarvis Street, circa 1910. (City of Toronto Archives) Torontonians should be ashamed at what happened to Jarvis Street. The city’s first paved road was once the grandest tree-lined boulevard around, bracketed by the mansions of some of Toronto’s wealthiest movers and shakers. Then, in the 1940s, the stately Jarvis boulevard was transformed: trees were pulled [...]