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Liveblog: Transit Showdown at City Hall

After months of debate and weeks of mounting tension, city council meets today to decide what transit plan they support.

COUNCIL OVERTURNS FORD, RESTORES LIGHT RAIL PLAN BY A VOTE OF 25-18 Quick reference; live updates follow below: The Coalition Plan This is based on a binding Memorandum of Agreement the City signed with the province in 2009. Karen Stintz is introducing a multi-part proposal that extends that MOA (which would making it council’s endorsed [...]

Transit Pros Support Eglinton Subway-Surface LRT Plan

More details on the letter that calls for a return to "sensible" transit planning in Toronto.

Under the umbrella of the Cities Centre at the University of Toronto, a large group of academics, professionals, and concerned citizens has announced its support for the at-grade alignment of the Eglinton LRT’s eastern branch (i.e. keeping it above ground on less congested portions of the route, as originally planned). The group includes: Eric Miller, [...]

Parking Fines May Be Going Up Soon

Parking illegally during rush hour in a bike lane may soon come with a penalty of $150—but does it matter if enforcement doesn't improve?

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. [...]

Duly Quoted: Gordon Chong

“You will never, ever be able to get away from either government-direct funding or government backstop—ever.” —Gordon Chong, brought on by Mayor Rob Ford to help chart a development path for the Sheppard subway line. Ford has been arguing that the subway will be built with private money rather than requiring substantial government funds, however [...]

The Case for a National Transit Strategy

Yesterday in Ottawa, sympathy from all parties for TTC chief Gary Webster and his call for a national transit strategy—but will Harper's cabinet listen?

Yesterday Gary Webster, the chief general manager of the TTC, went cap-in-hand to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities, looking for money to make the TTC affordable and efficient. The committee’s job is to recommend to the government whether or not Canada should have a federal strategy for public transit. [...]

Toronto Talks Mobility Infrastructure

A jam-packed forum points toward economical thinking about transportation.

“Do I agree with mobility management? How can you disagree with sliced bread!” Mobility management is simply a term for figuring out how to use transportation more efficiently—moving more people with fewer resources. (Hint: this generally involves getting people out of their cars, which are the least efficient mode of transportation across a population.) And [...]

A Cost Too High

How the tragedy of Jenna Morrison's death could, and should, have been prevented.

It’s every cyclist’s worst nightmare: you come to an intersection alongside a gigantic truck, and as the light turns green, you both ease forward. But as you crank towards that first gear change, still wobbly as you gather momentum, the truck is already half its length into the intersection. It’s slowly turning right, directly into [...]

Duly Quoted: Gord Perks

“This could be the issue that forces Transit City in front of this council for the first time.” —Councillor Gord Perks (Ward 14, Parkdale-High Park) to the Globe and Mail, commenting on the problems posed by trying to bury the proposed Eglinton LRT, and specifically on the fact that if the line is completely buried [...]

Video Tribute to Jarvis Bike Lanes

In anticipation of tonight's Ride for Jarvis, Ride for Toronto event, a video tribute to Jarvis Street and its current state: one with dedicated space for both cars and cyclists, and through which everyone travels at a decent pace. Heart-swelling soundtrack aside, the video does illustrate one key point: at 8:30 a.m., traffic isn't jammed, and there are plenty of cyclists benefiting from the bike lanes currently in place.

New Rocket May Roll on Thursday

The Toronto Sun is reporting that the first of the new rocket subway trains will be online for regular passenger service starting this Thursday at 10 a.m. It will depart from Downsview station, and at launch it will be the one train that is in service, with additional trains added into service later. We got a preview of the trains back in May—if you want to get a sense of what's in store for your commute, check out our full sensory exploration of Toronto's new subways.

Jarvis Bike Lanes Saved for One Year, Birchmount and Pharmacy Bike Lanes to be Removed

"If you take the bike lanes off Jarvis, you're not taking the bicycles off Jarvis," Councillor Pam McConnell (Ward 28, Toronto Centre-Rosedale)

Duly Quoted: Denzil Minnan-Wong

"I think that if you have more roads you will have traffic run better.""