news
Weekend Newsstand: May 30, 2015
Saturday, and what a day! The sun is out and the muggy humidity hasn't yet claimed us all. In the news: the Pan Am Games force closures around the city, Sunday-only streetcar stops will be a thing of the past, and the High Park Zoo peacock.
As the Pan Am Games begin their descent into the city, Torontonians are preparing to face huge traffic closures and inconveniences. However, some of those inconveniences seem to be unnecessarily long-lasting. Take, for instance, the closure of the two-year-old Corktown Common, an award-winning park in the West Don Lands. A sign in the park says it will be closed until August 31, but the area’s business association says it will be closed until September 30 because it’s within the security perimeter of the Games’ village. Residents are unhappy at the prospect of losing access to the park for the entire summer.
Beginning June 7, all Sunday-only streetcar stops will no longer be used. They were initially put in place to make it easier to get to churches, but are usually much closer to other stops—within 100 feet—than TTC best practices dictate, which is around 250 to 350 feet and no closer than 200 feet. Streetcar stops will also be moved to ensure they are near a crosswalk or intersection with a signal.
What a fun day we had yesterday with the High Park Zoo peacock on the loose. According to one researcher, he may have been attempting to find a mate, which would explain why he was so intent on getting out of the zoo that he escaped twice in one week.