Categories
Cycling Roads

Toronto can do better for cyclists at construction sites

For years, cyclists in Toronto have not been getting enough respect. In 2011, City Council voted to remove bike lanes on three streets — Jarvis Street, Pharmacy Avenue, and Birchmount Avenue. Major off-road cycling routes are closed for months or years at a time, while additional funds are found to accelerate road closures and construction […]

Categories
Infrastructure Transit

Some answered questions about Toronto’s next subway extension (updated)

York University Station, August 2017 Updated October 10, 2017 Ten months ago, I wrote about some of the unanswered questions about the Toronto Transit Commission’s Line 1 subway extension to York University and Vaughan. At the time, I was concerned about fare integration once the subway opened, especially if suburban GO, YRT, or Brampton Transit […]

Categories
Brampton Transit Urban Planning

Mount Pleasant: New Urbanism that almost works

Mount Pleasant Square, Brampton A few weeks ago, I visited Cathedraltown, a subdivision in north Markham built in the new urbanist style. Cathedraltown made the news thanks to a controversial metallic sculpture of a cow installed in a parkette. (Last week, Markham City Council voted to move the sculpture.) I came away disappointed by Cathedraltown. […]

Categories
Parks Travels

How two Ontario cities are re-imagining abandoned railway relics

Brockville and St. Thomas are two small Ontario industrial cities that wouldn’t normally attract much attention. But both communities are working on remarkable projects that re-purpose former railway infrastructure to create interesting public spaces that don’t just lure out-of-town visitors, but add a significant asset to be enjoyed by the entire community. The St. Thomas […]

Categories
Cycling Infrastructure Parks Toronto Walking

The ravine run around

While trail closures frustrate pedestrians and cyclists, the city spends millions of dollars to speed up road work

Categories
Infrastructure Transit Travels

The streetcar returns to Detroit – but who benefits?

After sixty-one years, streetcars have returned to Detroit’s famed Woodward Avenue. But without integration with other transit systems, its usefulness is limited.

Categories
Urban Planning

We came for the cow, but we had no reason to linger in Cathedraltown

Last weekend, a few of us visited Cathedraltown, a newer subdivision near Highway 404 and Elgin Mills Road in northern Markham. We came to see ‘Brookview Tony Charity,’ a new chrome sculpture of a prize-winning dairy cow that was once the pride of a hobby farm that was on the site before it was developed. […]

Categories
Infrastructure Roads Travels Walking

The Halifax Department of Silly Walks

As part of our trip through the Maritime Provinces a few weeks ago, we visited Halifax. Nova Scotia’s capital and largest city is the economic, cultural and transportation hub for Atlantic Canada. In 1996, the City of Halifax was merged with surrounding towns and suburbs, as well as rural Halifax County; the Halifax Regional Municipality […]

Categories
Canada History Travels

A visit to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

New Glasgow City Hall After our wedding, we went away to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. I’ve been to Halifax and the Annapolis Valley once before, in April 2004, but I’ve never been to Cape Breton (which has become one of my favourite places in Canada), or PEI. It was a wonderful trip. We […]

Categories
About me

My life, so far

I’ll be taking a break from writing on this blog and elsewhere for a few weeks. I will be preoccupied, as I’m getting married, then leaving for my honeymoon in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. For many years, I never thought that I would become as happy as I am now. During my three […]