Categories
Toronto Transit

The Golden Horseshoe’s missing links

GO Transit bus at Uxbridge Over the last 15 years, GO Transit has done well expanding its bus and rail operations. It opened up new stations, such as Mount Pleasant, Lincolnville, Barrie South, Allandale Waterfront, and West Harbour. It introduced the Highway 407 service, finally making York University accessible to thousands of suburban students. And […]

Categories
Maps Transit

Not so fair-by-distance: GO Transit’s problematic fare system

GO’s bus and rail system serves 39 municipalities and reaches points over 130 kilometres from Union Station In 1967, GO Transit started out as a simple commuter service from Oakville to Pickering (with two additional trains to and from Hamilton). In 1970, it started its first bus service, connecting Oshawa and Hamilton to the hourly […]

Categories
Transit

GO Transit and the high cost of “free” parking

This is the first of a series on regional transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area This may or may not come as a surprise to readers of my site, but the largest parking lot provider in Ontario isn’t the Toronto Parking Authority, nor is it a major real estate developer like Oxford (owner of […]

Categories
Canada Election Politics

Some thoughts about the 2015 election and Canada’s new government

My congratulations to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party. The Liberals managed to win a healthy majority government on October 19, 2015, defeating Stephen Harper and the Conservatives. I’m not completely happy with the election day results, but I think there is still plenty to be satisfied about. For now, I’m cautiously optimistic […]

Categories
Brampton Politics Transit

On Brampton’s short-sighted Hurontario-Main LRT decision

LRT mockup at Gage Park, Brampton On late Tuesday night (actually, early Wednesday morning) Brampton City Council made disappointing and harmful decision by voting against the Hurontario-Main LRT, a 23.2 kilometre, $1.6-billion light rail line, whose construction costs would be fully covered by the province. This followed another marathon meeting back in July in which a final decision was […]

Categories
Uncategorized

Happy October 21, 2015

The makers of Back to the Future Part II didn’t predict selfies, did they? The joys of living close enough to work to walk there includes passing by the Rogers/CityTV building at Dundas Square. where a DeLorean, fitted out like the one used in the film trilogy, was on display. In the franchise’s “history,” October 21, […]

Categories
Cycling Travels

A ride through Midwestern Ontario, Part II

The Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail, part of a network of rail trails that join together in the City of Brantford Previously in this blog, I described the first day of a two-day ride through Midwestern Ontario, between Guelph and Kitchener via West Montrose and St. Jacobs. I rode through Ontario’s only authentic covered bridge, along infrastructure […]

Categories
Maps Toronto

Mapping Toronto’s homeless shelters: an interactive mapping exercise

Earlier this week,  I mapped the locations of Toronto’s homeless shelters for Torontoist. While there are shelters located across the city, the capacity is located almost entirely within the old city of Toronto, especially in the Downtown east side, between Church Street and the Don River. This is despite the fact that the need for shelters, like all […]

Categories
Politics Toronto Transit

Not so FAST: SmartTrack gets a lobby group, raises many questions (Updated)

I find myself feeling frustrated, worn down, and at times angry about this federal election that’s thankfully coming to an end on Monday. As a progressive voter, I’ve been disappointed by Thomas Mulcair and the New Democrats, for reasons that Desmond Cole explains so very well in today’s Toronto Star. (Locally, I ‘ve been supporting the NDP’s Linda […]

Categories
Cycling Travels

A ride through Midwestern Ontario, Part I

Just prior to Labour Day weekend, I went on a two-day bike excursion west of Toronto, starting in Guelph, staying in Downtown Kitchener, and finishing my ride in Downtown Hamilton. [Part II, Kitchener to Hamilton is here.] I find that cycling long distances, especially in the countryside, is valuable “me” time. I go at my own […]