Categories
Cycling Infrastructure Ontario Roads

Crossride of death: how an Ajax girl was killed riding her bike

On Thursday, November 7, a 13-year-old girl was struck and killed by the driver of a Hyundai Santa Fe (a midsized crossover SUV) at Rossland Road and Stevensgate Drive. She was riding on a multiuse path, crossing the street properly in a crossride.

Multiuse paths are a popular form of cycling infrastructure, especially in the suburbs. Poor design and bad driver behaviour have made them dangerous at intersections, and should be fixed.

Categories
Infrastructure Ontario Politics Roads Toronto Transit

Deadcatting: Doug Ford’s big dig

On Wednesday, September 25, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, along with transportation minister Pradmeet Sarkaria, announced that the provincial government would fund a feasibility study on building a new highway tunnel under Highway 401 from Peel Region to Durham Region, along with an unspecified new transit facility. Earlier this week, Doug Ford exclaimed that those living […]

Categories
Infrastructure Roads Toronto Transit

A little more coordination, please?

Getting around Downtown Toronto can be an exercise in frustration, whether you drive, bike, take transit, or drive. Though necessary transit and road construction projects are the cause of much of the congestion, driver behaviour, poor management, and a lack of coordination between various municipal and provincial agencies have only added to the traffic quagmire. […]

Categories
Infrastructure Intercity Rail Transit Travels

Travel by train (or bus): Denver’s renewed Union Station

Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of travelling with my spouse to California. We started in San Diego (where my partner was attending a conference) and then made our way northwards, to Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Simeon, and finally the San Francisco Bay Area. I continued my trip an extra three days to […]

Categories
Architecture Infrastructure Politics Toronto

A heartbreaking end for the Ontario Science Centre

Years of demolition by neglect has led to a sudden closure of a once-great institution.

Categories
Cycling Infrastructure Politics Roads Urban Planning Walking

Bloor Street blues

The Bloor Street redesign is the right thing to do for a safer and more inclusive city. Mississauga is growing up. Some of its politicians should too.

Categories
Infrastructure Toronto Transit

The other barrier to GO-TTC transfers

The new Ontario One Fare Program finally solves several problems with the GTHA’s fare structure, but barriers to GO-TTC transfers remain.

Categories
Infrastructure Transit Travels

How to run a street railway: riding trams in Central Europe

Back in October, my spouse and I had the opportunity to visit several countries in Central Europe: Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, though we spent the majority of our time in and around Vienna, as that is where my spouse attended business meetings for several days; we also took time to explore the […]

Categories
Infrastructure Ontario Transit Walking

A visit to GO Transit’s New Old Elm Station

GO Transit’s new Stouffville Line terminal overlooked one important detail.

Categories
Infrastructure Transit Travels

Automatic for the people: Riding Montreal’s new REM

North America’s newest rapid transit service, the Réseau express métropolitain (REM), opened on Monday, July 31, 2023 after a weekend of free public rides. I took my first ride several weeks later, on August 22, 2023. The five stop, 16.6-kilometre line between Central Station and Autoroute 30 in Brossard, is the first of four phases […]