Bike Walk Bus Toronto

Hello! If you've ever parked at Pearson Airport, chances are you've taken the Terminal LINK Train. It's a short elevated line that links the terminals with the parking lots near Viscount. In general, while it serves a purpose, it's kind of just a blip within the broader transit network of the GTA.  On April 30, 2022, I decided to take a trip on the LINK Train, in order to identify the potential that the line has (and get pictures for this article). This article has two sections: the first is to speak about the Union Station West proposal at Pearson, and the second is more specific to the LINK Train. Union Station West The Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) has long proposed a Union Station West at Pearson. The rationale here is that Pearson's car-centric present has limited days remaining, and switching modes is critical for the future. The GTAA, acknowledging the number of business near the airport, wants to take the lead on pushing transit. While specifics a...

 One thing I always hear from Torontonians who visit Montreal is how much better transit is there. While not discrediting their beliefs, this is a bit of a biased view. In this (somewhat long) piece, I will explain why comparing cities as a tourist is a problem, as well as where Montreal's public transit networks come up lacking in comparison to Toronto. Solutions for Montreal can be extrapolated from this piece. This will focus mostly as a TTC vs. STM comparison, but some other networks will be brought up.  Why Comparing Cities as a Tourist is Biased Pitting cities against each other in a friendly competition seems like second nature. However, there are a number of critical factors to account for when comparing cities. The first factor is that present situations are a direct consequence of historic conditions and decisions. This is why advocating for 'copy-paste' solutions originating in Europe or Asia will be unsuccessful if applied as-is in North America. Ignoring coloni...

We've now sped past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's far from over, but while a lot of life has returned to some sort of normalcy, many transit systems have still yet to return to the pre-pandemic offerings of service. The question remains now, when? When will these services return? How permanent are some of the cuts from March 2020, or from November 2021? I have broken this article up by a select group of transit agencies, as different systems had different approaches to cutting, and restoring services. I do miss the downtown express routes from time to time. Toronto Transit Commission Generally speaking, the TTC's cuts did not affect coverage. Every local route remained in place, albeit with some reductions in frequency. The route that received the biggest service cut that has yet to be restored is the 19 Bay (f.k.a. 6 Bay), which had a pre-COVID frequency in rush hour of every 5 minutes, which now sits at every 15 minutes. This route's ridership was two core ...

 The size of cars distorts the impact that they have. Our decision-making processes are concerned more with size than actual utility, and, as such, automobiles are given more favourable treatment than they would otherwise deserve. Cars are given priority in all projects, even when the numbers do not match taking that route. In this short piece, I will speak to a few ways in how we overprioritize the automobile at the expense of all other modes of transportation, and how we can break this effective monopoly on considerations. Example 1: Bloor Street Bike Lanes Recently, there has been debate in Toronto City Council on whether to keep the bike lanes on Yonge Street. Many opponents have been using the same old set of excuses long proven false. One of these is that the bike lanes have significantly congested Yonge Street by reducing lanes. This is an example of putting the onus of car congestion on everything but the car. I think the only street comparable to Yonge is Bloor, which we h...