Bike Walk Bus Toronto

With the recent service changes this past Sunday, TTC's seasonal service offerings are the largest they have been in many decades. In accordance with this, TTC has also introduced new branding to reflect seasonal routes: all are now numbered in the 200-series, with pink being the colour chosen to represent them. Having taken all four routes, I decided I wanted to give some of my thoughts on the routes, and how they can be made even better. While thinking this post through, I realized that the seasonal routes speak to a significant challenge that Toronto has had for many years. In this blog post, I will be providing my thoughts on the branding, each of the four routes, offer further suggestions for new seasonal services, and some comments on the broader implications of providing service 'seasonally.' The Branding As mentioned, the seasonal routes were all numbered in the 200-series, and are identified with a pink icon on stops, signage, and maps. I think this was a good idea...

 Hello! This blog post is a small break from my recent series about Montreal. It had been a bit since I visited the Waterloo Region, and since my last visit, the city has gotten Neuron-branded e-bikes and e-scooters. Since I had a coupon for Neuron, and the LRT was down through downtown Kitchener, I figured now would be a good time to try out an e-scooter. As well, because I regularly use BikeShare in Toronto and Bixi in Montreal, I would be able to compare the micromobility systems. Having taken my first ride on Neuron, from Laurier--Waterloo Park LRT Station to Charles Street Bus Terminal, I can say that I really did not enjoy the system. The focus on technology over functionality, and the overpolicing of mobility outside of cars makes the system unenjoyable, and quite the hassle to use.  In this blog post, I will outline some of my problems with the e-scooters, and offer suggestions on how to make micro-mobility work in Waterloo Region. Apologies for the portrait photos, as...