Thanks for the retrospective, Reece. It is easy to forget what used to be. I was not aware of all the hourly service on GO lines that I don't use, but maybe now I will find a reason to use them.
With all the projects underway, just imagine all the progress you can look back on eight years from now!
A good read, I like the chance substance gives to talk about things in more depth and more exhaustively than YouTube. I really like reading about the transformation of the GTHA, it is inspiring to hear of all the progress that has been made from when I lived in the GTA a decade ago.
A lot of what happened in the GTA was about doing the boring leg work to allow for broader expansion to happen. Developing a truly regional planning approach for MLinx (ie integrating local and regional transit as much as possible). Many GO projects like grade separations and the track work around Union were a must for the larger expansion to come. Planning for projects like the Ontario Line. Etc, etc.
I think it’s often under appreciated the change and work that is required to take a region and it’s agencies from typical North American approaches to transit (and city building in general) too a much more progressive, moving towards a Euro approach, view.
The actual nuts and bolts of designing and building new transit isn’t that difficult. But changing the social and political culture to give agencies the funding and freedom to do it, that is extraordinary difficult. And making that transition is, at least for me, the biggest change and victory of the past 8 years.
I am hoping that the new Union Station bus terminal is worth it. My experiences there have been...poor...to put it mildly. Access was poor both for people and for buses.
A lot of this can be solved with dedicated lanes, but I really don't see a high priority being put on convenient access for transit vehicles or riders, maybe these things can be corrected after the fact.
But it is really interesting to see all of the improvements in Toronto put in one place. It's easy to lose track of these things. Sadly, I'm still not hopeful for the city. The government has steadfastly refused to even consider a future where there are fewer cars in the city. Until this political will comes around, I don't think we'll see systemic changes.
Or maybe small iterative improvements really can make a meaningful difference...who am I to say otherwise.
Which TTC commissioners put in a recommendation for electric TTC buses? None other than, Denzil Minnan-Wong! (Spitting out water that I had in my mouth.) Will his replacement Stephen Holyday do something like that?
Thanks for the retrospective, Reece. It is easy to forget what used to be. I was not aware of all the hourly service on GO lines that I don't use, but maybe now I will find a reason to use them.
With all the projects underway, just imagine all the progress you can look back on eight years from now!
Absolutely! That hourly service is powerful honestly, on weekends in particular Union Station feels busier than it used to! It’s really useful!
And yes, the transformation in 8 years from now will be even greater!
A good read, I like the chance substance gives to talk about things in more depth and more exhaustively than YouTube. I really like reading about the transformation of the GTHA, it is inspiring to hear of all the progress that has been made from when I lived in the GTA a decade ago.
Articles are nice, keep it up!
I agree, you can talk in a sort of relaxed in depth way that doesn’t work well on YouTube! It’s great!
A lot of what happened in the GTA was about doing the boring leg work to allow for broader expansion to happen. Developing a truly regional planning approach for MLinx (ie integrating local and regional transit as much as possible). Many GO projects like grade separations and the track work around Union were a must for the larger expansion to come. Planning for projects like the Ontario Line. Etc, etc.
I think it’s often under appreciated the change and work that is required to take a region and it’s agencies from typical North American approaches to transit (and city building in general) too a much more progressive, moving towards a Euro approach, view.
The actual nuts and bolts of designing and building new transit isn’t that difficult. But changing the social and political culture to give agencies the funding and freedom to do it, that is extraordinary difficult. And making that transition is, at least for me, the biggest change and victory of the past 8 years.
Johnny! Shoot me an email!
I am hoping that the new Union Station bus terminal is worth it. My experiences there have been...poor...to put it mildly. Access was poor both for people and for buses.
A lot of this can be solved with dedicated lanes, but I really don't see a high priority being put on convenient access for transit vehicles or riders, maybe these things can be corrected after the fact.
But it is really interesting to see all of the improvements in Toronto put in one place. It's easy to lose track of these things. Sadly, I'm still not hopeful for the city. The government has steadfastly refused to even consider a future where there are fewer cars in the city. Until this political will comes around, I don't think we'll see systemic changes.
Or maybe small iterative improvements really can make a meaningful difference...who am I to say otherwise.
You'll be back. :P
Nice job on this. Sometimes you need to take a longer term view and this was comprehensive and informative.
Which TTC commissioners put in a recommendation for electric TTC buses? None other than, Denzil Minnan-Wong! (Spitting out water that I had in my mouth.) Will his replacement Stephen Holyday do something like that?