Forgive the belated posting, but this November marked the 35th anniversary of Streetcars for Toronto's (SfT) successful fight to keep the streetcar on the streets of Toronto. In my opinion, this is on par (though perhaps not as glamorous) with the "Stop the Spadina Expressway" battle as one of the most significant civic victories in Toronto's history. The people behind this movement deserve our thanks and praise. In the Fall of 1971, the TTC had planned in principle to phase out Toronto's vast streetcar network, completely eradicating it by 1980 and replacing it with diesel buses and trolley coaches. ...

(This is a map of potential TTC service cuts by Ian Trider via the Torontoist. Solid red lines are routes which may be entirely eliminated. Broken red lines are routes which may be eliminated, but partially serviced by other routes. The yellow lines are routes which may have their service reduced. Click here to see a larger-size version.) WHAT: Public consultation on potential TTC cuts WHEN: Monday, September 10 @ 7pm WHERE: Scarborough Civic Centre (150 Borough Drive), Rotunda WHAT: Special TTC funding crisis meeting WHEN: Wednesday, September 12 @ 10am WHERE: City Hall (100 Queen Street ...

(This is a map of potential TTC service cuts by Ian Trider via the Torontoist. Solid red lines are routes which may be entirely eliminated. Broken red lines are routes which may be eliminated, but partially serviced by other routes. The yellow lines are routes which may have their service reduced. Click here to see a larger-size version.) Basic access refers to people's ability to access public services, health care, employment, education, social activities, and essential goods. Basic mobility refers to the physical travel that provides basic access. Both should be recognized as a fundamental right of every citizen ...

The past few months have been very exciting for Toronto's transit users, with March's announcement of the Transit City - Light Rail plan and the Provincial Liberal's recent announcement of $17.5 billion over 12 years for various transit projects throughout the GTA. In keeping with that momentum, the TTC has created a website, My New Streetcar and is holding a series of public events, giving Torontonians an opportunity to examine and provide feedback on an example of a Light Rail Vehicle (LRV), the type of which will eventually replace all of the TTC's current fleet of streetcars....

Four urban-themed blogs from four different cities, all similar in spirit to Spacing (BLDGBLOG from Los Angeles, City of Sound from London, Inhabitat from New York and Subtopia from San Francisco) have gathered at the Storefront for Art & Architecture in NYC to host Postopolis!, a five day event of "near continuous conversation about architecture, urbanism, landscape and design." For the past five years, blogging has helped to expand the bounds of architectural discussion; its influence now spreads far beyond the internet to affect museums, institutions, and even higher education. Postopolis! is an historic ...

The TTC is inviting the public to give them ideas on how to improve service. We are looking for ideas on where and when to add new routes, or how we could change current routes to improve your transit service. The best ideas will be included in the Toronto Transit Commission's annual review of new and revised routes. The meeting will be taking place: Monday April 2, 2007 7:00-9:00pm Elizabeth Beaton Auditorium, Toronto Reference Library 789 Yonge Street (1 block North of Bloor) If you cannot attend but would like to make suggestions, please call (416)393-3030, Monday to Friday, 8:00am -5:00pm. Check here for a report on the ...

Ok, I'll admit it. I have a staring problem. Whenever I ride the TTC, I look at people's faces and wonder what their story is. It helps pass the time and helps me humanize the otherwise monotonous commute. What is going on in their life? Why isn't anyone smiling? What are they listening too? What are they reading? Where are they going? Where are they coming from? Looking at the photos of Bill Sullivan makes me feel the same way. Sullivan is a New York-based photographer whose "More Stops" project (pictured above) captured people as they passed through the turnstiles ...

The Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) is currently in the midst of a series of community workshops centred on the City/TTC's Transit City plan for a network of light rail transit (LRT) and bus rapid transit (BRT) lines across the city. (see above image) Focused on reaching communities in Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke that have been underserved by transit until now, TEA's workshops were designed to educate citizens, increase public engagement, create discussion and generate support for an improved Transit City plan. TEA would like to engage Toronto's knowledgeable transit advocates and enthusiasts in a mini TorontoTransitCamp ...

If you mixed these two together, what would Toronto get? Anyone who knows me well knows that my biggest pet peeves are bad public transit and bad design. Unfortunately for me (and you), the TTC represents both in abundance. More unfortunate is the fact that the importance of an improved TTC, along with its wide ranging economic, environmental and cultural benefits, is lost on the majority of people in power. Even in its dilapidated state, the TTC is a tremendous source of civic pride -- just imagine what it would be like if the powers that be actually took ...

Sexy public transit? Beauty (and sexiness) is in the eye of the beholder, but rapid transit lines spread out all over the GTA in the next 10 years gets me hot. I'll say it again. Rapid transit lines spread out all over the GTA in the next 10 years, baby. Just look at the map above. It's called a regional approach to public transit in the GTA. The map is an amalgamation of recent BRT/LRT proposals from the: TTC's Ridership Growth Strategy (BRT/LRT network = thick red lines on above map) The City of Toronto's Transit City plan (BRT/LRT ...