When the going gets tough, the tough get going. A far cry, maybe, from how Billy Ocean intended it, but this old English proverb loosely describes the state of transit management in North America’s two largest systems. Just over a week ago, New York’s MTA Chairman and CEO Jay Walder announced to everyone’s surprise that he would be departing two years into his six-year term for private transit operator MTR Corp. in Hong Kong. Although first seen as simply the obvious career move for an ambitious transit leader, recently reports hint at a poor relationship with a Governor disinterested in transit and difficult labor negotiations looming without the hope of new government revenues contributing to Walder’s decision. This new twist strikes a curious parallel to the TTC’s Gary Webster, who recently found himself in the crosshairs of the Brothers Ford. With support now rushing to his side, it seems less likely he’ll follow Walder overseas — at least in the short term — but could you blame him if he did? The challenging state of transit funding in much of the continent has both attracted and cultivated top talent, who have transformed some of the most cash-strapped agencies into extremely efficient organizations. But for how much longer they’ll stick around with booming systems in Asia looking for top talent is anyone’s guess.

If there’s any takeaway from the recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers report ranking Toronto second behind New York City for the world’s best city for finance, innovation and tourism, it’s that the two have many similarities, not that they’re the best. Studies like this, along with livability reports and commute time rankings, should rightly be read with a healthy degree of skepticism. But what stands out about this one is how it paired New York and Toronto so closely. The report ranked 26 cities in 66 categories ranging from airport access, end-of-life care, skyscraper construction activity and housing to a category called “life satisfaction.” In over half of the 66 categories, Toronto and New York ranked within five points or less of each other. Hearing the two cities in the same breath many not be unusual in Toronto, but it is in New York. Attending several urban planning events in New York last week, Toronto actually came up in several presentations as having some unique programs that New Yorkers thought their city could learn from. I thought Spacing readers might be interested in hearing what Toronto programs were grabbing their attention, as well as hear about some neat initiatives in place in New York that could be tried in Toronto.

A press gallery silenced. A mayor building a reputation for being MIA. Councillor Minnan-Wong proposing forward thinking bike infrastructure on main streets. Having moved to New York shortly before Rob Ford’s election, following Toronto politics from abroad has gone from the tragic to the downright bizarre, especially when it comes to the future of bike infrastructure. But good things never come easily, in Toronto or elsewhere. In New York, a city quickly making a name for itself as North America’s future bike Mecca, opposition is mounting towards those bright green lanes, often fully separated from traffic on some of the city’s most congested, hallowed thoroughfares. Dubbed the “bike wars” by the local media, drivers and alternative transportation advocates are squaring off in what’s becoming an increasingly heated political battle. Ring a bell?

WHAT: Mobility Pricing Conference WHEN: Thursday, February 3, 2011 WHERE: The Metropolitan Hotel, 108 Chestnut Street An interesting group of academics, researchers and transportation experts have been assembled by Transport Futures for what promises to be a fascinating discussion on congestion pricing and other methods of managing travel demands in the region. International research and experience has demonstrated that, like road pricing, these fiscal measures can be set by government in order to modify driver behaviour, raise earmarked revenue for transportation infrastructure and assist in making bureaucracies more efficient, transparent and accountable to the public. These worthy objectives are not easy to achieve and lead to several difficult questions: Is the current tax generation system more equitable than paying for government services when they are consumed (as is considered normal when purchasing private goods and services)? Why do Canadians view user fees as inequitable or as a double tax – be it for transportation, health, education or other government services? How can parking fees, transit fares, gas taxes and road tolls be established to ensure equity and efficiency? How do they compare with other taxes that are not directly linked to transportation (e.g. regional sales taxes, income tax)? What role does politics play when setting mobility prices?

Portland, Oregon gets a lot of credit as cities go. “The city that works” really does work, as I found out when I visited last weekend. An early North American adopter of an urban growth boundary, Portland is in many ways an urban planner’s paradise. With its extensive network of bike infrastructure, buses, streetcars and an LRT system that seamlessly connects the downtown to the airport and suburbs, there’s a lot Toronto could learn from what has become the ‘Portland model' of city building. What Portland doesn’t get enough credit for, however, are its parking lots. Unlike other cities I’ve seen, where downtown parking lots are generally condos-in-waiting or worse, car-filled voids during the day and just plain voids at night, some of Portland’s parking lots are the life of the city.

Just how public is a public school playground? That’s the question currently being asked at Hillcrest Junior Public School, my old elementary school just south of St. Clair West on Bathurst. Last April, the Principal locked one of the gates into the playground, attaching a sign reading “Private Property: No Trespassing.” The gate opened onto Nina Street near Bathurst, one of only two access points to the playground, basketball courts, soccer field and community centre. Meanwhile, the second entrance to the east at Hilton Ave was left open (see map).

CITY HALL • City Hall drowns free swimming [ Toronto Sun ] • Fiorito: Enza Anderson takes a run at history [ Toronto Star ] • City of Toronto reveals highers user fees [ Toronto Star ] • Budget chief Carroll may run for mayor [ National Post ] • Bill for Toronto street lights will top $400 million [ Toronto Star ] TRANSIT • Visitor centre would roll out TTC's story [ Toronto Star ] • GO Transit hike is just un-fare: Petition [ Toronto Sun ] • Hume: Sleepy old TTC has miles to go [ Toronto Star ] • ...

TRANSIT • Porter: 'Save Our Sheppard' group missing the point [ Toronto Star ] • James: Where is Giambrone's 'leadership'? [ Toronto Star ] • McGuinty quashes hopes for last-minute TTC funds [ Globe & Mail ] • Why the TTC should get a liquored up [ Eye Weekly ] • TTC customer service plan to be unveiled [ Toronto Sun ] • A creative director for the TTC? [ Eye Weekly ] • Sex scandal behind him, Giambrone gets back to transit business [ Globe & Mail ] • GO train chaos in east end [ Toronto Sun ] • ...

CITY BUDGET 2010 • Mayoral hopeful rips 'Fat Tuesday at City Hall' [ Toronto Sun ] • Cash-strapped city jacks user fees [ Toronto Sun ] • City hits taxpayers harder [ Toronto Sun ] • Time for a new Toronto mayor to handle city budget: Granatstein [ Toronto Sun ] • A balanced budget, but no long-term plan [ Globe & Mail ] • Poking around the dark corners of Toronto's balanced budget [ National Post ] • Toronto budget: What the mayoral candidates say [ National Post ] • Number crunching [ National Post ] • City to ...

TRANSIT • Resistance to transit expansion growing [ Metro ] • Are anti-LRT activists being railroaded? [ Toronto Star ] • Metrolinx continues court fight to allow noisy work in Junction [ Toronto Star ] BUDGET • Toronto won't sell assets to recoup budget shortfall [ Toronto Star ] • City budget to bump taxes [ Toronto Sun ] • It's budget time at city hall [ National Post ] • GTA taxpayers catch a break [ Toronto Star ] OTHER • Where are Toronto's worst drivers? [ Toronto Sun ] • Racy prank buttons make light of Giambrone's woes [ Globe ...