TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[lenaitch]

Given how frequently they change the rules, and inconsistencies across similar stuff, it's not 100% the fault of those not getting it right.

For example paper coffee cups used to go in the green bin, but they changed it to garbage. Meanwhile paper ice cream cartons go in the green bin?

Used to be Type 1 through type 7 plastic containers went in blue bin, then later it was all plastic containers. Now you stick black plastic (even type 1) containers in the garbage?!? But only in Toronto ... in Mississauga they still go in the blue bin. And the instructions for the (private) office recycling is different yet again - even in Toronto.

Yeah, newspapers should be easy enough ... but wait, if you use newsprint for fish and chips, then it goes in the green bin ...

Agree with the confusion with inconsistent and sometimes shifting rules, but much be a result of either differences in processes and, in some cases, market demands. The problem with black 'plastic' is not the material, but sorting systems that use optical sensors can't differentiate it from the conveyor belt it is riding on. If the sorting process is manual it's less of a problem. Similarly, my municipality will not accept 'compostable coffee pods'. It's not that they aren't compostable, it's that they won't break down in the composting time cycle used by the County's contractor (40-odd days I think).

 

[drum118]

BYD opens first Canadian assembly plant

 

[CityStay]

These bins appeared shortly after 9/11, a decision reinforced by the London subway bombings in 2005. The older solid/tiled bins were removed (see below) from all platforms and about 6 months later, after lots of papers blowing around and trash everywhere (seriously, janitors had a full time job at nearly every station), these started appearing. I believe security persons allowed them because they are easy to see into from a distance and would not create any shrapnel. So it's a design largely driven by function.

photo by Sam Javanrouh

I remember those now!

There could be 3 bombs in each of these plastic bags and nobody could tell. It's not as if a potential terrorist would tape red sticks of dynamite together, attach an alarm clock and label it BOMB! Any fast food bag or large coffee cup could contain a bomb and we'd be none the wiser. Not that anybody checks these things in the first place.

I just think that they look like hell and add to the already ample dinginess of most TTC stations.

 

[CityStay]

Re: recycling.

Judging by the contents alone you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between any given garbage bag vs any given recycling bag. People either don't know what goes into the recycling bag or they don't care. All it takes is one partially full coffee cup and the entire bag is contaminated.

I hate to say it but public recycling is largely a feel good measure and a huge waste of time. Everyone using bins instead of tossing trash on the ground would be a major victory, forget the faux recycling.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

From the Star:

Over 11 years, TTC gave 32,927 tickets for fare evasion. But far fewer for feet on seats

Data obtained by the Star shows the location and alleged offence of more than 80,000 tickets issued by TTC fare inspectors and enforcement officers between 2008 and the end of 2018.

www.thestar.com

Those numbers are pathetically low - and there is the unspoken second part - just how many of those tickets were paid?

AoD

 

[drum118]

Barcelona tests a pioneering vertical automatic door for more safety in subway platforms

 

[Streety McCarface]

Barcelona tests a pioneering vertical automatic door for more safety in subway platforms

What about Children?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

What about Children?

Nevermind that - we don't even have tried-and-true approach implemented here - we don't need yet another saviour system for imaginary problems.

AoD

 

[jje1000]

The City Building Institute wants Toronto to focus more on making better use of its existing transit infrastructure while things like Ontario Line take years to build, and I entirely agree- quick, cheap wins like the King Street ROW have more of an immediate and cumulative impact than huge megaprojects.

Of course, that means that municipal government needs to be innovative and willing to create some discomfort, and we've seen little of that from John Tory's ineffectual governance.

Listed below is an event on July 30th- probably worth going to.

We Need Surface Transit Innovations While Toronto Waits For Subways
Cherise Burda July 3, 2019

Whether or not you like Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s transit plan for the GTA, none of it is going to help us anytime soon. Its nearly $29 billion in new capital projects, which are mostly underground, some maybe elevated, won’t be realized for at least a decade.

Meantime, we’re stuck dealing with subway overcrowding, transit lines at or over capacity, buses and streetcars jammed in mixed traffic throughout the city. Obviously, this is not a good scenario, for reasons from economy to environment to livability.

To keep our city moving, we need near-term solutions for transit while we wait for Ontario’s megaprojects to materialize. They should be quick to deploy, and relatively inexpensive, given that the City of Toronto’s budget is strained making up the shortfall from recent Provincial cuts and undelivered gas tax revenue earmarked for TTC maintenance. (Not to mention that we don’t yet know how much Toronto will be on the hook to pay for its contribution to Ford’s transit plan.)

On July 30, we’re hosting a free morning event “Hacking Surface Transit in Toronto,” to explore feasible options with a panel of experts. To start the conversation, here are some ideas.

With Toronto’s downtown residential population expected to double in the coming decades, and currently experiencing the region’s greatest employment growth, the time is now to get serious about mode shift in North America’s fourth largest metropolis.

A broader proposal: could we scale the King Street model across the city, hacking other busy Toronto streetcar routes into rapid transit?

Since Toronto’s budget is likely not in a position to fund LRT routes, we might look to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Many of the city’s suburban bus lines and previous Transit City proposed LRTs are on arterials (for example, Jane Street and Malvern Avenue) that are suitable for mid-lane BRTs.

Ride-hailing and private transportation services like Lyft and Uber have added close to 70,000 ride-hailing vehicles to Toronto’s roads, contributing to congestion, wear and tear on our infrastructure, and pollution. A new report by the Ryerson Urban Analytics Institute demonstrates vehicle-for-hire activity has resulted in outcomes not in line with many of the City’s planning goals, and are responsible for a significant increase in congestion.

Toronto residents bear the brunt of costs incurred by transportation-related companies, who use our streets and public realm as their marketplace. Amazon and other online retailers are also clogging roads with deliveries, and overwhelming municipal waste streams with packaging – environmental and economic externalities paid for by the city and taxpayer.

Other cities are starting to levy congestion charges onto the growing problem of online deliveries. Toronto should consider these advances as well as a “city levy” on companies for each ride in a single-passenger hired vehicle. (It could be argued taxis already pay for their licenses.) These charges could be put towards more transit and cycling infrastructure, and disrupt the perverse feedback loop in which more people opt for ride hailing as streetcars and buses are ensnarled in mixed traffic.

We need surface transit innovations while Toronto waits for subways

This op-ed originally appeared on Spacing.ca on June 28, 2019. Whether or not you like Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s transit plan for the GTA, none of it is going to help us anytime soon. Its nearly …

www.citybuildinginstitute.ca

 

[Streety McCarface]

The City Building Institute wants Toronto to focus more on making better use of its existing transit infrastructure while things like Ontario Line take years to build, and I entirely agree- quick, cheap wins like the King Street ROW have more of an immediate and cumulative impact than huge megaprojects.

Of course, that means that municipal government needs to be innovative and willing to create some discomfort, and we've seen little of that from John Tory's ineffectual governance.

Listed below is an event on July 30th- probably worth going to.

We Need Surface Transit Innovations While Toronto Waits For Subways
Cherise Burda July 3, 2019

We need surface transit innovations while Toronto waits for subways

This op-ed originally appeared on Spacing.ca on June 28, 2019. Whether or not you like Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s transit plan for the GTA, none of it is going to help us anytime soon. Its nearly …

www.citybuildinginstitute.ca

The simple solution, buy more streetcars.

We have a streetcar shortage which Is eating away at our bus capacity. I do not understand why the City of Toronto has not provided funding for them.

 

[JSF-1]

The simple solution, buy more streetcars.

We have a streetcar shortage which Is eating away at our bus capacity. I do not understand why the City of Toronto has not provided funding for them.

Honestly we really should be doing more then just buying new streetcars. We should honestly be trying to expand our Streetcar network, however this City is deathly affraid of doing that since drivers would get there panties in a twist. The Parliament streetcar or atleast have streetcar access up to Castle Frank would be an inavluble asset to the TTC and not connecting the line to the Castle Frank back in 1966 was one of the dumbest things the TTC ever did. The return of the Parliament streetcar is the hill I choose to die on. That said I'm sure we can think of other streetcar lines that deserve to be looked at.

 

[kotsy]

We should honestly be trying to expand our Streetcar network, however this City is deathly affraid of doing that since drivers would get there panties in a twist.

No better time than now to do it. They had the guts to not only do the King St pilot but also make it permanent.

 

[Amare]

We have a streetcar shortage which Is eating away at our bus capacity. I do not understand why the City of Toronto has not provided funding for them.

Easy, that's because we're in the status quo era where nothing changes. Dont expect any orders until we get a new mayor.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Easy, that's because we're in the status quo era where nothing changes. Dont expect any orders until we get a new mayor.

...and especially at Queen's Park with a new Premier.

 

[Streety McCarface]

Honestly we really should be doing more then just buying new streetcars. We should honestly be trying to expand our Streetcar network, however this City is deathly affraid of doing that since drivers would get there panties in a twist. The Parliament streetcar or atleast have streetcar access up to Castle Frank would be an inavluble asset to the TTC and not connecting the line to the Castle Frank back in 1966 was one of the dumbest things the TTC ever did. The return of the Parliament streetcar is the hill I choose to die on. That said I'm sure we can think of other streetcar lines that deserve to be looked at.

Oh, for sure. Throw in the Coxwell Streetcar, the church streetcar, a dufferin streetcar/LRT, a lakeshore streetcar/LRT, all the waterfront LRT lines, a Wellesley streetcar, etc. The first priority should be managing what we have first, and that is ensuring we have enough streetcars to run the services we have and future services.