TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[PurplePinky]

Beautiful horses!

When it’s not busy, you can visit the horses.

 

[chrisw]

Turning this back to the TTC, a few weeks ago I was on the subway in the morning and saw a ton of kids/teens (ages 9-14) in small groups with a camp counselor wearing a City Scouts shirt. Each of the groups were heading to a different part of the city to do a task or solve a problem/challenge. The camp describes itself as "Fostering independence through urban adventure" has an Instagram where you can see some highlights. Was really cool to see kids camps utilizing transit as a way to facilitate their programs and explore the city.

Wow, that looks like a very cool camp concept.

 

[turbanplanner]

The mounted unit is at Exhibition Place.

Fair but the people on the platform are all MX constables

 

[evandyk]

TTC’s screen has been mirror imaged?

 

[zang]

TTC’s screen has been mirror imaged?

Well, at least you found a working one.

 

[txlseries4]

Short opinion piece from Edward Keenan The Star today

Who keeps telling City Hall that diverting Toronto’s busiest streetcar route for TIFF is a good idea?​

Edward Keenan: Who keeps telling City Hall that diverting Toronto’s busiest streetcar route for TIFF is a good idea?

Once again, the TTC will adjust 504 King for almost a week to make way for TIFF.

www.thestar.com

an excerpt:
"Once again this year, they’re diverting the 504 King streetcar for almost a week (Sept. 4 to 9, with further service disruptions expected through Sept. 13) to make way for the film festival’s hubbub. This disruption to Toronto’s busiest surface transit line has been an annual occurrence for some time, and every year there’s a bit of an outcry about it. More than 60,000 people daily ride the 504 King (and another 14,000 take the also-diverted 503). That’s more people than ride GO Transit’s entire Lakeshore line, East and West. It’s roughly the population of the entire city of Belleville. That’s a lot of commuters to inconvenience directly after Labour Day, when kids head back to school and people try to get back into the post-summer-vacation swing of things."

bypass

 

[drum118]

TTC restoring streetcar service through King and Church from Sunday

August 29, 2025

Starting Sun., Aug. 31, the TTC is restoring 504/304 King streetcar service through the King St. E. and Church St. intersection, following successful testing and commissioning of new streetcar tracks and overhead power systems.

Beginning at the start of service on Sunday, the 504 King will resume operating as a branched service, with the 504A operating both ways between Dundas West Station and Distillery Loop, and the 504B between Broadview Station and Bathurst St. via King. 304 King Night streetcars will operate between Dundas West and Broadview stations. King bus replacements will end.

Changes to 503/303 Kingston Road

Also starting Sunday, buses will replace streetcars on the 503 Kingston Road route, with service between Bingham Loop at Victoria Park Ave. and Joe Shuster Way, augmenting capacity on King St. W. with 504B King streetcars shortened to Bathurst St.

303 Kingston Rd Night streetcar service will be discontinued. Night service will continue to be provided at all impacted stops by the 301 Queen, 304 King, and 322 Coxwell night routes.

508 Lake Shore service returns from Tuesday

Starting Tues., Sept. 2, 508 Lake Shore streetcar service will resume, operating during morning and afternoon peak periods to support downtown office commuters. Eastbound service will terminate at Distillery Loop, extending from Long Branch in the west.

 

[DSCToronto]

TTC restoring streetcar service through King and Church from Sunday

August 29, 2025

Starting Sun., Aug. 31, the TTC is restoring 504/304 King streetcar service through the King St. E. and Church St. intersection, following successful testing and commissioning of new streetcar tracks and overhead power systems.

Beginning at the start of service on Sunday, the 504 King will resume operating as a branched service, with the 504A operating both ways between Dundas West Station and Distillery Loop, and the 504B between Broadview Station and Bathurst St. via King. 304 King Night streetcars will operate between Dundas West and Broadview stations. King bus replacements will end.

Changes to 503/303 Kingston Road

Also starting Sunday, buses will replace streetcars on the 503 Kingston Road route, with service between Bingham Loop at Victoria Park Ave. and Joe Shuster Way, augmenting capacity on King St. W. with 504B King streetcars shortened to Bathurst St.

303 Kingston Rd Night streetcar service will be discontinued. Night service will continue to be provided at all impacted stops by the 301 Queen, 304 King, and 322 Coxwell night routes.

508 Lake Shore service returns from Tuesday

Starting Tues., Sept. 2, 508 Lake Shore streetcar service will resume, operating during morning and afternoon peak periods to support downtown office commuters. Eastbound service will terminate at Distillery Loop, extending from Long Branch in the west.

As usual, Steve Munro has posted more info than on the TTC site: https://stevemunro.ca/

 

[Admiral Beez]

TTC eyes fare capping — and a fare increase — as part of new growth strategy

The TTC is exploring options to help boost ridership next year as it struggles to attract more commuters post-pandemic.

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/9uVHw

My advice for TTC growth strategy is to stop fare evasion, improve safety/security, and control public nuisance (vagrancy, loitering, begging). Once you see how the subways in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei are run, with ironclad controls on fares, public safety and cleanliness of stations and trains, you just can't take Toronto's seriously. You try begging, littering or smoking drugs outside a Singapore subway station and you'll quickly find yourself arrested.

 

[T3G]

Speaking of fare evasion, what were they huffing when they made the Yonge and Melinda exit to King exit only, and why hasn't it long since been converted to double ended operation?


Maybe all the money they're spending on paying POOs could instead be used to expand PRESTO fare gates in locations such as this, or at the Duplex end of Eglinton; or at the west end of STC?

It is really, really hard to even pretend to care about fare evasion when there's so many terrible design decisions made at the company level that willingly leave fare money on the table. If there's an entrance to TTC property right in front of a client, it's really terrible infrastructure planning to make them walk around, in the case of Eglinton and STC the really long way around. Everyone who's ever spent any amount of time around others knows that people are lazy and in search of the most convenient solution to their issue - the TTC should be expecting this and catering to it, not forcing them to go elsewhere. Or stop whining about fare evasion.

 

[smallspy]

Speaking of fare evasion, what were they huffing when they made the Yonge and Melinda exit to King exit only, and why hasn't it long since been converted to double ended operation?
View attachment 678278

Maybe all the money they're spending on paying POOs could instead be used to expand PRESTO fare gates in locations such as this, or at the Duplex end of Eglinton; or at the west end of STC?

It is really, really hard to even pretend to care about fare evasion when there's so many terrible design decisions made at the company level that willingly leave fare money on the table. If there's an entrance to TTC property right in front of a client, it's really terrible infrastructure planning to make them walk around, in the case of Eglinton and STC the really long way around. Everyone who's ever spent any amount of time around others knows that people are lazy and in search of the most convenient solution to their issue - the TTC should be expecting this and catering to it, not forcing them to go elsewhere. Or stop whining about fare evasion.

That access has always been exit only, and from day 1 of the subway.

Go use it, and try and figure out where you can put a fareline. Spoiler: you can't.

Dan

 

[Northern Light]

Speaking of fare evasion, what were they huffing when they made the Yonge and Melinda exit to King exit only, and why hasn't it long since been converted to double ended operation?
View attachment 678278

Maybe all the money they're spending on paying POOs could instead be used to expand PRESTO fare gates in locations such as this,

Have you used the Melinda exit?

Its set up as an escalator going up, there is no staircase available.

Source: Station Fixation

You can reverse the direction, but it will still be one-way only unless you remove the escalator.

There is not sufficient room in the ROW to widen the entrance.

It was actually built as a staircase all the way, the escalator was a later re-fit, which is why you notice it doesn't go all the way down as the design of the station didn't have sufficient room for 'the pit' under the platform level floor.

The exit was a last minute addition to King before opening in '54, I'm told, because someone realized mathematically that the station had insufficient capacity to handle rush hour crowds. (remember this is before the Commerce Court exit was built.

or at the Duplex end of Eglinton

Duplex was a fully functioning entrance at one point, before the Crosstown project, when it actually had a building. The current (ish) iteration had among the highest far evasion rates in the system. Keep in mind, the current terminal is to be redeveloped, eventually, as per a discussion we've had here on UT.

; or at the west end of STC?

Can't speak to that one.

It is really, really hard to even pretend to care about fare evasion when there's so many terrible design decisions made at the company level that willingly leave fare money on the table. If there's an entrance to TTC property right in front of a client, it's really terrible infrastructure planning to make them walk around, in the case of Eglinton and STC the really long way around. Everyone who's ever spent any amount of time around others knows that people are lazy and in search of the most convenient solution to their issue - the TTC should be expecting this and catering to it, not forcing them to go elsewhere. Or stop whining about fare evasion.

Disagree. Don't get me wrong, more entrances would be convenient in many cases, and the way this issue has been handled through the years probably could have been better.

That said, I care plenty about people cheating, because it means I pay more for less service.

The idea that I should have to pick up the tab because someone else is lazy and morally bankrupt is a non-starter.

This argument carries the same weight to me as ........"Well littering is fine, because I shouldn't have to walk more than a block to find a garbage can" No...its not. Yes, we should have more garbage cans in this city, they should also be emptied more frequently too.......... but if you bought a pop and its empty now, you're going to carry it around until you find a garbage, period! That should motivate you to complain to your councillor about the need for more garbage cans.

Back to the matter at hand. Second exits, if un-staffed are generally the site of greater fare evasion, particularly in the era of Presto gates.

We used to have turnstiles where you couldn't fit two people, except maybe mom and baby and that you could not force either.

Presto gates were introduced for accessibility, as someone in a mobility aid can't get through a turnstile. But they have the downside of being relatively easy to get a second person through and/or to force.

This is what the old Duplex entrance used to look like (see turnstiles)

Credit:

 

[DSCToronto]

That access has always been exit only, and from day 1 of the subway.

Go use it, and try and figure out where you can put a fareline. Spoiler: you can't.

Dan

It is hardly asking too much to have people walk about 20 metres to the Melinda entrance and if (when) they finish building the second exit on east side of Yonge at Colbourne I guess it might also be an entrance once the building on that site is redeveloped and it can be inside. SEE: https://www.ttc.ca/about-the-ttc/projects-and-plans/King-Station

 

[drum118]

TC Strategic Planning Committee to hold next meeting on September 4

September 2, 2025

The TTC Strategic Planning Committee will hold its next meeting on Thu., September 4, 2025. The meeting will be a hybrid model, whereby Commissioners will have the option to attend in-person or remotely. The public also has the option to attend and make deputations in-person or depute virtually. The hybrid meeting will begin online at 10 a.m. and be streamed live on the Official TTC YouTube Channel.

For those attending in-person, the Committee meeting will be held in the 7th Floor Executive Board Room, 1900 Yonge St. (above Davisville Station on Line 1). The Committee will conduct the meeting using an online video conferencing platform.

Details of the hybrid model meeting are as follows:
Date: Thursday, September 4, 2025.
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: 7th Floor Executive Board Room, 1900 Yonge St. The meeting will also be live-streamed on the Official TTC YouTube Channel.

On April 16, the TTC Board established a Strategic Planning Committee and appointed the following members: Alejandra Bravo (Chair), Jamaal Myers, Fenton Jagdeo, Joe Mihevc, and Dianne Saxe. Commissioners also approved the Terms of Reference for the Strategic Planning Committee.

The Strategic Planning Committee assists the TTC Board in managing strategic planning and priorities, focused on two core strategic directions of the Board-approved 2024-2028 Corporate Plan, Moving Toronto, Connecting Communities:
• Strategic Direction 2: Attract New Riders, Retain Customer Loyalty.
• Strategic Direction 3: Place Transit at the Centre of Toronto’s Future Mobility.

The Committee will be scheduled to meet at least twice annually, with one meeting held before Board consideration of the TTC’s Annual Operating and Capital Budgets.

TTC Board and Committees of the Board materials are now housed and publicly available on the City’s Toronto Meeting Management Information System (TMMIS) to improve and streamline access to documents and decisions. Meeting materials from 2024 and earlier will continue to be available at ttc.ca until further notice.

Subscribe to E-updates to receive alerts when agendas are made available, and decisions are held or approved.

View the agenda at: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/#/committees/2984/27338

 

[picard102]

TTC eyes fare capping — and a fare increase — as part of new growth strategy

The TTC is exploring options to help boost ridership next year as it struggles to attract more commuters post-pandemic.

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/9uVHw

My advice for TTC growth strategy is to stop fare evasion, improve safety/security, and control public nuisance (vagrancy, loitering, begging). Once you see how the subways in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei are run, with ironclad controls on fares, public safety and cleanliness of stations and trains, you just can't take Toronto's seriously. You try begging, littering or smoking drugs outside a Singapore subway station and you'll quickly find yourself arrested.

Who is going to pay to double the staffing to police every train and gates?