[The Golem]

Read the quote:
“When three worthy groups all want to have their run down Yonge Street in the same month, that’s very nice, but we may have to say to one of them, … ‘Sorry, somebody may have to move to another month, or somebody’s going to have to make the move to another place in the public interest,’ ” he said. “I’m prepared to take the heat for that.”

Its not a ban - its a rationalization. Its the same concept of having someone provide oversight to coordinate construction projects etc...

I believe this is what we call "Management". Maybe we're all just shocked at having someone actually be cognizant (and not drunk/stoned/high) enough to manage the city.

Actually Ford also complained about marathons (maybe the early morning start interfered with him returning home after a binge night) and wanted them moved somewhere else, like High Park.
Or how about the runs all being done at the private golf club of our Upper Class Twit Of the Mayor's Office. 10,000 people running 40 km on his beloved fairways wouldn't be too hard to re-sod LOL.

Ford and now out-of-touch Tory have vastly under-estimated the popularity of running, and the new mayor should be prepared to hear a whole lot of protests now.
And Tory isn't even making logistical sense: In what way is cancelling or moving these Sunday morning events going to improve weekday rush hour gridlock?!

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

The subways need to open earlier than 9AM on Sundays and there needs to be a major push for that. It does not have to be 6 or 7AM but at least 8AM. For the 2 major marathons, the subway could open at 7:30AM

 

[BobBob]

Not sure whether this point has been made already: if you move an event out of downtown to a more peripheral location, assuming attendance doesn't plummet, more traffic will be created because fewer people will be able to access it by non-car means.

 

[picard102]

This is the problem with electing a really really really old man.

Ageism, check!

out-of-touch Tory

Politician out-of-touch for not supporting your pet cause, check!

 

[TrickyRicky]

Honestly, I think that Tory or his team's strategy is to slowly take over the agenda with an endless series of hits and bunts, while keeping the home-run issues as out of the spotlight as possible. Their regularly scheduled press releases and comments are no accident.

Golem is calling Tory out-of-touch but I don't share that assessment. I think these hits and bunts are working, and solidifying his position.

Take his position on the charity runs. He is not actually doing anything. He is just saying he thinks these events are great for the city but that they should be managed to inconvenience people as little as possible. Hit single.

 

[Kat's Meow]

Honestly, I think that Tory or his team's strategy is to slowly take over the agenda with an endless series of hits and bunts, while keeping the home-run issues as out of the spotlight as possible. Their regularly scheduled press releases and comments are no accident.

Golem is calling Tory out-of-touch but I don't share that assessment. I think these hits and bunts are working, and solidifying his position.

Take his position on the charity runs. He is not actually doing anything. He is just saying he thinks these events are great for the city but that they should be managed to inconvenience people as little as possible. Hit single.

It's called "low hanging fruit" and any executive worth his/her salt will get the nigly little things out of the way because well they're just easy to deal with, reduce the size of the to-do-list and start to build a record of accomplishment. Leaving little bits on the agenda just add clutter and the optics are nothing is getting done.

And don't let the focus on the little stuff first few weeks fool you. Most good executives can multi task and are also working on the big projects simultaneously but progress isn't announced at the conclusion of every meeting.

In short, give the guy a break. If a year from now all we see is the minutiae being dealt with and no progress on the strategic matters, I say have at him. In the meantime I am comforted knowing the little things are being sorted out so that real focus can be given to priority stuff. Oh and let's not forget decorum returning to CH and Toronto. That is worth its weight IMO.

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

Toronto isn't some idyllic small town where we can all just go for a Sunday morning stroll in cases of major disruption to the transit and road networks. People have to go to work, visit family, get stuff done, and I'm not sure why charity marathons get priority over everything else.

The Santa Clause parade happens once a year, and I'd argue that it's a much more inclusive event than the running events.

Yeah, in a small town there wouldn't be so many alternate routes/transit choices/places to meet up with the family.

I love the Santa Claus parade, but inclusive??? It's almost entirely an event for families with young kids, and the crowd tends to be MUCH more white than your average Toronto gathering.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

Yeah, in a small town there wouldn't be so many alternate routes/transit choices/places to meet up with the family.

I love the Santa Claus parade, but inclusive??? It's almost entirely an event for families with young kids, and the crowd tends to be MUCH more white than your average Toronto gathering.

So you're saying that marathons should be allowed because they're inclusive, but the Santa Claus parade is not inclusive because it's "only" for families with young children? You're really tying yourself in knots here.

If Yonge is closed, there are no alternate routes because it cuts the city in half. If the Lakeshore or Gardiner are closed, all alternate routes will be jammed so you're just as screwed anyway. If I am going to see family out of town with overnight bags, transit is not a practical option. Those of us who don't live in childfree urban candy land sometimes have to drive places on the weekend, so I think it's entirely reasonable to be cautious about when and where closures happen.

 

[The Golem]

Okay first of all, Yonge isn't "closed" (only one side of the street is used for the runs), and if you're in a car there isn't really much hardship involved in driving up to Bloor or one of the other cross-streets that have police letting traffic through. On College Street police let streetcars and motorists through when there's a break between runners.

Secondly: exactly what are you "screwed" from? Getting where you're going in the minimal amount of time? These annual events are publicized months in advance so it shouldn't be too difficult for a responsible citizen to plan around them. For instance the route and schedule for the Scotiabank marathon is known NOW, there's really no reason to freak out on the morning of Sunday October 18, 2015 that you had no idea that traffic was being re-routed that day and it's ruined your trip to some store to buy a non-essential item that you could really pick up any other day.

Also: Toronto used to have some CX races but City Hall stopped giving out permits because they would chew up the grass and it would need to be replaced. That's with around 100 cyclists riding around for 2 hours.
If you put the 10,000+ runners from one of these events doing laps in a park, they will demolish miles and miles of grass. And if it's raining that day or even the day before, the destruction will be much worse.

 

[picard102]

it's ruined your trip to some store to buy a non-essential item that you could really pick up any other day.

Really? While I'm sure all of your trips to a store are non-essential in nature, I would imagine that's not the case for a large number of people.
If we're going to start branding people's activities as essential or non essential, I'd wager run's fall pretty low on the list.

 

[the lemur]

I love the Santa Claus parade, but inclusive??? It's almost entirely an event for families with young kids, and the crowd tends to be MUCH more white than your average Toronto gathering.

It brings in a lot of out-of-town families, that's probably why.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

Okay first of all, Yonge isn't "closed" (only one side of the street is used for the runs), and if you're in a car there isn't really much hardship involved in driving up to Bloor or one of the other cross-streets that have police letting traffic through. On College Street police let streetcars and motorists through when there's a break between runners.

Secondly: exactly what are you "screwed" from? Getting where you're going in the minimal amount of time? These annual events are publicized months in advance so it shouldn't be too difficult for a responsible citizen to plan around them. For instance the route and schedule for the Scotiabank marathon is known NOW, there's really no reason to freak out on the morning of Sunday October 18, 2015 that you had no idea that traffic was being re-routed that day and it's ruined your trip to some store to buy a non-essential item that you could really pick up any other day.

So basically your position is that people should organize their lives around these events? How about we organize these events around what is most convenient for residents instead? Do we really need a race that closes Lakeshore, Queens Quay, Front, Bay, University, Bloor, Eastern and Queen? You say "Sunday morning" but the race starts at 8:45 and last well into the afternoon. My experience has been that you have to just stay home while the event is ongoing, because both transit and car traffic end up totally messed up.

Frankly I (and I suspect most people) don't give a rat's ass about the Scotiabank Marathon, or any other marathon for that matter.

 

[JGHali]

Really? While I'm sure all of your trips to a store are non-essential in nature, I would imagine that's not the case for a large number of people.
If we're going to start branding people's activities as essential or non essential, I'd wager run's fall pretty low on the list.

Sorry, exactly how many people have "essential" activities downtown on a Sunday morning? Stores and offices are closed. Perhaps people working at downtown hospitals might alter their commute somewhat.

Now my nephew was born at Sinai the same weekend as the Scotiabank marathon this fall. Since my dad was going to drive down from Mt Pleasant and Eglinton to help on the Sunday, he had to alter his route in the car. Might have added 10-15 minutes at the most.

It's not a big deal. At all. Pretending otherwise is dishonest and - I'll say again - petulant complaining.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

It's a big city; people do all kinds of things at all hours. The TTC operates on Christmas Day even though "stores and offices are closed" because people need to get around for one reason or another.

 

[JGHali]

So basically your position is that people should organize their lives around these events? How about we organize these events around what is most convenient for residents instead? Do we really need a race that closes Lakeshore, Queens Quay, Front, Bay, University, Bloor, Eastern and Queen? You say "Sunday morning" but the race starts at 8:45 and last well into the afternoon. My experience has been that you have to just stay home while the event is ongoing, because both transit and car traffic end up totally messed up.

Frankly I (and I suspect most people) don't give a rat's ass about the Scotiabank Marathon, or any other marathon for that matter.

I don't give a rat's ass for people who will whine about an insignificant inconvenience as if it were the greatest threat to civic life since, well, Rob Ford. What, you can't leave the house at all while the marathon is going on? Are you incapable of walking anywhere? Or going outside downtown that morning if you hate it so?

We should cancel major events with literally thousands of participants because it's going to take you longer to get to brunch?

Quit whining. And Tory should quit enabling whiners. Unfortunately he's already enabled Denzil Minnan-Wong and inexplicably given Mammo a dozen committee appointments.