News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
 9.3K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 40K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 5.3K     0 

Sorry not this specific case, but there have been a lot of insane ones in the news.

Of course, any judge can get a case wrong, but every time one of these comes up you see a lot of ignorance out there about the mental standard required to define behaviour as criminal, and also about what happens to someone who gets an NCR finding (which is not that they go free, they generally will go to be imprisoned in a mental health facility rather than a prison, unless there are unique circumstances where the doctors are fully convinced that whatever mental condition the person was under while committing the act has been fully remedied.

The standard is also exceedingly high. You can't just show up in court, have a doctor tell the judge you weren't in your right mind, and get off.
 
Not really. Doing both you are at the mercy of the people around you driving two ton vehicles at speed.
Unless I'm going driving at 11am in Missisauga or cycling on a painted line I'm very much in control of my risk level. It's very unlikely you'll die in gridlock. Per KM travelled I've had dozens of times more safety issues taking the TTC.
Of course, any judge can get a case wrong, but every time one of these comes up you see a lot of ignorance out there about the mental standard required to define behaviour as criminal, and also about what happens to someone who gets an NCR finding (which is not that they go free, they generally will go to be imprisoned in a mental health facility rather than a prison, unless there are unique circumstances where the doctors are fully convinced that whatever mental condition the person was under while committing the act has been fully remedied.

The standard is also exceedingly high. You can't just show up in court, have a doctor tell the judge you weren't in your right mind, and get off.
I don't want to speak too much about trials with insanity as a factor, I'm pointing out the people with 10+ assult charges, who skipped bail 5 times and are granted bail a 6th time etc
 
Don’t bother. Turbanplanner is basically a burnt out urbanist who is convinced their transition to suburban car lifestyle is primo and will never change unless we are Asia. Also believes anyone suggesting otherwise is an elitist.
 
Don’t bother. Turbanplanner is basically a burnt out urbanist who is convinced their transition to suburban car lifestyle is primo and will never change unless we are Asia. Also believes anyone suggesting otherwise is an elitist.
Thanks for attacking me and putting words in my mouth. I share many of the goals people here do.

My biggest gripe is people here often hand wave away issues from dozens of KMs away and don’t actually ask people dealing with or experience those issues first hand how it is
 
Steve Munro just posted this...

TTC CEO Rick Leary has announced that former Councillor and TTC Chair Josh Colle will return to the TTC in the position of Chief Strategy and Customer Officer effective July 15. He has several years of consulting work for various transit agencies in Canada and the US in a variety of roles.

Colle will come into a difficult position where the TTC faces much more serious problems than his term as chair ending in late 2018. There are severe challenges with ridership, service attractiveness, budget, operations, maintenance and capital funding. The City's hopes for a strong TTC role in attracting travel from cars onto greener modes, notably transit, are not supported with funding and service beyond a stand-pat level.

Within the TTC there are issues in the management ranks, although "Strategy and Customer Service" is not first among them. Better and more reliable service sound like they should be customer service priorities. Without staff to drive and maintain vehicles, a reliable fleet and infrastructure, and an ethos that looks first within the TTC to solve problems, all the strategy and smiling faces will not get people on transit.

The TTC faces a severe backlog of maintenance and quality control problems that have been downplayed or hidden for some time. A near-miss subway incident, deteriorating track, the Scarborough RT derailment are only part of what is seen publicly. There are unseen issues such as subway work car reliability that contribute to infrastructure issues and recently an all-day shutdown of Line 2. Work is deferred for want of appropriate equipment. On the streetcar system, problems with track are "solved" with slow orders as streetcars tiptoe through problem areas, and we know from the Auditor General's report that overhead maintenance planning and record-keeping leaves much to be desired.

We do not know if the passenger fleet condition -- subway trains, streetcars and buses -- constrains the amount of service that might operate. All three modes have considerably more spare vehicles than needed for routine maintenance, and this allows the less reliable ones to be set aside, a particular problem with the bus fleet. In theory, the TTC could run better service, but they do not have the budget to operate it, and we do not know if all of those spare vehicles could actually run if they were needed.

Hundreds of new hybrid and battery buses, plus 60 more streetcars are on their way. The TTC trumpets its green fleet initiatives, but is silent about vehicle reliability and durability. The recently published Five Year Plan foresees only modest growth with the system still running below pre-pandemic levels in 2028.

All of this leaves Josh Colle sitting in an organization he does not control. If he is truly going to handle "strategy" at more than a superficial level, the TTC must take the need for renewal and transparency to heart. Whether the current crop of managers can or will do this is quite another matter.
 
One thing that needs to happen at Spadina Station and future Union Station that the floor level should be the same level of the LRV that then slops x distance away to match the existing floor. It eliminates the need for the driver to lower the ramp or having people with walkers and other issues getting on/off the LRV.

TTC announces changes to 510 Spadina starting June 23 to accommodate major streetcar infrastructure upgrades

Jun. 12, 2024

Beginning Sun., Jun. 23, until the end of the year, buses will replace streetcars on Spadina Ave. to accommodate critical track renewal and modernization of the overhead power network. The TTC is working hard to ensure that customers are aware of the change, and have as many options as possible to get to and from their destinations.

Work will include upgrading the overhead electrical system along the Spadina streetcar right-of-way between King St. and Queens Quay, and from College St. to Spadina Station. Track renewal work will take place at Spadina Station, along with enabling works for a future platform extension.

“I know many people rely on the Spadina streetcar and construction can be challenging. This is important work that will ensure a safe and reliable TTC service for many years to come,” said Mayor Olivia Chow. “I’m glad to see the TTC has consulted widely with the community, including businesses in Chinatown, to ensure people are aware of the upcoming changes. I want to acknowledge the hardworking TTC crews who will be working day and night to have this important work completed by the end of the year.”

“The modernization of the overhead power network on Spadina Ave. is part of our commitment to ensuring a safe and reliable transit system for all TTC riders,” said TTC Chair Jamaal Myers. “While temporary bus replacements may cause inconvenience, dedicated TTC teams will be working hard to ensure the upgrades are finished on time or ahead of schedule by the end of this year. I am pleased that the TTC is actively engaging with customers, businesses, and residents to ensure everyone is aware of the temporary changes.”

“We are actively communicating these changes so that everyone is aware of what we doing and why these streetcar infrastructure upgrades on Spadina Ave. are necessary,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary. “This week, TTC staff are hosting pop-up sessions at Spadina Station to answer customer questions, and we have consulted with the Chinatown BIA and committed to ensuring that our work does not disrupt the upcoming Chinatown Festival in August. I want to express my gratitude to our customers and the local community for their patience and understanding as we complete these critical infrastructure improvements.”

The TTC has taken proactive steps to ensure customers and the wider community are informed about the upcoming service change. Over 23,000 mailers containing information in both English and Simplified Chinese have been distributed to residents and businesses in the Chinatown district. TTC staff have also been actively engaging with customers through various initiatives. Pop-up events at Spadina Station have offered customers the opportunity to speak directly with TTC representatives, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of project. Customer Service representatives will soon be stationed at key transfer points along the route to assist customers in finding the replacement bus boarding locations.

Starting Sun., Jun. 23 until December:

• 510 Spadina streetcar service will be replaced with buses, operating both ways on Spadina Ave. between Spadina Station and Queens Quay W., and serving curbside stops.

• There will be no 510 Spadina streetcar service operating to or from Union Station. Customers travelling to or from Union Station will be able to transfer between the replacement buses and 509 Harbourfront streetcars at Queens Quay W.

• 509 Harbourfront streetcar service will be increased to provide frequent travel to and from Union Station.
 
Anyone want to place bets on whether the bus will be faster than the walking-speed streetcar?
No, especially south of King in rush hour. You'll walk faster than the bus stuck in gridlock traffic. They should really short turn all buses at King in PM rush.

Instead the plan is to run buses every 2.5 min through that mess. Get ready to see 20+ buses all stuck south of King.
 
Last edited:
So I did some more "testing" on my presto card to see how onefare works in the real world. I've already found out that tapping on go first then TTC extends the TTC to a 3 hour transfer (starting from whenever you tapped onto go)

It turns out you can tap onto the TTC, tap onto the go within 2 hours, and then tap onto the TTC again. And the 2nd TTC trip is FREE & the TTC portion of the transfer is good for 3 hours after the GO tap.

1718252710407.png
 

Attachments

  • 1718252698887.png
    1718252698887.png
    41.2 KB · Views: 29
Is the St. Clair ROW still down and running buses?
This is the kind of question that is easily answered.....

The TTC website notes:

Streetcar service is on schedule to return in July, 2024. The exact date will be confirmed in advance.

Upon return of streetcar service, customers will temporarily board outside St Clair West Station while TTC completes structural and track upgrades in the St Clair West Station loop itself to December 2024.
 
This is the kind of question that is easily answered.....

The TTC website notes:

Streetcar service is on schedule to return in July, 2024. The exact date will be confirmed in advance.

Upon return of streetcar service, customers will temporarily board outside St Clair West Station while TTC completes structural and track upgrades in the St Clair West Station loop itself to December 2024.
Thanks. Now that I'm WFH I'm rarely north of Bloor. At least that's not two lines out of action at the same time.
 

Back
Top