Brian Doucet
@bmdoucet
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Associate Professor, Co-author Streetcars & the Shifting Geographies of Toronto; co-editor Global Reflections on COVID-19 & Urban Inequalities; @envwaterloo
Kitchener/Waterloo via Rotterdam, Den Haag and Toronto
Joined March 2012
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A lifelong interest in streetcars, decades of photography & almost 10 years working on this project with
@Mdoucet36
and ‘Streetcars and the Shifting Geographies of Toronto: a visual analysis of change’ is finally out!
Order your copy via
@utpress
or your favourite bookstore!
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Ontario twitter, use active language:
"The province has no paid sick leave"
can be rephrased as:
"
@fordnation
eliminated paid sick leave in 2018"
or
"Doug Ford refuses to follow the advice of public health experts and reintroduce paid sick leave (which he eliminated in 2018)
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Please enjoy one this one minute video of a REM train carrying hundreds of people zooming past dozens of cars stuck in traffic on autoroute 10 south of Montreal!
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A friendly reminder that:
One of Doug Ford's 1st acts was to eliminate rent control on all new units occupied after 15 Nov 2018.
In the 90s Mike Harris eliminated rent control on vacant units.
If you're wondering why rent has risen so much lately, those are good places to start.
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While Canada has four seasons, winter lasts around 6 months and spring lasts around 6 days. These photos were taken on 11 and 25 May, respectively. Welcome to summer!
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Relatively new cycling infrastructure on
@RegionWaterloo
road in
@citywaterloo
I guess technically it's a bike lane (part of last mile to a new LRT stop), but I sure wouldn't use it. And definitely not with my kids.
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4YO: Is that a bike lane?
Me: No. It’s just a sign to indicate that it’s a quiet route for bikes to use, but bikes still have to share the road with cars.
4YO: Is it a pretend bike lane?
Me: Yes.
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I don’t think people outside KW (especially in GTA) appreciate how good Waterloo’s LRT is as a transit line.
Trains every 10 minutes. Dedicated right of way + signal priority means that you can set your watch to them.
Here’s Grand River Hospital to Central Station in 2 minutes.
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It’s not that long ago when this was a parking lot.
Now, it’s one of the few places in KW that has a real urban vibe, especially when the skating rink is open, lots of people are having fun & the LRT is gliding by.
(The falling snow doesn’t hurt either!)
Enjoy this short video!
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Where Belgium ends and the Netherlands begins!
Raadsel. Waar eindigt België en begint Nederland?
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Busy Amsterdam intersection. Lots of bikes. A few cars. Lots of pedestrians. One tram. No traffic signals.
Personally, I'd consider this 'smarter' that all the 'smart intersections' we see in North America!
Enjoy
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As a housing researcher, it’s clear to me that there’s virtually nothing in this bill that will make housing more affordable to low/moderate income households & lots that will result in any new housing being very expensive.
This is a terrible bill, minister & most people know it
Ontario’s housing supply crisis is threatening the dream of homeownership for an entire generation.
Our government is working hard to tackle that crisis and help all Ontarians find a home that meets their needs & budget.
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The 504 King & 505 Dundas streetcars carry more than 100,000 people per day. It should not take them upwards of 3 minutes to leave the loop.
Toronto politicians should watch this video in its ENTIRETY, or, better yet, take the TTC to city hall each day.
Broadview station
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For the uninformed (Toronto mayoral candidates), this has nothing to do with bikes or bike lanes. It’s because so many cars (most with one driver) are all trying to get onto the highway at the same time. A most inefficient use of precious urban space.
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It’s -15 outside but the LRT is running fine!
With a frequent & reliable schedule, it was easy to go to the Kitchener Market, Vincenzo’s & home all on the same ticket, with no waiting in the cold.
A relaxing morning & far superior than having to deal with winter driving today.
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GO's weekend Niagara trains are the best local example of how providing even a basic off peak service to places people want to generates many new trips & encourage people to take transit.
Pics from last summer; these trains only started running in 2009 & now operate year round.
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Rotterdam South
'We make the city of tomorrow today'
Yes, but the bigger question: 'who' is the city being made for?
I've studied gentrification in Rotterdam since 2006 & recently returned to see what had changed since I left in 2017.
Here's a short visual thread. 1/14
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Ads on the outside of transit vehicles should not cover windows. Period!
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Our regional transit needs to evolve beyond getting people into the big city and back.
@RegionWaterloo
&
@cityofhamilton
have combined population of more than 1 million people & are only 60km away.
The direct drive takes 1 hour.
The
@Metrolinx
@GOtransit
journey takes 3 hours.
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32 people opposing
@UWaterloo
vaccine mandate should not garner more media attention than the tens of thousands who support it.
@CBCKW891
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I have come to expect very little transformative changes in Canadian cities for 2 reasons:
1: transportation is driven by the needs of cars & drivers
2: housing/development are driven by the goals of developers
Until this shifts, we are tinkering at the margins of our problems
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79 minutes to go 2.5km on King St in Toronto. On the Transit Priority Corridor even!
Meanwhile on another King St down the road in Kitchener-Waterloo, no amount of extra car traffic is going to stop our LRT trains from keeping to their precise schedule!
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Is
@TTChelps
504 King line the world’s slowest streetcar?
This afternoon rush hour I’ll live tweet a 1km streetcar ride on King Street from John to Yonge to find out.
It should take 9 minutes. I expect it will be much much longer!
Follow along from around 4:30.
@ttcriders
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Taxing cars based on weight is normal in many parts of the world. In the Netherlands, your vehicle registration tax (wegenbelasting) is based on weight & fuel.
Cost estimates:
Ford F150=EUR1700/yr
Ford F250=EUR2200/yr
Comparison:
VW Golf sportwagon=EUR800/yr
Mazda 3= EUR700/yr
Time for Toronto to start charging extra fees for parking large trucks & SUV's? It's not only the number of motor vehicles putting
#BikeTO
&
#WalkTO
folks at risk, but also the increasing size of the vehicles.
#TOpoli
#VisionZero
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If we are serious about using upzoning to directly tackle affordable housing challenges, then much of what is upzoned is going to need to be like this.
I’m not talking about the design!
One house demolished to make way for 13 affordable, non-market units, publicly funded.
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.
@GOtransit
$10 weekend day pass ($15 for the weekend) is one of the best deals in Toronto & Greater Golden Horseshoe.
But there's a big problem: there's no weekend
@GOtransitKT
trains & buses.
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Fun fact: Canada’s 100km Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor doesn’t have complete cellphone coverage by train. You lose signal around Acton.
But then again, with only 6 trains/day on weekdays, maybe this isn’t a big deal?!
The parallel highway has full cell coverage though.
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For the vaccinated, showing proof was a PROTECTION, not a restriction. It was designed to keep everyone safe, especially children, elderly & vulnerable.
That responsibility has now been transferred to individuals, so many of us will be more RESTRICTED to keep our families safe.
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Media claiming this is a huge victory for Ford & PCs. But:
-fewer people voted for them than in 2018
-their share of the vote was almost the same
-majority of people didn't vote
-majority of voters chose progressive parties
It was the electoral system that gave them big majority
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A new transit icon takes flight above Montreal! Full service testing of the REM in Montreal in advance of the 31 July opening!
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The King Street Transit Priority Corridor (formerly King Street Pilot) was one of those magic, almost mythical urban changes: quick, easy, cheap & transformative. It greatly improved speed & reliability of 504 King streetcar, which pre-pandemic carried 80,000 riders/day. 1/4
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In most parts of the world, two way all day train service is just called train service.
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In Ontario, 41.9% of condo apartments are owned by speculators! Investors make up 20-30% of homeowners in some provinces.
Address the housing crisis through reducing demand by limiting speculation.
Build supply for communities not investors.
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Ignore the beautiful buildings and look at the street. In 2008, it looked remarkably similar to many urban roads in Canada.
It's not about 'cities are different in Europe;' it's about political priorities and choices and there's nothing inherently 'European' about those.
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In Dutch, there are two distinct words for what we call a 'cyclist' in English:
Wielrenner: someone cycling for sport
Fietser: a person on a bike
Can you guess who is who?
cc:
@modacitylife
(Marnixlaan & Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht)
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Watching subways early Sunday morning with my 4YO & you quickly realize how frequent TTC service is, even off peak. A train to watch every few minutes.
Sadly, this frequency is under threat, which is a shame because off peak ridership has bounced back higher than 9-5 journeys.
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I was in Toronto yesterday for meetings. Had some time to go around and take some photos with my new camera phone. Here's a short thread (of mostly, but not exclusively streetcars!)
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To be honest, I'm getting quite tired of living in a region of ~600,000 that has no viable weekend transit to Canada's largest city, a mere 100km away.
And please don't @ me with the 3hr journey on 25 bus via Square One, or a bus that stops at a random parking lot 3x/day.
8/8
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This is very positive to see.
Automated enforcement would be better and cheaper! But since these guys arrive, not a single car has illegally gone through king and university.
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So my video has already made the news and will also be on a story tonight at 6 on
@ctvkitchener
Waterloo bike lane causes cyclists concern
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Are people who complain that bike lanes are expensive aware of how much road widening & expansion projects cost?
Given this is one of biggest complains of people who oppose them, also worth noting they offer some of the highest rates of economic return of any public investment.
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Good morning.
A friendly reminder that if you live in Toronto & want to come visit family, friends or do anything else in Waterloo today, there are a total of ZERO viable transit options today (or any other weekend).
We drive the 401 because we literally have no other choice.
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Four years ago this month, the last of Toronto's CLRV streetcars were retired from service. By December 2019, only a handful ran on 511 Bathurst.
I spent a lot of time photographing the last days of these iconic vehicles. Here are some pictures from the final weeks of the CLRVs.
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Teaching 1st year planning
@uwaterloo
today.
I asked students how many have been stranded by
@GOtransitBus
because it was full.
Answer: 70/248. Almost 30% have experienced this.
Not acceptable
@Metrolinx
@GOtransit
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Just spit balling:
What if traffic lights to go thru intersections on King were always red, with transit signals for streetcars, walk signs for pedestrians & green right turn arrows for cars.
Anyone driving through would get fined for running red light.
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Inspired by actual events and experiences, my take on why we drive so much from KW to Toronto (spoiler alert: we have no alternative!) In today's online
@TorontoStar
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Total chaos on the
@GOtransit
@GOtransitKT
@GOtransitBus
30 this morning. We’ve left at least 25 people stranded.
It’s like they don’t even care! Full buses: great! Optimization.
Leaving people behind (weekly): thanks for your comment, we will pass this along to our team!
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Every mayor should ride the bus. And walk to and from the stop.
Absolutely LOVE this series, the Mayor of Boston
@wutrain
is taking public transit with different residents to learn about their commutes and how to make the systems/city work better for people!
Watch complete video here (this app makes you trim):
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Prior to Waterloo’s LRT opening, critics said it only went ‘mall to mall’ (never mind all the other places in between).
But malls are major destinations + employment areas.
Around Christmas in particular, I appreciate not having to drive & fight for parking at our regional malls!
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Fun fact:
Kitchener to Guelph takes 17 minutes by train on a weekday morning (faster than driving)
On weekends: 1h38 minutes via two buses and a 30 minute wait for a connection at a random parking lot beside the 401.
It’s just over 20km.
.
@GOtransit
$10 weekend day pass ($15 for the weekend) is one of the best deals in Toronto & Greater Golden Horseshoe.
But there's a big problem: there's no weekend
@GOtransitKT
trains & buses.
1/8
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It’s been quite a ride!
5 years ago, I started
@envwaterloo
@UWaterloo
after 13 years studying, working & living in the Netherlands.
Today, starting new chapter as tenured associate professor.
Thanks to everyone who directly & indirectly helped along this incredible journey!
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That's been one of my biggest issues here; the onus is on ordinary people who, in their spare time, must campaign for the basic services of a city. This is not how progressive cities should be built
I dream of a city that doesn't rely on citizen activism to ensure the basic rights of pedestrians and cyclists.
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A low stress bike ride through the countryside was just what I needed this evening. Guelph to Goderich rail trail near Elmira.
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I met many people who never cycled in their home country and moved to Holland and used bikes as their main mode of transport. Why: its safe, cheap and convenient. That it is all of those is neither natural nor inevitable. My opinion piece:
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Strip away the trucks, pickups, horns & propane & all you have is a very small group of selfish, hate-filled people who are dwarfed by those of us who believe in science, masks, vaccines, justice & peace & who see health care workers as heroes, not people to intimidate.
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The worst kind of bike lane is a painted bike lane.
The worst kind of painted bike lane is one that ends just before an intersection in order to provide space for a left turn lane for cars.
Exhibit A: Wellington Street in
@cityofcambridge
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It has been said many times on this platform already, but it’s worth repeating: Durham College Oshawa is a terrible name for a train station.
There are many reasons, not least:
The closest Durham College campus is in Whitby;
The adjacent VIA platforms are simply called Oshawa.
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There is clearly a demand for off peak travel to Toronto. I am confident that more trains will induce more demand!
Passengers waiting for the 11:39 to Toronto.
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Build suburban housing as dense as you like but as long as their commercial areas are designed like this, almost everyone will drive, even short distance.
Everything about this retail area is hostile to pedestrians/cyclists & screams: drive here
Flamborough South Centre, Hamilton
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Casual interactions while riding my cargo bike:
Person walking past: 'nice bike.'
Dog walker: 'they have a lot of those in Europe.'
Guy on racing bike: 'dope!' (With thumbs up)
Cyclist behind me: 'where did you get that bike,' leading to 1km conversation through Uptown
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Good afternoon everyone. The PM rush is starting to ramp up now. I’m walking west along to the route I will soon take east by streetcar. So far it’s not too busy.
But here’s an observation: half the road is dedicated to parked cars. In rush hour. On a transit priority street.
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The fact that I have to press a button to activate a walk signal in front of my daughter's school (where most kids don't get driven) speaks volumes about how, despite some nice talk and plans, the free flowing of traffic remains the most important factor for roads& public spaces.
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Keep the critiques of oversized pickup trucks coming!
They are an environmental, social & safety disaster (plus they're not great at carrying stuff).
Recent responses by many truck owners demonstrates their insecurity & how most buy them due to vanity or toxic masculinity.
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Niagara on the Lake!
A beautiful village overrun by cars.
How
@Town_of_NOTL
would consider this better than closing the main road to cars is beyond me! So many people walking, so little space to enjoy the town.
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This is different. Already spotted one driver pulled over for going through an intersection. And these traffic agents weren’t here last week either.
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Not all churches in Waterloo region are covid-deniers hosting super-spreader events.
While I'm not familiar with the book of HyGenesis, I love the wit, humor and simplicity of this message.
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They say you’ve never truly experienced Toronto until you’ve been kicked off a streetcar because it’s short turning!!
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504 still faster than other routes, but changes are needed:
1.Traffic cameras to fine drivers breaking rules
2. Improve public realm & make narrower road permanent
3. Roll out across the city because this kind of transit priority is awesome & so easy (with political vision)! 4/4
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Standing (most seats were already taken) on the LRT last night at 9:45pm, I couldn’t help thinking that all these passengers won’t fit on the 7 bus.
It’s absolutely bonkers to cut evening service to 30 min but a great way to kill ridership & a transit culture
@RegionWaterloo
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I'm less interested in whether a city declares a climate emergency, & more interested in what immediate & transformative measures it takes to justify the use of the word 'emergency.'
So far, I'm seeing some nice talk, but little radical action that befits declaring an emergency
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Several weeks after it snowed, neither
@citywaterloo
or
@RegionWaterloo
has bothered to clear this snow.
This x-ing connects to LRT station. This speaks volumes about commitment to equity/inclusion.
This isn't a barrier for most, but is for some & their voices are rarely heard.
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Last week my son & I took the train to Guelph to go for a bike ride. When we got home, I reflected on our trip, why better trains means more opportunities & how more roads leads to more congestion. This has become my latest article for
@WR_Record
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I’m very happy to live in a region with excellent public transit to our major malls! (Not to mention all the other destinations the LRT serves along its 19km route)
Waterloo’s LRT is a very efficient & enjoyable way to move people! Not bad for a region of ~600,000 people!
Yes, this is definitely the most efficient way to move people
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Toronto's King Street West:
Today (2019)
Pre-King Street Pilot (2014)
Pre-deindustrialisation (i.e. when King and Spadina was still a manufacturing and warehousing area (1966)
Have a nice weekend, everybody!
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Ossington
Bloor
Yonge
Danforth
Eglinton
Queen, Dundas, College (streetcars permitted)
Etc, etc!
Toronto could do this too!
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Standing room only on the
@GRT_ROW
LRT coming back from Kitchener Rangers game. Some other fans from The Aud riding home with us!
@RegionWaterloo
would be crazy to reduce evening service to 30 minutes. Many of these riders (us included) will disappear
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I’d actually post that those who don’t ride the LRT, including planners and politicians
@RegionWaterloo
have no clue what makes the line so amazing and successful. It’s so different from a bus or streetcar, because it’s frequency, regularity & punctuality.
@bmdoucet
@RegionWaterloo
A few evenings ago I took this photo. I did a quick tallying that there were about 80 people onboard. That's with 15 minutes headways.
Reducing this to 30 minutes is incredibly shortsighted and shows that the decision makers don't actually use transit.
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If you're riding the
@GRT_ROW
LRT next year, you can thank these
@uwaterloo
students for not having to wait 30 minutes in the evening!
Amazing work in public & behind the scenes. It was an honour to watch you all present yesterday. You've made a huge impact on
@RegionWaterloo
UPDATE: THEY PASSED THE AMENDMENT TO NOT CUT THE ION TO EVERY 30 MINUTES!!
Thank you everyone for their support, especially those who came out, signed the petition, and emailed/called councillors!!
And especially big thanks for
@m_druker
for noticing the cut originally!
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Beg buttons
Wide curb radii
Road widening
Refusal to install mid-block crossings
I fundamentally detest these things because my time living in the Netherlands taught me they are unnecessary for cities to thrive.
While they are implemented in Canada, the Dutch do the opposite!
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28
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Listen to this City of Montreal worker talk about the plan to clear every sidewalk in the city before the next round of freezing rain!
Then think about how your city dithers & debates whether clearing public sidewalks in winter should even be a municipal responsibility.
#WATCH
: “One thousand workers are on the road,” said Phillipe Sabourin, spokesperson for the city of Montreal about cleaning up the ice, while preparing for more freezing rain Friday.
READ:
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It’s quite the feeling to walk into your local bookstore and see your book for sale!
Wordsworth Books in
@uptownwaterloo
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Between 2001 & 2017, new urban streetcars systems opened in:
Portland
Kansas City
Seattle
Detroit
Washington
Tacoma
Tuscon
Cincinnati
Atlanta
Tamps
Dallas
Total route length: 57.8km
Toronto's 504 King streetcar carries almost double the ridership of all these systems combined!
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Two popular places in Canada to walk around. Can you spot the differences?!?!
Avenue Mont-Royal in Montreal (left),
Queen St in Niagara on the Lake (right)
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At ~80,000 riders/day, Toronto's 504 King Streetcar line carries more passengers per day than the entire LRT systems in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Houston, Minneapolis & rapid transit systems in Miami, Baltimore and Cleveland.
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'Beg buttons' that stay red for pedestrians unless activated, save a few seconds in traffic models.
They are the ultimate f*CK you to pedestrians by traffic engineers & politicians who let them dictate how we navigate cities.
This is in
@RegionWaterloo
beside a busy LRT stop.
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Earlier this year I was awarded
@SSHRC_CRSH
Insight Grant to study gentrification in Hamilton and the spillover effects from Toronto. Covid delayed the start of this research but we are now ready to go!
More info on the project in today's
@thespec
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KW doesn't need a new high speed train to Toronto. We need need frequent service (ie hourly) that makes fewer stops (speeds up journey times) at a fare that is affordable at last minute & for groups/families.
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I love long distance cycling.
But idea of riding for hours on country roads worrying about cars/trucks zooming past at 100km/h has no appeal.
Fortunately, a lot of old railway lines have been turned into smooth, low-stress trails. Today’s ride (with my 3yo) on
@G2GRailTrail
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New GO bus route idea (30 minute headway, daily):
UW-Laurier-Kitchener Go-DTK-Sportsworld-Pinebush then express via 401-6-403 to McMaster-Hunter St-West Harbour.
Think about it for moment: we have two regions with combined 1.2 million ppl 60km apart with ZERO TRANSIT. It's crazy!
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Ontario used to have a lot of railway lines.
Most of the lines on this map are long gone. Red=CPR and predecessors; Green=CN and predecessors; Orange=electric lines.
Some of these routes are now recreational trails.
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How to fix the King streetcar fiasco?
In my latest op-ed, I look at what Toronto can learn from Waterloo’s LRT, including dedicated right of way, full signal priority & restricting left turns for cars.
It’s not rocket science but requires full priority.
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25
107
Took the kids to Toronto twice this week for some March break fun with grandparents. Drove the first day, took the train today.
The train journey took a bit longer, but was cheaper & much more enjoyable for all. Lots of time to play, read, relax & look out window together. 1/4
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GO is actually introducing some WEEKEND trains to Kitchener. But only during Reading Week.
Let's make that every weekend thereafter & add a few more for good measure! There's regular crowding on buses EVERY weekend, not just Reading Week!
cc:
@CTVKitchener
@WR_Record
@CBCKW891
Special weekend Kitchener line train service will operate for reading week on Saturday Feb 17 and Sunday Feb 25:
- Eastbound trains depart Kitchener at 11:05a and 4:05p
- Westbound trains depart Union at 1:38p and 6:38p
More info:
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I’ve talked with a lot of colleagues, students & friends about the proposed
@RegionWaterloo
@GRT_ROW
changes to LRT schedule.
The consensus is they are really bad.
Everyone thinks the 30 min evening service is atrocious & regular riders lament loss of a simple 10 min schedule
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