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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

The TTC held a surprise rider feedback pop-up at Mount Dennis station on Line 5 today, with cookies and commemorative pins. Per the single station pin design, expect more pop-ups and pin designs in future. Photos courtesy @transit, alt text added. #TTC #Transit

A closeup of a basket containing cookies and souvenir pins.

Two light rail vehicle and TTC streetcar cardboard cutouts lean against the wall, beside a large orange Line 5 photo backdrop, for a selfie station.

A hand holds a custom souvenir pin and a printed handout which reads:

Line 5 is open to you
and your feedback.
Share your feedback on vour
experiences on Line 5
ttc.ca/Line5

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 08/02/2026

Keep your eyes peeled today for CodeRedTO volunteers along #Line5 to get a button or magnet! #TTC #Metrolinx

Photo of bags of magnets and pins with an Eglinton design or a smiling LRV design

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 03/02/2026

Jonathan English's slides to be presented at TTC Board today on surface transit revitalization are worth a review, with some interesting suggestions. Agenda item: secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-it… PDF […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Slide from presentation deck listing suggestions for modernizing Toronto streetcar operations, which reads:

· Procure a modern streetcar control system
-- Eliminates manual switch verification
-- Improves safety and reduces dwell time
. Update TTC standards:
-- Install double-blade switches only
-- Eliminate 10 km/h switch speed restrictions
-- Align streetcars with LRT practice
-- Stop installing obsolete infrastructure during
rebuilds.
· Proceed with stop consolidation to meet TTC
standards while communicating overall time savings
. Procure modular track segments and temporary
diversion switches
-- Avoid shuttle buses during construction
-- Reusable, off-the-shelf solutions already in use
internationally

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 03/02/2026

Interesting slides on transit signal priority from Narayan Donaldson, to be presented at TTC Board meeting today. You can follow much of the story by paging through. TTC Agenda item: secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-it… PDF […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Diagram of traffic signal red and green phases, with a streetcar arriving near the end of a red phase, meaning it would normally need to stop and wait.

Similar diagram, but showing a TSP mistake where an inaccurate arrival estimate creates more delay instead of less.

Introductory slide for the presenter, which reads: Narayan Donaldson

• Worked in both Toronto and the Netherlands designing Transit Signal Priority operations and software
• Masters Thesis on Transit Signal Priority efficiency at TU Delft in the Netherlands

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 20/01/2026

“Riders don’t care about divided responsibilities; they just want good, reliable service. Toronto council wants to encourage more transit use for a growing city, but the credibility of transit depends on systems that work.” Review of Line 6 issues from […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of linked article showing photo of Line 6 light rail vehicle crossing an intersection, nearby private car traffic.

Headline reads: Not-so-rapid Transit on Finch

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 07/01/2026

"Why does winter weather seem to throw the Finch West LRT off track?" This demonstrates the problem with some privately-provided transit infrastructure: contracts prevent improvement because nobody is allowed to talk. #GiftLink #TOPoli #ONPoli #Transit #TTC […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of linked article which reads:

No transit agency involved with the Finch West LRT answered when asked whether inclement weather was the problem or if the issues were more structural.

“All of Metrolinx’s projects are planned and constructed to run in adverse weather conditions, including snow,” a spokesperson for Metrolinx said, via the TTC. Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency, has overseen the construction of both the Finch West and the Eglinton Crosstown LRTs.

“We have no insights into the mechanics of the switches,” said Stuart Green, spokesperson for the TTC, about the Finch problems. The TTC manages switches on both its streetcar and subway tracks.

“Metrolinx built, owns and maintains the line,” Green added. “I can only offer what they have provided.”

Although the TTC operates the trains on the Finch West line, it is maintained by Mosaic Transit Group, a private company contracted by Metrolinx. Mosaic did not respond to requests for comment.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 22/12/2025

An excellent animated slide sequence from @chittimarco.bsky.social on how dedicated space and grade separation impact average and top speeds for various transit modes. From "Speed Matters" […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Animated gif containing multiple different displays of types of transit, a diagram of where it travels relative to mixed car traffic, some of the key features related to how it handles intersections, its right-of-way, its typical stop spacing, and which elements most affect its speed. A diagram of a speedometer for each mode shows the average and top speeds commonly seen.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 10/12/2025

Two new urgent motions have been filed for today's TTC Board Meeting, aimed at improving the performance of Line 6, and improving performance of the streetcar network as well. 11.8 Line 6 secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-it… 11.9 […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 07/12/2025

We are all out of pins and magnets for today - if you got one we hope you enjoy it! (There will be more when we greet Line 5!)

Two small metal decorative pins side by side on a flat surface.

The pin on the left is black with a red stripe across the centre, with white dots inside like a transit line map. It reads Finch and Transit City, with a small red LRV pictogram and the TTC line 6 pictogram.

The pin to the right is white, with a large black LRV pictogram on it. The LRV has a cartoonish smiling face in its silhouette.

Line 6 platform photo taken from the door of the train

Line 6 train on platform at Finch West, with crowd and security visible alongside

View out the window from inside Line 6 train heading west

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 03/12/2025

TTC Reduced Speed Zones update: as of today there are no slow zones on Line 2, and only four remaining on Line 1, all of which are targeted to be removed by end of December. www.ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/Updates/R… #TTC #TOPoli

TTC subway map showing black sections along Line 1 where trains must travel more slowly for safety reasons. The linked webpage lists the exact spots. The largest section is around Union Station.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 28/11/2025

Line 6 Finch opens Sunday December 7! To help celebrate, we are giving out some special pins and magnets that morning along the route - keep your eyes peeled!

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 05/11/2025

Surface transit can be more reliable, and can move more people, if we do it right. @ttcriders.bsky.social is hosting a "Save Our Streetcars Summit" on November 23rd - come chat with @CodeRedTO and your fellow transit riders! www.ttcriders.ca/save_our_streetcar…

Poster for linked event which reads:

“Why can I walk faster than my streetcar?"
On-time performance of streetcars is an embarrassing 61% system-wide.
Toronto's streetcars are in trouble. We need solutions.
Join us & a panel of speakers to discuss how we can keep streetcars running.

Nov 23
1-5 PM
Cecil Community Centre

TTC riders

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 29/10/2025

TTC Riders ( @ttcriders.bsky.social ) is hosting a ‘Save Our Streetcars Summit’ in Toronto on November 23. This is a free event with coffee, snacks, and TTC tickets upon request. Register here: www.ttcriders.ca/save_our_streetcar… […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of linked registration page, which reads:

Noticed that streetcar service has gotten more unreliable, slow, and delayed?

It's not just you. For many riders, walking can be a faster option than taking the streetcar in Toronto. This past summer, a runner was able to beat five streetcar routes travelling terminal-to-terminal on-foot!
The data confirms it - a 2024 study found that Toronto's streetcar system is among the slowest in the world. According to the TTC last month, only 61% of streetcars showed up on time. Over the last several years, the speed and reliability of all streetcar routes have declined significantly, coinciding with ever-increasing traffic congestion.
Projects like the King Streetcar Priority Corridor have been successful at improving service in the past, but are no longer working to keep commutes reliable and fast.
It's time for a fulsome discussion about what is needed to bring better streetcar service.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 01/10/2025

MEDIA RELEASE: CodeRedTO researchers have calculated the impact to worker pay and productivity as–at a minimum–over 20,000 hours and over $496,000 from this single two-hour incident […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of linked article on CodeRedTO site

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2025

"Car costs are also baked into almost all the prices we pay: If you take the bus to a suburban shopping mall, the prices you pay include all the costs of the vast parking lot you didn’t use. If you drive to the mall, bus riders subsidize you." @humantransit on the […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of linked article, with photo of bus riders behind a sign reading "Thanks for riding SEPTA". The headline reads "Should We Let Public Transit Die?" and the subheadline reads "Urban-rural hostility is fueling a public transportation crisis in US cities. But demands to abandon bus and train riders ignore the economic and social costs of cutting service." The photo is captioned "SEPTA bus riders in Philadelphia in August. The transit system faces a severe funding crisis. Photographer: Ryan Collerd/Bloomberg"

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 21/06/2025

Tunnel connecting UP Express to TTC's Dundas West station under construction after long delay CodeRedTO: "it should be something that we are able to pull off in a little *less* than 10 years" www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/up-e… […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

A colourful mural painted over hoarding blocking a construction zone at Dundas West TTC station. CBC caption reads: Signage at UP Express Bloor Station shows where the passenger tunnel to the Dundas West subway station will be when it opens.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 19/05/2025

TTC streetcar detour timeline: Jan 2025: detour, but parking/ stopping/ loading restrictions + dedicated transit lanes. March: transit lanes removed from plan April: restrictions removed from plan May: detour begins poorly @GraphicMatt in the Toronto Star […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of linked article with headline, photo of streetcar, and caption as follows:

Opinion | Matt Elliott:
There was a better way — 'transit hell' from streetcar detour is a cautionary tale

Photo

And along Richmond and Adelaide, where King streetcars are now sharing track with Queen streetcars that are also on a construction-related detour, the jam-packed street full of streetcars and other vehicles resulted in very slow movement, Matt Elliott writes.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 18/05/2025

"Removing subsidized street parking to speed up the trip for tens of thousands of bus riders is so self-evidently logical it shouldn’t require debate." Globe editorial supports transit improvements on Dufferin and Bathurst […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Sometimes weighing the greater public good isn’t complicated. Removing subsidized street parking to speed up the trip for tens of thousands of bus riders is so self-evidently logical it shouldn’t require debate. Unfortunately, as Toronto is finding, the status quo is stubborn.

Some residents are pushing back on a plan to create transit priority lanes on a few of the city’s busiest surface routes – including Dufferin Street, where Toronto Transit Commission buses carry as many as 40,000 riders daily. It’s a version of NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) that might be dubbed NIMPS: not in my parking spot.

What these residents forget is that these parking spots are not actually theirs.

As similar debates play out across the country, it’s worth remembering two things. One, public roads are public resources, to be used in the way that offers the greatest benefit. And, two, the current use is not necessarily the best one, no matter how entrenched it may be.

Canadian cities are growing and struggling with congestion. Subways are expensive and can take many years to build. Transit priority lanes in Toronto could help make the case that there is, in the short term, a cost-effective way to speed up traffic in a major way.

However, the controversy in Toronto also illustrates the difficulty of these debates, as residents fight hard to protect street parking. Their zeal is understandable. They’ve become accustomed to using public land as cheap storage for their personal vehicles.

Of course, the fact that parking is underpriced leads to demand outstripping supply.

North Vancouver voted last month to tackle that by adding a charge to some streets while boosting the cost of a permit fourfold, to $8.33 per month, to park on others.

That’s not nearly enough, but it’s a start.

One of the greatest resources for cities is the vast swaths of public land, including curb lane parking spots that residents tend to see as their own. Cities reclaim that land by using a price to manage demand – or decide there’s a better use for curb lane.

In Toronto, the best use of those lanes on Dufferin is turning two of them into spaces primarily for transit buses. Also allowed access under the plan would be emergency vehicles, transit for disabled people, school buses and bicycles. This change would save transit riders up to 10 minutes for those going the full route, according to a TTC report, while improving on-time reliability for buses by 17 per cent.

For comparison, Toronto politics was convulsed early last decade with debate over whether to build a light rail line in Scarborough or extend a subway, the latter approach costing a premium then pegged at $1.1-billion. Coincidentally, that subway extension was projected to save downtown-bound transit riders 10 minutes.

While the capital costs to put bus-only lanes on Dufferin are not yet public, it’s safe to say that it would cost an awful lot less than that subway extension.

Not having the Dufferin bus stuck as much in traffic would also save the TTC money, the report says, while the improved service is expected to attract nearly 3,000 new daily transit riders to the route. Net annual benefit to the agency: more than $3-million.

A counterargument, from a group Protect Dufferin that speaks for some homeowners on the route, is that their parking needs are being ignored. One way to assess the competing needs is to look at the relative benefit of better transit versus convenient parking.

The value of the bus improvement is reasonably easy to quantify. It is projected to go faster, be more reliable, carry more people and boost revenues.

The true value of the parking spaces is harder to determine, because Toronto has long underpriced its public land. As in much of the central city, parking spaces along Dufferin are a mix of free, metered and permit parking. Permits in Toronto are priced below market rates and work out to less than $1 a day, if the homeowner has nowhere to park on their own property, or about $3.50 if they do.

Urban curb lanes are valuable real estate. If they were priced accordingly Toronto would quickly find out how much NIMPS really want those spaces. And that should demonstrate that city hall has the latitude to roll out bus-only lanes much more broadly. The public good demands it.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 05/05/2025

Significant streetcar diversions through downtown May-August will disrupt busiest surface transit route in Canada. Poor line management by TTC and lack of modern switches and transit signal priority means this detour will delay riders and make surface transit less […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Downtown Toronto streetcar map showing all Queen and King streetcars funneled onto (from west to east) Queen, York, Richmond & Adelaide, Church, and Queen again, while King street from Spadina to Broadview is served by replacement buses.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 25/03/2025

In the Star, @GraphicMatt on risks to Eglinton Crosstown success: “Together, these two failures — poor route management and bad or non-existent transit priority — could easily spell disaster for the Eglinton LRT once it starts service. I hope I’m wrong. Especially […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of linked article headline:

Eglinton Crosstown LRT finally has an opening date — but the TTC's service
on the line may fall short for these two reasons.

Underneath the headline is a photo of a light rail vehicle in an Eglinton Crosstown underground station. Under that, a photo of the author Matt Elliott and his bio blurb.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 17/03/2025

Toronto Star feature article on the history and potential of Toronto's streetcar network. "Toronto grew up around its streetcars. Do they fit into its future? Does Toronto have the faith — and money — to restore a transportation network that’s been on the decline […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of linked Toronto Star article, showing the headline quoted in the post, and a photo of a streetcar which is derailed on a sunny winter day. The photo is taken from about 25m ahead of the streetcar, at ground level, so snow is blurry in the foreground and we can't see the streetcar's wheels or the rails.

By Andy TakagiTransportation Reporter

The ding-ding of a streetcar means something different to every Torontonian.

For Laurence Lui, it evokes memories of nighttime rides on the classic streetcars, during which the TTC worker watched the sparkling streets of the city go by. For Shoshanna Saxe, it’s a reminder of chugging along the smooth metal tracks that carried the civil engineering professor to school as a child. For Steve Munro, it’s the soundtrack of a transit enthusiast first learning the city’s winding streets.

For others, the familiar sound brings irritation and outright anger, the noise punctuating interrupted commutes and interminable delays. To name only a few recent examples: a garbage truck derailing the commute of tens of thousands for most of a week after clipping streetcar wires at King and Spadina. Or, over the span of 10 hours, 23 cars blocking streetcars throughout the city as Toronto reeled from consecutive snowstorms.

It could also be, some experts contend, the sound of a solution coming to whisk away Toronto’s paralyzing congestion — that is, if we put faith, and money, back into a city transportation system that has been on the decline for decades.

Article excerpt followed by two maps of the streetcar network. The 1929 map shows a huge network of red lines across Toronto, while the map of 2016-2025 is far more limited. The excerpt reads:

“Fundamentally, as a city, we grew up around the streetcar,” said Lui, the TTC’s head of service planning and scheduling.

“The streetcar could be shaping our future Queen Streets, Dundas Streets and College Streets, where people want to live, work and be part of the city.”
A past performer

While the streetcar has persisted, it hasn’t always thrived. Ridership for streetcars has yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels and lags behind buses and the subway lines. Although still some of the city’s busiest routes, the dozens of streetcar lines that the city had at its peak in the 1920s have been whittled down to just 18. The network has taken a back seat to the needs of the subways and the shiny new Ontario Line, all while becoming a target of drivers who blame streetcars gumming up the roads and cyclists whose tires can get caught in the tracks.

“Streetcars carry more people, more consistently, faster, more evenly. It feels better,” Saxe said. “Getting rid of the streetcar is just talking about making the city smaller (and) worse.”

Lui agreed, emphasizing the important role the streetcar continues to play as part of the city’s transit network.

“If one streetcar is carrying close to 200 people when it’s full, imagine if that was four or five buses and what that would mean in terms of congestion levels,” Lui said.

In the short term, the city’s transit solutions lie in the realm of buses and bike lanes, Saxe said — “things that we can do this decade to make (transit) better.”

That longer-term future includes LRTs, which depending on who you ask, is essentially the same as a streetcar. (Others argue that LRTs have distinct features, like right-of-ways and more distance between stops.) On top of the long-awaited — and long-delayed — Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRTs, the city has plans for Eglinton East and Waterfront East LRT, both of which remain in the design stage without long-term funding.

The problem, as with most services in the city, is money, Lui said. With the TTC’s existing streetcar fleet, he explained, the city could run five-minute service throughout Toronto — if it had the money to pay drivers.

All the while, the streetcar is one of the TTC’s most profitable modes of transit.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 14/03/2025

"Meet this 11-year-old boy who is an expert in all things TTC" - CP24 www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kwKAjeEB2s You can buy Luis-Mario Carrington's book about TTC buses from CodeRedTO and transit supporter Spacing […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of linked video showing young boy in front of TTC buses, pointing at his book titled "Have you seen a TTC bus?"

Front cover of Luis-Mario Carrington's book, "Have you seen a TTC bus?" which features a large photo of a TTC bus on route 65 Parliament.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 13/03/2025

“After 13 years, sources close to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project say the long-awaited line is finally expected to welcome transit riders in September.” - Toronto Star […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of Toronto Star headline over image of a Crosstown LRV

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 17/02/2025

The TTC has plans to install bus-only lanes along Queens Quay East and Front Street to get buses out of traffic congestion. New bus lanes would reduce travel times by 30% and could be rolled out in May 2025 if approved - but will need your support! Fill out the […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

TTC route map showing the eastern harbourfront from around the SkyDome to Cherry Beach. Existing bus routes are shown, and the section of Queen’s Quay East which would gain bus lanes is highlighted. The routes which would benefit from the bus lanes are 65, 75, 114, and 202.

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 15/01/2025

Updated bus route signage beginning to appear around Toronto to prepare for the opening of Line 5, surprisingly early given lack of government communication. In an interesting wayfinding choice, in this location only the future route number is listed, not the […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Temporary TTC sign attached to telephone pole which reads:
Service Change
Service changes
coming to this stop
This stop has been updated
in preparation for the opening
of Line 5 Eglinton. The
routes shown above reflect
future bus service at this
stop.
Current routes will continue
to stop here until Line
Eglinton opens.
Scan this QR code or
visit ttc.ca for the latest
information.
10 / 1-1

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 02/01/2025

GTHA Transit Trip Planning: Metrolinx is quietly shutting down their centralized trip planning Triplinx.ca website and app on January 10, 2025. Transit riders seeking trip planning are now directed to individual agency websites, or private sector offerings for […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

Screenshot of notice at linked website, which reads:

Important Update
from Triplinx
As of January 10, 2025, the Triplinx app and
website will be permanently shut down.
If you need help planning your trip on
public transit, check your local transit
agency's website or use another journey
planning website or app, such as
Citymapper, Google Maps, Apple Maps,
Moovit, Transit, Transit Now or TransSee.
Any customer information collected
through Triplinx will be securely deleted
once Triplinx is shut down.

Screenshot of Toronto Star article heralding the arrival of trip planning website triplinx.ca in 2015

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CodeRedTO @coderedto.mstdn.ca.ap.brid.gy · 23/12/2024

This is an excellent short video from BC Translink showing how dedicated transit lanes move more people than mixed traffic lanes, allowing those who have an option to choose transit. This same concept applies to dedicated space for active transportation like […] [Original post on mstdn.ca]

An illustration of a two lane roadway, with private cars containing 1-2 people in one lane, and a dedicated red bus lane carrying only buses with 25+ passengers each. A counter is displayed for each lane, showing how the crowded car lane only has allowed through 17 people so far, while the allegedly empty bus lane has allowed through 48.

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