General Transit Discussions

[Kappa21]

I remember they always advertised for Islamic Conferences and also Christian conferences....how come this one is worse?

THere is also some advertising in specific areas for Israel in some parts of the area on the TTC shelters........

[MysticMcGoo]

This is all so divisive. We need less religion in North America, not more. Just look at all the problems they have due to Islam vs. Christianity vs. Judaism in Europe. Dont bring that shit here, please.

[sgups]

Originally Posted by Taller, Better

Of course there are Christian ads in TTC; I saw one when on the subway the other night. I didn't really pay much attention to it, though.

Yep - recent one which hit the headlines
http://toronto.openfile.ca/blog/cura...tter-complains

Doesn't really raise any awareness and severely undermines work done by children's helpline & stuff

[Marcanadian]

Originally Posted by MysticMcGoo

This is all so divisive. We need less religion in North America, not more. Just look at all the problems they have due to Islam vs. Christianity vs. Judaism in Europe. Dont bring that shit here, please.

Agreed.

[spearhead]

Originally Posted by monkeyronin

They do. You've never seen any of the Christian adverts on the TTC?

Not even a "John 3:16". Perhaps i never noticed. I guess we should start taking a picture of them too.

Originally Posted by MysticMcGoo

This religious propaganda is retarded. Why we always gotta see adverts about the Abrahamic religions? Lets get some Buddhism up in the subway system shall we? I'm sick of this middle eastern desert nonsense.

For me to make it fair, remove all these religious ads to neutralize all these religious competitions.

Originally Posted by Kappa21

I remember they always advertised for Islamic Conferences and also Christian conferences....how come this one is worse?

THere is also some advertising in specific areas for Israel in some parts of the area on the TTC shelters........

That's sounds interesting!

[spearhead]

Originally Posted by MysticMcGoo

This is all so divisive. We need less religion in North America, not more. Just look at all the problems they have due to Islam vs. Christianity vs. Judaism in Europe. Dont bring that shit here, please.

Strongly agree.

[spearhead]

Group wants Ontario speed limits raised
Laura Pedersen
http://m.torontosun.com/2012/04/17/g...-limits-raised

Speed limits on Ontario’s highways are too low, according to an Oshawa-based group. Stop100.ca is calling on the provincial government to boost existing maximum limits from the current 100 km/h by as much as 30 km/h. “If higher speed limits are set, people will simply not be exceeding them as much,” said Chris Klimek, the creator of the group. Klimek said many motorists he sees on the road are “not speeding just for the sake of speeding,” but are moving at a pace that is suitable for Ontario’s highway infrastructure. “I believe people are using their common sense in the speed that they are driving. Drivers are just made into law breakers due to current legislation,” insisted Klimek, a web developer who travels on the highways daily. The group is calling for maximum limits on all 400-series highways in metropolitan areas to be increased to 120 km/h.

However, the limit on Hwy. 407 and the express lanes on Hwy. 401 should be bumped up to 130 km/h because of “special safety enhancements,” according to the group. It also wants a speed limit of 130 km/h on all 400-series highways outside of metropolitan areas. Some of the enforcement attention could then be shifted to “lane discipline” instead of speeders, said Klimek.

Ontario transportation ministry spokesman Bob Nichols said the province currently has no interest in changing speed limits. In 2008, speed contributed to 21% of fatalities and 12% of all injuries sustained in motor vehicle in collisions in Ontario.“Experience in other jurisdictions generally indicates that fatal collisions can increase with higher speed limits,” he added.

[spearhead]

Jewish group alleges TTC ads linked to pro-terrorism Muslim speaker
http://m.torontosun.com/2012/04/17/j...muslim-speaker

Religiously-charged ads placed in TTC stations by a downtown Islamic centre must be taken down because of the group’s links to Muslim speakers who preach intolerance and terrorism, say critics of the controversial placards.

The posters, which state that “There is no god but Allah,” were placed in various TTC stations including Dundas, Kennedy, and St. Patrick in January by the Walk-in Islamic Infocentre.

The group has a website containing links to other sites featuring at least two controversial Islamic speakers — one of which has been reportedly banned from speaking in both Britain and Toronto for saying “every Muslim should be a terrorist.”

Visitors to the site can be linked to radical Islam’s “worst of the worst,” charged Meir Weinstein, of the Canadian chapter of the Jewish Defense League. “The sign is grossly offensive, but the most important part is ... when you look at the organization behind it, and who they are linked to ... (it is) the worst of the worst,” said Weinstein.

One link on the centre’s website is to the Islamic Research Foundation, featuring its director, Dr. Zakir Naik, an Indian televangelist who was reportedly banned in 2010 from speaking in both Britain and Toronto. Video footage surfaced of a past lecture in which Naik aligned himself with now-fallen al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. “If (Osama bin Laden) is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him ... If he is terrorizing a terrorist, if he is terrorizing America the terrorist, the biggest terrorist, I am with him,” Naik said, minutes later adding that “every Muslim should be a terrorist.”

Peace TV, another website link, features Hussain Ye, a Chinese-Malaysian who converted to Islam as a teen and is known for making anti-Semitic statements during lectures.
Ever since the controversial posters went up in January, both Weinstein’s JDL and the Canadian Hindu Advocacy have stepped forward to demand their removal from TTC stations. “The Islamic sign, it is not just a verse from the Qur’an ... They put their website (address) as well, in red, so you go to that website and you’re connected with those (speakers),” said Weinstein.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross said there is not much the transit commission can do because the posters themselves do not advertise the links leading to Naik and Ye, or anyone else on the Islamic centre’s website. “The TTC does acknowledge that some advertisers may cause controversy, and that there will be those who oppose a given ad or message associated with that advertiser,” said Ross. “But provided an ad itself does not violate TTC policy or Canadian law, removing or rejecting an ad because it is controversial or gives offence to some is not reason enough to reject an ad.”

Mohamed Ovaidullah of the Walk-in Islamic Infocentre insisted the centre is doing nothing illegal, adding that it is paying around $1,000 a month to place the 10 posters in the station.

[Zaki]

Originally Posted by spearhead

Group wants Ontario speed limits raised
Laura Pedersen
http://m.torontosun.com/2012/04/17/g...-limits-raised

Speed limits on Ontario’s highways are too low, according to an Oshawa-based group. Stop100.ca is calling on the provincial government to boost existing maximum limits from the current 100 km/h by as much as 30 km/h. “If higher speed limits are set, people will simply not be exceeding them as much,” said Chris Klimek, the creator of the group. Klimek said many motorists he sees on the road are “not speeding just for the sake of speeding,” but are moving at a pace that is suitable for Ontario’s highway infrastructure. “I believe people are using their common sense in the speed that they are driving. Drivers are just made into law breakers due to current legislation,” insisted Klimek, a web developer who travels on the highways daily. The group is calling for maximum limits on all 400-series highways in metropolitan areas to be increased to 120 km/h.

However, the limit on Hwy. 407 and the express lanes on Hwy. 401 should be bumped up to 130 km/h because of “special safety enhancements,” according to the group. It also wants a speed limit of 130 km/h on all 400-series highways outside of metropolitan areas. Some of the enforcement attention could then be shifted to “lane discipline” instead of speeders, said Klimek.

Ontario transportation ministry spokesman Bob Nichols said the province currently has no interest in changing speed limits. In 2008, speed contributed to 21% of fatalities and 12% of all injuries sustained in motor vehicle in collisions in Ontario.“Experience in other jurisdictions generally indicates that fatal collisions can increase with higher speed limits,” he added.

I don't know what's the point of keeping speed limits at a 100kmh when everyone drives at 120kmh regularly. There is no point of a law if it is consistently broken by the general population.

[spearhead]

And todays available technology have bigger engines and faster. The only thing about increasing the limit is the cost of fuel may increase as well because when we drive faster, that will also increase the demand of fuel.

[spearhead]

Metrolinx on board with light-rail transit 204

BY DON PEAT ,CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
FIRST POSTED: TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 01:26 PM EDT | UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 07:28 PM EDT
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/24...t-rail-transit

TORONTO - Metrolinx will put Transit City back on the rails Wednesday.

The resurrection of the $8.4 billion light rail plan comes 17 months after Mayor Rob Ford killed Transit City on his first day in office and one month after city council voted to derail Ford’s dream of a Sheppard subway.

Under the new plan Metrolinx staff recommend building the four light rail lines on an accelerated construction timeline so they will be completed by 2020 — just as they would have been had Transit City not been halted. In one major change, Metrolinx now wants Infrastructure Ontario to manage the construction of the transit lines.

Ford was silent on the Metrolinx announcement Tuesday. His office didn’t release a statement but sources in the mayor’s office were encouraged that Infrastructure Ontario not the TTC would be managing the project.

If approved by the Metrolinx board Wednesday and subsequently by the province, the Sheppard LRT would be the first new transit line completed under the plan. Shovels for that controversial line would go in the ground mid-2014, in the midst of Toronto’s municipal election, and the line would be running by late 2018 — four years later then it was supposed to be built under the original transit plan.

Construction of the Eglinton LRT underway now would continue with the expectation it will be finished by 2020. The line will run underground through the centre of the city and above ground east of Laird Dr., near Brentcliffe Rd. The Finch West LRT would start being built in 2015 and be completed by 2019. The Scarborough RT replacement and extension would start in 2014 and be in-service by 2019.

Read more.

[ssiguy2]

How in hell does it take 4 years to convert SRT to LRT for just 6 km with 4 km extension?

[icemachine]

Originally Posted by ssiguy2

How in hell does it take 4 years to convert SRT to LRT for just 6 km with 4 km extension?

By paying contractors very slowly. If they were to speed up the work it would likely ruin the Province's zero deficit by 2017/18 promise

[The Mad Navigator]

Originally Posted by icemachine

By paying contractors very slowly. If they were to speed up the work it would likely ruin the Province's zero deficit by 2017/18 promise

Don't listen to sissy guy, he lives in BC and doesn't know what he's talking about.

[spearhead]

Do you guys agree to reduce the speed limit in GTA?

[rbt]

Originally Posted by spearhead

Do you guys agree to reduce the speed limit in GTA?

Yes. I also think driver training should be much more strict; see Japan's accident and fatality rates.

It only takes 1 driver in 100 to create a ripple effect which dramatically increases congestion.

1 driver in 100,000 to cause an accident which can cost millions directly (cleanup) and tens in millions in lost productivity.


I think our road rules should be heavily modelled on rules which have been shown to have low accident, fatality, and congestion rates.


Ultimately, highway capacity can be doubled using computer controled cars just because it removes unpredicable behaviour and creates uniform flow.

Our driving regulations could better encourage predictable driving behaviour and increase capacity of the same streets until the time that we are ready for computers to take over (computers are ready today, humans aren't ready for them).

[spearhead]

I think more pedestrians will be relaxing and jaywalking knowing that cars are travelling slower once they posted the new slower speed limits.

While i agree that its driver's fault as well, but many of the fatalities too were jaywalking and not paying attention when crossing the road. People have to be educated as well and to be aware of the danger in jaywalking.

I've seen a lot of kids crossing the street without looking left and right, just darting out from nowhere and sometimes listening to their headphones too and not paying attention.

Need more road signs too warning people not to jaywalking atleast.

[1. Caravaggio]

Originally Posted by spearhead

I think more pedestrians will be relaxing and jaywalking knowing that cars are travelling slower once they posted the new slower speed limits.

While i agree that its driver's fault as well, but many of the fatalities too were jaywalking and not paying attention when crossing the road. People have to be educated as well and to be aware of the danger in jaywalking.

I've seen a lot of kids crossing the street without looking left and right, just darting out from nowhere and sometimes listening to their headphones too and not paying attention.

Need more road signs too warning people not to jaywalking atleast.

Oh yeah, so lets make every street a German autobahn so that those pesky little pedestrians know their place. Where did you come from?

Cities are first for people and only after for cars. Besides, no car has ever been hurt by being hit by a pedestrian. So lets have our priorities straight.

[Epi]

It is true that people tend to drive at the speed that they think is safe for them. This is why speed traps are annoying, because they are usually made in areas where it is 'safe' to drive fast, but the speed limits make it slow.

That said, on most busy city streets, it is very hard to get above the current speed limits except late night or in the suburbs during non-peak times. So changing this will do nothing. I don't really see the point in lowering the speed limits everywhere to 30/40 except to make everyone confused and get more tickets, because I think 30 is so slow for most cars (i.e. just tap on your pedal and you're going 40) that aside for places where people naturally go slower due to obstacles or road width, it's not going to work. If they are serious about lowering speeds, they need to make roads narrower so people will just be scared of driving any faster instead of posting artificial limits.

I've read roads where there are no signs and no sidewalks, people naturally drive slower because they don't feel safe to go faster. We need to fundamentally alter the way we design our roads to take into account human psychology, instead of making super roads capable of speeding and artificially telling people to go slow.

---

In terms of highway driving though, I don't support increasing the limits even if they are artificial. Currently the only reason why people don't drive as fast as they safely can is because they don't want tickets. Having driven 200+ on the Autobahn multiple times, I can attest to the fact that the 400-series highways are straight enough with wide enough lanes and shoulders that under optimal conditions it actually is safe to drive at unlimited (autobahn) speeds.

Unfortunately due to the general driver courtesy and skill we see in Ontario, that would be extremely dangerous. It works in Germany because everyone follows the rules. People don't tailgate, slow drivers always drive on the right, people move over to let faster cars pass them even if they are going 200 and the car behind them wants to go 210. People also don't do blind lane changes like they do here. Drivers in Germany also generally never go faster than the speed limits (which in most places is 130 for autobahn, and can drop to 80 for construction zones which are numerous) unlike here where they are always ignored.

Considering how accidents become exponentially more dangerous the faster you go, having a speed limit of 120/130 on 400-series highways would encourage people to drive at 150/160 (currently people go 30-40 above the posted speed limits), and considering how bad drivers are, this would be very dangerous.

One extra thing that makes this work in Germany is that their highways are designed so that right lanes never become exit lanes. They never disappear. So if you want to go slow, you never need to change lanes, you can just go straight all day. Ontario highways always have right lanes becoming exit lanes, which forces people to turn left every exit if they want to stay right. This means increased merging, and increased chance a slow car will cut in front of a fast car, and at ever higher speeds this is more and more dangerous.

From my driving experience we also have vastly more truck traffic than they do in Europe (actually the 401 has more truck traffic than most places even in North America in my experience). This means more people cutting in and out to avoid trucks, and thus more chances for accidents, which at faster and faster speeds is bad news.

[icemachine]

Traffic in general is much better in Europe, likely due to more stringent training and harsher penalties for violating laws