Best and Worst of the Week

What a long week! I traveled to Toronto for a whopping 48 hours and met some great plannery people. So here it goes, Transit City edition:

Best: Bumber to bumber streetcars (drool). Never realized how great it is to have a back window!

Worst: Overhead wires. Yikes, there is a lot of clutter. Finger crossed that Saint Paul can swing some of those wireless trolleys.

Best: Cool subway font used in every station. The tiles are also pretty amazing. Of course, I am not the first person to notice this - I am just one of many fans.

Worst: Skinny platforms. Makin' our LRT platforms look pretty luxurious. Amazing what a little ADA can do (I missed ADA often while in Canada.)

Best: Commonwealth candy. Picked up a Mr. Big and a Coffee Crisp - hubby's favorites.

Worst: The King Seat. Not sure why the back of every bus has this special throne, but this would cause a lot of trouble on the 16. There are already power struggles in the back of the bus, people. Terrible idea!

Best: A foot pedal on a public trash can. Yes! Why don't we have these?

Worst: Wayfinding fail. A wayfinding panel that says that maps will be added soon. Not helpful!

Best: Bike fairy love. Found on the seat of a Bixi (bikeshare) bike in Dundas Square.

Greetings from Transit City

If I were in the business of creating reality shows, I would be hauling a crew up here to Toronto to set up Real World Transit City. And the first person I would put in the house is Mayor Rob Ford. I could fill you in on all the melodrama, but I feel like these headlines really sum it up:

• Mayor Rob Ford’s “Save Our Subways” campaign does nothing for Sheppard commuters and only hurts the TTC

• Mayor Rob Ford whiffs, swinging for subway fences

• Mayor Rob Ford brushes aside poll that says Torontonians don’t trust him to handle subways-LRT debate

• Mayor Rob Ford fumbles as city staff deem subway funding risky and unworkable

• Council showdown looms over who should be on the Toronto Transit Commission

• Rob Ford crashes head-first into 21st century reality

• Only a judge can fire a mayor

Did I mention that these were all just from this week? You get the point - this guy would be absolutely terrific in a Real World house. And I think the second person I would add to the house would be the author of this sign. I spotted this today on Queen Street at Broadview Avenue.

A few notes: David Miller was the former Mayor and creator of the Transit City plan, and Gary Webster is the TTC general manager who was fired last week by...that's right, Rob Ford! So good.