The Most Recent Index

Links to Articles of Interest

SRRA Forum Focused on Congestion as CBC and the Globe and Mail Join the Conversation

The CBC ran a multi-part series on congestion (see video/9.6624613) but the Globe is also talking up the success of other cities like New York (brand new experiment) and London (20 years in).

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6624613

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-new-york-city-curbs-traffic-with-the-magic-of-tolls/

Vancouver Rejects Congestion Pricing to Plug Funding Gap but Ottawa to the rescue?

In Canada’s most expensive city, politicians reject congestion pricing to address a shortfall in funding, even though a recent study suggested there would be a net benefit to the coffers of TransLink by imposing a modest fee (see video/9.6626360). In the meantime, Ottawa is said to be sending more than $600M to plug the gap.

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6626360

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-ottawa-to-contribute-663-million-for-metro-vancouver-transit/

Dreaming in Technicolour? Metrolinx Reports on a Possible Future View of Transit in the GTA

Perhaps the idea was to move the focus away from the never-ending debate about when long-delayed Crosstown and Finch LRT might open for business or even ballooning costs for the Ontario Line?

https://www.blogto.com/city/2025/01/future-toronto-transit-map/?utm_source=blogTO-Top-Stories&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ZOOMER250106007_20250106&oly_enc_id=4124G6602090F9I

Sweeping Review of Canada’s Transit History Suggests We Get a Failing Grade

Although Vancouver and Montreal get a pass, Toronto’s track record is dismal, according to a Globe editorial that concludes costs per kilometer for projects in Ontario (mostly in the GTA) are unacceptable when compared to other jurisdictions. Another tunnel proposal from the Ontario government – this time to tunnel a section of LRT in Brampton – passed almost without notice.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-building-transit-in-canada-has-gone-off-track/

Meanwhile, the BBC Offers Up Some Controversial Views on Working from Home

If the trusted voice of the BBC is willing to ask the question “Is working from home on the way out?” can the rest of the world be far behind? Auntie is never wrong.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ew0jrjxz9o.amp

Sources Suggest That Remote Work on the Wane in the U.S.

Boosted by perhaps the only Executive Order signed by the new president that is based in reality (https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/return-to-office-federal-employees-telework-policy-rcna188629) companies like J.P. Morgan and Amazon are starting to dispense with carrots, switching to the stick to get employees back in the office.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/10/business/jpmorgan-orders-staff-to-return-to-office-5-days-a-week-best-way-to-run-the-company/?utm_campaign=nypost&utm_medium=referral

Does the Perfect Transit System Actually Exist?

A contributor to the Globe and Mail believes it does, citing the extraordinary success in Switzerland’s commitment to providing true coordinated transit access that runs like a Suisse watch.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-what-north-america-can-learn-from-the-greatest-transportation-system/

Is Vaughan’s Plan for a Walkable Downtown the Real Thing?

Seventeen towers up to 74 storeys in height are presented as a recipe for a walkable downtown in Vaughan. “At first we wondered if the buildings are too tall,” mused one of the architects for this yet to be approved proposal which needs density to “build a community that relies on transit,” he concluded. Office jobs are a possibility. Meanwhile, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station is attracting 26,000 commuters a day. (Bloor-Yonge handles 156,000 passengers a day.)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/industry-news/property-report/article-vaughan-sets-sights-on-a-towering-new-downtown/