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Hey folks, Thought I'd start a new discussion regarding the King Street transit pilot project being tested in downtown Toronto, since it would stray considerably from general streetcar news and discussion, as well as any other TTC discussion. Starting November 12th, 2017, the City of Toronto will initiate the project between Bathurst Street and Jarvis Street. The project's main aims are to increase efficiency of transit along that particular stretch of King St., primarily improving the service of the 504 King Streetcar in the downtown core. The 504 King is the busiest streetcar route that the TTC offers, with over sixty five thousand in daily ridership. People and Transit are being given priority over vehicle traffic. Until this weekend, this stretch of King street was notorious for its awful efficiency both from transit and traffic perspectives. With over twenty thousand vehicles using the street for relatively local trips (which can be done via parallel streets), transit was getting clogged up. This resulted in uneven spacing between streetcars and the notorious "walking is faster than the TTC" statement. As of the 12th of November, cars are no longer permitted to drive straight through any intersections between Bathurst Street and Jarvis Street. They will only be allowed to turn right, and in few cases left as well, thus removing the use of King as a main thoroughfare. Exceptions to this include TTC vehicles, construction/service vehicles, emergency services, as well as taxis which are only permitted to drive through at certain times of the day. TTC streetcar stops have been moved to the opposite side of the intersections with protected waiting areas. Cyclists are permitted to continue through intersections as usual, abiding by the existing regulations. This project is a cost-effective way of easing traffic congestion along one of the main transit corridors in downtown Toronto, and there are further plans to implement this on other streets, such as Queen and Dundas Sts. Further plans are in place to construct public spaces along King in place of the on-street parking. These spaces would include, but are not limited to: bicycle parking, sidewalk cafes, open seating etc. Here are some links for you all to take a look at: Main Page: https://web.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/planning-studies-initiatives/king-street-pilot/ Overview: https://web.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/planning-studies-initiatives/king-street-pilot/king-street-transit-pilot-overview/ Informative Posters: https://web.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/968e-Police-Postcard_AODA.pdf Informational Brochures: https://web.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/9096-King-Street-Brochure_Oct25_Web.pdf So let's see what you all think of it? Questions? Suggestions/Criticisms? Or even your own adjustments? Let the discussion begin!

Toronto ranks among the world's 20 best cities to drive in based on the study released by German online car parts company Kfzteile24 on Wednesday. The survey included other Canadian cities too. According to the study, Calgary had the best ranking, coming in at 10th place to drive in the world. Montreal followed the list with 13th place, Toronto 14th place. Ottawa ranked 22nd, Vancouver 48th. Kfzteile24 gathered data from TomTom Traffic Index and also from the city councils to generate this results. It considered nine different factors when ranking the cities, and assigned different weight to each factors. Do you guys find these results realistic? Please share your opinions in the comment below. Thank you. Trans-Plan