Again, I don't know why so many folks are making ION's freezing rain outage about defending transit instead of about enforcing contracts so that our public transit works properly. web.archive.org/web/2015011410…
The best defence of our transit system is ensuring that the system works well for riders, and that requires criticism as well as support.
Feb 18, 2023 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
He’s not wrong. Before the LRT was built, the argument was trains would be run continuously overnight to keep it clear of ice — if the operating contract doesn’t require that, we need to change it. And/or get a train with an ice cutter.
It’s not unreasonable to expect our public infrastructure to be operated effectively and be there when we need it!
The debate over whether to build this LRT is long past, but we need to make sure it’s run well so the service itself isn’t an argument against building more.
Mar 14, 2022 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
A translation of this video from Marina Ovsyannikova, who protested the war on a Channel One Russia broadcast:
"What's happening in Ukraine is a crime. Russia is the aggressor, and responsibility belongs to one person: Vladimir Putin."
Oct 9, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Automakers, let's make a deal: you add an option for cars to make it really easy to stick to the speed limit, and I'll be a bit less aggressive about trying to ban your products
Right now people largely drive according to the very high design speeds of our roads, which is easier to do than to follow the speed limit.
Jul 12, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Ontario should be running direct GO Transit buses hourly between Kitchener and Toronto and instead it's widening highways at 100x the cost
Trains are great and we should be building infrastructure for all day train service but buses can be run basically tomorrow and it's appalling that they're not
Jun 21, 2019 • 14 tweets • 7 min read
The @RegionWaterloo Rapid Transit project was what first got me interested in and involved in local government and advocacy, way back in 2005 when I first moved here for university. And it's part of why I stayed here. #IONday
It's been a long road to ION light rail opening day, but the staff, the councillors, and community advocates persevered to get it going and get it done. 💪 #IONday
Feb 7, 2019 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
There are cities where the roads are cleared of snow by the city and it's fine. There's ones where the city clears the sidewalks and it's fine.
There aren't cities where a hundred thousand different property owners all shovel the sidewalks and it's fine.
I don't care about your ideology of "personal responsibility" or irresponsibly low taxes or neighbours with snow blowers, get the damn sidewalks cleared so people can get through and not fall down. Scalably, reliably cleared, without a change to human nature.
