[Monarch Butterfly]

Runway clearance areas, specifically Runway Safety Areas (RSAs) and Runway End Safety Areas (RESAs), are generally designed to be free of obstacles to reduce damage during overruns or undershoots. While these areas often restrict permanent, vertical obstacles, some low-impact uses like landscaping are allowed, whereas placing roads or vehicles within these zones is heavily regulated and often prohibited during operations.

 

[NY99]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this...

But I've noticed a relative deterioration in the quality of discourse here. I'm not sure if it's over-zealous new members or what, but I've noticed a general creeping in of inflammatory language, accusations of bad faith/ignorance, and other things which remind me of other internet forums.

If you wish to be combative, Reddit or Twitter is a Google search away. Those places have turned negativity into an art form. UT has been a welcome respite for passionate yet informed discussion about the city we all love. It's not a great look to act like an armchair warrior, ESPECIALLY against people who are clearly in-the-know. It makes this place worse for everyone. It would behoove all of us to keep this in mind.

 

[nfitz]

Ontario's Bill 110, Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 includes the expropriation of Bathurst Street, from south of the Gardiner Expressway to Queens Quay West.

The image below is from an article published by Toronto Today.

Portions of the 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst streetcar routes might be at risk if Bill 110 is passed.

The act doesn't expropriate the streetcar tracks or the paved road. Why would it impact the streetcar routes then? Why talk about the impacts of Section 2(1) but ignore the mitigation in 2(5)? Or the public statements by the government of what they are doing.

It's already clear in the airport expropriations that some of the the PINs that are part of airport are large - and obviously include other stuff that province has no interest in.

In this case, the PIN that covers Bathurst, also encompasses Eirean Quay, and in particular airport features such as the entrance to the drop-off area.

This is definitely heavy-handed, but I don't see how it helps anyone to get into hyperbole and to exaggerate what the province is doing. I oppose the province's reach here - but seeing so many things being said that simply aren't true, pushes me the other way.

But I've noticed a relative deterioration in the quality of discourse here. I'm not sure if it's over-zealous new members or what, but I've noticed a general creeping in of inflammatory language, accusations of bad faith/ignorance, and other things which remind me of other internet forums.

It's a good point. Lately we've had new members who treat the discourse as some odd political or legal battle - who seem to be more interested in scoring points than discussing the bigger picture.

Admins have asked us to report stuff rather than arguing about it here. At the same time, Admins wouldn't even block a user I won't name who repeatedly harassed other users in DMs, after being told multiple times to stop messaging.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

TTC To Relax Streetcar Speed Restrictions​

From https://stevemunro.ca/2026/04/29/ttc-to-relax-streetcar-speed-restrictions/

According to a bulletin from the TTC’s Safety and Environment Department, effective May 24, 2026 some speed restrictions that hobble streetcar operations will be dropped.

• At crosswalks and signalized intersections, streetcars are now restricted to entering at 25 km/h. This will change so that cars can operate at up to the posted speed limit.
• The 10 km/h speed restriction at intersections on The Queensway will be removed, and cars can operate up to the posted speed limit.
• Intersections with special work, or with other explicit restrictions, continue to be subject to slow orders.
• Notwithstanding these changes, Operators are expected to drive defensively and adapt to road and weather conditions.

This is a first step in attempting to speed up streetcar routes, but the limits at special work (switches, crossings) remain in place. This will not change, if at all, without a thorough review of factors contributing to that long-standing policy including:

• Reliability of electric switch controllers,
• Benefits of double-blade switches for Flexity streetcar movement through turns, and
• Signaling to provide a positive indication for operators that switches are set and locked to the desired route.

 

[innsertnamehere]

TTC To Relax Streetcar Speed Restrictions​

From https://stevemunro.ca/2026/04/29/ttc-to-relax-streetcar-speed-restrictions/

Even ignoring special trackwork this is a HUGE win and returns service closer to how it historically operated pre-Rick Leary (ewwww...). Special Trackwork restrictions are still frustrating but at least are a minority of total intersections on the network, even if it has outsized impacts on some routes (Spadina especially) which have special track work at most intersections.

 

[Northern Light]

TTC To Relax Streetcar Speed Restrictions​

From https://stevemunro.ca/2026/04/29/ttc-to-relax-streetcar-speed-restrictions/

You heard about that first on UT, in this very thread, 13 days ago:

TTC: Streetcar Network

There are a lot of idiot streetcar stops on the network that make little sense in keeping around. Here's another, this one's on the 501/507/508, 2 stops -one at 30th St and another at 29th St which is literally 3 streetcar lengths: At that rate we're better off installing moving sidewalks...

urbantoronto.ca

From yours truly.

Interestingly, the intersection treatment, for tangent track will be more generous that was proffered.

The suggestion had been relaxing intersections from 25km/ph to 35km/ph but instead they will go to the posted speed limit which will vary between 40-60km/ph

Good news indeed.

 

[felix123]

TTC To Relax Streetcar Speed Restrictions​

From https://stevemunro.ca/2026/04/29/ttc-to-relax-streetcar-speed-restrictions/

Thanks for breaking this news. Glad to hear that there are finally some improvements coming to the streetcar network. Hopefully the dynamic signal priority is activated soon too.

 

[Amare]

Hallelujah the lord is good!

This is a good first step, but the rest of the network improvements really need to be implemented for the streetcar network to have substantially improved operations.

Now what I dont understand is why the speed restrictions for bridge and underpass clearances were not scrapped as a part of this. There's nothing stopping them form implementing this tomorrow, the trolley poles are long gone.

 

[M II A II R II K]

They start with a route that’s not particularly slow in the first place

 

[Northern Light]

They start with a route that’s not particularly slow in the first place

What is it that you're talking about?

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

What is it that you're talking about?

Having the streetcars crawl at 10 km/h at The Queensway intersections didn't make sense to me. Having them travel at the posted speed limit of 40 km/h along The Queensway, also doesn't make sense. Since very few motorists will do 40 km/h (as posted) along a roadway (The Queensway) that was designed and built in the 1950's for 60 km/h (or 40 mph back then).

 

[innsertnamehere]

Having the streetcars crawl at 10 km/h at The Queensway intersections didn't make sense to me. Having them travel at the posted speed limit of 40 km/h along The Queensway, also doesn't make sense. Since very few motorists will do 40 km/h (as posted) along a roadway (The Queensway) that was designed and built in the 1950's for 60 km/h (or 40 mph back then).

It highlights the farce of many of the speed limit "reductions" we have seen across the City (and GTA). Speed Limits in Ontario were already below most peer jurisdictions, they are comically low now and only further feed the culture of speeding.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

It highlights the farce of many of the speed limit "reductions" we have seen across the City (and GTA). Speed Limits in Ontario were already below most peer jurisdictions, they are comically low now and only further feed the culture of speeding.

Especially without speed cameras, and not a cop in sight.

 

[nfitz]

It highlights the farce of many of the speed limit "reductions" we have seen across the City (and GTA). Speed Limits in Ontario were already below most peer jurisdictions, they are comically low now and only further feed the culture of speeding.

My observation with the drop of speed limits, cars are driving slower - even where there's no cameras (which is almost everywhere).

I'm not sure how less pedestrians dying or getting life-changing injuries is comical.

 

[innsertnamehere]

My observation with the drop of speed limits, cars are driving slower - even where there's no cameras (which is almost everywhere).

I'm not sure how less pedestrians dying or getting life-changing injuries is comical.

Speed limit drops from 60 to 40 without any changes to road geometry - yes, cars aren't going to be doing 65 still like they did before.. but they aren't going to do 45 either. Maybe they are doing 55 now.

That is perhaps a win as it's 10km/h slower than before, but now it's also teaching those drivers that 15-over is "acceptable".

My complaints about speed limit reductions have more do to with rural and low-pedestrian environment roads than they do with small local streets or inner-city arterials. I don't have issues with 30 or 40 zones on residential side streets, they actually make a lot of sense. My issue is with the trend of dropping speed limits on roads like the Queensway or the (failed) attempt to drop it on the Bayview extension - areas with few to no pedestrians and where reduced limits do little for vulnerable road user safety as there are few vulnerable road users in the first place..

There is little to no risk reduction in a 40km/h speed limit on a roadway like this for example - the few pedestrians there are have separated facilities and there are few conflict points.. and that's not even getting to the streetcar speed limit here which has extremely low conflicts:

And that's ignoring the even more egregious rural speed limits which have been implemented in areas around the GTA which have effectively no vulnerable road users and have generally done nothing but create speed traps: