MB Toronto
Morning Brew: It's Presto time for TTC, Toronto tourism is up, police name tag problems, York University students place second in Mars Rover contest, and are the Service Review consultations helpful?
It's 'Presto, chango' for the TTC as it looks to officially adopt the Presto provincial fare card system this week. A TTC staff report intended for Wednesday recommends the city and TTC begin negotiations with Metrolinx and the province on how to implement the green smart cards. It's still unclear when exactly commuters would be able to use Presto cards and how much it will cost taxpayers to equip all transportation modes and stations with electronic card readers.This is obviously a big turn-around the for the TTC, which had previously deemed the cards too expensive and out-of-date.
According to a new Tourism Toronto report set to be released today, more international travellers are crossing the ocean to visit our fair city but less American motorists are crossing the border, thanks to a high loonie. Though there was an 11 per cent jump in overseas and European visitors, two-thirds of our tourists still come from elsewhere in Canada. Overall, Toronto had a three per cent jump in tourism, but people spent more money, pumping $3.4 billion into the city's economy. Still, according to Tourism Toronto's vice-president of communication, Toronto is known for "its components, not its totality", something they're trying to work on.
A big issue at the G20 public hearings is the fact that many police officers did not wear name tags during the summit, and according to a local student activist, Toronto's police officers are still violating the policy by refusing to wear name tags while on duty. Vikram Mulligan has taken photos of on-duty officers working with no visible name tag since the G20 and presented his findings at the G20 public hearings, which continue this week. Mulligan would like all police officers to wear their name tags. A Toronto police spokesman said that older police raincoats don't have patches for name tag, but that they will eventually be replaced with new ones with such advanced technology.
This week's National Post's political panel discusses whether the Service Review consultations, which wrap up this week, are actually helpful in civic participation, or are they merely a show to appease the people because the city's just going to go ahead and cut what they want anyway.
IN BRIEF:
Photo by Iainphotos in the blogTO Flickr pool.
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Yes, Velcro is considered an "advanced technology". TPS, what a joke... their motto should be "excuses before answers"
It shouldn't be rocket science for the TTC to figure out how to implement Presto. They've been running it as a pilot project at 12 stations for the past year. As a Presto user I can say that it's more convenient by far.
http://www.thestar.com/news/fixer/article/1003071--fixer-are-cyclists-alienating-drivers-by-being-selfish-and-rude
Gee I wonder why this didn't make the cut.
"I am above zee law! Hmph!"
Interesting article. I cycle in the city a lot and even I get pissed at a lot of cyclists who have no regard for the rules of the road. Just like there are a bunch of bad drivers out there - same thing with cyclists.
Give me a break.
Hate to break it to you kiddied: when facing mobs they almost never wear their badges, so clearly there is some unwritten rule (whether from the police department of the union itself) I am sure there will be some sort of award and statue for the clever reporter that can find the memo.
In February 1981, as a couple hundred very nervous police built a human chain around 55 Division on Dundas St while 15 or 20 thousand very angry lesbian and gay people shouted at them - none of them were wearing nametags.
Later, as a march along University broke into pandemonium on the front lawn of the legislature building, the cop that 10 people had dragged to the ground and were punching also did not wear his name tag. (I know, I was very, very close.)
I do not have much use for the police, personally. Whenever I have needed their help, generally some technicality has gotten the perp off and I was just a hapless victim, but it wasn't the cops' fault, it was the system.
By taking your anger out on the cops, you are wasting your time. As one bored cop said to me while myself and three other 'found-ins' were held in an alley behind 55 Division the night before, awaiting to be 'processed' at 3 in the morning,"We'd rather be in bed sleeping with our wives. We don't need the over time, thanks. Your beef is not with us; we could care less what you guys do in there. Try talking to your MPP."
This is like watching a slow-motion crash.
We need bigger stations and more trains, not fancy electronic crap that I am forced to use.
I never needed a 400 million dollar system to get me around the GTA, just the equivilant of $20 in my pocket.
PRESTO is for the lazy.
The difference is easily measurable.
(And on Go, if you have a regular route you take, you can set your card up to know that. So, when you use your regular route, you don't need to tap out. You only tap out if you're going somewhere different than usual.)