Morning Brew: Near miss at Pearson airport, WHO says Canada is failing cyclists, waterfront still popular, man jailed for assaulting TTC driver, and new streetcar video

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating after a truck rolled onto an active runway at Pearson on Monday night, narrowly missing a landing aircraft. The Air Canada Embraer 190, which has a capacity of 97 people, made a safe landing.

The World Health Organization says Canada should be doing more to protect cyclists and pedestrians from injury on its roads. A new report says the country is one of several promoting alternative modes of transportation without providing for user safety. But what do those international health experts know, eh?

Almost two thirds of Torontonians have visited the waterfront in the past year despite heavy construction in the area, according to a new poll. 66% of those surveyed had been to the Lake Ontario shore between the Don Valley and Ontario Place. The average participant visited roughly every two months. How often do you get down to the waterfront?

Metrolinx will start construction on the Terminal 1 station of the Union-Pearson Express (formerly known as the Air-Rail Link) shortly. The line will terminate in a purpose-built extension of Union station within the SkyWalk.

A 56-year-old man has been jailed for assaulting a streetcar driver, the TTC says. In January Salah Hussein was denied a free ride on the 501 Queen car and responded by spitting on the operator. Hussein pleaded guilty to assault and will spend 45 days in jail.

Bucharest's sprawling Centrul Civic is a brutalist scar carved on the ancient city by dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu in the 1980s. A new web project overlays the unbelievably massive plaza over various world cities, including Toronto. If the giant project was built here it would stretch from Broadview Avenue to Trinity Bellwoods Park.

Winter is almost done, and that means the city is packing up and rolling away its outdoor ice rinks (or whatever it does) starting at 10 tonight. If you didn't manage to hit the ice this season, too bad, I guess.

Finally, here's video of the TTC's new streetcar squealing its way out of the Hillcrest yard for the first time on Wednesday night. The car made another trip down Bathurst St. last night, this time reaching the Exhibition loop. Note the electronic bell. What do you think?

IN BRIEF:

• Two assaults against cab drivers have taxi union calling for special protection [Toronto Star]
• 4-alarm fire destroys used car business [CBC]
• Penguins rally past Leafs for 7th straight win [CBC]

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: "Crossing the Tracks" by Nick Wons Photography/blogTO Flickr pool.