The estimable “Fixer” at the Toronto Star has ventured into those rarified parts of town where traffic circles decorate residential intersections. Residents of the Broadway Ave. area west of Bayview know them well as do those on Governor’s Road below Bennington Heights. The circle inset  is at Governor’s and Nesbitt Drive. It is fun to see drivers try to figure out what to do. Many who want to turn left just ignore the circle. A common reality at these neighborhood circles is the scarceness of traffic needed to justify cluttering up the intersection with “traffic control” suitable for highways. The Fixer, Jack Lakey, reports on the decision of residents further north to ask for stop signs so everybody is kept safe.  Jack Lakey

Toronto Bike Share is the new name for what”s left of the bankrupt Bixi Bike operation in this city. Toronto Bike Share will run by a U.S. firm, Alta Bicycle Share, an Oregon company which has had success operating the Bike Share concept in a number of U.S. cities. The Toronto Parking Authority will announce the changes Monday (March 21, 2014). Everything takes effect Tuesday, the same day TPA takes over as the new operator. It will a test to see if Bike share can make a go of it in Toronto’s difficult weather. A new pricing scheme is designed to encourage riders to commit for longer period.  Twenty-four-hour passes increase from $5 to $7 and 72-hour passes from $12 to $15. However monthly memberships will drop more than half from $41 to $18 and annual memberships will decrease from $97 to $90. TPA is said to be still  looking for a sponsor to help offset the costs, which might change the name again.

At Carstowe Rd  footbridge

The Toronto Star has run an editorial raising concern that residents of central Toronto (South Bayview too) don’t have enough information about hazardous goods carried on the CP rail line under the shoreline of the prehistoric Lake Iroquois. This earth feature is noticeable where the main line rolls along under the homes on Leacrest Road and the Crestview apartments. It crosses the Bayview extension and, under a steep embankment, divides Rosedale and Moore Park. The trains find their way past the new residential district surrounding the old CP station at Summerhill and Yonge, and go on out along Dupont to the Junction. The Star’s contention is that the decision to keep the nature of these cargoes semi-secret is not good enough. The railways actually share information with municipalities and emergency services so that they may be better able to respond if there is a crisis. Why not share this information with everyone? You may guess, as the Star states, that authorities are concerned that dangerous people might use timetables and other particulars to blow up or derail trains. The newspaper contends however that more information could be shared after the fact so that residents know what is really happening in close proximity to their homes. 

It’s supposed to be about the conservation of energy, but prophylactic maker Durex was recommending tonight that Canadians use Earth Hour to burn up some calories in bed. The saucy campaign was named #TurnOffToTurnOn and generated lots of interest on Twitter. The above video is quite charming. For those otherwise occupied, it was a choice of whether to go dark, and if so, just how completely. Many find it difficult to turn off the television and computer. But a lot of homes had the lights out. Former mayor David Miller, head of the Canadian Chapter of the World Wildlife Fund, called Earth Hour an opportunity for everyone to ponder climate change solutions. WWF created Earth Hour. Cynics abounded of course. There was a trace of such in Steve Paikin’s tweet asking “Fire places are allowed during Earth Hour, aren’t they?” Toronto Hydro announced after the 8.30 to 9.30 event that the power draw decreased by only six percent, however. The highest decrease in usage during Earth Hour was in 2009, Earth Hour’s second year. 

City council votes on Tuesday (April 1, 2014) on whether to proceed with the expansion of Billy Bishop Airport. Those opposed to jets on the island are asking supporters to target eight undecided councillors who will hold the key to the outcome. No-Jets Toronto is asking members to send mail to the eight. Four of the councillors are from the South Bayview area. They are Karen Stintz, Jaye Robinson, Josh Matlow and Josh Colle. The other four are Scarborough members: Raymond Cho, Michelle Berardinetti, Gary Crawford and Chin Lee.  The last ditch effort against what many see as an inevitable march towards a “Toronto LaGuardia Airport” runs in the face of polls showing many residents are at peace with jets on the airport. But some say the public is being bamboozled. Former mayor and municipal statesman David Crombie has suggested the jets issue is being used to cloud the reality that many airlines will insist on, and be granted, permission to use the airport. One can hear it in the New Speak of those in favour. The airport is a municipal asset that should be grown, says deputy mayor Norm Kelly. It is impossible for Porter Airlines to presume it can be the sole operator at a thriving downtown location like this.  The issues are the noise and our irreplaceable island parkland. We hear the daily noise even now over South Bayview from the propeller craft. This was our unasked-for gift from City Council after decades of normal quiet in which most of the homes here were purchased. Those who cast this airport as an essential part of the vitality of the city are talking rubbish. Toronto became the jewel that it is with zero passenger service originating from the  island.