Ontario Traffic Man
@ontariotrafficman.bsky.social
Transportation in Ontario.
EN🇨🇦/FR🇨🇦/NL🇳🇱
He/him
youtube.com/@ontariotrafficman
EN🇨🇦/FR🇨🇦/NL🇳🇱
He/him
youtube.com/@ontariotrafficman
It wouldn't be the first time Québec saves us from ourselves
November 28, 2025 at 2:18 AM
It wouldn't be the first time Québec saves us from ourselves
Bike shaped icons were legalized in 2016 yet for some reason Toronto still installs "bicycle signal" signs next to every bicycle signal... Even the ones whete the bicycle signal is the only signal
November 27, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Bike shaped icons were legalized in 2016 yet for some reason Toronto still installs "bicycle signal" signs next to every bicycle signal... Even the ones whete the bicycle signal is the only signal
Red arrows aren't just advised against, they're illegal. It's literally rule number 1 in the traffic signal regulation!
www.ontario.ca/laws/regulat...
www.ontario.ca/laws/regulat...
![Every traffic control signal shall consist of one circular amber and one circular red indication in combination with, [...]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:d2kmnbehu6yj76g7bhhe4yet/bafkreidgdplv3jrdhsv67gqtek36f35nnxcjlr25k274iqn5stc3tzmtwu@jpeg)
November 27, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Red arrows aren't just advised against, they're illegal. It's literally rule number 1 in the traffic signal regulation!
www.ontario.ca/laws/regulat...
www.ontario.ca/laws/regulat...
Just a few weeks ago I told a German tourist to try just tapping their EU debit card on the Presto reader, and it actually worked. Open payment makes transit so easy to access
November 27, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Just a few weeks ago I told a German tourist to try just tapping their EU debit card on the Presto reader, and it actually worked. Open payment makes transit so easy to access
Yeah the full set would be different bars for different directions, as well as transit specific symbols for yellow and red
November 27, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Yeah the full set would be different bars for different directions, as well as transit specific symbols for yellow and red
The issue is that there's only one transit indication (vertical bar). In Toronto they gave it the meaning "turn but not straight" so if they want a transit to indicate "straight but not turn" they need to use an ordinary green.
Ideally we'd have diagonal bars too
Ideally we'd have diagonal bars too
November 27, 2025 at 3:29 AM
The issue is that there's only one transit indication (vertical bar). In Toronto they gave it the meaning "turn but not straight" so if they want a transit to indicate "straight but not turn" they need to use an ordinary green.
Ideally we'd have diagonal bars too
Ideally we'd have diagonal bars too
Multiple signals per phase are required in Ontario, except pedestrian and bike phases.
November 26, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Multiple signals per phase are required in Ontario, except pedestrian and bike phases.
To clarify, changing the signals is not hard. Toronto changed all the bike signals in a few weeks when bike-shaped signals were legalized in 2016.
What is hard is getting the province to legalize more than just one indication for transit signals (vertical bar).
What is hard is getting the province to legalize more than just one indication for transit signals (vertical bar).
November 26, 2025 at 2:04 AM
To clarify, changing the signals is not hard. Toronto changed all the bike signals in a few weeks when bike-shaped signals were legalized in 2016.
What is hard is getting the province to legalize more than just one indication for transit signals (vertical bar).
What is hard is getting the province to legalize more than just one indication for transit signals (vertical bar).
Most of the signals are already equipped with Transit Signal Priority that can absolutely do that. The City just chooses not to
November 26, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Most of the signals are already equipped with Transit Signal Priority that can absolutely do that. The City just chooses not to
Line 3 will be the Ontario Line
November 24, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Line 3 will be the Ontario Line
Yeah it's definitely not the worst.
November 24, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Yeah it's definitely not the worst.
Some Canadian businesses do Black Friday sales on the day after Thanksgiving, while others do it after US Thanksgiving
November 24, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Some Canadian businesses do Black Friday sales on the day after Thanksgiving, while others do it after US Thanksgiving
Amsterdam is fine but not remarkable by Dutch standards. There are other cities with better cycling environments: Utrecht, Groningen, Houten, Almere etc. Most Dutch suburbs have safer and more pleasant cycling than Amsterdam
November 24, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Amsterdam is fine but not remarkable by Dutch standards. There are other cities with better cycling environments: Utrecht, Groningen, Houten, Almere etc. Most Dutch suburbs have safer and more pleasant cycling than Amsterdam
It wouldn't have taken much to make them ADA compliant. They had level boarding at stations with high level platforms.
November 24, 2025 at 10:09 PM
It wouldn't have taken much to make them ADA compliant. They had level boarding at stations with high level platforms.
The line needed massive investment regardless. It was single track, not grade separated, and not accessible. The tunnel needed rehab.
Those upgrades would have cost more as regional rail than they did as metro since metros are lighter, can climb steeper grades and don't need such large stations.
Those upgrades would have cost more as regional rail than they did as metro since metros are lighter, can climb steeper grades and don't need such large stations.
November 24, 2025 at 10:07 PM
The line needed massive investment regardless. It was single track, not grade separated, and not accessible. The tunnel needed rehab.
Those upgrades would have cost more as regional rail than they did as metro since metros are lighter, can climb steeper grades and don't need such large stations.
Those upgrades would have cost more as regional rail than they did as metro since metros are lighter, can climb steeper grades and don't need such large stations.
Why did they use a US speed sign for an article about Halifax?
They don't even use the same units of measure
They don't even use the same units of measure
November 23, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Why did they use a US speed sign for an article about Halifax?
They don't even use the same units of measure
They don't even use the same units of measure
Yes. The most notorious example is that streetcars heading straight are not allowed to insert a short transit phase before leading left turn phases even though the priority system is perfectly capable of doing so. They explicitly chose to make streetcars wait for left turns.
November 23, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Yes. The most notorious example is that streetcars heading straight are not allowed to insert a short transit phase before leading left turn phases even though the priority system is perfectly capable of doing so. They explicitly chose to make streetcars wait for left turns.
@flurfdesign.bsky.social apparently missed the fact that the vast vast majority of signals on the streetcar network already have Transit Signal Priority installed. The poor TSP performance is actually due to unpredictable dwell times, low priority parameters and poor maintenance.
November 22, 2025 at 9:25 PM
@flurfdesign.bsky.social apparently missed the fact that the vast vast majority of signals on the streetcar network already have Transit Signal Priority installed. The poor TSP performance is actually due to unpredictable dwell times, low priority parameters and poor maintenance.
The difference is entirely the single-stage pedestrian crossings in Toronto.
November 22, 2025 at 12:36 AM
The difference is entirely the single-stage pedestrian crossings in Toronto.
I calculated the tram delay for TSP setups at Dan Leckie in Toronto. From best to worst:
1. In-phase: extend+insert
2. French-style: extend+truncate previous phase
3. In-phase: extend (typical TTC)
4. French-style: call only (existing)
1. In-phase: extend+insert
2. French-style: extend+truncate previous phase
3. In-phase: extend (typical TTC)
4. French-style: call only (existing)
November 21, 2025 at 10:38 AM
I calculated the tram delay for TSP setups at Dan Leckie in Toronto. From best to worst:
1. In-phase: extend+insert
2. French-style: extend+truncate previous phase
3. In-phase: extend (typical TTC)
4. French-style: call only (existing)
1. In-phase: extend+insert
2. French-style: extend+truncate previous phase
3. In-phase: extend (typical TTC)
4. French-style: call only (existing)
And it can insert a transit-only phase between your ph2 and ph3, or change the order of ph1 and 3 to avoid making trams wait for more than one phase
November 21, 2025 at 10:27 AM
And it can insert a transit-only phase between your ph2 and ph3, or change the order of ph1 and 3 to avoid making trams wait for more than one phase
Not transit but the Dutch OV Fiets system is only usable with a personalized OV Chipkaart, not a generic one.
November 20, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Not transit but the Dutch OV Fiets system is only usable with a personalized OV Chipkaart, not a generic one.
This is genuinely how TSP works in the Netherlands. If there is a bus present (and it's eligible for phase insertion) the bus phase is always next
November 20, 2025 at 3:24 AM
This is genuinely how TSP works in the Netherlands. If there is a bus present (and it's eligible for phase insertion) the bus phase is always next