1 in 6 Americans planning World Cup road trips
Why it matters: That could mean big traffic jams for host cities.
By the numbers: Among modes of travel to the World Cup cities, the top choice highlighted in a survey from ParkMobile was traveling by car (47%), followed by plane (30%), train (3%), and bus (2%).
State of play: City officials are guiding fans toward public transportation as improvements are made ahead of next summer's tournament.
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Hamilton Spectator
27 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
City staff to study ‘creative options' to get buses moving on Bathurst and Dufferin north of Bloor
City staff are going back to the drawing board to find a way to speed up transit on Bathurst and Dufferin streets north of Bloor without sacrificing parking spaces — at least not permanently. Council approved a motion Wednesday to study ways to bolster transit speed along that stretch of road temporarily to accommodate more commuters during next year's FIFA World Cup , which is expected to bring in an estimated 300,000 visitors. Originally, the RapidTO plan for the area would have permanently removed 138 paid parking spots on Bathurst and 128 on Dufferin to make dedicated bus lanes. Opponent s said this would hurt businesses , while c ommuters said they needed the lanes to escape traffic . Now, the city's transportation division is tasked with finding 'creative options' to give buses a boost on Bathurst and Dufferin, such as banning parking during rush hour and creating high-occupancy vehicle lanes while the international soccer tournament is in town next summer . Congestion has made many Bathurst bus riders late for work, Mayor Olivia Chow said during council. This is because they are frequently stalled along the route by drivers who 'run in to get something while blocking an entire lane of traffic.' 'One or two people end up blocking 60, 80, 100 transit riders,' she said. 'It doesn't work. It's causing a lot of frustration. It's making our service unreliable.' Councillors Brad Bradford (Ward 19, Beaches–East York), Stephen Holyday (Ward 2, Etobicoke Centre) and James Pasternak (Ward 6, York Centre) voted against the motion to study the altered RapidTO plan. None of the dissenting councillors' wards overlap with the proposed bus lanes. 'I'll tell you what I think this is really about,' said Holyday. 'I think it's about the city of Toronto looking nouveau, looking progressive with these bright red lanes, so that all the FIFA visitors can say, 'Look at that! What a progressive city!'' Meanwhile, council approved setting up dedicated bus and bike lanes on Dufferin between Bloor and King West and on Bathurst from Bloor to Lake Shore Boulevard West, with a gap between Nassau and Dundas streets for Toronto Western Hospital. This was voted on separately and passed 18-5. 'RapidTO is about prioritizing people over cars,' said Coun. Jaamal Myers (Ward 23, Scarborough North), who is also TTC board chair. 'It's about ensuring our public transit system is reliable, fast, convenient and fair, especially as we get ready to host major events, such as FIFA 2026.' Speaking to reporters, Myers said it is 'intellectually dishonest' for his peers on council who claim to want to ease congestion to oppose a 'solution' to it. At council, he said while he commends residents and business owners who approached the city in 'good faith,' it should be noted that many who interceded in this project did so with ill intent, 'simply to delay these projects.' Last week, anti-Chow protesters at city hall said RapidTO would create a 'permanent, radical change to our infrastructure.' They also criticized the mayor's bike lane and shelter policies. Coun. Lily Cheng (Ward 18, Willowdale) recused herself from Wednesday's vote, citing a conflict of interest. Last week, Jason Hildebrand, husband of her chief of staff, spoke out against bus-only lanes on Dufferin at the mayor's executive committee. Removing parking spots, he said, would make life difficult for people with mobility challenges, like him and his mother.
Fox Sports
33 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Bonmatí leads Spain past Germany 1-0, sets up Euro 2025 final against England
Associated Press ZURICH (AP) — Aitana Bonmatí scored in extra time to send Spain to its first Women's European Championship final with a 1-0 win over Germany on Wednesday, setting up a repeat of the 2023 World Cup title match. A stubborn Germany performance had seen it take the world champions to extra time and Spain needed a superb strike from the two-time Ballon d'Or winner to secure a first win in nine attempts against Germany. 'I feel so proud. We deserved this," Bonmatí said. "We have played a great tournament throughout. We had a hard fight tonight, of course, because we were playing Germany. First to beat Germany and then to advance to the final of the Euros, who could ask for more?' In the 113th minute, Athenea del Castillo threaded the ball through to Bonmatí, who got past Rebecca Knaak with a clever dummy and turn before squeezing home an audacious attempt from the tightest of angles. 'We had analyzed her and knew that she would leave the near post unprotected, and that is what happened. I just slotted it home," Bonmatí said. Spain moved within one victory of adding the European Championship trophy to its collection after winning the World Cup and Nations League in the past two years. Montse Tomé's team will face defending champion England on Sunday in a repeat of the World Cup final that Spain won 1-0 two years ago. England also needed extra time for a 2-1 win over Italy on Tuesday. It was a tough end to a stellar tournament for Berger, who had been the star of Germany's dramatic quarterfinal against France. 'I take the blame for that. The near post must be shut, absolutely,' Berger said. "That's why I'm even more disappointed in myself. 'I can make as many saves as I want, but that one should have been mine, and that's why I'm incredibly sorry. For the team, not for me, but for those who gave their all.' Germany coach Christian Wück absolved Berger of any blame, and instead acknowledged her 'saves that got us to where we are." 'We imagined it differently and to concede just before the end because of such a stroke of genius, that makes it incredibly bitter,' he added. Germany was bidding for a record-extending ninth European title but it was up against the world champion and pre-tournament favorite. It almost surprised Spain early on when Klara Bühl ran onto a long ball from goalkeeper Berger, but her angled drive went narrowly past the right post. Germany managed to stifle Spain's attack, which didn't have a real sight of goal until the 21st minute when Berger made a fantastic save to tip a shot over the bar from the tournament's top goalscorer Esther González. Giovanna Hoffmann should have given Germany the lead in the 29th but she missed the ball right in front of goal, with a fresh air shot, after excellent play by Jule Brand. Spain ended the half strongly, however, and went closest to breaking the deadlock shortly before the interval when Irene Paredes headed a corner off the post and González's overhead kick was blocked. Berger also had to make two smart saves in stoppage time, to deny first Gotham FC teammate González and then Clàudia Pina. Germany managed to keep Spain star Bonmatí relatively quiet for almost an hour until she carved out some space for herself and curled in a shot that Sophia Kleinherne slid to stop. Cata Coll had had little to do all night but the Spain goalkeeper kept her team in the tournament with a superb double save right at the end of regulation time, first to parry from Bühl and then to deny Carlotta Wamser. ___ AP writers Joseph Wilson in Barcelona and Ciaran Fahey in Berlin contributed to this report. ___ AP soccer: recommended Item 1 of 3
Hamilton Spectator
38 minutes ago
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Toronto council strengthens oversight of major events after watchdog flags potential FIFA risks
Toronto council has agreed to impose stronger oversight over decisions to host major events, after a municipal watchdog found that a lack of transparency around the city's bid to stage the 2026 FIFA World Cup could have exposed it to significant risks. In a report presented to council on Wednesday , auditor general Tara Anderson examined council's February 2018 decision that authorized the city manager to sign up for the bid launched by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to host the international soccer tournament. Toronto is scheduled to host six games starting June 12, 2026. Anderson found that while council made joining the bid conditional on the federal and provincial governments pledging to share hosting costs, the city didn't get those commitments before the March 2018 deadline to join. Instead, soon after the council vote staff signed an agreement with Canada Soccer to withdraw from hosting duties if Toronto didn't get funding guarantees from the other governments by June 2020. The agreement wasn't made public at the time, and was first reported by Star last year . City staff didn't report back to council on the World Cup plans until March 2022, four years after council's 2018 decision. The update didn't provide details of the withdrawal agreement — which was extended 'multiple times,' the auditor found — or explain how staff had mitigated risks related to the lack of intergovernmental funding, which at the time the city had still not nailed down. The auditor general found staff should have reported to council earlier about the conditions for pulling out of the bid, which would have allowed councillors 'to make an informed decision to continue (to pursue hosting rights) or withdraw.' The watchdog also noted that the initial estimate staff provided to council in 2018 pegged hosting costs at between $30 million and $45 million, a figure that didn't include the price of security, which staff said at the time was impossible to predict so far before the tournament. Toronto's overall hosting costs have now risen to $380 million, with the city responsible for almost $180 million. In May 2024, the federal government pledged $104 million, and while Ontario announced in February 2024 it had conditionally committed $97 million, negotiations are ongoing over how Queen's Park's contribution will be allocated. Anderson concluded that in future, staff should include all costs that could fall under the city's responsibility in early estimates to ensure 'city council has all relevant information to make an informed decision.' 'City council's limited visibility into the agreement terms, combined with staff not providing timely updates, could have left the city exposed to potential financial, operational, and reputational risk,' the report concluded. 'It is important that when council decides to delegate authority, that staff still appropriately report back to update council in a timely manner.' In a politically charged discussion before the vote on Anderson's report, councillors quizzed the city integrity commissioner over an investigation by his predecessor into former mayor John Tory. Under questions from Coun. Paula Fletcher (Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth) and others, Paul Muldoon recounted how the October 2023 report from then commissioner Jonathan Batty found Tory broke ethics rules when he voted in 2022 to advance Toronto's World Cup plans, which are being executed in partnership with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). At the time, Tory was in a relationship with a woman that began while she was a staffer in his office, and continued when she took a job at MLSE, where she worked on the World Cup file. Tory resigned over the relationship in February 202 3, shortly after it was revealed by the Star. According to sources, he is considering running for mayor again next year, and polls suggest he would be the biggest threat to Mayor Olivia Chow. Fletcher said that while the World Cup will be fun for the city, Toronto is being left with a '$400 million hangover' in hosting costs. Because of the lack of rigorous oversight, 'we're left wondering (whether) MLSE got a really great deal for FIFA, and maybe we didn't get the best deal for FIFA,' said Fletcher, who sits on Chow's executive committee. 'We need to be careful and squeaky clean in this city when we're making these very big financial decisions,' she said. In response to concerns about rising costs, Chow had instituted a new council governance structure for the tournament in March 2024 , which Anderson determined had strengthened oversight. The auditor's report made seven recommendations intended to improve guidelines for future international events — such as developing policies to ensure council is informed of major changes to projects delegated to staff, and drafting principles for bidding on major events, including risk assessments — each of which council either approved or enhanced.
