Latest news with #streetcar
CTV News
18 hours ago
- CTV News
TTC streetcar briefly taken out of service after syringe was found sticking out from seat
A TTC rider said despite them telling employees about the syringe on the seat, the streetcar remained in service until it was reported on the SafeTTC app.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
TTC streetcar briefly taken out of service after syringe was found sticking out from seat
An image of the syringe jutting out from underneath a TTC streetcar seat, seen Saturday morning. A syringe was seen sticking out from underneath a TTC streetcar seat over the weekend, prompting the transit network to take the car out of service to thoroughly clean it. The incident happened at around 11 a.m. Saturday onboard a 501 Queen streetcar heading eastbound, according to a Reddit user. The streetcar rider posted pictures of the syringe, needle pointing outward, underneath the red felt seat. The user, who asked to remain anonymous, told CTV News Toronto that they quickly noticed the syringe after boarding the streetcar with their friend, who was sitting in the seat beside it. Syringe under streetcar seat The TTC says they took the streetcar out of service for cleaning, and safely disposed of the syringe after they learned of it. They said they notified two TTC officials at the time but the streetcar remained operational and the syringe was not disposed in the duration of their trip. The user adds they formally reported the incident hours later via text. A spokesperson for the TTC said the incident was reported through the SafeTTC App. 'The streetcar was immediately taken out of service and returned to the carhouse, where the syringe was safely disposed of and the car thoroughly cleaned,' Stuart Green said, adding they did not receive any reports of physical injury. While incidents like these can be unsettling, Green says they are 'rare' across the transit network 'given how many vehicles are in service at any time.' 'While we don't know how this got there or what it was used for, we can assure customers that as soon as something like this is seen, reported, or discovered, we immediately take the vehicle out of service and do a full cleanup,' Green added. Transit riders are encouraged to notify TTC staff—either in person or through the SafeTTC App—or press the yellow strip if there is something they wish to report.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Streetcar 'thoroughly cleaned' after syringe spotted poking out under seat, TTC says
The Toronto Transit Committee (TTC) says a streetcar was thoroughly cleaned after a rider spotted a syringe without a cap jutting out from underneath a seat. The incident happened on Saturday around 11 a.m. on a 501 Queen streetcar that was travelling eastbound, according to the user who posted an image of the incident on Reddit, where it received hundreds of comments. The user, who asked to remain anonymous, said they informed two TTC officials who were on the streetcar as soon as they saw the syringe. The syringe was not moved or dealt with at the time, and the streetcar remained operational. The user then later reported the incident online. TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the incident was reported through the SafeTTC app. "The streetcar was immediately taken out of service and returned to the carhouse, where the syringe was safely disposed of and the car thoroughly cleaned," he said in an email to CBC Toronto on Monday. The TTC has not received any reports of injury related to the incident, he said. Green said incidents like this "are rare on transit given how many vehicles are in service at any time." "While we don't know how this got there or what it was used for, we can assure customers that as soon as something like this is seen, reported or discovered, we immediately take the vehicle out of service and do a full cleanup," he said.
CBC
02-06-2025
- General
- CBC
King-Church intersection closed to all traffic until mid August, city says
The intersection of King Street E. and Church Street will be closed to all traffic starting Monday until mid-August, the City of Toronto said. The closure is part of a joint project by the city and the TTC to replace aging streetcar tracks. City crews will also replace 142-year-old watermains in the area, according to the city's website. Construction at the intersection began in May, but this full closure is happening around a month earlier than originally planned due to "unexpected underground utility conflicts" on the south side of King Street, the city said. The city's project schedule has now been changed so that crews will complete watermain work and replace streetcar tracks at the same time. While no reopening date has been announced, the city said it expects to reopen the intersection by mid-August. Temporary sidewalk closures may be required, the city said. Pedestrian detours and signage will be in place. Access to businesses and properties will be maintained throughout the construction, the city said. Starting Monday, the 504C and 504D/304D King replacement buses will divert around the intersection, the TTC said in a news release Friday. Buses will divert via Jarvis Street, Front Street eastbound, Wellington Street westbound and Yonge Street, the transit agency said. Existing diversions for the 503/303 Kingston Road and the 504/304 King streetcars will continue. The 504 King streetcar will divert both ways via Shaw Street, and the 503 Kingston Road streetcar will continue to divert via Spadina Avenue and Queen Street W., running west on King Street to Dufferin Loop, the TTC said.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Some retailers say plan to install dedicated bus, streetcar lanes on Toronto's Bathurst Street could force them to close their doors
A sign saying: 'We might have to close! Bathurst is losing access. So are we.' is seen on the window of a store on Bathurst Street. Some retailers along a stretch of Bathurst Street in The Annex say they'll be so negatively impacted by a plan to install dedicated bus and streetcar lanes on the busy arterial road that they may be forced to shutter their businesses. Recently, signs have recently popped up in the doors and windows of local stores that read: 'We might have to close! Bathurst is losing access. So are we.' This will result in the loss of delivery access and customer parking, the posters plastered on the storefronts add. They're part of a wider campaign by a group of local business owners and concerned residents called Protect Bathurst Coalition, whose tagline is: 'This isn't just a transit route — it's our home.' 'We agree with better transit - but not at the cost of basic access and livability on our streets,' the group states online. The proposed measures for Bathurst are part of a city council-endorsed surface transit network plan called RapidTO, which aims to guide the study, evaluation, and delivery of several bus and streetcar improvement projects in Toronto. Through this initiative, the city along with the TTC, will enhance bus and streetcar transit on Bathurst and Dufferin streets, Eglinton Avenue West, and Jane Street. The long-term goal is to make service more reliable, it says. Some of the key changes proposed for a 7.5-kilometre stretch of Bathurst from Eglinton Avenue West to Lake Shore Boulevard West include creating priority bus lanes in the northbound and southbound curb lanes from Bloor to Eglinton, as well as installing priority streetcar lanes in the centre of the street from Bloor to Lake Shore. Traffic Bathurst/Dupont Vehicles are seen lined up at the intersection of Bathurst and Dupont streets on May 27. (CTV News Toronto Chopper/photo) 'As Toronto grows, updating roadway designs can help meet the city's evolving transportation needs, including during major events such as FIFA World Cup 26,' the city said, noting it takes 75 per cent longer riding transit on Bathurst than it does driving. Marco Santaguida, of Santaguida Fine Foods, is not impressed with the plan, saying its positive impacts would be negligible. 'They're going to remove all curb-lane access to both parking, delivery, service vehicles, renovation vehicles, basically our day-to-day lifestyle is going to be uprooted,' he told CTV News Toronto. 'The buses are going to run approximately seven minutes quicker.' One transit rider, however, says any improvement on Bathurst would be a good thing. 'It's a little bit slow. I think it would be nice if they were to possibly bring it up just a little bit,' she said. Local businesses owner David Dunkley, whose fine millinery store has been on Bathurst for nearly two decades, says consultation for RapidTO on Bathurst was limited. 'There is all kinds of traffic and we know the traffic flow,' he said. 'I can assure you between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. we're busy, but between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. it's normal traffic as it would be anywhere else in the city.' Traffic Bathurst Street Vehicles travel along Bathurst Street in Toronto on May 27, 2025. In a statement, the City of Toronto called Bathurst a 'key north/south route' for thousands of TTC customers, adding that it is also 'known to have slow and unreliable service because buses and streetcars are operating in mixed traffic.' 'A priority transit lane on Bathurst Street will improve service, make taking transit an easier and more convenient choice for everyone; reducing the use of personal vehicles and therefore also reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions,' the city said. '[We are] committed to monitoring the impact of the transit priority lanes after installation and will continue to make adjustments to optimize traffic flow and ensure there is consideration to local business owners.' Those with businesses on Bathurst say they have been targeted on social media for opposing the plans but are making no apologies for defending their livelihoods. 'We're receiving backlash for that. So we're taking it on the chin as we have to because, you know, it's democracy. We should all have a voice on how things are being done and changed,' Paul Macchiusi, of Minerva Cannabis, said. The City of Toronto added that input from the public, as well as technical and policy consideration, would be used to inform staff recommendations and council decisions this summer. A report to executive committee is expected in early June followed by a report to city council. With files from CTV News Toronto's John Musselman and Mike Walker
