fern k hahn

an absolutely delightful week in and around halifax. like, "i got to pitch my map to a transit agency" delightful (outcome pending). i certainly won't go another 18 years without seeing the north atlantic. many thanks to @benmacleod.bsky.social for taking the time to show august and me around!

i should make an effort to meet more of my favourite candidates. it seems to help them win!

Fern and I walked over Leaside Bridge to check out progress on one of the Ontario Line crossings over the Don Valley.

Toronto photo thread 📸 Mayor Olivia Chow campaigning in a busy North York supermarket yesterday, election day eve. (Torontonians, you still have 1.5 hours left. Go vote!)

bluesky has four kinds of users

perhaps not scenic in the conventional sense, but arkledun avenue in hamilton never seems to get old. what's more, it boasts daily frequent service, courtesy of six (!) concurrent bus routes.

took some end-to-end trips on the finch west LRT recently to see if signal priority and other improvements have been having an impact on trip times and red light delays trip 1 (video): 36 minutes trip 2: 37 minutes trip 3: 39 minutes decent improvement!

Look who we ran into in North York 🤩

Field trip to Markham, suburban Ontario outpost of Hong Kong culture

great when both sides of the political aisle can agree that fast, frequent rail is a universal good and there should be more of it where justified by ridership. plugging @fernkhahn.com's columbia rebuild concept that would allow full expo line service into surrey, making a newton branch feasible:

This wasn’t a unique opinion. Most urban planners feel this way. They actually believe they are doing a better job than their international peers because they hold more meetings.

peak-only bus lanes are such a spiteful concession to drivers. proponents say lower off-peak traffic volumes do not justify a transit lane. but logically that also means that car drivers don't really need that additional lane outside of rush hour either, since traffic is moving better then. so??

In Toronto again, having a lovely time here as usual 🏙️

i am trying to break a habit of clicking my teeth along to music and cocteau twins are making that incredibly difficult

One thing about people citing slower car travel times on Bloor West following the bike lane install is, well, that was kind of the point. Drivers were **averaging** nearly 20 km/h over the current speed limit at spots. Road revamp has brought speeds closer to limit. www.toronto.ca/wp-content/u...

toronto: has anyone noticed a particularly announcement-happy subway driver recently? this is the second time i've had them this week and it's driving me a little mad. sounds like an eager young transit enthusiast with too much power.

this would be a good look for koreatown

amazed at the quick progress of the metro in bogotá. 2 years ago, i remember these sites were barely discernible as a transit line. now, there's trains running on extensive completed sections, and it's on track to open in a year and a half. testament to the speed of elevated rail construction.

Toronto Buildings has expanded its Pre-Approved Building Plans Program with two new fourplex & two new sixplex designs prepared by the local firm LGA Architectural Partners. You can download renderings, presentation drawings & permitting sets for free from the City’s website at tinyurl.com/3xeenbjy

i love what alt text does for post searchability. thank you @nancycomics.bsky.social!

This tool from @observingthecity.ca is fantastic. It shows the traffic mode share by intersection using City data. Many downtown areas are dominated by pedestrians (in green). Yet *we still give most of the space to cars on almost every street.* www.observingthecity.ca/intersection...

I have a confession to make. The townhomes I & others spent most of a decade trying to legalize are popping up all over Oregon & elsewhere...and I love that...but they're a problem in one big way. (get ready for a twisty thread about the housing report @sightline.org just published)

I've been shown around parts of Toronto by @auguststreet.ca and @fernkhahn.com so it was nice to reciprocate over one very fun week. This particular outing to downtown Dartmouth also included ice cream.

do i have any followers in big ice cream? i am begging for a mint ice cream with no chocolate. mint chocolate was my favourite flavour until i developed chocolate intolerance and now i can't get my fix anywhere!

ok, the chorus of "pur" by cocteau twins has handily earned its spot in "cathartic shoegaze moments" alongside that one part of slowdive's "when the sun hits". i don't think most of you know what i'm talking about, but i feel strongly enough about this to override that.

44 seconds of "transit signal priority" on toronto's line 5 and kitchener-waterloo's ion LRT

The people on the sidewalk: a) significantly outnumber the drivers in cars and b) are here to spend time and money in this neighbourhood. The drivers in these mostly empty cars are: a) trying to drive AWAY from this neighbourhood as quickly as possible, and yet b) are given most of the road space

Not surprised that speeding on Parkside increased 560% since last year's speed camera ban by the Ford government. Combined with the bike lane ban via Bills 212/60, residents there have been denied the right to a safe street. #shame #BikeTO #WalkTO #TOpoli #ONpoli toronto.citynews.ca/2026/09/16/s...

well, this is embarrassing. what are we doing here?

good to see small fire trucks hitting toronto's streets

the group chat liked this one

There's a reason the center of gravity of the Bay Area's LGBTQ community is shifting to the East Bay (it already has for lesbians and trans people): San Francisco's LGBTQ neighborhood is mostly houses and 2-story buildings, and hasn't really changed in the last few decades.

Liverpool's Merseyrail was one of the earliest modern regional rail systems, but it never ended up becoming a national model. It's an unfortunate wrong turn because UK cities tend to have very extensive local rail networks to convert. infrastory.substack.com/p/englands-m...

In a lot of ways, the environmentalism of my parents' generation didn't ask anyone to sacrifice anything. People still drove (but it was a Prius), lived in the burbs (but with a beautiful garden), bought supermarket food (but bought organic). It was an aesthetic choice as much as anything. 🧵

it's been four years since i moved from oakland to toronto, and i have yet to understand in what world winter is our worst season. continental summer is mucky at best and evil at worst

lol

misleading — this is completely bus, and not even slightly metro

I would personally propose: 1. Mid-rise (5–10 storeys) allowed on every residential lot in Toronto 2. Gigantic towers allowed within walking distance (15 mins) of any subway or GO train station

it's neat that the bay area gets one of the four inaugural women's professional baseball teams, but they really should have named it after oakland if they're all playing in springfield anyway

I find beauty in the simple drain pipe. Effective and cheap, therefore able to be produced for all the people. Function can have beauty in how it affects the world.