Observing The City
@observingthecity.bsky.social
Observations from around the city (in most cases, Toronto)
Since there has been lots of talk of "neighbourhood retail" without specific definitions of "neighbourhood" and "retail", I thought I would try to bring some clarity.
November 14, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Since there has been lots of talk of "neighbourhood retail" without specific definitions of "neighbourhood" and "retail", I thought I would try to bring some clarity.
Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll run on fear mongering about it anyways. Facts don’t matter.
Bradford asks if the new encampment policy adopted in 2024 led to more encampments or fewer. Staff say a year ago there were 540 encampments. Today, there are 355.
November 13, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll run on fear mongering about it anyways. Facts don’t matter.
So, this passing is about the best option we could’ve hoped for from today, eh? As much as I don’t like carving out old Toronto from the suburbs with these zoning changes, I feel like in a Tory mayoralty with this same council they would’ve just failed city-wide by a vote.
Full text of Chow's motion to allow neighbourhood corner stores in all Old Toronto & East York wards.
November 13, 2025 at 5:13 PM
So, this passing is about the best option we could’ve hoped for from today, eh? As much as I don’t like carving out old Toronto from the suburbs with these zoning changes, I feel like in a Tory mayoralty with this same council they would’ve just failed city-wide by a vote.
Reposted by Observing The City
Ok Toronto people time to write to your councillor if you support n’hood retail options and tell them to support @joshmatlow.bsky.social’s motion at council this week.
November 10, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Ok Toronto people time to write to your councillor if you support n’hood retail options and tell them to support @joshmatlow.bsky.social’s motion at council this week.
Reposted by Observing The City
so @joshmatlow.bsky.social has posted a motion that allows councillors to adopt neighbourhood retail in their own wards, effectively allowing the removed attachment to be adopted on a ward-by-ward basis. it's not perfect but it's something!!!
November 10, 2025 at 7:28 PM
so @joshmatlow.bsky.social has posted a motion that allows councillors to adopt neighbourhood retail in their own wards, effectively allowing the removed attachment to be adopted on a ward-by-ward basis. it's not perfect but it's something!!!
Do we dare to dream? Could Toronto possibly have a pedestrianized gay village? Montreal pedestrianized their gay village seasonally for years, and has just announced they will be making it pedestrianized year-round.
Update: had another meeting today with the councillor's office about the Church St pedestrianization plan & things are moving along!
We’re aiming for Dundonald to Alexander during Summer 2026, possibly rolled into an extended Pride ped’ztn or FIFA activation! Transpo staff & the BIA are onboard!
We’re aiming for Dundonald to Alexander during Summer 2026, possibly rolled into an extended Pride ped’ztn or FIFA activation! Transpo staff & the BIA are onboard!
November 6, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Do we dare to dream? Could Toronto possibly have a pedestrianized gay village? Montreal pedestrianized their gay village seasonally for years, and has just announced they will be making it pedestrianized year-round.
So, Bike Share Toronto is very close to becoming profitable. For the first 8 months of the year it has a contribution margin of just $680,000. That is about 13 cents/trip. In 2024, it was 32 cents/trip.
November 4, 2025 at 4:56 AM
So, Bike Share Toronto is very close to becoming profitable. For the first 8 months of the year it has a contribution margin of just $680,000. That is about 13 cents/trip. In 2024, it was 32 cents/trip.
Our brand new $128 million dollar civic asset (St Lawrence Market North) sitting empty on a beautiful Sunday. Meanwhile the city refuses to make Market Street pedestrianized year-round because adjacent market BIA hasn’t agreed to “animate it” in winter. Where is your own “animation”?
November 2, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Our brand new $128 million dollar civic asset (St Lawrence Market North) sitting empty on a beautiful Sunday. Meanwhile the city refuses to make Market Street pedestrianized year-round because adjacent market BIA hasn’t agreed to “animate it” in winter. Where is your own “animation”?
I have added Bike Share data to my bicycle counter website. It should be updated in relatively real-time (about every 10 minutes)!
October 28, 2025 at 9:26 PM
I have added Bike Share data to my bicycle counter website. It should be updated in relatively real-time (about every 10 minutes)!
Enough said.
October 21, 2025 at 5:17 AM
Enough said.
Did you know Toronto has 15 permanent bicycle counters around the city? I have created a portal that should be updated monthly when the city updates their open data. It's live now at: observingthecity.ca
October 11, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Did you know Toronto has 15 permanent bicycle counters around the city? I have created a portal that should be updated monthly when the city updates their open data. It's live now at: observingthecity.ca
Stay tuned I may have something cooking. 📈 🌐
One intersection on Bloor saw average daily bike ridership consistently hover around 6000 for the past 4 months. This is a 20% increase over last year. Yet, Premier Ford wants to target this lane for removal. I wanted to highlight this, one year after the passage of Bill 212.
October 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Stay tuned I may have something cooking. 📈 🌐
One intersection on Bloor saw average daily bike ridership consistently hover around 6000 for the past 4 months. This is a 20% increase over last year. Yet, Premier Ford wants to target this lane for removal. I wanted to highlight this, one year after the passage of Bill 212.
October 11, 2025 at 4:48 AM
One intersection on Bloor saw average daily bike ridership consistently hover around 6000 for the past 4 months. This is a 20% increase over last year. Yet, Premier Ford wants to target this lane for removal. I wanted to highlight this, one year after the passage of Bill 212.
Imanishi Sando Bar and McCormick Park cafe are amazing, but would not be allowed to exist in most of Toronto. Our parks deserve great independent businesses within them. Our imagination of what can be included in our park space needs to be expanded!
October 5, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Imanishi Sando Bar and McCormick Park cafe are amazing, but would not be allowed to exist in most of Toronto. Our parks deserve great independent businesses within them. Our imagination of what can be included in our park space needs to be expanded!
You know @torontolifemag.bsky.social is for a specific demographic when the headline is “where to buy *NEXT*”
New illustration for the latest @torontolifemag.bsky.social on forthcoming developments in neighbourhoods around the city. The brief was to create a fantasy mash-up community with transit, parks, mixed use, sixplexes & high-rises.
October 4, 2025 at 1:59 PM
You know @torontolifemag.bsky.social is for a specific demographic when the headline is “where to buy *NEXT*”
Bike share revenue is up over 30% compared to last year, and now has close to 300k unique customers. That is 10% of the population of Toronto! I also think that their internal forecasts are a little pessimistic pinning 2025 rides at 8.1 million. I forecast closer to 8.3M when the year is over.
September 25, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Bike share revenue is up over 30% compared to last year, and now has close to 300k unique customers. That is 10% of the population of Toronto! I also think that their internal forecasts are a little pessimistic pinning 2025 rides at 8.1 million. I forecast closer to 8.3M when the year is over.
I was at Wellesley station last night at around midnight. I had never seen such an intense cleaning operation. There was also electrical work going on replacing light ballasts and such. There must have been 40+ employees working. I thought it was just standard nighttime maintenance, guess not.
Mayor Olivia Chow at Wellesley station announcing details of a pilot project that will deploy Toronto Community Crisis Service teams to downtown subway platforms.
September 24, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I was at Wellesley station last night at around midnight. I had never seen such an intense cleaning operation. There was also electrical work going on replacing light ballasts and such. There must have been 40+ employees working. I thought it was just standard nighttime maintenance, guess not.
Will anyone take responsibility for what is happening with the Yonge Street re-design. First proposed 10 years ago. Approved 4 years ago with a recommended design. Original timeline had construction starting in 2023. Now apparently there will be 3 (?) more years of design!!!!
September 14, 2025 at 4:37 AM
Will anyone take responsibility for what is happening with the Yonge Street re-design. First proposed 10 years ago. Approved 4 years ago with a recommended design. Original timeline had construction starting in 2023. Now apparently there will be 3 (?) more years of design!!!!
Northbound rush hour on University. It’s the traffic lights, not the bike lanes.
September 3, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Northbound rush hour on University. It’s the traffic lights, not the bike lanes.
Why is the Eglinton bike lane not getting constructed with the roadwork it was originally intended to? You can’t blame the province as Bill 212 would not have applied. Cowardice?
There’s a place for Purolator boxes. But blocking the view while approaching the main entrance to Davisville subway station isn’t it. I’ve asked the TTC to put it somewhere that isn’t in front of a busy entrance. We should also have more respect for how our streetscape looks.
August 26, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Why is the Eglinton bike lane not getting constructed with the roadwork it was originally intended to? You can’t blame the province as Bill 212 would not have applied. Cowardice?
These people live in Toronto (Mohawk), Ontario (Iroquonian), Canada (Iroquoian)! That damn woke Jacques Cartier.
August 21, 2025 at 4:43 AM
These people live in Toronto (Mohawk), Ontario (Iroquonian), Canada (Iroquoian)! That damn woke Jacques Cartier.
Don’t worry, according to Dianne Saxe there are no issues with traffic/bunching on Bathurst not during rush hour. (Taken at 7pm on a Saturday)
August 9, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Don’t worry, according to Dianne Saxe there are no issues with traffic/bunching on Bathurst not during rush hour. (Taken at 7pm on a Saturday)
Reposted by Observing The City
The Toronto Star published a feature of the cyclist who was recently struck and killed at Church and Gerrard. The 28-year-old was identified as Samuel Willetts; an aspiring cinematographer. RIP. Memorial ride details TBD. #BikeTO #TOpoli #VisionZero #YouNeverRideAlone www.thestar.com/news/gta/mot...
Mother remembers aspiring Toronto cinematographer, 28, after fatal e-bike collision: ‘He just didn’t have time to reach his zenith’
Samuel Willetts died in hospital July 31, two weeks after he was struck by a driver while riding his e-bike near Gerrard and Church streets.
www.thestar.com
August 9, 2025 at 11:58 AM
The Toronto Star published a feature of the cyclist who was recently struck and killed at Church and Gerrard. The 28-year-old was identified as Samuel Willetts; an aspiring cinematographer. RIP. Memorial ride details TBD. #BikeTO #TOpoli #VisionZero #YouNeverRideAlone www.thestar.com/news/gta/mot...
A huge congrats to @cycletoronto.bsky.social on their huge charter win. The bike lanes will stay. Join tomorrow for a victory rally & ride!
Join us to celebrate our Charter challenge win tomorrow, Thursday, July 31st at 5:30 pm. We'll be hosting a rally starting near the Scales of Justice bike rack at 361 University, followed by a ride.
Learn more and RSVP now:
www.cycleto.ca/victory_ride...
Learn more and RSVP now:
www.cycleto.ca/victory_ride...
July 30, 2025 at 6:33 PM
A huge congrats to @cycletoronto.bsky.social on their huge charter win. The bike lanes will stay. Join tomorrow for a victory rally & ride!
Overheard two teens on bike shares on a side street with sharrows in the middle of the lane: “I hate biking when there is a car behind me.” Same.
July 23, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Overheard two teens on bike shares on a side street with sharrows in the middle of the lane: “I hate biking when there is a car behind me.” Same.