Marcus P.
@reluctantaxe.bsky.social
Tabletop gaming enthusiast, urban planning & transit advocate, and Kamcon gaming convention organiser.
I want to thank Christy Clark for forcing the transit referendum, whose failure delayed the Surrey LRT long enough for Doug McCallum to be elected and cancel it for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain at the last minute.
The butterfly effect of bad politicians can end up leading to better transit outcomes
The butterfly effect of bad politicians can end up leading to better transit outcomes
January 26, 2026 at 3:25 AM
I want to thank Christy Clark for forcing the transit referendum, whose failure delayed the Surrey LRT long enough for Doug McCallum to be elected and cancel it for the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain at the last minute.
The butterfly effect of bad politicians can end up leading to better transit outcomes
The butterfly effect of bad politicians can end up leading to better transit outcomes
Reposted by Marcus P.
Ah yes, the two genders,
Tall and Sprawl
Tall and Sprawl
January 15, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Ah yes, the two genders,
Tall and Sprawl
Tall and Sprawl
Reposted by Marcus P.
My new podcast DWELL TIME IS OUT!
Join Denis Agar and Rodney Chan in their discussions around transit in Canada. From buses to trains and everything else transit, learn about advocacy happening in Canadian cities and beyond.
Apple podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/d...
Spotify link below:
Join Denis Agar and Rodney Chan in their discussions around transit in Canada. From buses to trains and everything else transit, learn about advocacy happening in Canadian cities and beyond.
Apple podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/d...
Spotify link below:
January 7, 2026 at 5:34 PM
My new podcast DWELL TIME IS OUT!
Join Denis Agar and Rodney Chan in their discussions around transit in Canada. From buses to trains and everything else transit, learn about advocacy happening in Canadian cities and beyond.
Apple podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/d...
Spotify link below:
Join Denis Agar and Rodney Chan in their discussions around transit in Canada. From buses to trains and everything else transit, learn about advocacy happening in Canadian cities and beyond.
Apple podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/d...
Spotify link below:
It's really hard to take the municipalities seriously about these concerns when one of the largest "downloaded" cost is the Employer Health Tax that every employer has to pay
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
B.C. municipalities say they're on the hook for millions that the feds, province should fund | CBC News
B.C. municipalities have long complained senior levels of government have “downloaded” costs and responsibilities onto them. Now some cities have tried to quantify how much they’ve taken on — and they...
www.cbc.ca
January 6, 2026 at 12:27 AM
It's really hard to take the municipalities seriously about these concerns when one of the largest "downloaded" cost is the Employer Health Tax that every employer has to pay
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Marcus P.
I regularly walk by 8 and 10 storey buildings that are next to low rise. It really wouldn't matter if they were 12 instead.
January 2, 2026 at 9:06 PM
I regularly walk by 8 and 10 storey buildings that are next to low rise. It really wouldn't matter if they were 12 instead.
Reposted by Marcus P.
The problem is that "smaller metro area" where a tram-like LRT can perform the role of higher-order transit spine in North America means places like Québec (barely 1M) or Waterloo (1/2 M). Everything else is either too small and weakly centered for rail or too big for low-speed LRTs.
January 2, 2026 at 8:59 PM
The problem is that "smaller metro area" where a tram-like LRT can perform the role of higher-order transit spine in North America means places like Québec (barely 1M) or Waterloo (1/2 M). Everything else is either too small and weakly centered for rail or too big for low-speed LRTs.
Reposted by Marcus P.
Also more TOD, better service levels, more hospitable and modern transit, cultural stuff etc. but those are big
Canada’s transit ridership is 50% less job sprawl and 50% just being poorer than the U.S.
January 1, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Also more TOD, better service levels, more hospitable and modern transit, cultural stuff etc. but those are big
Reposted by Marcus P.
also bored. here's the canadian cities (from apta)
vancouver = 0.507
calgary = 0.410
victoria = 0.278
edmonton = 0.264
winnipeg = 0.259
have to dig around for more ridership data for these two given all the agencies in the metro area, but they're at least this much:
toronto >0.539
montreal >0.424
vancouver = 0.507
calgary = 0.410
victoria = 0.278
edmonton = 0.264
winnipeg = 0.259
have to dig around for more ridership data for these two given all the agencies in the metro area, but they're at least this much:
toronto >0.539
montreal >0.424
December 31, 2025 at 5:57 AM
also bored. here's the canadian cities (from apta)
vancouver = 0.507
calgary = 0.410
victoria = 0.278
edmonton = 0.264
winnipeg = 0.259
have to dig around for more ridership data for these two given all the agencies in the metro area, but they're at least this much:
toronto >0.539
montreal >0.424
vancouver = 0.507
calgary = 0.410
victoria = 0.278
edmonton = 0.264
winnipeg = 0.259
have to dig around for more ridership data for these two given all the agencies in the metro area, but they're at least this much:
toronto >0.539
montreal >0.424
Reposted by Marcus P.
A lot of Blueskiers are going to dismiss this observation because of the source, but it is correct. I'll just add that I don't think there's anything special about single-family homes that means they should never be rentals, any more than there's a rule that multifamily units should never be condos.
"America’s Housing Crunch Has the Wrong Villain" www.aei.org/economics/am...
"Institutional investors aren’t the cause of housing distortions but a response to them."
"Institutional investors aren’t the cause of housing distortions but a response to them."
December 31, 2025 at 4:38 PM
A lot of Blueskiers are going to dismiss this observation because of the source, but it is correct. I'll just add that I don't think there's anything special about single-family homes that means they should never be rentals, any more than there's a rule that multifamily units should never be condos.
It's no wonder that Toronto transit is such a mess when half of the people advocating for transit are happy with the mediocrity of getting a bigger bus with no improvement on speed or frequency and arguing with those advocating for actual meaningful improvements for transit riders.
how many riders would have to start using the Finch LRT for you to consider it a successful investment? surely the answer is not "infinity"? to me, even if none of the obvious speed improvements are made, a significant ridership increase would make everyone complaining about it look a little silly
December 26, 2025 at 4:56 PM
It's no wonder that Toronto transit is such a mess when half of the people advocating for transit are happy with the mediocrity of getting a bigger bus with no improvement on speed or frequency and arguing with those advocating for actual meaningful improvements for transit riders.
Reposted by Marcus P.
Why I’m Less Excited About Trams Than You youtu.be/JLzkcfGfnDg
Why I’m Less Excited About Trams Than You
YouTube video by Oh The Urbanity!
youtu.be
December 26, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Why I’m Less Excited About Trams Than You youtu.be/JLzkcfGfnDg
Reposted by Marcus P.
I have not been shy on my coverage of transit issues in Toronto. With the disastrous opening of the Finch West LRT in early December, I have some thoughts from Hong Kong using my historical experiences with Toronto in this longform post.
The Toronto Tragedy
多倫多啲電車男係唔係太過份?
open.substack.com
December 25, 2025 at 7:43 AM
I have not been shy on my coverage of transit issues in Toronto. With the disastrous opening of the Finch West LRT in early December, I have some thoughts from Hong Kong using my historical experiences with Toronto in this longform post.
Reposted by Marcus P.
Never appreciated before how similar the Toronto and Vancouver metro shapes are. Just take this image of Line 1 in Toronto and rotate it to align with Expo and Canada Lines, then add in line 2 where the Millenium Line runs...
For funsies:
Here's the Toronto Subway Line 1, sized to scale, rotated, and dropped on top of other Canadian cities
Here's the Toronto Subway Line 1, sized to scale, rotated, and dropped on top of other Canadian cities
December 18, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Never appreciated before how similar the Toronto and Vancouver metro shapes are. Just take this image of Line 1 in Toronto and rotate it to align with Expo and Canada Lines, then add in line 2 where the Millenium Line runs...
Reposted by Marcus P.
Even more wild IMHO is when the SkyTrain Surrey-Langley extension of the expo line is done that branch's length will be twice as long as the Vaughan side of Line 1 but with a travel time just a bit lower than a non-express GO train
December 18, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Even more wild IMHO is when the SkyTrain Surrey-Langley extension of the expo line is done that branch's length will be twice as long as the Vaughan side of Line 1 but with a travel time just a bit lower than a non-express GO train
Reposted by Marcus P.
New StainerTheFirst video! www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRAR...
Surrey Langley Skytrain Construction December 2025
YouTube video by StainerTheFirst
www.youtube.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:46 PM
New StainerTheFirst video! www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRAR...
Don't forget to thank everyone from Surrey for taking one for the team by electing Doug McCallum to save us from a Finch Style LRT at the last minute.
The TTC Finch W Tramway is a walking disaster and the Montreal REM is a runaway success.
December 15, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Don't forget to thank everyone from Surrey for taking one for the team by electing Doug McCallum to save us from a Finch Style LRT at the last minute.
Reposted by Marcus P.
The TTC Finch W Tramway is a walking disaster and the Montreal REM is a runaway success.
December 13, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The TTC Finch W Tramway is a walking disaster and the Montreal REM is a runaway success.
The thing to remember is that the critics of the LRTs when they were proposed took issues with the original run time of 33 minutes, even the most critical opponents would never have believed that the run time would end up in the 50 minute plus time
Runner beats riders on #Toronto 's new $2.6-billion light-rail Finch West line
Bauer, a sub-2:50 marathoner, said he completed the run in 46 minutes through ice and snow. The LRT took 64 minutes.
runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/ru...
Bauer, a sub-2:50 marathoner, said he completed the run in 46 minutes through ice and snow. The LRT took 64 minutes.
runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/ru...
Runner laps Toronto's new $2.6-billion LRT train - Canadian Running Magazine
Toronto's first new transit line in 23 years took 64 minutes to travel 10.27 kilometres
runningmagazine.ca
December 14, 2025 at 6:12 PM
The thing to remember is that the critics of the LRTs when they were proposed took issues with the original run time of 33 minutes, even the most critical opponents would never have believed that the run time would end up in the 50 minute plus time
Reposted by Marcus P.
The SkyTrain has really warped my view of rapid transit. It gives us metro stop spacing with just slightly slower speeds than local GO trains.
Aroura to Union is 53 minutes with 6 stations while Langley to Waterfront will be 65 minutes with 28 stations. Both are around 40km
Aroura to Union is 53 minutes with 6 stations while Langley to Waterfront will be 65 minutes with 28 stations. Both are around 40km
December 13, 2025 at 11:58 PM
The SkyTrain has really warped my view of rapid transit. It gives us metro stop spacing with just slightly slower speeds than local GO trains.
Aroura to Union is 53 minutes with 6 stations while Langley to Waterfront will be 65 minutes with 28 stations. Both are around 40km
Aroura to Union is 53 minutes with 6 stations while Langley to Waterfront will be 65 minutes with 28 stations. Both are around 40km
Reposted by Marcus P.
We need to build homes, everywhere, for all kinds of people. That's how you solve a housing crisis.
Most of Vancouver is de facto a gated community for rich people. It’s been said many times, but can’t be said often enough.
Luckily, this is going to change!
Luckily, this is going to change!
Your regular reminder that it takes a ginormous amount of privilege to claim that our low-density neighbourhoods are "working".
(Old data, but story did not change.)
(Old data, but story did not change.)
December 12, 2025 at 10:25 PM
We need to build homes, everywhere, for all kinds of people. That's how you solve a housing crisis.
Reposted by Marcus P.
<3 you SkyTrain, happy (belated) birthday www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
A look back at the opening of the SkyTrain 40 years ago | CBC News
The SkyTrain opened its doors to passengers 40 years ago today.
www.cbc.ca
December 12, 2025 at 2:51 PM
<3 you SkyTrain, happy (belated) birthday www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Marcus P.
Ughhh TTC board is being so dodgy on talking openly about signal priority
Matlow is pushing for transparency and they keep saying no we’ll talk about it “in camera” (closed private session)
They say it’s to “preserve their relationship with metrolinx”
See: @ 54:00
www.youtube.com/live/-5Xz9HS...
Matlow is pushing for transparency and they keep saying no we’ll talk about it “in camera” (closed private session)
They say it’s to “preserve their relationship with metrolinx”
See: @ 54:00
www.youtube.com/live/-5Xz9HS...
TTC Board - December 10, 2025
YouTube video by Toronto Transit Commission
www.youtube.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Ughhh TTC board is being so dodgy on talking openly about signal priority
Matlow is pushing for transparency and they keep saying no we’ll talk about it “in camera” (closed private session)
They say it’s to “preserve their relationship with metrolinx”
See: @ 54:00
www.youtube.com/live/-5Xz9HS...
Matlow is pushing for transparency and they keep saying no we’ll talk about it “in camera” (closed private session)
They say it’s to “preserve their relationship with metrolinx”
See: @ 54:00
www.youtube.com/live/-5Xz9HS...
If Toronto gets line 6 working half decently in a timely manner because of all the criticism we are going to end up all the people who were going on about it just being a soft opening and just wait for the improvement thinking they were right aren't we
December 10, 2025 at 3:12 AM
If Toronto gets line 6 working half decently in a timely manner because of all the criticism we are going to end up all the people who were going on about it just being a soft opening and just wait for the improvement thinking they were right aren't we
Let's push for more mobility as opposed to just not
We're still waiting for the TransLink survey results, and council's decision on the route is expected early next year. Send them an email about your preference if you haven't yet!
movementyvr.ca/bby-heights-...
movementyvr.ca/bby-heights-...
Tell TransLink not to miss Burnaby Heights! | Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders
Burnaby Heights residents and businesses could miss out on direct, rapid transit service to Metrotown and North Vancouver. We need your help!
movementyvr.ca
December 9, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Let's push for more mobility as opposed to just not
Reposted by Marcus P.
We're still waiting for the TransLink survey results, and council's decision on the route is expected early next year. Send them an email about your preference if you haven't yet!
movementyvr.ca/bby-heights-...
movementyvr.ca/bby-heights-...
Tell TransLink not to miss Burnaby Heights! | Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders
Burnaby Heights residents and businesses could miss out on direct, rapid transit service to Metrotown and North Vancouver. We need your help!
movementyvr.ca
December 9, 2025 at 6:29 PM
We're still waiting for the TransLink survey results, and council's decision on the route is expected early next year. Send them an email about your preference if you haven't yet!
movementyvr.ca/bby-heights-...
movementyvr.ca/bby-heights-...