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Red Rocket 4107 travels westbound on the Dundas Line (Route 505) plying its steel rails through Toronto's Chinatown. I've been here more than a few times. Toronto's streetcar network is particularly effective in bringing travelers directly to this part of the city - the intersection of Dundas and Spadina. Not surprising given the number of people that seem to overflow the intersection corners on any given afternoon even in the bitter cold of a Canadian winter. I am swept here often especially when I'm on a quest for cheap sandals, good food, tea and of coarse acupuncture - very useful when you get to be my age. And as an added bonus, Chinatown is buttressed up against Kensington Market. Another place where one can obtain really good food. As you can see, Chinatown is a very colourful place. No matter how gloomy or grimy the day, Chinatown businesses always present very clean and vibrant displays. Apparently this is supposed to encourage good luck and prosperity for the proprietor. This is in stark contrast to some other downtown businesses which retain store fronts that haven't been maintained since the Peter Witt2 streetcars were retired - alas, I do not have a photo of the only Peter Witt the TTC3 retains. And speaking of the various surface rail eras in Toronto, it was just over a year ago that I was bemoaning the loss of Transit City. An ambitious and fully funded programme to create surface rapid transit lines (LRT4) through out the far flung suburbs of the city. Something which was some thirty years overdue if you ask many. Unfortunately, deriding the LRTs as "fancy streetcars", these projects were unilaterally mothballed by then in coming mayor and low road populist Rob Ford. He convinced voters that he could build a subway network instead of surface LRT with the same amount of public funds. He claimed "people want subways", and he had a "mandate" to give the people what they wanted - though there was no sign of a plan. It was not a very sophisticated notion of democracy but it did get him elected by a wide margin. Well, what a difference a year makes. Two weeks ago, Toronto city council voted to completely overturn Mayor Fords back-of-a-napkin vision in favour of restoring much of the old Transit City programme. Ford, never did present a funding model to get his even more costly subways built. He fooled the voting public but he didn't fool the developers. Yes, everybody wants subways but not too many of his supporters were thrilled with paying for them - taxes, development fees, parking levees, etc. So, the LRT era of Toronto is at long last about to begin - the trams are back! I feel particularly happy for the good people along the Finch Avenue West corridor. Historically one of the most neglected areas of the city from a transit view point. They had their fully funded and modern LRT line taken from them so that Mr. Ford could finance burying all of a completely different line that would serve more of Mr. Ford's supporters. Ford made some vague promise of "more buses" to compensate Finch West who obviously was never part of "Ford Nation". But now, thanks to city council, the Finch West LRT is once again good to go. Mayor Ford says he's going to fight on to stop the LRTs any way he can. And by that he is apparently now campaigning for the next municipal election - some 30 months into the future. And wackiness ensues...

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1CLRV - Canadian Light Rail Vehicle 2A model of streetcar common in North American cities - including Toronto - during the early 20th Century. 3TTC - Toronto Transit Commission 4LRT - Light Rail Transit

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