Toronto transit / en Just how bad is your commute? /news/just-how-bad-your-commute <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Just how bad is your commute? </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-11-06T05:20:16-05:00" title="Friday, November 6, 2015 - 05:20" class="datetime">Fri, 11/06/2015 - 05:20</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(All photos by Alan Christie)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/alan-christie" hreflang="en">Alan Christie</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Alan Christie</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/transit" hreflang="en">Transit</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto-transit-0" hreflang="en">Toronto transit</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student" hreflang="en">Student</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/commute" hreflang="en">Commute</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/community" hreflang="en">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utsc" hreflang="en">UTSC</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">For Aqsa Malik it's a two-hour journey between home and campus</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>It’s Monday, 7:45 a.m. and <strong>Aqsa Malik</strong> is starting her long trek from her Markham home to U of T. She’ll be in class for three hours, but spend at least an hour more than that commuting to and from the downtown Toronto campus.</p> <p>Malik's travel adventure is not atypical. Thousands of post-secondary students in the GTA face a similar journey. U of T and three other universities in Toronto want to know more about it, and <a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/four-toronto-universities-join-forces-major-student-transit-survey">in&nbsp;September launched a transit survey</a> for students. Malik is taking part and says she's looking forward to receiving the survey in the mail.</p> <h2><a href="http://uoft.studentmoveto.ca/en/questionnaire/section/modes">Are you a student? Take the survey</a></h2> <p>Up at 6:45 a.m., she receives a car ride from older sister Aqdas, who drops her off at the corner of Steeles Ave. and Markham Rd., her usual bus stop at 7:45 a.m. A <em>U of T News </em>writer accompanied her on the rest of the way downtown.</p> <p><strong>7:57 a.m</strong>.&nbsp;The Steeles Ave. bus arrives, half full. Malik&nbsp;is carrying her cell phone, a container of tea and her knapsack. &nbsp;In it she has two school books – <em>The Economy of Cities</em> by Jane Jacobs and <em>Rule by Aesthetics</em> by Asher Ghertner. &nbsp;She also has her lunch, sliced cucumbers and apples and a tuna sandwich, and her dinner, Chinese rice.</p> <p>Malik, 21, is in her first year of the master’s program in science and urban geography. She’s been interested in public transit since high school, then during her years as an undergrad at U of T Scarborough.</p> <p>“Going to UTSC was great,” she says. “It really prepared me for St. George. Scarborough was like a small community but its programs were really diverse.”</p> <p>She is one of five girls in the family, all born in Canada. Her parents are from Pakistan.</p> <p><strong>8:32 a.m.</strong>&nbsp;Steeles and Old English Lane. Standing room only on the bus. Many young people are listening to music on their smart phones but Malik&nbsp;begins working on a class project.</p> <p>“The bus is sometimes my desk, sometimes my breakfast table, and sometimes my bed,” she says, noting that she occasionally falls asleep both on the bus going to school and going home.</p> <p>She is working on a project for her methods class, taught by <a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/matti-siemiatycki-testifies-us-house-representatives"><strong>Matti Siemiatycki</strong>,</a> associate&nbsp;professor,&nbsp;teaching stream, in the department of geography and planning, and one of the organizers of the transit survey. It is being sent out to thousands of students and the results will be known in the new year.</p> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/four-toronto-universities-join-forces-major-student-transit-survey">Read more about the survey</a></h2> <h2><a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/election-2015-will-new-government-pay-enough-attention-city-issues">Read more about cities and transit</a></h2> <p>Malik says getting a car ride to the bus stop is the only way she can travel. Cycling is out, with the narrow roads in Markham and the lack of street lights. “It’s just not safe,” she says.</p> <p><strong>8:44 a.m.</strong>&nbsp;Yonge and Steeles. The bus turns left and comes to a dead stop. It’s a slow crawl to the Finch subway station. Malik says when she finishes her master's she hopes to get a job with the City Toronto, focusing on community development.</p> <p><strong>9:02 a.m.&nbsp;</strong> The subway train leaves the Finch station. It is the first stop heading south toward the Yonge/Bloor station but virtually all the seats are filled. Malik&nbsp;continues working on her project.</p> <p>On this day Malik has one class from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. She likes to arrive early to read or study, or work on a group project. At the end of the day, if&nbsp;she is&nbsp;tired, she&nbsp;might go straight home. Or she might&nbsp;wait and do some work or socialize. "That time between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. is really busy on the TTC,” Malik explains. She also has to synchronize the car ride home with someone in her family – the “last-mile issue,” she calls it.</p> <p><strong>9:26 a.m.</strong> &nbsp;Arrival at Bloor and Yonge for the transfer to the Bloor-Danforth line, and then a short walk from St. George subway station to Sidney Smith Hall.</p> <p><strong>9:43 a.m.&nbsp;</strong> Arrival at Sidney Smith hall. Despite the commute, Malik says it is a "real privilege” being in her program at U of T, and the trip is worth it. And, she says, there is a Tim Horton’s at the Finch Station on her way home, where she can get a nice cup of tea.</p> <p><img alt="photo of Aqsa Malik downtown" src="/sites/default/files/2015-11-06-aqsa-downtown.jpg" style="height: 417px; width: 625px; margin: 10px 25px"></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-11-06-aqsa.jpg</div> </div> Fri, 06 Nov 2015 10:20:16 +0000 sgupta 7417 at Four Toronto universities join forces in major student transit survey /news/four-toronto-universities-join-forces-major-student-transit-survey <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Four Toronto universities join forces in major student transit survey</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-09-22T10:09:28-04:00" title="Tuesday, September 22, 2015 - 10:09" class="datetime">Tue, 09/22/2015 - 10:09</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">President Meric Gertler with U of T students Aqsa Malik and Cyntia Kocan (photo by Johnny Guatto)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/alan-christie" hreflang="en">Alan Christie</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Alan Christie</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ttc" hreflang="en">TTC</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/transit" hreflang="en">Transit</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto-transit-0" hreflang="en">Toronto transit</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto" hreflang="en">Toronto</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-life" hreflang="en">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/meric-gertler" hreflang="en">Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/community" hreflang="en">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/city-hall" hreflang="en">City Hall</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Student commutes have city-wide implications, university presidents say</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Aqsa Malik</strong> and <strong>Cyntia Kocan</strong> barely know each other but have something in common – the miserable commute they have to endure to get to U of T for classes.</p> <p>Malik and Kocan joined 200 university students at a symposium on public transit in Council Chambers at Toronto City Hall on Sept. 21. The event was organized by StudentMoveTO, a joint initiative of the ؿζSM, York University, Ryerson University and OCAD University.</p> <p>The two U of T students were among five asked to represent the views of their colleagues, who not only filled the seats of city councillors but took up most of the space in the public gallery.&nbsp;They submitted written questions to representatives of public transit agencies in the GTA.</p> <p>Malik, in her first year of a master’s program in science and urban geography,&nbsp;told the audience it takes her an hour and a half to get to St. George campus from Markham – a span of time that does not include “the 20 minutes it takes for someone in my family to drop me off at the subway station.” Even small improvements like bicycle posts at the station would help, allowing her to cycle and leave her bike there during the day.</p> <p>Kocan, in her final year in urban studies, human geography and mapping at the St. George campus, said her commute could be 45 minutes from Thorncliffe but is often two hours because of TTC service disruptions. She said improvements would include bus shelters where people could remain safe and dry.</p> <p>Both women have to prepare in advance, bringing food and other supplies in case they end up spending extra hours getting to and from class.</p> <p>Officials from all four Toronto universities attended the session.</p> <p><img alt="Toronto City Hall" src="/sites/default/files/2015-09-21-Transit-Survey-Launch_18.jpg" style="margin: 5px; width: 600px; height: 400px;"></p> <p>U of T President <strong>Meric Gertler</strong> explained that the presidents have been meeting for the past couple of years to discuss how to make progress on the challenges that all four institutions confront. “It didn’t take us long to converge on transportation within the city and the Greater Toronto Area as an obvious place to start,” he said.</p> <p>This decision led to the formation of StudentMoveTO and to the announcement during the symposium that a major transit survey is about to be launched. Every university student in Toronto will be emailed a questionnaire on travel experiences. The data will be unprecedented and will result in concrete actions, the organizers say.</p> <p>There are more than 180,000 students enrolled in the four universities, Gertler said, plus 310,000 at the various colleges in the GTA. Three-quarters of U of T students commute, often taking more an hour to get to school.</p> <p>“This is a bit of a problem,” Gertler said, “a problem for them, because it’s often soul-destroying, given the kind of arduous journey that they have to endure.”</p> <p>He continued: “Every minute they’re spending in transit going to or from one of our campuses is time they cannot spend on their studies or engaging in life on one of our campuses. So it has a direct impact on the student experience, something we feel acutely.”</p> <p>At a time when key decisions are being made about long-term transit plans “it is vitally important for the daily travel experiences and needs of our students be properly represented in the planning process,” Gertler said. The goals of the four universities are to improve the transit needs of their students, “but also improve the quality of life in this region that we call home.”</p> <p>Sara Diamond, president of OCAD University, cited affordability as another major challenge for students. More bike paths and even the ability to walk freely and safely in the city are options that make transit more affordable, she said.</p> <p>“It is important to understand that student issues resonate for other low-income groups, so the kinds of approaches that we develop will have an impact far beyond the student population,” Diamond added. York President Mamdouh Shoukri and Ryerson Provost Mohamed Lachemi also spoke to the students.</p> <p>Student transit is just the first of several issues the universities will be collaborating on, Diamond said. The next is affordable housing. The institutions are already working together on bringing Syrian refugees to Canada. <a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/responding-refugee-crisis-u-t-ocad-york-university-partner-ryerson">(Read more about the Lifeline Syria Challenge collaboration)</a></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-09-21-Transit-Survey-Launch_70.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 22 Sep 2015 14:09:28 +0000 sgupta 7295 at Taking a public look at Toronto transit /news/taking-public-look-toronto-transit <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Taking a public look at Toronto transit</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-09-21T06:57:33-04:00" title="Monday, September 21, 2015 - 06:57" class="datetime">Mon, 09/21/2015 - 06:57</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by wyliepoon via Flickr)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/alan-christie" hreflang="en">Alan Christie</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Alan Christie</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto-transit-0" hreflang="en">Toronto transit</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/meric-gertler" hreflang="en">Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Symposium shines a light on the struggles of students who commute</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Toronto's four universities&nbsp;are working together to examine how public transit can be improved, with a primary focus on helping students commuting to school.</p> <p>The collaboration includes the launch on Monday of a new student travel behaviour survey at Toronto City Hall.</p> <p>The event is an interactive symposium with students, researchers and public transit officials. Speakers include ؿζSM President <strong>Meric Gertler </strong>and OCAD University President Sara Diamond, York University President Mamdouh Shoukri and Ryerson University Provost and Vice-President Mohamed Lachemi.</p> <p>“My colleagues and I had no trouble identifying this as the first initiative in our new collaboration on shared priorities,” Gertler told U of T News. “Transportation infrastructure is a huge and pressing issue in the city-region we’re part of, and no group is affected more than students. Unreasonably long commutes make it much more difficult for our students to focus on their education and to make the most of it.</p> <p>“By bringing students, academic experts, and city officials together in a focused conversation, we’re hoping to spur action to address the problem, and to support our students in making their voices heard,” Gertler said. “For me, as president of U of T, it’s one way of advancing two of the university’s top priorities – our contribution to the city-region around us, and our undergraduates’ educational experience.”</p> <p>A new group has been created by the four universities, called StudentMoveTO, which aims to “promote and improve mobility for students within the GTHA through research, teaching and knowledge mobilization.” In an invitation to students, it says the symposium will discuss “the difficult and sometimes bewildering obstacles students confront with travelling in the GTHA (Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area).”</p> <p>In planning the initiative Gertler wrote to his colleagues that the need for new investment in transportation infrastructure in the region is now widely accepted.</p> <p>In the most densely built-up neighbourhoods, demand for public transit outstrips supply by a considerable margin, the president wrote. With further development anticipated as central areas continue to intensify, this challenge will only get worse in the absence of significant investments to expand capacity and enhance service.</p> <p>Studies have shown that low-income neighbourhoods are likely to be least well served by the existing transportation system, inhibiting access to employment and education opportunities.</p> <p>The impact on university students is especially acute, Gertler wrote, with all four universities having high proportions of students who live off-campus and commute daily to and from their studies.</p> <p>Scholars from the four institutions have been working for a year to create the transportation survey.</p> <p><strong>Matti Siemiatycki</strong>, an associate professor of geography and planning at U of T, and one of the organizers of the symposium, told U of T News that “through StudentMoveTO, the universities have come together to conduct one of the largest surveys of student travel ever by reaching out to students at all four institutions.</p> <p>“We know that traveling in [the region] can be a challenge for students, often characterized by long distances and high costs; this can impact on student engagement with their studies and university life. The StudentMoveTO initiative makes it possible to understand what parts of the transportation system are working in the region, and which are not.”</p> <p>The results, Siemiatycki said, will be made public “so that they can be used by all stakeholders to learn how students use the transportation system in the region and inform policy decisions.”<br> &nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-09-21-transit-city-hall_0.jpg</div> </div> Mon, 21 Sep 2015 10:57:33 +0000 sgupta 7292 at