The TTC Board met on October 29 with an agenda that did not give the impression of being an all-day affair, but that is not how things turned out.

An extended debate in both public and confidential session arose from a management proposal to ban eBikes from the system from mid-November to mid-April as a safety measure. This arose from a fire onboard a subway train earlier in 2024 and a more general concern about eBike fires as these vehicles become more common.

There were many overlapping threads in the debate, but in the end the Board referred the matter back to staff for additional information, especially in regards to harmonization with existing City and Metrolinx policies, and the problem of enforcement. This will be on the December 3, 2024 meeting agenda.

To me, the most frustrating part of the discussion was the amount of time devoted to that issue compared to the almost non-existent debate on basic matters like service quality and management, as well as reconciliation of TTC plans with Council’s rather lofty aims to increase transit use as an essential environmental policy.

There was little new in the CEO’s monthly report. Ridership continues to build at a modest pace, and the profile of demands by day-of-week and time-of-day requires a rethink of service provision.

Other issues in this article:

• Hydraulic fluid leaks from subway work cars
• Reduced speed zones
• Ending legacy media
• The size of the TTC bus fleet
• Transport buses for warming centres
• Streetcar open door cameras
• The CEO’s mandate
• Gambling advertising