In mid-March of 2006 we decided to activate our comments section to let Spacing Wire readers have their say, too. We’ve been very happy with the tone, passion, and knowledge of our commenters. So we’ve decided at the end of each month to highlight the posts with the most comments.
Name calling on the TTC: 58 comments. This post is just outside our monthly range, but it is the most commented-upon post we’ve ever had on the Wire. Craig Cal, our transit beat intern, wrote about a streetcar driver who called out the names of each stop in a creative way. Then the onslaught of everyone else’s experiences came flooding in. Both the National Post and the free transit paper Metro wrote about this post.
So much for a bike lane: 21 comments. St. George Street, which runs through the heart of U of T, is a marvelous stretch unless you like to ride a bike. The laneways are constantly being dug up and the “repairs” are never satisfactory. Commenters also pointed out other parts of the city where shoddy workmanship sometimes makes riding in a lane an unpleasant and unsafe experience.
Scarborough councillors see the LRT light: 17 comments. A closed-door meeting with TTC officials convinced a group of councillors from Scarberia that replacing the RT with a subway is financially unviable, and the area can be better served with a network of streetcar and bus right-of-ways.
Port Authority wins?: 16 comments. After the federal government surprisingly appointed new members to the Toronto Port Authority board, Globe and Mail columnist John Barber waved the white flag. Our commenters were not as quick to call it a day, but heated debates ensued.
Three people don’t make it “mixed reviews”: 15 comments. As the Quay to the City wrapped up, a Star reporter went down to the waterfront to explore the positive and negative sides of the project. But it seemed like there was little effort to find anyone with a sophisticated opinion.
