Where to get free transit this New Year's Eve

It's almost 2017. As you head out to party, don't forget to plan your safe ride home. Here's all the GTA transit services who will you be offering you a free ride on New Year's Eve.

GO Transit

GO will be offering free service on all routes after 7:00pm. They will be running a regular Saturday schedule, with special late trips being offered on the Lakeshore, Milton, Kitchener, Barrie, and Stouffville lines. Click here for details.

TTC

Take a free ride on the Rocket from 7:00pm to 7:00am, whether you're taking the bus, streetcar, or subway. Subway service sill be extended to 4:00am to get you home safely, and overnight Blue Night service will run until the beginning of subway service on New Year's Day. PRESTO users should not tap their cards on New Year's Eve.

YRT

York Region Transit and VIVA will be offering starting at 7:00pm until the last bus of the day. Head over to their website for their full extended service list.

Mississauga MiWay

The city of Mississauga will be running free trips from 7:00pm to 4:00am on a Saturday schedule with extended evening service. Grab full details here.

Durham Transit

New this year, DRT will be offering free service until 3:00am. Check out the full list of extended service here.

Brampton Transit

Travelling around B-town this NYE, you an ride on Zum for free after 7:00pm. Grab the full extended service schedule here.

Oakville Transit

Ride for free around the old Oak starting at 7:00pm until 3:30am. Additional late night train meet service will be departing the Oakville GO Station at 2:30 and 3:30am.

Hamilton Transit

The Hammer will be offering free bus service after 6:00pm on most routes.

Burlington Transit

Unfortunately, Burlington will not be offering free service this NYE. However, they will be offering extended service until 2:00am on select routes. See schedules for details.

Milton Transit

Milton still has not confirmed its transit schedule for New Year Eve, though they have stated there will be no service on New Year's Day. Unfortunately, it looks like they will not be offering free or extended service this year. Stay tuned to their Twitter feed for updates.

Taxi & Uber

Of course, taxis will not be free. Beck is planning to be very busy, so expect extended waits. Uber is warning riders to expect the highest surge prices between midnight and 3:00am. So transit is probably your better bet. Hotel is another option, but many rooms will likely be booked out already. But a friend's couch is always free.

Truck crash shuts down westbound 401

A collision has shut down a portion of the 401 this afternoon.

Shortly before 1:00pm police to reports that a truck had collided with a bridge in the westbound express lanes at the 400.

When they arrived on scene, crews discovered a dump truck had left its box up, and had become wedged under the bridge.

All westbound express lanes remain closed at this hour. Cleanup continues, but police say they are unsure when the highway will reopen. 

The westbound collector lanes are open, but traffic is backed up as far as Bayview. In town routes are also heavier than usual. The 407 is currently the best alternate.

UPDATE:COLLISION: #Hwy401 WB Express lanes remain CLOSED just after Keele St (Basket weave) due to a collision. Collector lanes remain open

— OPP GTA Traffic (@OPP_GTATraffic) December 29, 2016

All your GTA Santa Claus Parades

I'm a bit late off the gun with the Christmas season this year. Hard to believe we're already almost halfway through November.

If you're looking to boost the holiday spirit, here's a full list of Santa Claus parades happening around the GTA, along with routes and road closures. If I've missed one, mention it in the comments and I'll add it to the list.

A lot of hard working volunteers put months of effort into creating the magic, so get out, support them, and have a great time. Don't forget you can also catch most of the parades on either Rogers TV or Cogeco TV. Check your local listings.

November 19th, 2016

Oakville Santa Claus Parade @ 9:00am

• Lakeshore from Allen to Kerr
• Kerr from Lakeshore to Stewart
• Stewart from Kerr to Maurice Drive
• Felan Avenue from Stewart to Rebecca
• Rebecca Street from Dorval to Forsythe
• Robinson Street from Navy to Allan

Newmarket Santa Claus Parade @ 11:00am

• Starts at Lorne and Eagle
• Travels east along Eagle to Main
• North on Main, ending at Ontario Street

Acton Santa Claus Parade @ 11:00am

• Hwy 7, downtown Acton

Hamilton Santa Claus Parade @ 4:30pm

• Starts at Main and Queen
• East along Main to John
• North on John to King
• West on King to Bay
• Ends on Bay at FirstOntario Centre

Georgetown Santa Claus Parade @ 5:00pm

• Starts at Guelph St & Sinclair, travels along Guelph to Charles.
• Up Charles Street to Fairgrounds

Brampton Santa Claus Parade @ 5:00pm

• Starts Ken Williams Drive & Sproule, continues along Sproule to Main.
• Down Main St/Hwy 10, ending at Elgin Drive. 

Richmond Hill Santa Claus Parade @ 6:00pm

• Leslie Street from 19th Avenue to Major Mackenzie. 

Oshawa Santa's Parade of Lights @ 6:00pm

• Starts at King and Stevenson
• East along King to Simcone
• North on Simcoe to Bond
• West on Bond to Stevenson

November 20th, 2016

Toronto Santa Claus Parade @ 12:30pm

• Parade Starts at Christie Pits and Travels along Bloor to Avenue
• Down Avenue Bloor to Wellington
• Along Wellington from University to Jarvis
• Ends at St. Lawrence Market

Milton Santa Claus Parade @ 1:30pm

• Starts at Main & Scott Blvd
• Continues along Main Street to ending at Milton GO Station. 

November 25th, 2016

Markham Santa Claus Parade @ 11:00am

• Markham Road between Hwy 7 and Bur Oak Ave.

November 26th, 2016

Pickering Santa Claus Parade @ 10:00am

• Starting at Vaughan Willard Public School
• Travels east along Glenanna Road between Dixie and Pickering Parkway.

Ajax Santa Claus Parade @ 6:00pm

• Starting at Bayly and Mackenzie Avenue
• Travels east along Bayly then north on Harwood, ending at Ajax Town Hall

Santa Under the Stars Parade Aurora @ 6:00pm

• Yonge from St. John's Sideroad to Orchard Heights
• Yonge from St. John's to Wellington 
• Old Yonge Street from St. John's to Twelve Oaks Drive
• Yonge from Orchard Heights to Industrial Parkway South
• Englehard Drive from Edward to Industrial Parkway

Flamborough/Waterdown Santa Claus Parade @ 6:30pm

• Starts on Hamilton Street at Rockhaven
• South on Hamilton to Dundas
• East on Dundas to Main
• North on Main to Parkside Drive
• West on Parkside, ending at Hamilton Street

November 27th, 2016

Streetsville Santa Claus Parade @ 1:00pm

• Queen Street, downtown Streetsville

Santa Fest in Maple Parade @ 2:00pm

• Major Mackenzie from the 400/Canada's Wonderland to Vaughan City Hall, east of Keele.

Weston Santa Claus Parade @ 2:00pm

• Starts at Weston and Church
• Heads south on Weston ending at Sidney Besley Cres. 

December 3rd, 2016

Etobicoke Lakeshore Christmas Parade @ 10:00am

• Starts at Dwight Avenue, and continues along Lake Shore Blvd West

Dec 3rd: Whitby Santa Claus Parade @ 10:00am

• Route TBA

Dec 4th: Burlington Santa Claus Parade @ 2:00pm

• Starts at Prospect Street and Guelph Line
• South on Guelph to New Street
• West on New Street to Brant
• North on Brant, ending at Caroline Street

Dec 3rd: Bolton Santa Claus Parade @ TBA

• Parade route TBA

Deadliest Labour Day weekend in 20 years, OPP

This was the deadliest Labour Day weekend in 20 years according to OPP.

Fourteen people died on provincially patrolled highways over the long weekend. This includes single vehicle crash on Hwy 17 near Wawa, which claimed four lives early Monday morning. The vehicle hit a rock cut before catching fire. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the collision.

Police have also released statistics for their distracted driving blitz, and they're not good.

800 charges were laid despite an aggressive campaign to get motorists to put their phones down. That brings total distracted driving charges laid this year up to 8,800.

OPP are reminding motorists that distracted drivers are twice as likely to get into a collision than even impaired drivers.

"While both of these driving behaviours are equally threatening to the safety of road users, this latest data has the OPP calling for a heightened awareness of the prevalence of distracted drivers and the risks they pose on our roads. The OPP is also calling on Ontarians to develop a similar level of public intolerance of these dangerous drivers that exists of impaired drivers."

Failure to use turn signals more dangerous than texting, study

Driver's who refuse to use their turn signal are twice as likely to get into accidents than those who drive distracted. 

That's according to new data from Society of Automotive Engineers, which stated that failure to signal causes 2-million collisions per year.

The study found drivers in the United States use their turn signals only half the time when changing lanes, and a 75% of the time when making a turn. 

Engineers are recommending that authorities need to crack down on repeated offenders. They also suggested that new cars should be equipped with a warning system to remind driver.

Source: CBS Philadelphia 

Gardiner to close this weekend for Spring maintenance

The Gardiner Expressway is set to shut down this weekend for its annual Spring checkup.

The highway will be CLOSED in both directions from Carlaw to the 427 starting Friday, May 13th at 11:00pm. It is not expected to reopen until Monday at 5:00am, just in time for the morning commute.

With the Toronto FC in town and a potential Raptors game planned for this weekend, this will mean significant delays for those heading downtown.

Drivers can expect Lake Shore to fill up quickly. With other alternate routes slow at the best of times, transit will definitely be the better option.

Crews shut down the Gardiner twice annually to perform routine maintenance without having to worry about traffic safety. However, the city has faced criticism in the past for failing to coordinate highway closures with major events.

Camero driver caught speeding down Vancouver sidewalk

Pedestrians jumped out of the way after a red Chevrolet Camero convertible was spotted travelling along the sidewalk near Hornby and Dunsmuir in the city's downtown.

Surveillance video caught the tail end of the incident, showing a brave bystander trying to confront the driver. The car is then seen tearing off into traffic. 

Fortunately nobody was injured or killed. Police say they are looking for the driver but do not have a suspect at this time. 

Anyone with information is being asked to call Vancouver Police at 604-717-9974.

Source: AutoBlog.ca

Volkswagen to buy back emissions cheating vehicles, sources say

Volkswagen is expected to buy back 500,000 vehicles which used a defeat-device to cheat emissions tests.

Quoting unnamed sources, Reuters reports the company is expected to make the announcement official when them meet with a US federal judge later today.

The buyback is expected to involve Volkswagen Clean Diesel vehicles with 2.0L engines sold since 2009. This includes the popular Jetta, Golf, and Audi A3 models. Vehicles with larger 3.0L diesels will not be included.

Volkswagen may also offer to repair affected vehicles if US regulators approve of a proposed fix. Owners will have two years to decide whether they want to sell back their vehicles or get them repaired.

The German automaker admitted last year they had been using a device to falsify diesel emissions tests. The vehicles in question will activate their full emissions control system only if they detect they're plugged into testing equipment. During normal driving, the effectiveness of the control system is greatly reduced. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says this exposed people to potentially harmful pollutants.

Volkswagen is still dealing with 500 civil law suits surrounding the issue. Their compensation fund is expected to top more than $1 billion USD on top of the cost of buying back the vehicles. It is unclear how much each owner might receive.


Source: Reuters

Mitsubishi caught cheating fuel economy tests

Mitsubishi Motors has admitted they cheated efficiency tests to overstate the fuel economy of 625,000 vehicles.

The Japanese automaker's tomfoolery was outted by Nissan, a sales partner in its minicar venture.

According to Bloomberg, Mitsubishi modified the weight of cars during testing, as well as used inaccurate tire and air resistance numbers in computer models.

These tests overstated fuel economy between 5 and 10 percent.

Most of the effected vehicles are Kei style cars exclusive to the Japanese market.

Mitsubishi has halted sales and production of the eK Wagon, eK Space, as well as the Nissan badged Dayz and Dayz Roox. 157,000 Mitsubishi cars and 468,000 Nissan cars are involved. A Nissan spokesperson said that sales will not resume until the two companies hold talks regarding compensation.

The fuel economy violations may result in Mitsubishi having to pay back government tax for the vehicles. Mitsubishi's shares fell 15% on the announcement.

Mitsubishi is the latest automaker to come under increased scrutiny for fudging environmental performance numbers. Volkswagen was implicated last year for rigging their diesel vehicles to cheat US emissions tests.

Source: Bloomberg, Engadget
Photo by: DY5W-sport via Wikipedia, used under CC 3.0 license

Gardiner and DVP to close Spring Maintenance

Spring is in the air, which means the Don Valley Parkway is set to close this weekend for its annual maintenance.

Starting Friday at 11pm, the highway will be shut down between the Gardiner and 401. It is scheduled to reopen on April 18th at 5am, just in time for the morning commute.

The closure gives the city a chance to fix potholes and clean out catch basins without having to work in close quarters with the city's notorious traffic.

Of course this will mean big headaches for drivers looking to head downtown. Though fortunately there are no major events happening that weekend.

If you need to to take the DVP, your best bets are Bayview and Don Mills, though expect those to be much heavier than normal

Muzzo sentenced to 10 years in drunk driving crash that killed grandfather, 3 children

Marco Muzzo has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the impaired driving crash that killed a three children and their grandfather last September.

"The enormous harm caused by Mr. Muzzo is extraordinary," Justice Michelle Fuerst told the court as she handed down the sentence Tuesday.

"For as long as Mr. Muzzo has been alive, courts have warned about the consequences of impaired driving, yet it escaped him," Fuerst said. Citing the victim impact statements, she called it a "tragedy beyond comprehension."

Justice Fuerst concluded that "a lengthy plenipotentiary term is necessary. The just and appropriate sentence is one of 10 years."

Marco Muzzo, 29, had pled guilty in the Sept. 27 crash that killed nine-year old Daniel Neville-Lake, five-year-old brother Harrison, two-year-old sister Milly, and their 65-year-old grandfather Gary Neville.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Muzzo had recently returned from a bachelor trip in Miami and had landed at Pearson. He then got behind the wheel of his Jeep and headed home to Vaughan. The Jeep ran a stop sign and collided with a minivan carrying the family. Muzzo's breath samples after the crash indicated a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit.

Letters attesting to Muzzo's character painted him as a hard working young man who had shown considerable remorse for the incident. The defence had asked for a sentence of 8 years.

However, Justice Fuerst called his blood alcohol level "alarmingly high", and cited 10 year prior motor vehicle infractions as part of her decision.

Muzzo will also face a 12 year driving ban after he is released from prison.

Hydro vault fire turns off the juice for Toronto Transit

An electrical fire is being blamed for a major service outage on the TTC Tuesday morning.

Toronto Fire responded to a call around 4:00am of smoke pouring out an underground hydro vault in the Richmond and Victoria Area. Power to the area was turned off while crews worked to being the fire under control.

Service on the Yonge subway was shut down from St Andrew to Bloor stations just in time for the morning rush. Several street car lines were also disrupted, leaving commuters scrambling to board cramped shuttle buses. Some just gave up and walked.

No #TTC service from Bloor to St Andrew stations. Shuttle buses are operating. pic.twitter.com/KLTnbUbuUc

— The Ryersonian (@theryersonian) March 1, 2016

Line up of shuttle buses at #unionstation now #TTC @CBCToronto pic.twitter.com/uUa0RC9cxO

— Nadia (@nadia_toronto) March 1, 2016

Full transit service was restored shortly before 11:00am.

TTC representative Brad Ross confirmed the fire had originated in one of the transit company's vaults. Crews are still investigating the cause.

Not a good morning for #TTC Vault fire causing all sorts of issues. Check @TTCnotices #Toronto pic.twitter.com/Uy5jxf6xwF

— Tony Smyth (@LateNightCam) March 1, 2016

Large snowstorm to hit the GTA on Tuesday UPDATED

After a weekend of unseasonably mild weather, southern Ontario is about to get a harsh reminder that winter is still here.

A powerful Texas Low is expected to impact the region Tuesday evening, bringing with it colder temperatures and heavy snows.

The GTA can expect to receive 2-5cm Tuesday afternoon with an additional 10-20cm overnight heading into Wednesday morning. Freezing rain and ice pellets may also pose problems in areas along the Lower Great Lakes. Exact amounts will depend on how the storm tracks.

Environment Canada warns commuters to be prepared and alter their plans accordingly. A winter storm warning is currently in effect for most of southern Ontario. Watches are in effect for the Ottawa Valley.

This same storm is also causing issues down in the United States, bringing heavy snow and the potential for freezing ran across a large swath of the eastern seaboard from Chicago to the Carolinas.

Both Pearson and Billy Bishop report that flights are operating normally as of Monday morning. However, they remind travellers to check for delays before heading out.

When the Gardiner will be closed this spring, and other delights

Spring is only a month away, and we here in Toronto are getting ready to transition into everyone's favourite season. Construction season.

The City of Toronto has published their list of when the Gardiner and DVP will be closed this spring, both for maintenance and some major events.

"Providing the dates for these expressway closures in advance will help people make their travel plans," said Councillor Jaye Robinson, chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.

Weekend Road closures are as follows:

 • The Don Valley Parkway from the Gardiner Expressway to Highway 401 will be closed for spring maintenance activities from Friday, April 15 at 11 p.m. to Monday, April 18 at 5 a.m. A rain date of April 29 to May 1 has been set, in which case the DVP will re-open early to improve traffic conditions during the Goodlife Marathon, scheduled for May 1.

• The Gardiner Expressway between Carlaw Avenue and Highway 427 will be closed from Friday, May 13 at 11 p.m. to Monday, May 16 at 5 a.m. for spring maintenance activities. (Rain date: May 20 to 23, opening for Victoria Day on May 23.)

• The Gardiner Expressway will be closed from Carlaw Avenue to the Humber Bridge and the Don Valley Parkway will be closed from Highway 401 to the Gardiner Expressway on Sunday, June 5 from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. to accommodate the Ride for Heart event that day.

• The eastbound lanes of the Gardiner Expressway from the Humber Bridge to Carlaw Avenue and the northbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway from the Gardiner Expressway to Eglinton Avenue, including all ramps, will be closed on Sunday, July 10 from 2 a.m. to noon during the Toronto Triathlon Festival

Metrolinx to slash fares for underused UP Express

In a move which pretty much everyone predicted, Metrolinx is slashing ticket prices for its underutilized Union-Pearson Express.

The Globe and Mail reports that fares will be reduced from $27.50 per trip to just $12 for travel between Union Station and the airport. Riders with presto cards will see their ticket fall from $19 to $9.

Fares for travel between the line's three other stations have been reduced to $6.

The move comes after reports that ridership for the line has been slowly declining. The UP Express needs at least 7,000 passengers per day to break even, but only averages about 2,500.

The $456 million Union-Pearson Express was originally constructed as part of Toronto's bid for the 2015 Pan-Am games. Since opening last Summer, criticism has been mounting over the project's high fares and low utilization.

“To think that there are as few as six people [at a time] on a significant piece of infrastructure that cost taxpayers almost a half a billion dollars is really a shame,” said PC transport critic Michael Harris.

At the current regular price, the UP Express is the most expensive direct air-rail link in North America, with similar trains in other large cities averaging around $10.

The services attracted as many as 40,000 passengers over the Family Day long weekend, when Metrolinx was offering a free ride promotion. With the reduces fares, the province is hoping to repeat that before the line becomes another costly white elephant.

Photo by Craig James White via Wikipedia. Used under CC BY-SA 4.0 license. 

Wintry weather to hit Ontario on Wednesday

Commuters could be in for a messy drive on Wednesday as a winter storm bares down on southern Ontario.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement ahead of a major storm that is expected to affect the province Wednesday and into Thursday.

This storm is expected to bring heavy rain and snow for some areas, along with the possibility of freezing rain. Weather experts say amounts will largely depend on how this storm tracks.

The same system is also expected to impact Southern Quebec and New Brunswick later in the week.

Several US cities are already preparing, with up to 30cm of snow expected to hit areas north of Detroit, with lesser amounts for Chicago and Boston.

Those flying to the affected areas are advised to check their flight status before heading out.

Photo by Mhus via Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0 license. 

Nipigon Bridge partially reopened to traffic

To go anywhere in Canada, you just follow the only road... or not.

A section of the Trans-Canada Highway through Northern Ontario has partially reopened Monday morning after a bridge failure.

The newly constructed Nipigon River Bridge had been shut down on Sunday after it heaved as much as 60cm away from the embankment.

Engineers are investigating it as a mechanical failure.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said the Province "will do everything they can do to restore the bridge quickly, while also making sure that the safety of the travelling public remains of paramount importance."

The Trans-Canada highway serves as a vital route to western Canada, and is the only road connecting the communities of Nipigon and Thunder Bay.

"It's not just us. It's all of Canada that has a problem right now," Nipigon mayor Richard Harvey told media.

Crews were able to open a single lane to traffic Monday morning, but say it may be days before everything returns to normal.

The cause of the failure is still under investigation, but locals are blaming strong winds and cold weather.

The Nipigon River Bridge is currently involved in a $106 million project to widen the road to four lanes. The portion of the bridge that failed had only just opened in November.

Source: CBC
Photo by @SayethShawna, via Twitter

Serious crash closes 401 in Milton

A serious collision has closed the eastbound 401 through Milton.

Around 5:30pm Monday evening, police responded to reports that a vehicle had slammed into the median and collided with a truck.

Ornge Air Ambulance has transported one patient to a Hamilton hospital with critical injuries.

Another person involved was also injured in the crash, but an Ornge spokesperson said they are less serious.

Drivers are advised to take the James Snow bypass to get around the closure.

More details as they come.