Average weekly - 72%
Peak Day - Wednesday 84%
Low Day - Friday 43%
TTC subway ridership growth relative to pre-pandemic levels in the downtown core is recovering well. Union station’s ridership on the subway exceeds pre-pandemic levels by over 8%. This is good news for the TTC and reflects the consistent trend shown in the Occupancy Index. It also mirrors the daily data for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Subway ridership (over 80% relative to pre-COVID use) exceeds the Occupancy Index during the weekday and is attributable to the growth of residential living and tourism in the heart of the city post COVID.
Through November there appears to be a continued increase in the return to the office. We expect the Index to peak during November with the normal decline in December.
We continue to hear your thoughts on the impact of congestion on the commute and your ideas on solutions. SRRA will conduct a conference on January 24th on the Index and congestion solutions with expert panels on both subjects, please indicate your interest in attending by reply email.
Enjoy this week’s Articles
Your SRRA Team
Links to Articles of Interest
Be Mindful of the “Human Doom Loop” Caused by Remote Work
A thoughtful article from a U.S.-based writer suggests that remote work could be behind a widespread trend towards unhappiness (and anger?) in the U.S. (and not unknown here in Canada). She notes that reliance on virtual therapy vs in-person visits in the U.S. has exploded by more than 2000 per cent since the pandemic – drawing a straight line between this arcane stat, remote work and the mood of the country.
Virtual Villages for Digital Nomads – Save on Commuting Costs But What Price Office Culture?
Communities built up around the notion that “digital nomads” who have fled big city office jobs need decent co-working spaces with good internet and support to find housing are actually “a thing” according to Wired magazine. This must be the ultimate product for the “me” generation. Guess company leaders are on their own when seeking to build a company culture.
Mayor of Paris Takes on Heavyweight Cars but Excuses EVs
Mayor Anne Hildago, of 15-minute city fame, is no shrinking violet when it comes to disrupting the status quo. Having originally backed e-scooters she subsequently looked at data showing accident rates involving pedestrians and yanked support for scooter rentals. Her latest move involves upping the cost of parking for SUVs and other “overweight” vehicles (known in the UK as Chelsea Tractors). But she has had to bend her principles slightly, giving a break to EVs, known to be heavier than gasoline cars. Meanwhile her efforts to install cycling infrastructure appear to be paying off with congestion levels in the city of light dramatically down.
Give Thanks to Public Transit Urges Bloomberg
With a different take on America’s Thanksgiving Holiday, Bloomberg news quotes a philosopher to underscore the value of public transit. “Hell is other people,” Sartre wrote, and public transit serves them up aplenty, but chance encounters with unfamiliar folk are the joy of cities. Be thankful.” For Torontonians fed up with gridlock it is worth remembering a time when Toronto was a must-visit place for transportation experts keen to understand the secret sauce that (at the time) was keeping the city moving.
Future of Less Competitive Office Buildings Called into Question
Owners of class B and C level office buildings are feeling the pinch when it comes to holding on to tenants, let alone attracting new ones. This is the tale of one landlord convinced that investments in new amenities and other upgrades to the well-located 121 King Street W will show dividends. “Encouraging a return to office” was Max Rosenfeld’s motivation for acquiring and then investing in this 1980s office building. But in the face of stubborn high vacancy rates brokers are wondering about the future of other older properties in downtown Toronto and elsewhere needing to compete with shiny new assets.
Peter Principle Alive and Well as Verster Leaves for a New Rail Job
Phil Verster CEO of Metrolinx has been recruited for a top job elsewhere, leaving the Crosstown still without an opening date, as well as other criticisms, that include a lack of transparency over how decisions are communicated. Michael Lindsay is stepping in to run things until a new CEO is found.
“The Occupancy Index is supported by the City of Toronto, Downtown Yonge BIA, and Downtown West BIA. It is a measure of the percentage of office employees returning to the office compared to the number of employees who would normally have come to their offices pre-COVID. For a detailed description of the calculation please contact Iain Dobson at [email protected],”