Toronto Without Wires

[wmedia]

Here's my issue. I'm not a mod, so I don't make policy. But I did have a reaction to it and I'd like you to understand why.

1. There is an accelerating problem with understanding what is real and what is not in our society generally.
   
   
2. We have many pictures on this forum which depict what is not. However, developer renderings have not yet risen to the point where they could be mistaken for the real thing - in fact in many they take some trouble to remove troublesome real objects which make their render look less saleable or to damp down local reaction to their project. Down the road that might be more of a problem.
   
   
3. (related to 1) Your Gemini images have a watermark. This is good in my view since image scrapers can understand that these are altered images and shouldn't be mistaken for the real thing outside the context of this forum/thread. However, your ChatGPT one doesn't have a noticeable watermark.
   
   
4. The resource usage of LLM and related technologies is well known to be intensive. Much of the discussion on this board and this forum particularly revolves around the sustainability of habitation, infrastructure, and transportation activities. Your mention of running the render above through Gemini three times provoked a negative reaction.

Now, there may be people who would consider the activities of this forum itself to be a waste of cooling water, copper wiring and electricity. That opinion would be their right to hold. I however would then refer to Inspector Harry Callahan's thoughts on "opinions".

All fair points. Thanks for taking the time to reply in more detail.

On the issue of watermarks, I believe they all have an embedded (non-visible) algorithmic watermark, but I agree there should be a visible one as well.

On the issue of Inspector Harry Callahan's thoughts on "opinions", thanks for the laugh!

 

[doady]

Both the production and disposal of batteries are so bad for the environment, so I don't like bus and light rail without wires. It is form over function.

I think about Queensway streetcar and Waterfront West LRT. Of course, there is St. Clair streetcar still incomplete. Mississauga could build third garage in Meadowvale, maybe also an opportunity to convert 18/42 Derry to trolley bus? Instead they are invest into hundred electric battery buses. Waste.

Obsessing with battery send the wrong message. "Transit bad for environment". "Transit makes city ugly." "Don't need transit, just get electric car!" "Don't worry about exploding batteries!"

 

[dowlingm]

For me BETBs are what I’d like to see, even if they only had brake and terminal recharging rather than en-route overhead. This would allow the network to focus on creating a network rapidly while skipping over pinch points such as low bridges or other encroachments.

 

[ssiguy2]

Melbourne has just received it's first Alstom G class trams double articulated, 25 meter trams. The order is for 100 such trams.

What makes this unique is that it is the first battery/catenary trams the city has ever had. The battery power is relatively small but can run catenary-free for several km making it more reliable during inclement weather or a temporary wire fault/re-construction. The trams are not designed to be run on 100% battery for any great distance but due to having a larger battery pack system, they recharge via regenerative breaking. This means that they can help power the tram when it uses the most energy.....initial movement. They figure this could save them up to 40% on their electric costs as compared to the trams they are replacing.

 

[wmedia]

One of the clunkers gets a makeover by removing the wires.

Original pic of Social at Church + Dundas by @rdaner

Wires removed by Gemini.

 

[doady]

I forgot that Church has streetcar tracks.

 

[Full Metal Junkie]

I thought Queen & Strachan could use a no-wire makeover:

However, something went wrong halfway through the process:

 

[Tuscani01]

One of the clunkers gets a makeover by removing the wires.

Original pic of Social at Church + Dundas by @rdaner

This is one where the wires do a good job of distracting my eyes from that mess of a building. Please put them back.

 

[Full Metal Junkie]

There is one thing about Toronto's wire problem that irks me to no end: when they install brand new wooden electricity poles right in the middle of the pedestrian sidewalk - a problem illustrated in a somewhat recent post by @deerparker in this Shabby Public Realm post:

Giant wooden poles are being installed along Wellesley similar to Carlton & Sherbourne.

I went about deshabbifying the public realm in the above photo. I don't know what happened to the utilities truck, I had nothing to do with it (allegedly).