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Dwell Time, a transit podcast

Dwell Time Productions

Join Denis Agar and Rodney Chan in their discussions around transit in Canada. From buses to trains and everything else transit, learn about advocacy happening in Canadian cities and beyond.

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  • 9 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 1 hr 1 min
  • English

Episodes 9

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  • S1 · E9
    October 2 · 1 hr 9 min

    Episode 9 - From Education to NUMTOT (with Jerome Horne)

    Sorry for the lateness of this episode. We decided to push this one out a few weeks extra since Denis is going to be busy with two elections a week apart in British Columbia taking up a majority of his time. Jerome Horne has been a bright presence on social media, always posting about transportation and urbanism but with a personal, joyful flair. In his day job, he's worked on major rapid transit projects across the US, as well as in advocacy and consulting. But he has a degree in music! We talk about how he made the transition, and his role in the legendary facebook group NUMTOT. --- More from Jerome: https://bsky.app/profile/jahorne.bsky.social Contact us! mailbag@dwelltime.ca https://dwelltime.ca https://bsky.app/profile/dwelltime.ca https://www.instagram.com/dwelltimepod/

  • S1 · E8
    September 2 · 52 min

    Episode 8 - When Driving is Not an Option (with Anna Zivarts)

    Guest host, Emily Stremel! Denis and Emily alongside guest, Anna discuss transit news in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Seattle plus how disability and transit intersect. Anna Zivarts is a visually impaired parent and author of When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency (Island/Princeton University Press, 2024). She is also the founder and executive director of the Nondrivers Alliance, and earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from Stanford University. Zivarts sits on the boards of the League of American Bicyclists and the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium, and serves as a member of TRB’s Implications of Transportation Choices and Access on Public Health committee. --- More about Anna: https://annazivarts.com/ More about Emily: https://edmontontransitriders.org/

  • S1 · E7
    June 17 · 1 hr 3 min

    Episode 7 - Church Street, the big soccer (football) game, and travelling on VIA Rail (w/ The Greater Discussions)

    We're joined by Arden English, who is an undergraduate student studying planning at Simon Fraser University. He also produces educational videos on his YouTube channel “The Greater Discussions” covering topics around city planning and transportation within the context of British Columbia and has also been collaborating with the CBC Creator Network, bringing his YouTube style to a national audience. Arden and Denis discuss their local insights into the closure of Granville Street for the duration of the 2026 World Cup so to allow a pedestrian zone, which includes Vancouver and Toronto as host cities. And on the subject of Toronto, Rodney discusses the closure of Church Street as a pilot project for its pedestrianisation. Ever journeyed across the country on rail? Arden recently travelled on VIA Rail's The Canadian, travelling from Vancouver to Toronto. We discuss why he did this and what his impression was of this service that only runs twice weekly between two of Canada's largest cities. --- Church Street pedestrianisation: https://www.experiencethevillage.ca FIFA 2026 World Cup Granville Street closure: https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/granville-street-pedestrian-zone-june-2026.aspx The Greater Discussions: https://youtube.com/@TheGreaterDiscussions Contact us! mailbag@dwelltime.ca https://dwelltime.ca https://bsky.app/profile/dwelltime.ca https://www.instagram.com/dwelltimepod/

  • S1 · E6
    May 18 · 1 hr 1 min

    Episode 6 - Transit in Edmonton (with Emily)

    Emily Stremel of Edmonton Transit Riders (ETR) joins us in how transit advocacy came to be in Alberta's capital city and the challenges and strengths the region has in making transit great for everyone. We also learn about her insights into the music scene in Toronto and Montréal. --- https://edmontontransitriders.org/ https://www.instagram.com/edmontontransitriders https://www.tiktok.com/@edmontontransitriders https://bsky.app/profile/etriders.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/edmonton-transit-riders/

  • S1 · E5
    April 15 · 56 min

    Episode 5 - Advocacy wins and setbacks (with Damian)

    Advocacy matters and it can lead to wins even with losses elsewhere. We discuss the expansion of the R4 RapidBus in Metro Vancouver, the return of late-night bus service in Waterloo, Ontario, and a survey performed by Abacus around support for ALTO's high speed rail service between Toronto and Quebec City. Damian Mikhail is a Waterloo community organizer, deeply focused on activating young people in politics. Getting his start in municipal politics as founder and president of the University of Waterloo NDP Club, he spearheaded two student transit coalitions that protected Waterloo from cuts to off-peak Ion service and brought Night Transit to the city. At time of recording, he is at the tail end of his term as President of the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association. --- Student advocacy saves evening ION LRT service https://uwaterloo.ca/news/environment/student-advocacy-saves-evening-transit-service GRT bringing back late night bus in Waterloo after advocacy https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/late-night-loop-route-91-grand-river-transit-university-district-1.7184466 R4 expansion in Metro Vancouver, linking North Vancouver and Burnaby https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/north-shore-metrotown-expanded-rapidbus-9.7157034 TriTAG Website: https://www.tritag.ca/ Instagram & Bluesky: @tritag.ca Damien: @MikhailDamian for Twitter @damian7m for Instagram Abacus Data Survey on ALTO HSR Support https://www.altno.ca/_files/ugd/f1a60d_f91a3f0ada144cb981f03a0da603e347.pdf

  • S1 · E4
    March 23 · 1 hr 2 min

    Episode 4 - What can we learn from SEPTA and Philly? (with Justin Roczniak)

    In 2025, both Metro Vancouver and Philadelphia faced tremendous budget cuts only to have them cancelled at the last minute through the age-old method of kicking the can down the road. We're joined by Justin Roczniak, one of the hosts of Well There's Your Problem podcast where we discuss not only the budget troubles transit agencies face, but calamities such as trolley poles that have no business being used in places they don't belong or the current state of affairs with the bus manufacturing industry in North America. This episode will be a bit chaotic due to our audio recording software having a mind of its own. Please excuse any weirdness with how parts of the episode are segued! --- Justin's links: https://www.wtyppod.com/ https://bsky.app/profile/donoteat.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/user/donoteat01 https://www.transitforwardphilly.org/ https://blvdsubway.com/ Mayor Chow Announces Phase 1 TSP for Lines 5 and 6 https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/1rqd87j/transit_signal_priority_update/ https://ontariotrafficman.wordpress.com/ Metrolinx Documents Leaked: Series by Jack Hauen: Shorter, more frequent GO train plan ‘unlikely to materialize’: leaked document https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/shorter-more-frequent-go-train-plan-unlikely-to-materialize-leaked-document-12023949 Metrolinx could run first electric GO trains in 2036: leaked document https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/metrolinx-could-run-first-electric-go-trains-in-2036-leaked-document-12019017 GO trains in ‘poor’ condition and could ‘begin to fail’ in 2026, says leaked report https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/go-trains-in-poor-condition-and-could-begin-to-fail-in-2026-says-leaked-report-12011777 Three door buses for Vancouver https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-new-solaris-trolley-bus-three-doors

  • S1 · E3
    February 27 · 1 hr 6 min

    Episode 3 - Talking Mexico, Halifax, and Eglinton Crosstown (with August)

    While a Canadian did not make it on a round trip from Earth to the Moon just yet, the Eglinton Crosstown or simply "Line 5" did in fact finally open! Joined by August from TTCriders, we discuss our first impressions and how monumental this is for the Greater Toronto Area. Denis talks about his time travelling across warm and sunny Mexico while Rodney speaks about his simultaneous visit to Halifax, which admittedly was nowhere near as warm. --- Learn more about August! https://bsky.app/profile/auguststreet.ca https://www.auguststreet.ca https://bsky.app/profile/ttcriders.bsky.social https://www.ttcriders.ca Olivia Chow’s Thread on signal priority https://www.threads.com/@mayoroliviachow/post/DVHTrvbEqzh?xmt=AQF0OQVPeUKbmxz3XcQnAIMwRXtrl8GEL8-9HZMayk6ZlA Canada Public Transit Fund cut by $5 billion https://environmentaldefence.ca/2026/02/02/statement-5-billion-in-transit-cuts-a-huge-step-backwards/ Halifax Transit Advocacy Group: It’s More Than Buses https://morethanbuses.ca/ Activate Transit Windsor Essex https://activatetransitwindsoressex.ca/ HFX by Bike https://www.youtube.com/@hfxbybike Denis’s Thread about Mexico https://bsky.app/profile/denisagar.bsky.social/post/3megqagnqis2a Jonathan English’s report for CSA for the show notes: https://www.csagroup.org/article/public-policy/making-the-grade-recommendations-for-addressing-the-high-cost-of-canadas-transit-infrastructure/

  • S1 · E2
    February 2 · 58 min

    Episode 2 - Interview with Reece Martin

    Nearly every city in the country that doesn't experience rain all winter has been inundated with so much snow and it has brought problems to transit riders especially in Southern Ontario. We're also joined by our guest, Reece Martin of RMTransit, where we discuss the nuances and challenges of building a transit advocacy movement, culture, and education. Plus we also provide the big reveal: what is a "dwell time"? --- Snow Clearing: Grand River Transit working to enhance bus stop snow removal times https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/grand-river-transit-working-to-enhance-bus-stop-snow-removal-times-11765595?ref=tritag.ca Toronto residents are frustrated with slush-filled sidewalks, city responds https://nowtoronto.com/news/toronto-frustrated-slush-filled-sidewalks/ Vancouver Broadway Subway Bus Detour (Instagram Explainer) - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUCNt3Oj794/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== RPA (Regional Plan Association for the Tri-State Area) Triboro Line/Interborough Express - https://rpa.org/work/campaigns/ibx Rider’s Alliance (NYC) - https://www.ridersalliance.org/ Transit Engineering & Planning: Needs and Perspectives in Canada - https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/PCEEA/article/view/19671 Reece Martin - https://reecemartin.ca Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/dwelltime.ca

  • S1 · E1
    January 6 · 58 min

    Episode 1 - Meet Rodney and Denis!

    It's our first step! Rodney Chan of TriTAG and Denis Agar of Movement have come together to discuss transit advocacy in Canada. Rodney brings up the new Line 6 Finch West LRT that just opened in Toronto and how its shortcomings are bringing transit priority front and centre at city hall. As well, Denis and Rodney have a conversation about how they ended up in the transit planning and urbanism scene plus how they both have contributed to being micro-celebrities on social media. --- Denis promoting a new bus service for Metro Vancouver - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eltnLcyP8AU Steve Munro Blog Post on TTC Board discussion on Line 6 Finch West LRT - https://stevemunro.ca/2025/12/10/ttc-board-debates-finch-lrt/ Motion to speed up light rail transit and street cars - https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.MM35.15 Results of the motion - https://bsky.app/profile/graphicmatt.com/post/3ma4xkekyhk2o Tri-Cities Transport Action Group (TriTAG) - https://tritag.ca Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders - https://movementyvr.ca/ Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/dwelltime.ca

Showing 1–9 of 9 episodes