Transit shelters that remain in place at decommissioned TTC stops haven’t been forgotten, and weren’t left to play a Halloween trick on riders.

So says the boss of Toronto’s street furniture division, who also notes it’s a big job to pick up a shelter at an out-of-service TTC stop and move it to another stop where it will be used and appreciated.

One of our columns earlier this month was about three shelters at TTC stops on the Queen St. streetcar line that readers said had been moved, which trick-or-treated some passengers into waiting in them for a streetcar that would roll past without stopping.

Ryan Lanyon, who’s in charge of street furniture, sent us a note explaining that the city and the TTC are well aware that the transit shelter is no longer needed at that location. But the issues that factor into relocating the shelter are more complicated than it might seem.

“The TTC is responsible for selecting stop locations and co-ordinating with the city’s street furniture unit on all transit shelter relocations and removals,” said Lanyon.

“Once a stop is no longer in use, the shelter remains in place for a minimum three-month breathing period. This allows for the possibility of the transit stop to revert back to its original location, which sometimes does happen.

“Transit shelters require underground supports that are encased in concrete, meaning that if the shelter was moved, new construction would be required to put it back. This would be expensive and disruptive to the surrounding community. It may also result in the stop losing its shelter over the winter.”

Lanyon said the city works with its street furniture partner, Astral Out of Home, “to provide better communication at these decommissioned shelter locations.

“Our focus is ensuring amenities are consistent and available for all TTC riders in a cost effective manner,” he said, adding that “advertising and billboard space would not factor into any decision on whether or not to remove an inactive shelter.”

As for the three stops identified in our Oct. 5 column, Lanyon said the one at Queen and Gladstone will be moved by the end of the week. The stop at Queen and Sorauren is still in use, he said, so the shelter will remain. The stop at Queen and Kent is out of service and will also be moved by the end of the week, he said.

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