Photo: "Mirrors" by rbraeken, member of the theGentries Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

In another example of an alarming trend, a 12th pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle yesterday. Involving a dump truck and a 57-year-old man on crutches, the incident happened at Broadview and Danforth. The death represents a 21 per cent increase in pedestrian fatalities compared to this point last year.

Nobody likes to be asked to finish up and vacate their table at a restaurant, but for some, a request like this can drive them to violence. The Globe rounds up some of the frustration people are expressing over the (not-so-recent) trend of restaurants refusing to take reservations. Although the article indicates that Sheryl Kirby, editor of Taste TO, chocks these policies up to Toronto's provincial attitude toward food, couldn't it be quite the opposite? If you can't get in right away, get a drink across the street -- that way you can enjoy the experience of two places.

Another photo of another TTC fare collector sleeping has been making the rounds. I understand why people are annoyed by these images -- particularly given the salaries these collectors receive -- but it's not particularly surprising, is it? It must be boring in that box, and, as some people have pointed out, there's pretty good job security...

Sticking with the TTC, theGentries reader, Sean Connors, sent a note reminding us that the temporary adult tickets purchased in December will expire on January 31st. Without possibility of refund or exchange, today might be the day to do some city traveling. Or perhaps you've been looking for a nice place to take a nap...tsk, tsk.

Not sure if it means anything, but Michael Bryant was due in court yesterday, but instead was a no-show. His appearance has been pushed back to Mar. 5, 2010.

And in what might considered doubly good news, the lack of much snow in January has saved the City heaps of cash on clearance costs. Thus far, the cost of snow removal has reached $21 million, which is $11 million bucks less than last year. With a $500 million gap in the City's projected income and its expenses, every "little" bit counts.