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Politics: Tim Hudak's Plan for Ontario if he becomes Premier

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Solid Snake

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...crap-lrts-as-ontario-premier/article15113241/

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak is pledging to cut back the province’s transit-building plans, and would cancel a raft of suburban LRTs in favour of extending Toronto’s subway system.

He wants to build the downtown relief line – the TTC’s priority project – extend the Bloor-Danforth subway in Scarborough and bring the Yonge line north to Richmond Hill.

In a wide-ranging discussion with The Globe and Mail’s editorial board, Mr. Hudak revealed for the first time what Southern Ontario’s transportation network will look like if he is elected premier in a vote widely expected next year. While his preference for subways is well known, he has never before detailed which extensions he favours or been so explicit that some lines will be on the chopping block.

To save money, he will axe parts of the Big Move – the current, $50-billion plan championed by Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne – which envisions light rail in Mississauga and Hamilton, subway extensions and several dedicated bus corridors across the region.

“Are we wed to all the major projects in the Big Move? No,†he said. “I have been very clear from the beginning: [our plan] will be subway-driven, rail-driven. I think GO and our subways are the strengths in our system, and I do not believe in ripping up existing streets to lay down track.â€

Mr. Hudak, whose transit mantra sounds a lot like that of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, recognizes the tradeoffs: Exclusively building subways will mean covering less ground than adding light rail into the mix.

“I live in the real world. I know that subways are more expensive,†he said. “You set priorities and you make choices. But I think that every dollar we build underground is there not just for a generation, but for potentially a century. It’s a worthy investment. You’re absolutely right: I’ll lay down less track than I would if I did LRTs, but I think I get bigger bang for the buck in helping beat gridlock.â€

Tory MPPs Doug Holyday, Mr. Ford’s former deputy mayor, and Jane McKenna are working on a more detailed transportation plan, to be released before the end of the current legislative session in December, Mr. Hudak said.

Ms. Wynne has made transit-building a priority for her government, and is currently mulling a series of tax hikes to raise the money needed to pay for the Big Move.

Mr. Hudak’s plan will be less extensive, and less expensive, than Ms. Wynne’s. And he is pledging that Ontarians will not face higher taxes to pay for it. Instead, he said, he would constrain spending elsewhere in the budget to find the funds.

“[The money] comes from the same place where the Spadina line came from, where the Bloor-Danforth line came from, where the Yonge line came from. It comes from the treasury,†he said. “We did that without tax increases in the past … You do it by finding efficiencies within government.â€

Mr. Hudak’s plan is ultimately calculated to appeal to the suburban voters his party must attract if it hopes to unseat the Liberals. To that end, he reiterated his promise to merge the subway system with the GO regional rail network, in hopes of creating more seamless travel for commuters.

The province would also take control of Toronto’s expressways, and Mr. Hudak promised to repair the Gardiner rather than tear it down.

It is not entirely clear how the TTC’s subway could be brought under the province’s wing, while leaving buses and streetcars under the control of the city. As it is, the network is deeply integrated, and Toronto’s subway relies heavily on surface transit to feed riders into the system.

But Mr. Hudak hinted this may be only the first step in a broader integration of the region’s transit systems. He pointed to Transport for London – the agency that runs transit in England’s capital – as a model for Toronto. TfL oversees London’s underground and overground systems, as well as major roads; it also plans the bus network, which is run by private companies under contract.
 
His plan:

TTC
-Build the Downtown Relief Line (Line # 3?)
-Extend the Bloor-Danforth Line (Line number 2) to McCowan/Sheppard East
-Extend the Yonge Line to Richmond Hill (Line 1)

City of Toronto
-The province would take back Allen Road, DVP and Gardiner (Maintain the Gardiner rather than destroy)

GO
-More investments in GO trains

Metrolinx
-Wants to use "Transport for London" as a model to merge GO and TTC subways together
(TfL oversees London’s underground and overground systems, as well as major roads; it also plans the bus network, which is run by private companies under contract.)
-Mr. Hudak hinted this may be only the first step in a broader integration of the region’s transit systems.

Financial Plan?

-Killing most LRT's in the GTA like Hamilton, Mississauga, Finch and Sheppard from the Big move plan to build the DRL instead
-From the treasury without tax increases.
 
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My Conservativese is a little rusty, but I think the translation is something like this: cancel all planned transit expansions except for three stations in Scarborough, put off any future expansions indefinitely while telling the public you're looking for "efficiencies", collapse GO and TTC into a single entity as an excuse to gut their budget, and privatize bus services. Direct any future transit money to highway repair.

In other words, we're back to the glory days of the 1990s.

Conspicuously absent is any mention of Eglinton. Would he go for another Harris repeat and fill the hole back in?
 
Some fairly bold promises coming from the man, who helped facilitate the cancelation of the Eglinton subway.
 
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My Conservativese is a little rusty, but I think the translation is something like this: cancel all planned transit expansions except for three stations in Scarborough, put off any future expansions indefinitely while telling the public you're looking for "efficiencies", collapse GO and TTC into a single entity as an excuse to gut their budget, and privatize bus services. Direct any future transit money to highway repair.

In other words, we're back to the glory days of the 1990s.

Conspicuously absent is any mention of Eglinton. Would he go for another Harris repeat and fill the hole back in?

I think he has an allergy to LRTs. I don't think he can stop Eglinton but I believe that he truly believes in how Transit for London works. I just came back from the UK and it's hard to argue that it works pretty well and the network goes way beyond the city's boarders. My only problem was how expensive it was to use, especially when converting from CAD$

I think it's a gamble for him. If he can't win Toronto, he'll never be premier. The DRL appeals to the downtown residents and Scarborough is taken cared of for the inner suburbs. Seems that he takes the outer suburban vote for granted by killing their LRT (Mississauga and Hamilton) but he wants to upgrade GO to counter balance that. The benefit of integrating the subways to Metrolinx and potentially the whole TTC is that it wouldn't be Toronto's burden anymore since pretty much the whole province would be subsidizing it. Our subway could use some major improvements and upgrades by the way.

Anyways you put it, you have to repair the existing highways but I'm against the construction of new ones.

My main concern with is plan which I find adequate is : Will he do it for real or will he say "the finances are worse that we thought and bla bla bla...we have to cut transit" This will be by far is biggest challenge, convince Toronto that he won't repeat the Eglinton Subway tragedy
 
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I think he has an allergy to LRTs. I don't think he can stop Eglinton but I believe that he truly believes in how Transit for London works. I just came back from the UK and it's hard to argue that it works pretty well and the network goes way beyond the city's boarders. My only problem was how expensive it was to use, especially when converting from CAD$

I think it's a gamble for him. If he can't win Toronto, he'll never be premier. The DRL appeals to the downtown residents and Scarborough is taken cared of for the inner suburbs. Seems that he takes the outer suburban vote for granted by killing their LRT (Mississauga and Hamilton) but he wants to upgrade GO to counter balance that. The benefit of integrating the subways to Metrolinx and potentially the whole TTC is that it wouldn't be Toronto's burden anymore since pretty much the whole province would be subsidizing it. Our subway could use some major improvements and upgrades by the way.

Anyways you put it, you have to repair the existing highways but I'm against the construction of new ones.

My main concern with is plan which I find adequate is : Will he do it for real or will he say "the finances are worse that we thought and bla bla bla...we have to cut transit" This will be by far is biggest challenge, convince Toronto that he won't repeat the Eglinton Subway tragedy

I'll take him seriously when he talks seriously about how he intends to fund transit expansion. Until then, I see it as a pure smokescreen for defunding transit.

Also conspicuously absent: the Ottawa and K-W LRT lines. Would those also get canceled?
 
Probably not.

Eglinton is probably safe now, hallelujah!

Wynne has to come out and advertise her list of projects, it has every project Hudaks has plus more, much, much more.

I do like how he wants to upload te municipal highways though. If only he could uploa some other provincial highways that were downloaded in the 90s.
 
I'll take him seriously when he talks seriously about how he intends to fund transit expansion. Until then, I see it as a pure smokescreen for defunding transit.

Also conspicuously absent: the Ottawa and K-W LRT lines. Would those also get canceled?

Ottawa and Eglinton are too far underway to get cut. If Kitchener hasn't started yet then yes, they would be cut according to him
 
Wynne has to come out and advertise her list of projects, it has every project Hudaks has plus more, much, much more.

He knows full well how unpopular the taxes to fund the "much more" are. The majority of voters hates her tax plan and they are not necessarily "transit fans" to the point of absorbing a tax hike for her plan especially after her party's losing the population's confidence in managing taxpayers dollars with gas plants, e-health, orange etc...

Those who are "transit fans" are mainly in Toronto and they just got promised the DRL.

I actually like his plan if he delivers all of it. There's no doubt that the DRL is the absolute #1 priority.

-Without it, what's the point in building more LRT lines that will feed more people to a subway system ready to explode?
-Or upgrading the GO Train network sending more people to Union station and by default of the subway system that just can't take anymore new riders?
-If he intends to push Metrolinx towards the "Transport for London" model than it's a good thing...minus the private sector operating and maintaining it
 
my understanding of his plan:

Black: all day GO
Thin coloured: surface LRT
Thick coloured: Seperated LRT or subway
Blue: BRT


Hudak:

JU94sy7.jpg


Wynne:

RFCONtZ.jpg
 
Ugh. The Sheppard East and Finch West LRT lines really need to happen. If Hudak's PC party becomes the next government, his choice to cancel those lines would be just like when Harris pulled the plug on the Eglinton West subway. That's not how you build transit.

DRL is far more important than those LRT lines. if those 2.3-2.5 Billions can accelerate the DRL than it makes more sense. Finch West doesn't even have an express branch. They could start with that with reserved lane in the meantime.
 
DRL is far more important than those LRT lines. if those 2.3-2.5 Billions can accelerate the DRL than it makes more sense. Finch West doesn't even have an express branch. They could start with that with reserved lane in the meantime.

The Relief Line is critical, but I would like to see good rapid transit hit every corner of the city. The Sheppard and Finch LRT lines and the Relief Line should all happen. Build a whole network and not just one line. Plus, he'll get rid of other LRT plans in the GTHA. That is not how you build a strong, workable transit network.
 
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^exactly. We never get anywhere with solid snakes attitude. The LRTs have been funded for 4 years now, just get them built. Lets find new money for the DRL, and move on. Believe it or not we can have more than 1 project every decade.
 
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