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SOS Yonge St.

smuncky

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got my local newspaper the other day (liberal) and there was an ad on the back for this 'cause'. i only heard it before when steve munro mentioned it on his blog quickly and dismissed their efforts.

the site is quite amatuerish with little to no facts. it seems like it's the opinion of a group of people. some of the things in the FAQ section gave me a good chuckle on this lovely summer afternoon.

http://www.subwaynow.ca
 
Those FAQs are pretty bad. They make some decent points, but they're so biased against the bus it's funny.

-Will the subway cost more to build?
-No

-Do we need a dedicated bus lane in the middle of Yonge?
-No.

The provincial government has already announced funding for the project as part of MoveOntario 2020. I couldn't even find any info on that besides a mention that York region has plans for a subway in the future.
 
Don't we want to improve public transit and traffic before the subway arrives? This way by the time the subway comes, the demand will be there. Everyone has a bias, but that FAQ page was loathing the bus lane. It sounded as if it were written by a subway fanatic.
 
This seems all-too-familiar. York U opposed a busway, supposedly to avoid noise and emissions issues, but really to make the 'need' for a subway more apparent. That if a busway was built for the 196 and Viva, that a subway would be of less necessity. York U got its Subway, though it surely demonstrated that it did everything in its power not to deserve it (ie the Tribute Homes deal) but inflate the need for it (by planning to ban most buses from the Commons once the subway is built, requiring a forced transfer from Steeles or 407 from YRT and GO buses).

I think the Yonge Street crowd doesn't want the centre busway to make sure they get that subway sooner, rather than later. In a way, can't blame 'em for that, but Move Ontario 2020 with the Thornhill tack-on was a surprise, and we'd need something, like better regional rail and/or a DRL to deal with the crowds.
 
So the over a hundred buses an hour north of Finch doesn't already represent "demand"? A subway extension could easily have a daily ridership of 100,000 as soon as it opens. I've noticed that the traffic situation (as far as buses go) has actually gotten better over the years without a busway. The mix of local service TTC buses and express YRT buses means they can't even share use one bus lane south of Steeles. Why disrupt Yonge for a year or two or three, move utilities, repave the road, add landscaping, etc., only to start building the subway immediately after?
 
For God's sake just divert the funds from the Spadina extension to the Yonge extension. It's a much more worthy project. VCC doesn't deserve a subway 20 years in the future, never mind now.
 
They could build it to Steeles West, which is currently planned as a temporary terminus. The buslane could also eventually become a carpool lane, or for emergency vehicles. The Yonge extension is harder to push because of the already high ridership.
 
I made my all important stop to Golden Star today for lunch and was talking to the boys about the Subway North.

Their real concern is the amount of parking, street access, etc. to shops along Yonge street. They mentioned something about losing 25% of their frontage to extend Yonge out for the extra lane.
 
Does anyone know where the stops would/will be located? I figure Steeles, Centre St and Richmond Hill Centre are givens but does anyone think Cummer/Drewry, Clark and Royal Orchard would potentially be highly trafficked hence warranting stops of their own?
 
The Rapid Transit Expansion Study from 2002 briefly examined a Yonge extension to Langstaff, and it included stops at Steeles, Clark, and Highway 7 (Langstaff). There's a rudimentary map that seems to show the station right at Steeles, but north of Clark. The northernmost stop would also be just north of the 407.

I had no idea how much damage the new busway will cause to Yonge Street. It is obvious to everyone (even Steve Munro, of all people!) that a subway is appropriate for this location, so it makes little sense to spend hundreds of millions to build a bus lane, only to have to tear it up a couple years later. I've also been a bit confused by the whole setup, especially south of Steeles, since the TTC routes make frequent stops while the YRT routes run express. Yonge Street is already pretty wide. Adding more lanes woudl not be good for businesses.
 
so it makes little sense to spend hundreds of millions to build a bus lane, only to have to tear it up a couple years later.


where did you hear it would be torn up if the subway was ever built?


I made my all important stop to Golden Star today for lunch and was talking to the boys about the Subway North.

Their real concern is the amount of parking, street access, etc. to shops along Yonge street. They mentioned something about losing 25% of their frontage to extend Yonge out for the extra lane.

i don't really see how it's going to hurt them that much. they are getting a stop right at their location. wouldn't that be better for business? and most people use the entrance off of meadowview, especially if you're coming from the north, so again, i don't see how it's going to hurt them.
 

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