Toronto Crosstown LRT | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

[Palma]

Well look like Stinz got her way which is the right way. I hated her before because whenever I heard her on tv try to defend Ford it did not seem sincere. Now I know why. Today I love her. Again Ford's team keeps try to say ti was between subways and LRT. It drives me crazy when i hear this. Even the news stations on AM radio are saying this. Of course the people along Eglinton in Scarborough are not happy because they thought they were getting subways (which they weren't) and now are told they are getting surface LRT. And only the people in Scarborough voted for Ford because they thought they were going to get subways. The rest of Toronto did not vote for him to give Scarborough subways. And it would be interesting to see what mamoliti says now since the LRT on Finch helps his ward. Come election time he will switch and start touting the benefits of the Finich LRT

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

Again Ford's team keeps try to say ti was between subways and LRT. It drives me crazy when i hear this. Even the news stations on AM radio are saying this.

Some UT members have been guilty of saying this as well. Even one UT member said 'we won' in another post earlier today

 

[Eug]

Dammit.

Well look like Stinz got her way which is the right way. I hated her before because whenever I heard her on tv try to defend Ford it did not seem sincere. Now I know why. Today I love her. Again Ford's team keeps try to say ti was between subways and LRT. It drives me crazy when i hear this. Even the news stations on AM radio are saying this. Of course the people along Eglinton in Scarborough are not happy because they thought they were getting subways (which they weren't) and now are told they are getting surface LRT. And only the people in Scarborough voted for Ford because they thought they were going to get subways.

Most of the outer 416 voted for Ford actually. I didn't, but one thing I did like was his preference for subways.

Anyways, Scarborough gets shafted again.

 

[Paleo]

Anyways, Scarborough gets shafted again.

Yep. That looks like it was Ford's plan after all. Good thing he didn't prevail.

 

[Eug]

Yep. That looks like it was Ford's plan after all. Good thing he didn't prevail.

? Ford's plan would have given Scarborough a big leg up for rapid transit. The Transit City plan, although better than nothing, was a huge compromise, for not so rapid transit.

 

[Paleo]

? Ford's plan would have given Scarborough a big leg up for rapid transit. The Transit City plan, although better than nothing, was a huge compromise, for not so rapid transit.

How so? There's already a subway at the Kennedy hub that goes to Yonge Street and Ford's plan left no money to extend the SRT east to Centennial College.

Sheppard doesn't count because magic beans won't build or fund a subway.

 

[BurlOak]

How so? There's already a subway at the Kennedy hub that goes to Yonge Street and Ford's plan left no money to extend the SRT east to Centennial College.

Sheppard doesn't count because magic beans won't build or fund a subway.

With this Stintz plan, how far will the SRT be extended. I believe that Transit City had it extended to at least Sheppard since Sheppard East and the SRT would share storage facilities. Has there been any confirmation of this?

 

[Eug]

How so? There's already a subway at the Kennedy hub that goes to Yonge Street and Ford's plan left no money to extend the SRT east to Centennial College.

Sheppard doesn't count because magic beans won't build or fund a subway.

I didn't think Ford's Sheppard plan was a viable option either, but that was the (unintended) beauty of it. The comparison became a heavily compromised approach to Sheppard (Transit City), vs. no Sheppard at all (Ford). I preferred the latter, because it made the Eglinton X-town a true continuous rapid transit line.

In any case, I think what's going to happen now - if Transit City's Eglinton X-town get's built - is people from STC will take the line down to Kennedy and then switch to the Danforth subway, which will make TC's argument that ridership along Eglinton at grade will be low, a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[Northern Magus]

Anyways, Scarborough gets shafted again.

Funny how an unburied LRT from Laird to Kennedy is "getting shafted", and leaving Finch West and Sheppard East stranded in gridlock is a win.

Viva myopia.

 

[Eug]

Funny how an unburied LRT from Laird to Kennedy is "getting shafted", and leaving Finch West and Sheppard East stranded in gridlock is a win.

Viva myopia.

Using the same argument for LRT there, and some have already made this argument, it would have actually been cheaper to build out that run using BRT... until funding for a subway could be secured.

Building LRT there ensures subway will never be built, and adds to the surface gridlock permanently.

 

[Paleo]

In any case, I think what's going to happen now - if Transit City's Eglinton X-town get's built - is people from STC will take the line down to Kennedy and then switch to the Danforth subway, which will make TC's argument that ridership along Eglinton at grade will be low, a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Fine with me. Spending multi-billions for 3km's of tunnel to hug the nearby Danforth subway doesn't really help the transit situation in Scarborough.

Building LRT there ensures subway will never be built, and adds to the surface gridlock permanently.

That's only true if transit demand stays where it is today. In 50 years there might be enough demand on Sheppard to warrant it.

 

[Northern Magus]

How so? There's already a subway at the Kennedy hub that goes to Yonge Street and Ford's plan left no money to extend the SRT east to Centennial College.

Sheppard doesn't count because magic beans won't build or fund a subway.

I've never understood the theory that somehow Scarborough needs more subway lines (3) than downtown Toronto (2 - YUS being one line). Because that's what Ford's fantasy amounted to. This, from the guy who was supposedly against wasteful spending, and all for living within one's means.

If an at-grade ROW on Eglinton from Kennedy to Laird is such a shortcoming to some people, they should support the conversion of the midtown line to commuter trains. That will give much faster travel from Scarborough to the YUS line than a subway ever could, for a cost that will be attractive to anyone. Complementing the TC LRTs and a future DRL, it would provide a very reasonable rapid transit mix.

 

[Eug]

I've never understood the theory that somehow Scarborough needs the same number of subway lines (3) as downtown Toronto. Because that's what Ford's fantasy amounted to. This, from the guy who was supposedly against wasteful spending, and all for living within one's means.

But like I said before, that was the (unintended) attractiveness of his plan. He had no money for Sheppard, and didn't budget for it either, which meant it wouldn't get built. Perfect.

That's only true if transit demand stays where it is today. In 50 years there might be enough demand on Sheppard to warrant it.

True, but then again that might mean it gets built in 70 years... or not. If the Sheppard LRT gets built, subway there will be an extremely low priority.

However, all that said, I'd just be happy if this all means they will do some real work on the Eglinton line NOW. Stop with the futzing around already.

 

[Northern Magus]

Building LRT there ensures subway will never be built, and adds to the surface gridlock permanently.

Hahahahaha I love hearing these myths. Repeating them over and over won't make them true.

LRT on Yonge and Bloor streets sure didn't prevent subways eventually being built there, now did it? Sure seems to me that those streetcars did a great job of paving the way.

LRT ROWs cut through gridlock. And an LRT network cuts through more gridlock for more people.

What this debate centred around is how to best distribute a very limited amount of money on transit projects. Common sense prevailed.

 

[ssiguy2]

That is only HALF the debate.
It has always also been about what KIND of transit expansion is needed in Toronto. TC is far better transit but is by no means rapid. The station spacing is for local service..every 2 to 3 blocks with no over/underpasses. It will also have to wait for some lights as you cannot have signal priority all the time when trains are arriving in every 90 seconds {from both directions} and still have to contend with advanced left-hand turns.
If Toronto wants expansive rapid transit then it should built the LRT like that as opposed to a slow moving system.
It's funny but despite the true need of affordable transit the TC supporters have never come out and shown how TC will be any faster or more reliable than just running articulated buses along their own ROW using POP. Exactly the same makeup but will save monsterous amounts on the Finch and Sheppard and yet be just as fast and even more reliable as buses can manuever around potential accidents along the route.