Toronto Eglinton Line 5 | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

[howl]

It is smart of Ford to push the underground option - because he knows the people want it and on the issue of extra money, the talking point is; "what you you rather have for your money, cancelled gas plants or a subway".
s
If poeple of Scarborough were asked what they wanted, it would not be what Council and the Provincial Liberals are doing.

Perhaps Ford wants to bury the eastern portion of the Crosstown because he wants to delay the project for another five or ten years by which time maybe Hudak's replacement will get elected and they'll be able to cancel the project altogether. That way Scarborough never gets it's transit.

It's like promising to buy your kid a new car for their sixteenth birthday and asking them if they want a Civic or a Corvette. If they answer Corvette you can say okay, but we can't afford it right now so you'll have to wait, and wait, and wait.

 

[JasonParis]

Which is Rob Ford on transit in a sentence. Propose underground subways where LRTs are scheduled and end-up with nothing. The fact that some people still don't see this amazes me.

 

[malvern2]

Genuine question here. Why isn’t the line buried in Scarborough? Why do Scarborough residents have to wait outside and share traffic lanes with the LRT while the inner burbs get the gold treatment?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Genuine question here. Why isn’t the line buried in Scarborough? Why do Scarborough residents have to wait outside and share traffic lanes with the LRT while the inner burbs get the gold treatment?

Width of the right of way. And no offense, why do Scarborough get 3 different proposed mass transit projects (with one that requires new taxation imposed on the entire city) while others gets zilch?

AoD

 

[TOareaFan]

Which is Rob Ford on transit in a sentence. Propose underground subways where LRTs are scheduled and end-up with nothing. The fact that some people still don't see this amazes me.

Problem with that analysis is that it is not entirely true. There was an LRT planned to replace the Scarborough RT....he managed to get that replaced with a BD subway extension that more than doubled the cost.

So he has received the encouragement that if you bully for subways, and are patient in your bullying, then you eventually get what you want.

 

[typezed]

I thought Scarborough was the inner burbs. But why is the treatment different in Scarborough than in old Toronto? Stand on the overpass at Kennedy Station. See the big buildings in the distance? That means increased density. Can't see any sign of the buidings (three strip malls and a four story office building) of Eglinton and Kennedy from Yonge and Bloor. As for automobile drivers, they'd probably prefer the wide lanes of Eglinton, even shared with LRT, than trying to negotiate Bloor. Just different treatments.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

That analysis ignored the fact that he only got what he wanted because of a) a minority provincial government and b) a federal government willing to play ball. I highly doubt that he can repeat the performance given a) no longer applies and b) will have trouble doing more than a one off (esp. since Flaherty is now out of the picture).

AoD

 

[the lemur]

Genuine question here. Why isn’t the line buried in Scarborough? Why do Scarborough residents have to wait outside and share traffic lanes with the LRT while the inner burbs get the gold treatment?

Because there's no real need to bury it, due to current and future density. Same reason the B-D line is largely at grade and the SRT is above grade. Burying stuff costs a lot of money.

Waiting outside ... sigh. Is this really such a hardship?

Traffic lanes won't be 'shared' with the LRT. LRT will be in its own lanes, other traffic will be in their own lanes, including lanes added at the edges.

 

[TOareaFan]

That analysis ignored the fact that he only got what he wanted because of a) a minority provincial government and b) a federal government willing to play ball. I highly doubt that he can repeat the performance given a) no longer applies and b) will have trouble doing more than a one off (esp. since Flaherty is now out of the picture).

AoD

Perhaps....but the suggestion that he never gets it is wrong....not only is there one clear example where he did "win" with his patient-bullying....I can't think of one example where he has lost yet. There are others pending but where has there been a case where it is "final" that he did not get what he whined for? That, combined with the local desire of people to get the best and not be "2nd class", is what encourages him to continue.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Width of the right of way. And no offense, why do Scarborough get 3 different proposed mass transit projects (with one that requires new taxation imposed on the entire city) while others gets zilch?

AoD

Indeed. If Scarborough doesn't want mass transit projects, then there is South Etobicoke crying for WWLRT and they are being ignored.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Perhaps....but the suggestion that he never gets it is wrong....not only is there one clear example where he did "win" with his patient-bullying....I can't think of one example where he has lost yet. There are others pending but where has there been a case where it is "final" that he did not get what he whined for? That, combined with the local desire of people to get the best and not be "2nd class", is what encourages him to continue.

Well, he wanted to bury everything - and he didn't get either the buried Sheppard (in his original transportation "plan", at the expense of the entire EC) or Eglinton per his deal with Metrolinx, so in a very real sense he already lost.

AoD

 

[TOareaFan]

Well, he wanted to bury everything - and he didn't get either the buried Sheppard (in his original transportation "plan", at the expense of the entire EC) or Eglinton per his deal with Metrolinx, so in a very real sense he already lost.

AoD

I am sure he would tell you....and anyone (ie voters) that would listen to him that both of those are still out there as projects to convert to subways. Sheppard was the first one he mentioned (along with Finch) after he "won" the RT battle as the next one he was gonna make sure was a subway and, as we are discussing, he is still working on burying the rest of EC. He may not understand transit, but he understands voters base instincts and telling each group in succession that they "deserve" buried transit is his approach.

 

[ehlow]

I am sure he would tell you....and anyone (ie voters) that would listen to him that both of those are still out there as projects to convert to subways. Sheppard was the first one he mentioned (along with Finch) after he "won" the RT battle as the next one he was gonna make sure was a subway and, as we are discussing, he is still working on burying the rest of EC. He may not understand transit, but he understands voters base instincts and telling each group in succession that they "deserve" buried transit is his approach.

Even if Rob Ford wins and has the support of city council (which is obviously a HUGE if), Metrolinx may simply say "it's too late to change plans at this point". And of course they have majority now so they can easily say "the voters voted for the current plan so we're not changing it".

They could also reject changing the Scarborough line back to LRT if Olivia Chow or Soknacki wins and has support of council, or any other changes.

 

[TOareaFan]

Even if Rob Ford wins and has the support of city council (which is obviously a HUGE if), Metrolinx may simply say "it's too late to change plans at this point". And of course they have majority now so they can easily say "the voters voted for the current plan so we're not changing it".

They could also reject changing the Scarborough line back to LRT if Olivia Chow or Soknacki wins and has support of council, or any other changes.

They could, yes, but their record is not great on that and they have already said that while the plans are what they are they will work with local councils.

From the Star on June 27

It is the plan that is in place, but as with all of these things, we need to work in co-operation with all the municipalities,” she said, adding “there is no point in pretending that there doesn’t have to be a good working relationship with the municipalities.”

 

[ehlow]

They could, yes, but their record is not great on that and they have already said that while the plans are what they are they will work with local councils.

From the Star on June 27

Yeah, we'll see if all those things happen. The political circumstances are different (majority at the beginning of their term).