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2014 Municipal Election: Toronto Transit Plans

MrsNesbitt said:
I may be no John Tory fan but it's looking very seriously that he has this election in the bag.
Click to expand...

I don't know about that. Chow is recovering and she's back at 30% again. She has a decent chance of pulling off a win. Tory has to be very careful these next few weeks. It's not at all unusual for for candidates in the first and second positions to flip in the final weeks of a campaign.

And of course we have to consider that the polling could be completely off. Don't forget what happened last election.
 
TheTigerMaster said:
I don't know about that. Chow is recovering and she's back at 30% again. She has a decent chance of pulling off a win. Tory has to be very careful these next few weeks. It's not at all unusual for for candidates in the first and second positions to flip in the final weeks of a campaign.

And of course we have to consider that the polling could be completely off. Don't forget what happened last election.
Click to expand...

I am indeed very much hoping that you're right. There is also still just over a month for Tory to do what he does best, which is open his mouth one too many times and sink himself.

Somewhat related: Chow pulled this line out on him in one of the most recent debates: "You've gone from faith-based schools to faith-based plans to pay for transit". Made me lol.
 
travis3000 said:
Weak transit plan? It's actually a really good idea, the best of the three by far/
Click to expand...
SmartTrack? It's horrific. Metrolinx has already got a plan to do much of it without $8 billion of city money. What do we need heavy subway on Eglinton west of Jane - the demand there is only 2,000 at peak hour - that's less than Sheppard. And it fails to relieve Yonge-Bloor station. You spend all the money, don't do the job, and build a subway on Eglinton West where you'd be better off just extending the LRT? It's twisted.

travis3000 said:
What has Olivia suggested? More buses to clog the already jammed roads? Real winner there.
Click to expand...
More buses will clog the jammed roads? That doesn't even make sense ... I have issues with Chow's plan. But creating congestion by running more buses?!? That's completely non-sensical.
 
denfromoakvillemilton said:
Ford did push the ridiculous Scarborough subway through.
Click to expand...
No he didn't. His Sheppard subway proposal died in Council.

Rainforest said:
43 + 29 + 28 = 100%

This is a bit strange. Usually, at least 5% intend to vote for fringe candidates, or are undecided at the time of polling.
Click to expand...
Which means the poll probably only offered three choices, and excluded undecided voters.
 
nfitz said:
More buses will clog the jammed roads? That doesn't even make sense ... I have issues with Chow's plan. But creating congestion by running more buses?!? That's completely non-sensical.
Click to expand...

It's not as nonsensical as you think.

Since all those buses are going to be coming in at once (like on Eglinton, a route with high frequency), what is going to end up happening is one bus stops to drop off/pick up passengers from the bus stop, and the 4-5 buses behind it must enter into the traffic lane to overtake the bus picking up passengers. This disrupts the traffic flow and leads to congestion.

The answer is that we must do more than just simply increasing frequency. Chow hasn't offered that more as of yet. I will ask her about it in tomorrow's Reddit AMA session, hopefully her team picks out my question.
 
MrsNesbitt said:
I may be no John Tory fan but it's looking very seriously that he has this election in the bag. I doubt that good old Dougie will be able to be so genial as to drum up enough support to overtake him. For all his many, many faults, Rob Ford was able to portray himself as a relatable "everyman" that you could have a beer with. Doug is a much more standoffish, belligerent presence that I don't think will go over well with voters.
Click to expand...

TheTigerMaster said:
I don't know about that. Chow is recovering and she's back at 30% again. She has a decent chance of pulling off a win. Tory has to be very careful these next few weeks. It's not at all unusual for for candidates in the first and second positions to flip in the final weeks of a campaign.

And of course we have to consider that the polling could be completely off. Don't forget what happened last election.
Click to expand...

MrsNesbitt said:
I am indeed very much hoping that you're right. There is also still just over a month for Tory to do what he does best, which is open his mouth one too many times and sink himself.

Somewhat related: Chow pulled this line out on him in one of the most recent debates: "You've gone from faith-based schools to faith-based plans to pay for transit". Made me lol.
Click to expand...
Listen, anything can happen in 6 weeks, but seriously John is running away with this. Chow blew a lead I don't think 6 weeks is enough to recover. She needs to treat the first of october as her test of election day.

GenerationW said:
No he didn't. His Sheppard subway proposal died in Council.
Click to expand...
Nothing in my post indicated I was talking about Sheppard. At all.
 
travis3000 said:
Weak transit plan? It's actually a really good idea, the best of the three by far. What has Olivia suggested? More buses to clog the already jammed roads? Real winner there.
Click to expand...

MrsNesbitt said:
Well considering that the only part of it that Tory actually came up with was the name "SmartTrack" and an absurdly high price tag, while the province has taken and will take care of the rest with GO RER...

Tory also has the defeatist right-wing "There's no funding" mentality that has held back transit in Toronto - nay, Ontario or even Canada - for decades.
Click to expand...

travis3000 said:
I listened to his radio show for years, he's an open minded guy and I believe he has learned many lessons over the years. He will work with the province and federal politicians for fair funding for Toronto. John Tory is no hardcore Conservative, he's more of a Liberal actually. The province had no plans to build Smart Track in 8 years. This plan will get it moving, should Tory win. It's a positive for the city, connecting Mississauga and Markham to the downtown core, plus ties in outer TO communities like Liberty Village and integrates it into the TTC for a $3 fair. It's a plan that works. It's not perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than anything that has come out of Olivia's mouth. And don't even get me started on the Ford family plan. That's laughable.
Click to expand...

nfitz said:
SmartTrack? It's horrific. Metrolinx has already got a plan to do much of it without $8 billion of city money. What do we need heavy subway on Eglinton west of Jane - the demand there is only 2,000 at peak hour - that's less than Sheppard. And it fails to relieve Yonge-Bloor station. You spend all the money, don't do the job, and build a subway on Eglinton West where you'd be better off just extending the LRT? It's twisted.

More buses will clog the jammed roads? That doesn't even make sense ... I have issues with Chow's plan. But creating congestion by running more buses?!? That's completely non-sensical.
Click to expand...

WislaHD said:
It's not as nonsensical as you think.

Since all those buses are going to be coming in at once (like on Eglinton, a route with high frequency), what is going to end up happening is one bus stops to drop off/pick up passengers from the bus stop, and the 4-5 buses behind it must enter into the traffic lane to overtake the bus picking up passengers. This disrupts the traffic flow and leads to congestion.

The answer is that we must do more than just simply increasing frequency. Chow hasn't offered that more as of yet. I will ask her about it in tomorrow's Reddit AMA session, hopefully her team picks out my question.
Click to expand...
Well most TTC riders use the bus. Looking at that plan the TTC created, it would help a lot of people get around faster. Buses are also easier to deliver. Yes Wisla we should do more, but until Toronto wants to talk about funding, as MrsNesbitt has mentioned, this is all we can do.
 
Chow's transit plan could have been written by a 5 year old on the back of a napkin. This idea of just a few more buses shows a complete lack of understanding of how dire the transit situation is. I think even her biggest supporters were taken aback by this rather timid response to Toronto's biggest problem.

I think that the idea of a Smartrax down Eglinton is a stupid one but the idea of the TTC using current rail corridors is solid and realistic. Torontonians must be more gracious than I give them credit for because they allow themselves to wallow in traffic and get packed like sardines on subways and buses in order to make sure that the people in the 905 get an easy commute using the infrastructure in their own city.

It was Chow's election to loose and boy has she ever. Tory's support is not only higher but more importantly is firm. He has been at or over 40% for quite a while meaning he has a solid base and no screw up will change that as those voters have made up their mind. Added to this is that any soft support for Ford will automatically go to Tory and it`s his election. She has no one to blame but herself. Grid lock and transit is Toronto`s biggest problem and Torontonians biggest issue and she dropped the ball big time.

Tory maybe conservative but he certainly not an ideologue nor does he just cater to either suburban or urban voters, in other words he will not be a divisive mayor and after the last 3 years that is something the city desperately needs. He is a reasonable sort of person and I can see him being open to changing some routes and being open to new ideas and imput so nothing is written in stone but the premise behind and logic Smartrax is sound.
 
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