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2018 Provincial Election Transit Promises

Anything north of Barrie. I lived in the north, there were many people who seldom if ever came to the city or if they did it was Ottawa for those in the NE and Winnipeg for those in the NW
 
hw621 said:
How many ridings do not benefit from GO or subways?
Click to expand...

well regardless.... considering that hes going on with subways subways subways as first priority, you can kiss alot of the surface projects goodbye...
seriously what is with the fetish on subways....there are better ways to do it and more pressing priorities for the region not just for ttc...
his underground crusade will bring us back to square one just like his late brother did.
 
Doug Ford promises more subways for Toronto

PC leader says closing the Sheppard subway loop and a downtown relief line would be among his priorities, but is vague on where the cash would come from.

From link.

Repeating his pledge for an extra $5 billion toward Toronto subway construction, Ford said Wednesday his priorities are a downtown relief line from Pape station to Queen — now slated to open in 2031 — extending the Yonge subway line north to Richmond Hill and looping the Sheppard subway to the Scarborough Town Centre.

Estimates for those three projects alone peg the total costs at $16.1 billion.
Click to expand...

Five... billion... dollars... MuWahahahaaaaah!!

five-billion-dollars.jpg

From link.

Says so. Right here on the back of the napkin... in crayon.
 
gweed123 said:
Hudak had that same "GO improvements" item in his 2014 platform. He stated multiple times in press briefings/interviews that it did not include what we would consider RER, but rather improvements to the existing diesel service.

Yes, but anyone who can do math can figure out that the amount allocated and the price tag of the projects don't even come close to matching up. And you know that when faced with that financial reality, that DoFo will go with the stupidest, least cost-effective, and least needed project to move forward with. This means Sheppard first, Yonge extension second, RL third. And given how much those other two will cost, that really means RL when pigs fly.

Also, the burying Eglinton East and West thing is just plain dumb.
Click to expand...

This 2014 article on the election seems to suggest the PCs would have implemented more GO service over a longer time period: "The PC plan takes a different path. It's spread over 25 years with up to $2 billion dedicated each year. All-day, two-way GO service is there." It contrasts to this description in the article of the 2014 Liberal platform: "The Liberals are proposing $29 billion over 10 years, with $15 billion earmarked for projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas. Much of it continues what Metrolinx proposed in the Big Move plan and was announced in the failed provincial budget. Like the PCs, the Liberals want to see all-day, two-way GO Train service. That would include a 15-minute regional express service."
 
hw621 said:
How many ridings do not benefit from GO or subways?
Click to expand...
You're gauging this in a way that you won't get a meaningful answer as per election outcome. Flip this over: *Even in ridings with GO service, how many people use it?*

We're looking at this from inside the box, instead of outside, and yes, the initial City TV crowing match was supposed to focus on Toronto issues, but Lucy makes an excellent point, one that even for Ottawa (Ontario's next largest city) is the height of hypocrisy.

"Subways, Subways, Subways" for a city that has looked at that, and decided on something much more elan and effective, and able to be expanded much easier. And that's surface rail and LRT partially in tunnel.

What's Dougie got for them?

He has included Ottawa in the list of importance for transit, but he's going to ring even more hollow unless he changes his tune...and unfortunately, his programming is very limited. He's one of the earlier robot versions.

Addendum: Just searching to buttress or correct my points, and here's the point discussed above made clear:
However, TTCriders, an organization that advocates on behalf of public transit users, argues Ford's plan will do little to cut down on the amount of time people spend on buses in traffic in parts of the city, like Etobicoke and Scarborough.

"Instead of a handful of subway stops, we need cost effective new transit lines where they are needed the most and will serve the most riders," said Shelagh Pizey-Allen, executive director of TTCriders, in a statement.
Click to expand...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-transit-toronto-subways-1.4654982

Gist for the 'other' 2018 string, but allow me licence:
Why they were hired? Ummm...because they wouldn't do it for free?
 
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cplchanb said:
well regardless.... considering that hes going on with subways subways subways as first priority, you can kiss alot of the surface projects goodbye...
seriously what is with the fetish on subways....there are better ways to do it and more pressing priorities for the region not just for ttc...
his underground crusade will bring us back to square one just like his late brother did.
Click to expand...

In all fairness, Rob was striped of most of his powers before he even had an opportunity to act on any of his transit plans.

Instead of talking about "burying" the Crosstown today; it already would be built as such per the MOU signed between Rob and McGuinty in 2010. A direct rapid transit line to Yonge St from Scarborough Town Centre would have been resolved, Malvern extension resolved and the $910 million the City raised for SSE could have gone towards Sheppard Subway built out to at least Vic Park instead, if not to Warden. With the present Trudeau government's Infrsastructure Fund more money would have become available to allow for continuous construction east through Agincourt to STC and west to Sheppard West (Downsview).

With all that out of the way, the City rightfully could focus solely on the DRL with no distractions. Hindsight's 2020, but to say that we wouldn't be better off today had City Council not interfered, is disingenuous.
 
^ TTC budget was slashed 20% under the Ford Regime at City Hall. Or at least attempted:

23-21 vote undoes many of Mayor Rob Ford's budget cuts | The Star
https://www.thestar.com › News › City Hall
Jan 17, 2012 - With one vote, omnibus motion restores $15M in cuts to transit, daycare, shelters, community grants, youth programs, arenas and pools.
Mayor Rob Ford's trims mostly fail as Toronto council passes budget ...
https://www.thestar.com › News › City Hall
Jan 30, 2014 - Final $9.6-billion budget set Thursday night after many spending motions and much debate on the Scarborough subway extension.
How Did Toronto Lose So Much Transit Service? - Torontoist
https://torontoist.com/2011/11/how-did-toronto-lose-so-much-transit-service/
Nov 25, 2011 - Budget cuts mean your bus, as well as busy routes all over the city, not just sleepy late-night services. How did Toronto come to this? Isn't transit ridership growing? Doesn't everyone want more service? Who approved these cuts? Why doesn't council know what is going on? Mayor Rob Ford's search for ...
$19M of Rob Ford's cuts reversed by Toronto City Council | National Post
nationalpost.com/posted-toronto/toronto-city-council-reverses-19m-of-rob-fords-cuts
Jan 17, 2012 - After months of bitter debate and overnight public meetings, Mayor Rob Ford saw many of the cuts in a budget he championed reversed Tuesday during ... worth of service reductions this year, most notably deciding to spend $5-million to reinstate TTC service and sparing the library another $3.9-million cut.
Council rejects Rob Ford's budget cuts - NOW Magazine
https://nowtoronto.com/news/council-rejects-rob-fords-budget-cuts/
Jan 30, 2014 - After boasting for a month that he had found at least $50 million in waste in the citybudget, Rob Ford only managed to get $726,000 worth of his cuts through council ... They included an additional $3 million for TTC operations, $300,000 in community grants, and cancelling an increase to Island ferry fees.
 
None of this is the least bit believable without a plan to pay.

I think GO RER is toast if Ford wins. And that's how they pay for most of their other transit commitments.
 
Ford has essentially promised to cut spending, maintain services, cut hydro rates, significantly increase spending on transit expansion and cut taxes.

Something will have to give.

I can see him getting elected, declaring the fiscal situation far worse than anyone imagined and then cancelling projects that aren't politically advantageous (DRL, etc.)
 
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syn said:
Ford has essentially promised to maintain services, increase spending on transit expansion and cut taxes.

Something will have to give.

I can see him getting elected, declaring the fiscal situation far worse than anyone imagined and then cancelling projects that aren't politically advantageous (DRL, etc.)
Click to expand...

Yep. Works for every new government. He won't be the first or the last to pull that move.
 
BurlOak said:
Nobody believes Wynne or Horvath either.
Which will come closest to telling the truth - many would likely say Ford.
Click to expand...
Except that Wynne is implementing most of her transit promises, just not as quickly as we'd like. Ford's numbers and promises are far less believable.
 
BurlOak said:
Nobody believes Wynne or Horvath either.
Which will come closest to telling the truth - many would likely say Ford.
Click to expand...

The Liberals have had 15 years to build the DRL and did nothing. Reelect them and four years from now the DRL will still not be shovel ready. Meanwhile Sheppard East and Scarborough languishes for better transit and gets told to accept a streetcar-like service or eat cake. Subway's too good for y'all.

This is why Ford is resonating with all of Scarborough and most of North York based on riding seat projections, he's the only one of the three leaders speaking their language. And it's an appealing message for any suburban Ontarian to hear. Elect Doug and infrastructure spending will influx into your riding to build what you, the people, want, not what some elitist in Queen's Park dictates.
 
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