Inkarnate
Active Member
Why are most of you guys so anti-car? Wouldn't you rather have the freedom and convenience of owning your own vehicle instead of riding buses and subway trains?
Hi Wendell Cox. Welcome to the Urban Toronto forum.
Why are most of you guys so anti-car? Wouldn't you rather have the freedom and convenience of owning your own vehicle instead of riding buses and subway trains?
If only Toronto had a more extensive subway and commuter rail system, we could take even more cars off the road.
Uh, no. The TTC was started because the previous private companies were *not* making the necessary investments.Toronto would see a lot more transit projects if private companies would be allowed to invest in it. In fact, this is how the TTC started - a bunch of private transportation companies.
So, not much of a difference. lol
Indeed. My local route runs during rush hour only at 30m frequencies. Well, we do see evening/Sunday service at hourly frequencies but takes the scenic tour around time, resulting in a route that is essentially useless for any real trip. It gets funded because we have to provide *some* service but we don't fund it enough to actually provide a useful service, so the end result is that the buses are usually empty. and then we say "no one wants to ride transit."So, yes, GraphicMatt's description of what private sector owne public transit would look like is scarily close to what we have in many parts of the GTA right now....but it doesn't need to be that way.
The crosstown expressway should have been built - if we had it, we wouldn't have the mess we have now on the DVP and Allen. You can thank Toronto's special interest groups for this mistake. Instead we have an under-used subway line that will eventually go to Vaughan.
I've been lurking around here for a bit but now I feel like I need to say something.
First of all, I agree mostly with this article:
# Dense areas require mass transit. Toronto's downtown core needs more subway lines.
However, the subway extension to Vaughan, and the Sheppard line are billion dollar mistakes! You could even say the same about the University line north of Eglington.
These lines are such a waste of tax money - billions and billions of dollars flushed away on capital and operating costs. It ranks just as bad as the Ontario's recent eHealth fiasco.
# The TTC should be privatized, and competing companies should be allowed to build and operate their infrastructure.
This needs to be done ASAP!!
Toronto would see a lot more transit projects if private companies would be allowed to invest in it. In fact, this is how the TTC started - a bunch of private transportation companies.
The cities with the best transit systems, are often ones that are run by the private sector. I've lived and worked in both London and Tokyo.
# Toronto needs more throughways.
The crosstown expressway should have been built - if we had it, we wouldn't have the mess we have now on the DVP and Allen. You can thank Toronto's special interest groups for this mistake. Instead we have an under-used subway line that will eventually go to Vaughan.