Yes, and why is that? It's about the same length as the RT. Higher ridership. Why do I have to get off the subway to continue heading south?
The SSE shuts out access to rapid transit for many residents who can access it now.
Smart Track will address transfer free travel from Scarborough to downtown.
Comparatively, how many? The only major issue is the lack of a station at Lawrence East. Ellesmere, Midland and McCowan have very insignificant ridership and are so close to the STC that it just makes more sense to funnel passengers there.
Also, I must add that Smarttrack is vastly overstated at this point. We have no way to guage how RER will work in our environment, and RER cannot be built in Scarborough if the existing LRT plan is kept. This is one of the major arguments for building the subway; it allows for Smarttrack to be built (Also, I hope it gets a better name. Even regional rail would be better than "smarttrack")
Transfers are a reality of transit use. The RT transfer is actually quite pleasant compared to other transfers in the system.
Not only does it not add a lot of time to one's commute, it offers a lot of flexibility. The SSE is what will add a lot of time for many people's commute, as there won't be be any other stops. All of the people who use Lawrence Station will lose access to Rapid Transit.
Again, not in favour with the loss of Lawrence East station, but we're just transit geeks arguing on UT because we have no lives and no one will listen to us. There is no denying that transfers are a reality of transit use, but they should not be burdens or impediments. With our grid system, you should be able to make at most 3 transfers and get anywhere in the city: A bus to a subway station, the subway to a transfer station, the subway to another station, then a bus to your final destination. If you add extra lines and convoluted transfers into the mix, you make commuting longer and more convoluted for everyone. Case and point: The Sheppard subway. Part of its failure is that it's so short; it's really only a shuttle between Don Mills and Sheppard Yonge. It adds a transfer at Don Mills for incoming buses, requires you to transfer to the subway for no reason, then transfer again. It's a huge pain in the ass for most commuters so many will take buses to Finch station or York mills and avoid the Sheppard Subway altogether. The situation for the SSE is even worse; the major bus terminal is at the STC; the majority of people that use the RT transfer to buses (Lawrence East and STC), and in order to get to those buses, you have to make an extra transfer at Kennedy which is not only infuriating for most commuters, but a huge disincentive for many. I believe having the subway continue north along McCowan makes the most sense for line 2 because Danforth road heads north on its way to Kennedy, and it makes sense for the subway to continue north. It makes even more sense when you consider the fact that Eglinton East is a thing that will likely be built, and it is more suited to east-west travel than the Bloor Danforth line is.
This project is the very definition of the needs of the few taking precedent over the needs of the many.
I'm sure Spock would agree this extension is highly illogical (just as you do).
We both agree that the DRL from Osgoode to Sheppard should be the greatest priority of the city, however, we cannot disenfranchise citizens with existing rapid transit. That's highly illogical for all politicians, as they would lose votes, and it's a bad idea when trying to keep cars at the Gardiner (30K extra cars on the DVP would be atrocious for the road itself, parking requirements downtown, and of course, the environment).
Maybe this is less of a Spock moment and more of a Sisko moment, especially considering the circumstances.
But you aren't going in the same direction. You're heading north.
If I want to go to Yonge and Davisville, I get off at Yonge and Bloor and transfer to a northbound train.
This why I have no problem transferring when I want to head north to STC.
Although true, Eglinton East is heading East, the only logical direction for Line two to go is north. Again, considering capacity constraints if they move forward with an interlined LRT plan, it makes even more sense. It doesn't make sense to have to transfer along a route in which the vast majority of people are taking.
Current ridership comes nowhere close to justifying a subway.
If it does, then we should've built a Spadina South extension years ago.
Just upgrade the current RT. Problem solved.
It's actually in a really interesting place right now: ridership is actually high enough that LRT would be severely crush loaded, but not high enough to make a 6 car BD subway train standing room only. We're seeing capacity issues with the King Street Pilot. Currently, it's carrying about 3K PPHPD during peak times, and those trains are crushloaded and arriving every 1.5-2 minutes. Imagine what it will be like for a line requiring capacities of 7.5 PPHPD during peak times for lets say 3 car trains arriving every 6 minutes. I see huge capacity issues from the day it opens.
They would have built a Spadina South extension plenty of years ago had it not been for the construction of the University Subway, but nevertheless, Spadina is way too close to University to warrant a subway. Build it on Bathurst or between Spadina and Bathurst since the exits could probably be accessed from both streets.
Although that would be sensible fiscally, we still have the corridor issues along the Stouffville sub that makes that option impossible without elevating a line without tunnelling (which actually wouldn't be a terrible idea along that corridor...Think about it: extend the subway along the Stouffville sub, but build it as a cut and cover line when they upgrade the line. Everyone's concerns are taken care of)
