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DRL: Pitching DRL to the Mayor. Seriously.

The "relief line" could also probably use a sexier name if we'd hope to drum-up support. Trudeau-line anyone?
 
I'm open to using UT to push this idea or at least promote it as much as possible if another site is used.

BTW, the province (and possibly the feds) hold the purse strings and there is an election this year in the province and possibly nationally. If anything this is an issue to bring to them. Miller could love it and still couldn't afford to pay for it. I'd like to hear what Tory and McGinty think about this.
 
I have sent copies to Barber and Hume as well.

edit: I am all in favour of taking this to whatever level possible. Cassius, I think it's a great idea to grab that domain name.

I am willing to do whatever I can to support an effort to get this out there. I think with the range of abilities and connections on UT we could make a big impact.
 
Great stuff. I would suggest adding some dollar figures to show why DRL makes sense.
 
I don't know how far it will get, but it can't help but try.

The real decision makers on subway construction though are in Queen's Park. Maybe during the next election, if we could manouver someone into position to ask embarrassing, quoteable, questions .... like "why the premier wants to build a subway for his finance minister and Walmart, but not for Toronto".... I of course don't expect any action from the Liberals, because Toronto is relatively safe for them -- so why promise money for safe seats. :rollin
 
Have any of you considered that the Mayor is starting to think about this for an LRT relief line?

It would make sense, as he (and most of council) know that LRT is the more economical way to move a lot of people around... and the rail corridors (which he's interested in using, according to comments above) would mean no digging, no tunneling... further shrinking costs.

An LRT line using the new form of streetcars (or something similar), using the same type of stop placement that you guys have been proposing would produce a quick route for people in Scarborough and northern Etobicoke to get downtown.

This is far more likely than a multi-billion dollar subway.

Yes, it's nice to dream, but if you want to truly expand the system, reality has to play a part.
 
"Yes, it's nice to dream, but if you want to truly expand the system, reality has to play a part.

The reality is that if the DRL takes off, I don't see how streetcars could handle the crowds that would take the line, especially once it runs up Weston and Don Mills. Who would propose LRT for the Yonge or Bloor lines knowing what kind of crowds they see today?

edit - Well, I guess you could string twelve streetcars together, but there comes a point when it gets silly.
 
Maybe we should all start writing our own suggestions and get them into a party's platform (other party's like stealing ideas anyway).

I know most people here would not vote for the PC party, BUT if we can manage to get it into the PC party platform and the NDP party platform (some subway construction), maybe the Liberals will try to steal it :rollin

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That's a great pitch, allabootmatt. I hope it works! I think it's likely that he'll come back and suggest LRT on that type of route. I don't understand why subway technology is apparently appropriate only for lower-density suburban areas.

Trust me, cacruden. It's a bit of a struggle to get something like this into a party platform.
 
Wouldn't LRT be problematic over the winter months, especially periods of heavy snowfall? As a high traffic 20hr/day subway relief line it better be durable and reliable.

I think it's a great initiative btw.
 
Yes, of course it is a struggle to get it into a part platform, and it is unlikely to be a "specific" proposal.... if it were to make it in.

If memory serves me well, the Tory's are weak in Toronto, stronger in rural Ontario. Liberals are stronger in Toronto, weaker in rural Ontario. Most likely the Liberals will be more likely to take Toronto for granted, while if the Tory's want to have a chance to form a majority government -- they have to make inroads into Toronto (and suburbs). I believe that this subway construction -- or -- go/subway integration where go is electrified and used as express in Toronto (as well as current usages) -- it has to be pitched as vote-getter in Toronto (and region).

If it did make it into the platform, it would likely have to be a catch phrase like (3 subway stations a year for 10 years, or GO/TTC integration (for suburbs and Toronto).

If by some miracle -- it could make it into the Tory's platform, then the Liberals would have to make a counter proposal -- or risk bleeding urban voter support.

ALL of this thread though is a BIG IF. Selling it at Miller's level is probably insufficient -- even if you were to convince him -- and I have my doubts there.
 
John Tory is moderate enough that I would vote for him if he backed a plan similar to this. And as a resident of downtown I think he'd get it more than McGinty.
 
Wouldn't LRT be problematic over the winter months
Click to expand...

Well, you could argue that you aready have the route for the LRT, just not in its own ROW with the 504 and 505 streetcars (ie. the first phase). You could modify these routes by putting them in their own ROW, and maybe tunnelling the turns onto Queen and King (or realigning the east-west portion to match one way roads). Also, by spacing the stops further out and building real mini stations.
 
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