Towered
Superstar
Just pathetic. Every other mid sized city in Ontario has invested or will be investing in large scale mass transit infrastructure. What is different in London??
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London Rapid Transit (In-Design)
- Thread starter Midtown Urbanist
- Start date
robmausser
Senior Member
ssiguy2
Senior Member
London a Hick Town? I've hear London called a lot of things but Hick Town has never been one of them.
I love how Torontonians love to call London conservative when it is truly a bastion of Liberal {and increasingly NDP} support, provincially and federally even in the suburban areas which is more than Toronto can say. Remember Ford didn't get any seats in London as it was Toronto that sent him to Queen's Park.
I love how Torontonians love to call London conservative when it is truly a bastion of Liberal {and increasingly NDP} support, provincially and federally even in the suburban areas which is more than Toronto can say. Remember Ford didn't get any seats in London as it was Toronto that sent him to Queen's Park.
Haljackey
Active Member
I wouldn't say London is a hick town, but it is afraid of change and stuck in a small-town mentality.
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City hall unveils alternative projects as BRT dismantling effort pushes ahead
lfpress.com
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City hall unveils alternative projects as BRT dismantling effort pushes ahead
NEWS ANALYSIS: Federal funding criteria limits choices in BRT smorgasbord
The choice for city council is becoming clear: Embrace a sliver of the hacked-up bus rapid transit network, or lose out on some of the millions on the table from Ot…
lfpress.com
ssiguy2
Senior Member
^ I agree with that. London is risk adverse and conservative in it's planning. 'When all else falls, do nothing' should be London's official motto. That has held back the city but conversely made it a very pleasant one which is why the city avoided the wholesale demolitions of neighbourhoods in the 50/60/70s freeway building booms. This is why London is such a walkable city with intact neighbourhoods, no urban scars, a solid built form, lovely parks and endless tree-lined streets, connected communities, and a real charm. Even out here on the West Coast where few have even been east of Calgary, London has a good reputation. When I say I am originally from London Ontario the most frequent reaction is 'I hear it's a very nice city' which of course it is.
micheal_can
Senior Member
It is the same reason that Hamilton and Brampton have been having issues with getting LRT approved. Just like those cities, London will reach it's tipping point.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
But Hamilton decided to invest - and Brampton is now (finally) returning to the rational option of the Main St. alignment (thank god).
London will be by far the largest city in the province without some sort of rapid transit.
London will be by far the largest city in the province without some sort of rapid transit.
Haljackey
Active Member
London seems to be a good cash cow for upper levels of government.
We pay for projects for other cities but apparently don't get much ourselves because we don't want it.
We pay for projects for other cities but apparently don't get much ourselves because we don't want it.
ssiguy2
Senior Member
London refusing fed/prov infrastructure funding would be scandalous but not unexpected. London does so many thing right but when it comes to infrastructure it just can't get it's shit together and yet transportation is probably the most important issue London faces and people consider the city's #1 problem.
micheal_can
Senior Member
Please list what it does right that other cities have done wrong.
doady
Senior Member
Hamilton Street Railway is the most neglected and underfunded transit system in the province. Many years straight of declining ridership while the rest of the province (including London) was seeing increased ridership. It was only a couple of years ago that the City of Hamilton finally increased funding for transit to add bus service, and so 2018 they saw a small ridership increase for the first time in many years. I think that means more than accepting 100% for LRT and giving away all responsibilites for transit along their busiest transit corridor.
It sucks that London doesn't care about rapid transit, and still it has done a lot more for transit riders than Hamilton has. Hamilton is the worst in the Ontario, the worst in Canada.
ssiguy2
Senior Member
It's pretty offensive that Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto, and Hamilton get all of their LRT projects paid for 100% by Queen's Park and yet cities outside the GTAH have to cough up one-third. This gross inequity is made even more glaring when you consider that the GTAH is also getting it's huge GO upgrades/expansions as well as RER paid for 100% by QP. This kind of inequity shown by Wynne is why many outside the GTA considered her the Premier of Toronto.
micheal_can
Senior Member
That is what happens when you are in a riding that is fairly safe.
doady
Senior Member
But yeah, and I am sure the rest of Ontario would be much better off financially if Toronto was no longer part of the province.
And a true Premier of Toronto would probably not give a shit about Hamilton, since, y'know, Hamilton is different metropolitan area.
But I wouldn't mind the GTA becoming its own province, and the scope of GO and RER changed to exclude Hamilton, Guelph, Waterloo, and Barrie. Let you ingrates go fend for yourselves.
GTA municipalities have already spent billions of dollars on rapid transit in the past decade alone, but somehow that's still not enough for you people.
kEiThZ
Superstar
This is a strawman argument and you know it. I'm usually very sympathetic to the fiscal issues that Toronto has and how much other levels of the government milk the GTA.
But the disparity on transit funding is incredible. It's incredible to watch Torontonians cry over possibly having to contribute something to the Scarborough subway, while Ottawa taxpayers are sharing over one third of the $2.1 billion Stage 1 and $4.7 billion Stage 2. Approximately $2.5 billion contributed by a city with a population less than York Region, spent over a decade and half. At some point, places like these are going to rebel and start asking why Toronto homeowners get away with lower taxes while they are asked to pay more. Ottawa's mayor is already saying there will be no third phase unless the province and feds pick up the full tab, with the same deal as the GTA.
People elsewhere are getting sick of the disparity. It's one thing to fully fund GO. But to not expect any contributions for the LRTs and subways built?