EnviroTO
Senior Member
They should really get this proposal out there quickly so that during the election we can try and get commitments from the federal parties to fund this thing.
Is the province really offering anything? Do we know to what extent Metrolinx really speaks for the province? It's Board of Directors are all muni-politicians, so it's not like they really represent the province. McGuinty has thus far refused to upload the costs he pledged to in the election, and to be fair is running virtually no surplus. Raising taxes when Ontario is potentially heading into a recession would very much play against him in his conflict with the federal government.
If we allow the TTC to keep the SRT we'll be regretting it for a very long time.
This is why the RTP will come with an Investment Plan to fund it... that's the difference between past plans and this plan - there's actually an implementation strategy, where all the others have been plan and wait for the cash to hopefully flow.
Just because they will suggest how to pay for something doesn't necessarily mean the province will enact the measures. Hopefully they will, but doesn't anybody think McGuinty will be loathe to impose; a.) a GTAH sales tax, b.) hike gas taxes c.) tolls on the 400-hwys or d.) all of the above?
If we allow the TTC to keep the SRT we'll be regretting it for a very long time.
Totally agree with this. Ideology is blinding them to not see what the province is looking to offer them. And I voted for Miller.
This city needs to think BIG. Otherwise it'll collapse under the weight of all those overhead wires.
Is the Eglinton subway worth a 75 cent fare increase? Sheppard was the direct cause of a 10 cent fare increase.
This is why the RTP will come with an Investment Plan to fund it... that's the difference between past plans and this plan - there's actually an implementation strategy, where all the others have been plan and wait for the cash to hopefully flow.
The SRT will be a wasted investment if we don't do anything with it. As I've stated in the past, my preference would be SRT extensions to Malvern and to the Airport via Eglinton instead of a half-assed LRDROWT.
If anything, Sheppard is an example of how not enough money was spent. It would probably have much higher ridership if built to SCC as originally planned.
Spending more money to improve the system doesn't mean the efficiency of the system will increase. After all, none of the TTC's bus or streetcar routes even come close to making a profit.
A Sheppard subway is conspicuously absent from the plan as are simple upgrades like signal priority for buses or bus-only lanes along certain strategic suburban corridors, like Hwy 2.