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Metrolinx: Sheppard East LRT (In Design)

Hoping for transit funding cuts because you didn't get what you want (when you don't even use it)? Classy.

AoD

What can I say, I'm a classy girl. I'd prefer the funding be put to use where it'll be appreciated more, somewhere like Hamilton or Mississauga.
 
What can I say, I'm a classy girl. I'd prefer the funding be put to use where it'll be appreciated more, somewhere like Hamilton or Mississauga.

Well if metrolinx gets a hold of the TTC and it becomes one regional transit thats what will happen - the whole concern will be getting transit to those areas and forget toronto - and all for political reasons
 
CC, I've been a fan of subways for a long time, and really wanted the extension to happen at first. But seriously, I think it's time to get real. I don't believe a subway is required on Sheppard at all at this point in time. Further down the road subway-to-LRT or vice-versa may happen. It depends on ridership I guess.

Let it go.
 
I wonder if they'll be smart enough to put in the infrastructure needed during the completion of the Agincourt underpath. I would like to 'hope', but experiences tell me they most likely will not be. I will be sad to see a freshly paved road (1 or 2 years new?) be ripped up for the new tracks.
 
js97:

I wonder if they'll be smart enough to put in the infrastructure needed during the completion of the Agincourt underpath. I would like to 'hope', but experiences tell me they most likely will not be. I will be sad to see a freshly paved road (1 or 2 years new?) be ripped up for the new tracks.

There was enough smarts to coordinate construction, but that plan and contracts got torn up by that not so smart one - and now we have to deal with the disjuncture between the completion of the underpass and the next ground of construction. I will be counting the lucky stars if the city didn't get dinged for penalties.

AoD
 
What can I say, I'm a classy girl. I'd prefer the funding be put to use where it'll be appreciated more, somewhere like Hamilton or Mississauga.

You know what? I'm actually going to agree with you on that. Here are my reasons:

1. Sheppard shouldn't be a high priority for transit expansion of any kind. It really is just a local road (in a regional context), that stimulates local, intra-city travel patterns.

2. If you justify transit expansion on real estate development terms, Sheppard is a sinking ship. There isn't much demand for condo construction on Sheppard Avenue East, because Scarborough is a declining blue collar suburb of yesteryear that isn't highly desired or where people want to create professional jobs. It isn't exactly Flint, Michigan, but investing in rapid transit in Mississauga, Vaughan or especially downtown Toronto is going to give you a much bigger 'bang for the buck' than investing on Sheppard.

3. Hurontario could probably support more trips than rapid transit along Sheppard. Moreover, Mississauga is pretty clear what it wants: LRT, and isn't going to start a political pissing match.

4. The Liberals really need to lock their support in the immigrant, upper middle class western 905. This part of the region is growing in both population and importance; the same cannot be said about Scarborough.

5. It's time to stick it to Rob Ford.
 
You know what? I'm actually going to agree with you on that. Here are my reasons:

1. Sheppard shouldn't be a high priority for transit expansion of any kind. It really is just a local road (in a regional context), that stimulates local, intra-city travel patterns.

2. If you justify transit expansion on real estate development terms, Sheppard is a sinking ship. There isn't much demand for condo construction on Sheppard Avenue East, because Scarborough is a declining blue collar suburb of yesteryear that isn't highly desired or where people want to create professional jobs. It isn't exactly Flint, Michigan, but investing in rapid transit in Mississauga, Vaughan or especially downtown Toronto is going to give you a much bigger 'bang for the buck' than investing on Sheppard.

3. Hurontario could probably support more trips than rapid transit along Sheppard. Moreover, Mississauga is pretty clear what it wants: LRT, and isn't going to start a political pissing match.

4. The Liberals really need to lock their support in the immigrant, upper middle class western 905. This part of the region is growing in both population and importance; the same cannot be said about Scarborough.

5. It's time to stick it to Rob Ford.

I'd much rather pump that $950 million into GO corridor upgrades if we're going that route. New GO tracks, purchasing existing corridors, doing any changes necessary to bring in all-day two-way service on as many lines as possible.

If you want the transit dollars to have a truly regional impact, that's how you do it.
 
I'd much rather pump that $950 million into GO corridor upgrades if we're going that route. New GO tracks, purchasing existing corridors, doing any changes necessary to bring in all-day two-way service on as many lines as possible.

If you want the transit dollars to have a truly regional impact, that's how you do it.

I want GO improvement more than anyone, but building the Hurontario LRT will benefit Peel more than GO will.
 
I don't know who I should be angrier at, Ford or McGuinty. Yes Ford attempted to unilaterally cancel Transit City, but McGuinty held all the cards. He could have told Ford to piss off, or at least demand a vote from council sooner or even get a vote from council to even discuss new plans. Instead he ended over for Ford Nation in order to keep support in Toronto and has stood back up just as that ship sinks. Because of this, the actual construction is now going to start when the line was scheduled to be completed!

As flawed as the line was, it did have the appeal of being completed relatively quickly. Now it doesn't even have that going for it!
 
I want GO improvement more than anyone, but building the Hurontario LRT will benefit Peel more than GO will.

But the Hurontario LRT won't do anything for Halton, York, or Durham Regions. Also, I don't think $950 million will be enough to build the Hurontario LRT, will it?

I don't know who I should be angrier at, Ford or McGuinty. Yes Ford attempted to unilaterally cancel Transit City, but McGuinty held all the cards. He could have told Ford to piss off, or at least demand a vote from council sooner or even get a vote from council to even discuss new plans. Instead he ended over for Ford Nation in order to keep support in Toronto and has stood back up just as that ship sinks. Because of this, the actual construction is now going to start when the line was scheduled to be completed!

As flawed as the line was, it did have the appeal of being completed relatively quickly. Now it doesn't even have that going for it!

Remember though, at that time McGuinty was getting spanked in the polls by Hudak, and Ford was riding a wave of popularity. Had he said "no way" to Ford, Hudak would have jumped all over that.
 
I don't know who I should be angrier at, Ford or McGuinty. Yes Ford attempted to unilaterally cancel Transit City, but McGuinty held all the cards. He could have told Ford to piss off, or at least demand a vote from council sooner or even get a vote from council to even discuss new plans. Instead he ended over for Ford Nation in order to keep support in Toronto and has stood back up just as that ship sinks. Because of this, the actual construction is now going to start when the line was scheduled to be completed!

Telling Ford to piss off would result in a stalemate: the province refusing to fund what Ford wants, the mayor directing the City's departments not to cooperate with the province on TC lines and effectively blocking any progress. By signing the MOU, the province ensured that at least the work on Eglinton project continues.

Forcing the council vote soon after Ford's election would cause Ford's victory, as all of the right and centre and even some of the left councilors would be angered by the province's interference in what is traditionally a municipal area of responsibility.

McGuinty's course of action was about the best possible under the circumstances.
 
Agreed. Not happy with the year-long delay but imagine how bad the situation would be if we were dealing with a Hudak administration (assuming the silly controversies in the provincial election were barely enough to hold off a PC victory).

Quite frankly the cards played well to the saner side of Council. At the time of the MOU there were no controversies around the Ford administration, nor was there a marked slide in approval ratings. Now we have all that plus Ford's predictable no-compromise behaviour and we're here today. We also had the advantage of Stintz and Co. using the year of nothing as proof the administration had zero ideas in terms of funding.
 
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