Roads: Gardiner Expressway

[Chuck]

Well, therein lies the problem. Perhaps it could have connected with the Front St. extension had that not been canceled too. Perhaps the highway could run along rail rights of way. Perhaps the 400 would not be extended at all, but GO trains would run every 10 minutes and the Eglinton subway would get built. Even that last option is fine by me, but just do something.

I don't mean to go off on a tangent, but what are a couple of feeder streetcar lines going to do when the core network they're dumping 175 million passengers are year onto is overcrowded and under built in the first place? Is our Mayor on crack? As a south of Eglinton resident, the last thing I want is even more suburbanites crowding onto my already packed subway line, thereby preventing me from getting to work because the train is full.

 

[CDL.TO]

I don't mean to go off on a tangent, but what are a couple of feeder streetcar lines going to do when the core network they're dumping 175 million passengers are year onto is overcrowded and under built in the first place? Is our Mayor on crack? As a south of Eglinton resident, the last thing I want is even more suburbanites crowding onto my already packed subway line, thereby preventing me from getting to work because the train is full.

Amen to that. Mayor Miller seems to share an idea with former councillor Jack Layton that downtowners should just get jobs downtown and suburbanites should just get jobs in the suburbs. Too bad things don't actually work like that.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

IMO, subway construction is one of those things that should be constantly happening - at all times. we shouldn't have to wait decades for expansion. expansion should be constant.

also, toronto got what it asked for. we should have asked for more. at least the eglinton line will be underground for a large portion.

 

[Chuck]

Amen to that. Mayor Miller seems to share an idea with former councillor Jack Layton that downtowners should just get jobs downtown and suburbanites should just get jobs in the suburbs. Too bad things don't actually work like that.

Damn you NDP! We need another common sense revolution.

 

[CDL.TO]

Damn you NDP! We need another common sense revolution.

Woah there. Careful what you wish for. For that matter, that philosophy isn't shared by all NDPers.

 

[Chuck]

Woah there. Careful what you wish for. For that matter, that philosophy isn't shared by all NDPers.

Toronto gets shafted by the Conservative party more due to simple regionalism than any other factor - all of the supporters live in Alberta, Northern Ontario, and the 905 area, so obviously downtown Toronto isn't high on their priority list. After all, it was only the right wing mayoral candidate in the 2006 municipal election that proposed 2 km of subway construction per year.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Toronto gets shafted by the Conservative party more due to simple regionalism than any other factor - all of the supporters live in Alberta, Northern Ontario, and the 905 area, so obviously downtown Toronto isn't high on their priority list. After all, it was only the right wing mayoral candidate in the 2006 municipal election that proposed 2 km of subway construction per year.

it's easy to make the proposal, it harder to get the sustained funding from the province and the feds to get it done. though with move2020, everyone seemed to get what they asked for. it might have actually worked that one time. missed opportunity?

 

[Chuck]

Certainly a missed opportunity. Toronto is only getting new subway by default - York Region's subway extensions require short extensions through Toronto before construction can begin north of Steeles. If it wasn't for that, there would be no subway construction in Toronto period.

I'm beginning to think that the only possible way for the Sheppard subway to be extended east is if Markham politicians lobby for it. Miller certainly won't.

 

[Hydrogen]

IMO, subway construction is one of those things that should be constantly happening - at all times. we shouldn't have to wait decades for expansion. expansion should be constant.

I agree 100%. And there must be the political will to see these things through, as well as a plan that makes sense and that will be adhered to over the duration.

 

[unimaginative2]

Miller and friends have said unequivocally that they do not support new subway lines in Toronto. All new construction must be LRT.

I'm definitely with the general consensus in this thread. While I drive on it frequently, the stretch of highway is unsightly and unnecessary. Its removal would only add a minute or two of additional travel time. I drove the Lakeshore yesterday to try and imagine what it would be like. Needless to say, the change would be extremely positive. The only shame will be the ramp rising west of Jarvis. I wish we could just get rid of the highway all the way west of Spadina. Part could be tunnelled, if necessary. We've got to hurry up! The more buildings go up in the area, the harder it will be. The bottom line is that nobody twenty years down the line will regret tearing down this highway, with the possible exception of a handful of urban blight fetishists like TKTK. Hell, even modernist preservation superhero adma supports it.

I definitely see the merits of creating two one way streets to replace the DVP. Remember that pedestrian friendliness has nothing to to with the direction traffic flows. A trip to Montreal would quickly dispel that notion. It has to do with the design and width of a street.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

I agree 100%. And there must be the political will to see these things through, as well as a plan that makes sense and that will be adhered to over the duration.

this is the most unfortunate part, it shouldn't be political at all. well, to some level politics has to be involved, we have no choice, but it should be kept to a minimum.

 

[Hydrogen]

Oh, there is political will. The Spadina extension is a product of political will, but not necessarily appropriate planning. I'm not opposed to this extension, but I think there should have been an effort to build a downtown subway line and an Eglinton line as well. Had the latter proceeded when the first efforts were attempted to build it, it would have probably been completely finished by now - and well-used.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Oh, there is political will. The Spadina extension is a product of political will, but not necessarily appropriate planning. I'm not opposed to this extension, but I think there should have been an effort to build a downtown subway line and an Eglinton line as well. Had the latter proceeded when the first efforts were attempted to build it, it would have probably been completely finished by now - and well-used.

the nonsense revolution really set us back. oh what could have been!

 

[Towered]

IMO, subway construction is one of those things that should be constantly happening - at all times. we shouldn't have to wait decades for expansion. expansion should be constant.

Agreed completely. Seems like a lot of other cities are doing this. Vienna for example has been consistently expanding its subway for the last 30 years without any stoppages I think.

 

[marcus_a_j]

In case the Gardiner doesn't come down anywhere, we can still build around it some more, and over it.

from SSP, my apologies I don't remember who posted it.