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Time for one GTA transit authority?

Anyone who thinks that Metrolinx will have anything to do with converting the $1.1 billion of Sheppard East RT funding to a short subway extension are fooling themselves.

Metrolinx's mandate is regional transportation, not local. Sheppard East was a stretch as it was, but with 15-km of track and potential of future expansion to Durham it was somewhat justifiable for provincial spending. A short Extension of the Sheppard subway to Victoria Park, or perhaps Warden clearly doesn't fit this mandate, and would require provincial funding from a different source.

Metrolinx has a very long list of programs to finance. I'm sure they'd quite happily divert there share of this money to a GO line somewhere.

I fail to see how an SELRT is more regional than a short subway extension. Why are you trying to fool us? Why are you lying to use? WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO DECEIVE US!
 
Yes it is time for a single transit system for all GTA, especially when the City of Toronto effectively bans all 905 transit in its borders, creating overly complicated procedures and policies for cross-border 406-905 travel.

In addition to a ban on "competing" cross-border 905 transit services, Toronto refuses to fund any transit outside its borders, except along Elson Rd. and to the airport. Even Westwood Mall is too far for the TTC, so it ends the 36 Finch West bus a mere 1.3 km away from a major regional terminal. Bad for Malton residents, even worse for Rexdale residents, and the latter high unemployment rate is probably not surprising considering the transit situation...

Even some part within City of Toronto border, Toronto does not fund transit, such as Eglinton between Etobicoke Creek and Explorer, expecting MT to pay.

And then there's Toronto's refusal to fully implement Presto even though the rest of the GTA is on board. Imagine six houses in a 2x3 rectangular block that have an opportunity to each have fences built for their backyards. But they can't because one of the houses in the middle refuses to pay for any fences. Toronto is like that house in middle.
 
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Yes it is time for a single transit system for all GTA, especially when the City of Toronto effectively bans all 905 transit in its borders, creating overly complicated procedures and policies for cross-border 406-905 travel.

In addition to a ban on "competing" cross-border 905 transit services, Toronto refuses to fund any transit outside its borders, except along Elson Rd. and to the airport. Even Westwood Mall is too far for the TTC, so it ends the 36 Finch West bus a mere 1.3 km away from a major regional terminal. Bad for Malton residents, even worse for Rexdale residents, and the latter high unemployment rate is probably not surprising considering the transit situation...

Even some part within City of Toronto border, Toronto does not fund transit, such as Eglinton between Etobicoke Creek and Explorer, expecting MT to pay.

And then there's Toronto's refusal to fully implement Presto even though the rest of the GTA is on board. Imagine six houses in a 2x3 rectangular block that have an opportunity to each have fences built for their backyards. But they can't because one of the houses in the middle refuses to pay for any fences. Toronto is like that house in middle.

I still don't see the need on amalgamating anything. Amalgamating a bunch of dysfunctional organizations will only end up resulting in one very screwed up organization.

The problem is that the Ontario government should be setting setting up specific funding formulas etc., which have strings attached to them. In addition, the TTC should not have a monopoly on services in Toronto. The government should be creating a crown corporation/outsource whose sole function is to process payments - a single payment system - where all municipalities have to support it if they want to receive any subsidies. The single payment system would be used for transit, road tolls, and public parking.
 
I still don't see the need on amalgamating anything. Amalgamating a bunch of dysfunctional organizations will only end up resulting in one very screwed up organization.

The problem is that the Ontario government should be setting setting up specific funding formulas etc., which have strings attached to them. In addition, the TTC should not have a monopoly on services in Toronto. The government should be creating a crown corporation/outsource whose sole function is to process payments - a single payment system - where all municipalities have to support it if they want to receive any subsidies. The single payment system would be used for transit, road tolls, and public parking.

Portraying it as one municipality against another is missing the point. The provincial government has allowed the depressing situation to develop . For lack of politicall the GTA continues to suffer .
 
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Yes, seen this before with Kingston Township and Kingston where the Kingston Township buses had to go to a connection point for connecting to city buses and not stop between the border and the terminal location -- which is really stupid. The Ontario government should overrule local petty empire building bureaucrats - with the threat of loss of subsidies.
 
Yes, seen this before with Kingston Township and Kingston where the Kingston Township buses had to go to a connection point for connecting to city buses and not stop between the border and the terminal location -- which is really stupid. The Ontario government should overrule local petty empire building bureaucrats - with the threat of loss of subsidies.

This is also a union issue. Some ATU branches won't accept others doing work in "their territory". Putting aside how asinine that is, it's not an issue the provincial government can dictate away.
This came up with VIVA buses using the York U Busway last year. Are they allowed to pick up TTC passengers at York U and carry them to Downsview yet? I recall they were going to from day one, but the Toronto ATU objected and scuttled this plan.
 
Yeah, they've been running a pilot since late August and plan to analyze it early in the new year.
It was easier to land on the moon than to figure out whether empty Viva buses could carry passengers who wouldn't fit on TTC buses but, gosh darn it, they did it!
 
One is 3-4 km long with no plans to go more than 6-7 km. The other is 15 km long with a long-term proposal to connect to Durham. This is why one is regional, and the other isn't.
Whatever a line on a TC map might say, the SELRT as currently proposed is clearly local. Otherwise we might as well call the 1970's Spadina extension to Wilson regional since it's now being extended into York Region.

Yay Buses! Buses are cool, buses are fun, buses are for everyone. Mothball the Sheppard Line and have one stop service from Sheppard and Meadowvale to Yonge on buses. There is no capacity requirement! LRT is no improvement so obviously a subway is complete overkill.
Good meltdown!
 
Viva buses can take TTC passengers, but they cannot use the busway...

Who needs anti-union politicians? These unions (or at least government ones) seem to be doing a fine job shooting themselves in the foot as it is.

York Region is waiting for approval from Imperial Oil to ammend the agreement to allow VIVA buses to use the busway. Why do people automaticaly blame unions for any problem?
 
One is 3-4 km long with no plans to go more than 6-7 km. The other is 15 km long with a long-term proposal to connect to Durham. This is why one is regional, and the other isn't.

One would end at a Provincially-determined Regional Node and Designated Growth Centre, the other would end in suburban Never Never Land.
 
And look at the Metrolinx RTP, quite a few lines going into Scarborough Centre... So please explain to me how a local LRT line out into the boonies would have more regional implications than a line linking TWO major growth centres, and serves as a terminus for every rapid transit line in Durham Region. I'd love to hear the explanation as to why Morningside and Sheppard is a better transfer point than STC, especially given that once the DRT bus drops them off at Morningside and Sheppard, it would be a 15 minute ride (at least) on the LRT before they even got another rapid transit line, and a good 30 minutes before they reached the nearest subway.

If the goal of locating the transfer point at Morningside and Sheppard is to make cross-border municipal transit as difficult for people in Durham Region as possible, then mission accomplished! Otherwise, put the transfer where it makes some sense.
 

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