AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
You are positing that somehow the only route to change is by switching governments - we have been doing that for the past 50 years with exactly what to show for it?
AoD
Toronto Ontario Line 3 | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx
- Thread starter JasonParis
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You are positing that somehow the only route to change is by switching governments - we have been doing that for the past 50 years with exactly what to show for it?
AoD
Cobra
Senior Member
Best thing to do for the TTC and the city is to have the whole line (Sheppard to Dundas West or ideally Dufferin) shovel ready ASAP so it qualifies for the Federal funds (50%), which won't last for ever.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
M II A II R II K
Senior Member
And a phase 1 only would turn Pape into a dumping ground in the afternoons. Unless half of the BD and DRL trains turn back at Pape and have half the BD and DRL trains share the Line 2 tracks east to SCC.
Adjei
Senior Member
People think a change in government is the answer to every problem. The real reason the DRL hasn't been built is the city. They haven't prioritized the project until recently and even now with Tory he has somehow managed to make the conversation all about Smart Track instead of the DRL. If the DRL had been a priority for the city from the get to it would have been under contrition by now by Toronto wanted to push transit city, subways on Finch and Sheppard and now Smart Track. Trying to blame the province for Toronto's transit woes is laughable.
allabootmatt
Senior Member
As much as there does need to be much stronger and more predictable transit funding from 'senior' governments, since about 2000 the City has indeed been able to obtain backing for its priorities: Spadina extension, Transit City, Scarborough extension etc. The problem is a) the priorities keep changing and b) the DRL hasn't been one. If they City designates the DRL as its top wish list item, and sticks to that choice, it will almost certainly be funded.
MisterF
Senior Member
So you're proposing voting out the most transit friendly government in generations for a party under the most conservative leader since Mike Harris? In the name of improving the transit situation? Really?
DonValleyRainbow
Senior Member
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Let's see what that parties present at election time. One reason I'm pissed with the provincial is that Kathleen Wynne backed down on revenue tools for transit, and now setting up a situation where the province is shopping for partner funding on Big Move projects that should have been paid 100% by the province through those tools. It would have been stable and predictable funding that didn't require shuffling money from other parts of the budget, and we wouldn't be so anxious about whether or not the Relief Line is going to be built soon (it would have been a done deal, Metrolinx has declared it a top priority and directed funds accordingly). You also wouldn't see a gajillion del Duca and Wynne photo ops; it would be a boring and regular administration of funds. The only excitement would be determining new projects to update The Big Move.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Sadly, neither the Conservatives nor the NDP are making any positive noises about revenue tools either - the latter has gone full boinkers as a matter of fact.
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TransitBart
Senior Member
How long would that take, exactly? Ea +design work?
MisterF
Senior Member
Well then the question is whether another party would be better for transit than the Liberals. From what I remember of the last election, the Conservative transportation plan was mostly about building new highways and ending the mythical war on the car (anyone who uses that phrase automatically loses my vote). The NDP were pretty much proposing running more buses and...well, that's pretty much it as I recall.
If recent evidence is anything to go by then sure the Libs aren't perfect when it comes to transit. But they're the best option we've got.
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
Can't the Ontario NDP do something useful for once? You'd think that focuses on urban issues would do pretty well in Ontario.
Kitsune
Senior Member
Come the 2018 election the GTA will have 59 of the 122 seats in Ontario... so a party would not be wise to do anything negative with any of the infrastructure projects planned or underway.
Hopkins123
Senior Member
All I'm saying is that of approximately 300 km of metro lines in Spain's capital, more than 100 km have been built in just a few years around the turn of the millennium. Why is the process deliberately so prolonged here in Ontario? Why was TYSSE funded in 2006, yet not opening until the end of 2017? The status quo is simply not delivering these lines with any expedience nor enough of these lines to satisfy commuters' needs all over the region.
I don't think it's wrong to demand better from the government and if threatening to kick the bums out does the trick, than so be it. We need campaigns ran on policies of ideas and new approaches to doing things, not always hearkening back to past boogeymen as a reason not to even consider an alternative party.
MisterF
Senior Member
Noone ever accused Ford Nation of being wise.
Present boogeymen. The leader who delivered the latest NDP non-platform is still there. And while Brown would probably be better than Mike Harris based solely on shifting public opinion, I have yet to see anything from him to make me think he'd be better for transit than Wynne. This thread has given me no reason to look at other parties beyond "give them a chance".
People complain about Wynne and the Liberals but I don't see why people are complaining about their transit policies. The upgrades and new infrastructure underway are on a scale we haven't seen since the 60s.