EnviroTO
Senior Member
I hope Miller's replacement just cancels Transit City outright. If they can't do St. Clair right, then they don't deserve to ruin even more streets.
St.Clair isn't a Transit City project and the dynamics of the project are very different from anything expected with Transit City. St.Clair is still seen as a "streetcar" or "city" line whereas the others are seen as LRT. An existing streetcar line where the loss of any stop or parking spot resulted in debate, a complete halt to the project when things went to court, and burying the electricity is very different from a brand new line running in the middle of a street where sidewalk widths and on-street parking will be a complete non-issue due to the suburban nature of the streets. Now that Metrolinx is involved and the lines are funded there is zero chance that anything, other than the unfunded lines, will be cancelled. Other than the underground portions, it seems unlikely that there will be any issues implementing Transit City.
While Transit City is sold as a way to bring urbanity to currently desolate streetscapes it is obvious that Transit City itself isn't going to be building that but is expected to be a catalyst for that happening in the future. They will not likely be creating on-street parking nor have many buildings flush with the sidewalks and while some utilities will likely be moved or repaired it will be nowhere near the same scale. Lastly, the city has recognized the need to have a larger contractor involved in Transit City projects.
While I would love there to be a way to vote for the SRT, Eglinton, and Sheppard East lines to be built as a subway in the next election, in reality we will be voting on what happens next... will the DRL, Don Mills, and Jane line be built or will the next council be focused on reductions.