Asterix
Active Member
ssiguy2 makes some valid points.
I'm more inclined to agree with jje1000.
Aside from the DRL fantasy (Ford has made no mention anywhere of that being on his radar, so the claim he'd be a 'big supporter' is really just misguided wishful thinking), there are a whole host of other disjointed ramblings.
He claims TC "made left hand turns on busy routes a near impossibility" while also it "stops every other block and for all lights and left hand turns" (which is it, not allowing lefts or having to wait for lefts?). Actually looking at the plans for Eglinton shows that the line does not have to stop for left hand turns. Also, claiming it "stops every other block" is more fantasy as a quick look at the map will show (stop spacings on the surface sections are 670 and 660m respectively - a lot more than 'every other block').
He repeats the claim it isn't rapid transit, despite the fact that operating speeds will be closer to that of the Bloor subway line than the current bus routes.
He further advocates turning the line into a roller coaster, constantly diving into a trench to go under minor cross-roads where it doesn't have a stop before climbing up on the other side. I'm sure the riders would love that up and down experience and the accountants would love the huge costs all these underpasses would cost (he somehow thinks that such diving underpasses would cost something similar to the basic outdoor stops he wants to eliminate).
He later describes a line that will eventually run from Kennedy all the way to the airport as an "endless series of transfers". Maybe "endless" is the term for those who can not count to one as the only transfer I can see he's complaining about is that at Kennedy.
He then displays his ignorance of the bigger picture with the statement "Miller also presented a flawed plan we he presented it as a whole flury of lines as opposed to doing a few first". This shows a lack of understanding of the macro-scale plans coming from the province through The Big Move to drastically improve transit across large swaths of developed Ontario. The TC plan was a part of that bigger plan, coming with set goals to work with neighbouring transit systems in building a better network and having a defined funding plan that could take advantage of using resources for multiple projects instead of repeating the effort singly again and again. (Yes, not all of TBM was funded and what was funded was cut back, but what was left is exactly what ssiguy2 advocates - doing a few lines first, but apparently he is still against what he is for.)
His final line is just the icing on the cake:
"Now, after 5 years, endless studies, and wasted time Toronto is no better off than it was and that is Millers fault not Fords. "
Toronto literally was ready to get shovels in the ground on two lines such that major construction would be well underway this calendar year, with a third line to follow soon thereafter. Instead, once Miller was no longer in the picture, we are back to endless studies and wasted time, leaving Toronto no better off than it was. And he attempts to claim this abortion was Miller's fault and not the person who actually pulled the plug?
So yes, I think that qualifies as ramblings.