Transit City Plan

[nfitz]

McGuinty is the biggest coward who ever lived.

What a bizarre and off-topic statement. Are you trolling us? I can think of many more cowardly.

Rob Ford comes to mind ... he's so bigoted and terrified of gays that be boycotted Pride!

 

[M II A II R II K]

The airport through to Pickering can be better served by a Crossrail equivalent of a Crosstown to have any appreciable impact on traffic. Perhaps primarily running between Lawrence and Eglinton.

 

[rbt]

GO trains do not serve North York Centre. They are useless for east west trips north of the city that do not go through downtown Toronto.

That's okay. Very few people work in North York Centre. They either live there and work downtown or they live there and work in some scattered area (Markham centre for example) or random location near the 407.

 

[RichA]

Lots of people boycotted "Pride" by avoiding that vulgar display

What a bizarre and off-topic statement. Are you trolling us? I can think of many more cowardly.

Rob Ford comes to mind ... he's so bigoted and terrified of gays that be boycotted Pride!

Had nothing to do with being anti-gay, just "anti-vulgar and tacky."

 

[RichA]

But what if they build an airport in Pickering?

The airport through to Pickering can be better served by a Crossrail equivalent of a Crosstown to have any appreciable impact on traffic. Perhaps primarily running between Lawrence and Eglinton.

I know; that again!

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Stick to the topic please.

AoD

 

[rbt]

The airport through to Pickering can be better served by a Crossrail equivalent of a Crosstown to have any appreciable impact on traffic. Perhaps primarily running between Lawrence and Eglinton.

Pickering to the Airport would be well served by LakeShore East + Georgetown corridors if they both ran frequently.

No need to spend tens of billions on a new corridor at all for that trip.

 

[RichA]

I can't fault them if they configure service to match traffic

Pickering to the Airport would be well served by LakeShore East + Georgetown corridors if they both ran frequently.

No need to spend tens of billions on a new corridor at all for that trip.

I wanted to go to West Mississauga from Union on a Saturday, but the station I needed wasn't served except on weekdays.

 

[Electrify]

Made some adjustments to the descriptions in my map (see signature). It would run underground between Senlac and Consumers, since I don't believe there is enough ceiling height at these stations to allow it to change from third rail to overhead wires (if I'm mistaken, please feel free to correct me). I figure west of Senlac, while technically not underground, it would run in a smaller viaduct under Sheppard's bridge's viaduct before going up to run in the middle of the avenue.

 

[ssiguy2]

No subway will have a meaningful impact on 401 traffic. Remember kids that much of the traffic on the 401 is commercial transport, people coming from outside Toronto and the GTA, many people REQUIRE a car for their jobs, and some will never take transit regardless of alternatives.
As for McGuinty, if I were him I would be 20 minutes from telling Toronto to go to hell and take away all the funding. NO other city on this planet gets $8.4 billion for rapid/mass transit given to them with no contribution required, that is unprecedented. I think that perhaps that is one of the problems here.
If I were McGuinty I would tell Toronto that you get your money but only if you top it up with another one third. That would get Toronto the funds it needs for all it's needs and make Toronto more accountable of where it's money is going and look at reason why it's construction costs are so bloated compared to it's contemporaries.
Until Toronto starts to put it's own money where it's industrial size mouth is then transit expansion will always be limited.

 

[nfitz]

If I were McGuinty I would tell Toronto...

I you were McGuinty you'd remember that about 1/3 of your MPs represent Toronto, and you'd do exactly what he has done ... bend over and take it.

Ford becoming the Tories poster-child is the best thing that every happened to McGuinty.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

1. A five stop subway is not going to have much of an impact on 401 traffic because it is completely useless for suburb to suburb drivers right now as almost everyone has to take several buses at either end to use the Sheppard subway right now. I notice that many people using the Sheppard subway are going downtown even though the vast majority of 401 drivers using the section of the 401 running parallel are not going downtown. I would expect a Downsview-Scarborough Centre subway to serve far more suburb to suburb traffic and far more North York Centre to suburb traffic. I would expect to see a slight drop (not enormous) drop in 401 traffic when such an extension opens, and a big increase in subway traffic. The big difference would most likely be that the subway would prevent the traffic from getting even worse than it already is.
2. I think that the main reason people would switch to using the subway is to avoid having to drive in severe traffic congestion. People who are conveniently served by the subway (e.g. work at the Airport Corporate Centre office park and live at Eglinton and Bayview) would use the subway to avoid heavy traffic. People who are less conveniently served by the subway (e.g. Islington and Dixon to Hurontario and 401) would be more likely to continue to drive in heavy traffic. Parking fees would probably only play a minor role (mostly for people working in North York Centre, Yonge/York Mills & Yonge/Eginton, if the city cuts taxes and employment growth occurs there).
3. My assumption is that buses (e.g. #7 & 35) would link a station near Eglinton/Renforth with the various office park buildings, other office parks in Mississauga such as the ones near 401/Hurontario and Meadowvale, and Square One.

But where will the city raise taxes if that happens. You have to raise rev if you cut corportate taxes.

 

[andrewpmk]

The simple solution is to cut taxes on new office building construction only while keeping tax rates high for existing buildings, and banning converting office buildings to condos. The whole point is that new office buildings would be built in Toronto due to the lower taxes which would otherwise be built in the 905 instead.

 

[Tulse]

The simple solution is to cut taxes on new office building construction only while keeping tax rates high for existing buildings, and banning converting office buildings to condos.

So the goal is a lot of empty office buildings?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

andrewpmk:

You are ignoring the pattern of suburban office development - they are only getting built in suburban (read 905) areas that allows for large amount of surface parking, which aren't compatiable to the development in the centres. Such a form of development also had the added disadvantage of lowering density, negating the whole point of increased access by public transit that's supposed to be the rasion d'etre.

AoD