I had a crazy idea, how about a boycott?
Since the federal government traditionally doesn't fund local transit (or rarely does), that's a risky proposition, not to mention the rest of the country would have a field day making fun of "big bad sucky Toronto".
A provincial 'Toronto Party' would have a better chance to positively affect transit in the city.
(Here it comes.......)I have an effective idea; blocking off the Don Valley Parkway.
This whole issue is just depressing. It's amazing how fast we've gone from having a somewhat bright transit future to having literally nothing. Here's the scorecard:
- Provincial government that is willing to look at transit as the first cut when they need to balance their budget
- Provincial opposition that will, if anything, actively seek to cut transit spending further if they get elected
- Provincial NDP that is still preoccupied with steeltowns and mining communities
- Outgoing mayor who is regarded as a lameduck and a bad fiscal manager
- A crop of mayoral candidates who seem either completely apathetic to transit (Smitherman), actively anti-transit (Rossi, Ford) or well-meaning but not very knowledgeable (Thomson)
- A federal government that wouldn't be too broken up if Toronto sunk into the lake
So what do we do?
Perhaps, but that still leaves Toronto at the mercy of the province. Who knows how much of that money would find its way to the city?Another idea.... How about raising the driver's license renewal fee to fund public transit?
If this is possible, the time to do it is now. Interest rates won't stay this low forever.Some cities in the United States sell bonds (some of them tax-free) to help complete their projects. With interest rates low, couldn't the city, or Metrolinx, sell bonds at the current low rates and get them fixed or with small increases for the term of the bonds? At least at or a little above the inflation rate?
The City of Toronto subsidies refuggees from the 905 who travel on the TTC at about 30%. 70% comes from the farebox and 30% from the Toronto taxpayers.