Transit Inspirations for Toronto

[LAz]

The biggest problem with rapid transit in North America is the cheap cost of gas for cars. For me taking transit from mid-town Toronto to Markham takes about 45 minutes and costs about $55 a week, while driving takes about the same time and costs $40 a week in gas. Granted I'm paying for insurance and maintainence on top of that, but I'd own a car no matter what so those costs don't really factor in. If gas was $2 per litre or I had to pay $5 a day for parking transit would suddenly become much more attractive. Conversly, if it only cost me $35 a week to get to work that too would make transit more attractive.

The question is how long will cheap gas be with us? and, Will be ready for the massive shift to transit when cheap gas disappears?

Lower taxes! I want my money! Government is too dumb to know what to do with my money! [/neoliberal economic dude][/neocon][/bum]

Cars are subsidized beyond just the cheap price of gas. That too is a problem.

 

[UrbanPrincess]

i read the title of this thread and I thought "who cares, it's not like we have the political will to replicate anything anymore".

Either way, a good hearty conversation about what Toronto should head towards always pleased me

 

[gweed123]

i read the title of this thread and I thought "who cares, it's not like we have the political will to replicate anything anymore".

Either way, a good hearty conversation about what Toronto should head towards always pleased me

Right now, we still have the political will at the Provincial level. And as long as they're the ones with the chequebook, I think we should at least get something. The province today confirmed funding for the electrification of the Georgetown and Lakeshore GO train lines. May not be municipal transit, but it's a huge step forward.

The political will at the municipal level though, that's another story. And there's no telling how long the Provincial will will last after the next election.

 

[UrbanPrincess]

The Province may not hold out for too long. I mean with Ford undermining Metrolinx's plans and removing any teeth that the province had in terms of regional transit, and with Dalton expected to lose to Hudak within the year (oye vey), I don't know how much longer we will have. Without a doubt, I do believe the province can do a lot, but it's the local powers that are stalling.

Right now, we still have the political will at the Provincial level. And as long as they're the ones with the chequebook, I think we should at least get something. The province today confirmed funding for the electrification of the Georgetown and Lakeshore GO train lines. May not be municipal transit, but it's a huge step forward.

The political will at the municipal level though, that's another story. And there's no telling how long the Provincial will will last after the next election.

 

[howl]

As your insurance rates are partially based on if you drive to work or not, and how many kilometres it is to your workplace, your rates would go down somewhat - assuming you have told your insurer that you are driving to work every day. Personally I found my maintenance costs dropped significantly when I stopped driving the 30 km (round trip) to work every day.

That aside ... if the travel times are the same, wouldn't one benefit from the spare time by not driving? You can read, nap, write e-mails, answer phones, etc. I commute by choice, however I've found that generally for me the switch happens when the transit travel time is still longer than the drive time, because of simply not having to concentrate on driving for so much time.

All things being equal I would rather drive. It gives me more freedom to arrive or leave when I want, and make a detour on my way home. I think that would be the position of most North American commuters. The economic impact is the key issue though. When I was working downtown I took the subway most days because when I drove I had to pay for parking which ment it was noticably more expensive (cycling was even cheaper and was my mode of choice for most of the year).

One of the reason Toronto's transit system (or a few others like NY, Chiago or Boston) is so well used to and from the downtown core when compared to many other North American cities is the cost of parking.

 

[gweed123]

The Province may not hold out for too long. I mean with Ford undermining Metrolinx's plans and removing any teeth that the province had in terms of regional transit, and with Dalton expected to lose to Hudak within the year (oye vey), I don't know how much longer we will have. Without a doubt, I do believe the province can do a lot, but it's the local powers that are stalling.

I don't think Ford is really undermining Metrolinx' plans. Because let's be honest here, the Toronto portion of the Big Move is pretty much TC. Metrolinx had very little to do with the creation of that plan, only the funding of it. Metrolinx wanted ICTS on Eglinton, the TTC wanted LRT. The TTC won out. If anything, this is an opportunity for Metrolinx to implement the plan they wanted to implement. Will there be some sections where they clash with Ford? Probably. But I think overall, Metrolinx will get what they want.

And if Toronto does completely stall and ends up with nothing, that money can gladly be shifted to 905 cities that are desperate for funding (Mississauga for example). But yes, if Hudak gets elected, it's a gamechanger for sure.

 

[DTowner]

Already mentioned earlier, Beijing opened 5 new lines recently. Why were they opened so quickly?

"...here they are conducted by the state's own agencies with little if any public input.

The government is planner, builder and arbiter all in one. .

Eek! As much as I hate all the red tape Toronto is tangled in, I would hate for this to be our reality.

 

[DTowner]

I don't think Ford is really undermining Metrolinx' plans. Because let's be honest here, the Toronto portion of the Big Move is pretty much TC. Metrolinx had very little to do with the creation of that plan, only the funding of it. Metrolinx wanted ICTS on Eglinton, the TTC wanted LRT. The TTC won out. If anything, this is an opportunity for Metrolinx to implement the plan they wanted to implement. Will there be some sections where they clash with Ford? Probably. But I think overall, Metrolinx will get what they want.

And if Toronto does completely stall and ends up with nothing, that money can gladly be shifted to 905 cities that are desperate for funding (Mississauga for example). But yes, if Hudak gets elected, it's a gamechanger for sure.

Any premier who gets elected that doesn't put Toronto first (yes, there, I've said it) is kiddig him/herself. The survival of this province means investing in Toronto and it's suburbs and that means viable transit system. Period.

 

[gweed123]

Any premier who gets elected that doesn't put Toronto first (yes, there, I've said it) is kiddig him/herself. The survival of this province means investing in Toronto and it's suburbs and that means viable transit system. Period.

You'd hope so. But the reality is that promising lower taxes and 'cutting excess spending' is about all the 905ers need to cast their votes in favour of that person. The majority of people are extremely sound-byte oriented when it comes to politics, they don't often read the fine print (or really anything beyond the headline). Never underestimate the Conservatives' ability to spin things.