City
Morning Brew: March 31st, 2009
Photo: "Sunlight Circus" by sniderscion, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):
The province has made a bold move to shake things up for transit, knocking the current board off duty at Metrolinx [G&M] (many were elected politicians, Mayor Miller included) and replacing them with former Torstar top dog Robert Prichard in the interim. As a result, Go Transit now lies under Metrolinx authority [NP]. Some are concerned that Metrolinx will harpoon Transit City. Will the fate of our transit system end up being controlled by some powerful OMB-esque entity?
To kill the Beaches coyote or not? That is no longer the question [CBC]. [hype]But having tasted blood... will it return to kill again!?!?[/hype]
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Flying out of Toronto Island Airport could get cheaper [Sun], if taxpayers money (rather than airlines' money) is used to pay customs staff. Always a contentious issue, this is sure to stir up some controversy.
It's like Y2K all over again, but this time it's only Windows users that need be concerned. The Conficker virus is set to unleash something unknown tomorrow [CityNews]. Wouldn't it be cool if it ends up infecting all Windows machines, taking full control over them, and installing a more stable and secure OS?
Starting tomorrow (no joke), parking at TTC commuter lots will no longer be free for Metropass users... unless you're a TTC employee [Star]. Commuters are doubly pissed off about this double slap in the face.
And yet another clown was caught doing over 200km/hr on the 400 [CTV]. While impaired. How long will it before he drives again?
Discussion
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“This is not about the 416 or the 905,” says Paul Bedford, Toronto’s former chief planner, who will sit on the new Metrolinx board. “It’s about both.”
In the NP post article, this quote appears that should sum up what transit should be in the GTA. It's no longer 905 vs 416, it's about creating a viable system for everyone to use and travel with. Until we get past this pettyness transit will go nowhere in this city.
The $5 charge for parking only discourages people from using transit. Stop this 905 vs 416 pettyness and realize that we're all in this together whether you live in Scarborough, Brampton, Yonge and Eglinton or Vaughan.
About time!
These local bureaucrats weren't getting anything done.
Hopefully now we can get some reliable transit built in and around the GTA.
[hype]Will the fate of our transit system end up being controlled by some powerful OMB-esque entity?[/hype]
I agree with the above two comments. I don't mind if Metrolinx takes over, as long they get things done. For too long, it's been too much bickering, too much red tape, too many politicians getting in the way.
And people have to realize that what benefits 905 transit benefits 416 transit, as well. As Rob says, it's not an us-against-them situation, we're all in it together.
Touche :)
"Wouldn't it be cool if it ends up infecting all Windows machines, taking full control over them, and installing a more stable and secure OS?"
how would we get our work done then??
All the York Region people in my office who take the subway say they are switching to GO as of tomorrow. They already bought their passes too so they aren't joking. If you take GO from the north, get ready for a CRUSH load tomorrow.
"These local bureaucrats weren't getting anything done."
Have any informed commentary to back up your quip? Or just talk radioesque spin?
A lot has in fact been done and a lot was on the immediate agenda, like a major meeting in April. All of that work and experience has now been wiped and the board is now literally back to ZERO. Unless of course you think that the BMO and TorStar executives appointed to the board have been reading technical briefings and the Regional Transporation Plan each night before bed.
I'm quite sure though the first meeting will have great sound bites full of buzzwords about "getting things moving" and "being proactive" and "moving forwards, not backwards... upwards, not forwards!". Then they'll break for the five hour lunch.
Here's what should be contentious about the airport customs report - Canada Customs has demanded $1500/day from Amtrak to run a second daily Seattle-Vancouver train, after the province spent millions upgrading track sidings to allow it.
http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=311cba61-62a0-45d4-b0b0-0fae621dc632
Amtrak said "no way" so with 2010 looming the chances of a significant number of US visitors forsaking the clogged roads for the train are receding...
How long before 24 & Metro are banned from all Metrolinx related services?
The BMO guy will probably finance another subway extension far from the core, with condos etc surrounding it. Meanwhile King St will still have moving sardine cans.
Now they're shuffling management before anything gets built. There will be studies, plans will be released, and another suffle will occur. Plus ca change.
Torstar owns Metro in Canada
Metrolinx is still a good idea in principle. Where the province messed up was not doing this from the beginning. I agree with m that it's only going to take longer now before concrete plans come out from that agency.
I wish the province turned over all regional transit, TTC included, when they created Metrolinx.
Eventually this will all move in the right direction and will go from regional fifedoms to a concrete, made-in-the-GTA transit plan that will encompass the entire area.
Jonathan, I think you need to get some facts straight.
1. Metrolinx doesn't have a "major meeting" coming up in April. They have a board meeting at the end of April. These happen on a regular basis.
2. The legislation hasn't even gone for a vote in parliament. Nothing happens until the MPPs approve it.
3. The transition period, which the government is clearly allowing for, will ensure that any new staff/board members know what's going on.
4. Robert Prichard and the rest of the appointees are members of the transition advisory board, NOT the new board of directors. It's likely that they have been selected because they know something about corporate mergers, like the commercial and corporate lawyer, the various human resources people and others on the (once again, to stress it) transition advisory board. The new board of directors (different than the transition board) will likely include transportation and transit experts.
The OMB is pretty good, the decision against Leslieville's WalMart excepted, so a Metrolinx run along those lines would be great.
TTC/Toronto Council maniacally destroy any intercity transportation and focus on ridiculous streetcar projects when the existing ones (i.e. the aforementioned King sardine cans) don't work. Pay parking at TTC lots, avoiding northern expansion of the subway, stupid fights against VIVA interoperability, the perpetually delayed Union Station overhaul...
What Toronto really needs is for the Premier's office to eliminate local government. Get rid of insane NIMBYism and run the city with a focus on its importance for the region/province/country. We're a Canadian city that doesn't build skating rinks, tried to get schools to build pools, and just generally screws up every real service for regular residents while funding tons of activist groups and a metastasizing bureaucracy.
Just this weekend i had realized how bad the system actually is:
- now way for me to get to the brampton fairground from the danforth by public transit IN time for the show there at 9:00. Canceled the visit. -- saved me almost 100 bucks for public transportation.
(2x35 for the Taxi Brampon-Fairground, plus go fare plus ttc fare.) The fact that a town rent out their fairground and do not offer bus service there is a joke. The other joke is the timetables for regional transit.
- Sundays camera bazar in Thornhill was another joke: 2 Systems for a 12 km ride, 2 sorts of tickets, fare to pay with no change, etc. Gimme a break.
- The first Subway on sunday runs 9 am. I don't expect it to run at 4 am, but at least 7am would be a decent time.. 9 is a joke. The third largest system in Northern America, they claim.