City
Ford sticks to his guns on underground transit plans
In response to a proposal from Toronto city councillors to redistribute provincial funds for Toronto transit by running the eastern section of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT above ground, Rob Ford has made it clear that he's sticking to his guns on keeping rapid transit underground in Toronto. I suppose that shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but it's worth pausing for a moment on his rationale.
"It's the taxpayers in Scarborough. They were quite clear during my election that they want subways, and I represent what the taxpayers want and that's what we're going to continue to do," he explained in an interview with the National Post. "I'll do exactly what the provincial government wants to do. Last time I checked they're going to build subways. It's started, it's going, and I do what the taxpayers of Scarborough want ... not above ground."
There are a number of questions that come to mind when reading this explanation. The first is whether those living in Scarborough are as committed to underground transit infrastructure as Ford claims. We already know that the cancellation of Transit City will create a nightmare for Scarborough residents in the years ahead, so it's reasonable to ask if the people Ford has pledged his commitment to are, in fact, something akin to straw men.
Where does Ford think the money for the Sheppard subway extension is going to come from? This question has been hanging around for a while, but given that Stintz and Co.'s proposal diverts funds to get this project kickstarted, the fact that Ford is so quick to turn it down must mean that the mayor somehow still thinks he can pay for this subway line via a public-private partnership. Or he's just being bull-headed — take your pick. Isn't it easier to sell the idea that this thing will actually get built into Scarborough if some guaranteed funding is in place and construction is actually underway?
And lastly, what about Finch? If the mantra is to provide service for Ford's suburban constituents, then the current plans ignore one of the areas most beset by gridlock, Finch Avenue West. There are weaknesses in the new plan that's been put forward, but the underlying idea of compromise isn't one of them. Perhaps council as a whole understands this better than Ford, and another defeat awaits him at City Hall. It's too early to tell.
Image from Metrolinx
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So I guess in this regard, I am a Ford supporter; let's get it done.
Freudian slip?
Downtown Relief Line
Downtown Relief Line
Downtown Relief Line
How many lines do we need feeding into the already over-burdened Yonge corridor? Everytime there's a minor issue, the whole Yonge-Univ. line locks up and it takes forever to decongest.
It'd be stunning if it were any other mayor.
Can he really be this stupid?
He has absolutely no shot of winning this vote (he may get 10 votes from the radical right). I'm not sure he realizes he's not in the opposition anymore, and sticking to your guns in a losing proposition isn't cute anymore.
Eglinton here is very wide, and it's mostly a long stretch of nothing but shopping centres with gigantic parking lots. Why we need something as fancy and expensive as a subway to serve Walmart is beyond me.
Toronto clearly doesnt want you.
I second the downtown relief line calls. The Sheppard subway is already underutilized, if you're going to build a subway build a downtown relief line instead.
Notice in the revised plans the LRT doesn't extend West past Jane.
I for one did not always agree with Miller and his tactics (the garbage strike stung especially living near a temporary dumping site) but he was a reasonable mayor and did achieve some progress in his time in office.
What we have now is a man who was great at pointing out what people hated but has no real concept of what to do now that those angry people have declared him their mayor.
You'll find me up north, telecommuting to work and never fretting about what the ttc could have been.
Good luck.
It must be quite vexing for the fiscal conservatives out there. He's in his own little world, where only trolls can defend him.
underground is the right call.
(Still, knowing Ford, he'll probably just blame "the left-of-Stalin communists" on council. Truly a class act, this guy.)
To me, what's sad is all the wasted time and energy spent fighting this ninny, when the whole time, the crazy expensive of a buried LRT was there for all to see.
It's like the reasonable people on council are constantly having to play defense against Ford's buffoonery. (Scrapping Transit City, the Portlands fiasco, the budget, etc.)
Let's hope we're seeing the start of saner heads prevailing at City Hall, and the beginning of Mayor Middle Finger's sidelining for the remainder of his term.
What is up for debate is why anyone at all still supports the guy. You were hoodwinked, Toronto, maybe by your own doing, but it's time to shrug it off and move forward. Fortunately, Toronto has a weak-mayor system and council should be able to shovel RoFo off to the side like so much dirty snow.
Meanwhile, don't forget the western end of Eglinton. If there is any hope of inexpensive rapid-transit to the airport during our lifetimes, it will be through expanding a surface LRT west along Eglinton to the airport. (See: Minneapolis, Baltimore, Salt Lake, San Jose, Seattle, Dallas, London (City) etc. etc.) If the Eglinton line is kept underground here it will never be affordable to expand further west.
The man has horrible judgment, atrocious organizational skills, and no ability to collaborate with others. He wants to paint councillors as further to the left than Joe Stalin, while he and his allies engage in rhetorical flourishes, authoritarian declarations, and outright falsehoods that would have made Uncle Joe grunt with approval.
2 years, 11.5 months of this idiocy to go.
Subways are needed where it is NEEDED, not just wanted. The Downtown Relief Line (DRL) is needed, as heavy rail or light rail, but needed.
Bring back Transit City.
"Downtown Relief Line...
How many lines do we need feeding into the already over-burdened Yonge [and Bloor/Danforth] corridor[s]? Every time there's a minor issue, the whole Yonge-Univ. line locks up and it takes forever to decongest."
The streetcars downtown are a nightmare at any times around rush hour. Over burdened, splitting at the seams capacity, and all we ever hear is talk of expanding further into the burbs to shovel more people onto an already over-capacity subway system. People ride for free on the streetcars at rush hour because the drivers have to open all of the doors, just to make embarking and disembarkation sane. I'd still rather ride my bike though, or walk, than have to be crammed into one of those things like I used to have to do when I worked downtown.
Downtown Relief Line !!!!
Let's elect a mayor who has a brain in his head with real solutions, not this bigoted, rage-o-holic, BBQ, 911-calling Mayor McCheese embarrassment of a person.
Does Ford actually have the power to prevent changes to the LRT regardless of a council vote or is he just acting out while pouting again?
When someone starts to spout off from the left I think ... Yawn.
The more money spent putting transit underground when it doesn't have to be the less rail transit actually get's built. The less rail transit that gets built the more routes have to be serviced by buses.
Is there anything we can do to keep Mr Ford out of the transit file. We dont need incompetent politicians interfering on progress.
This time dont listen to Mr Ford to anything on the transit file.
I think the real question for Scarborough is: Light rail transit or nothing?
And even if rapid transit does get built, what are the odds that Mr Ford will use it....... 0%.