City
A TTC fantasy map that could become reality
There's been an online trend among transit geeks the last few years to put together TTC "fantasy maps" - dream layouts that encompass all the subways, LRTs, streetcars and GO lines the creator dares to dream of. The examples available from a quick web search range from the totally unrealistic (think subways on every major street) to the more feasible (Downtown Relief Line anyone?)
Today's OneCity expansion project announcement by councillors Karen Stintz and Glenn De Baeremaeker and the accompanying map is perhaps the closest thing we've had in a while to a TTC fantasy that actually has a chance of coming true. Just how good that chance is depends on who you talk to, but at least parts of the proposal — specifically the idea of raising funding for transit via property tax revenue — seem quite possible indeed.
If the proposal gets a thumbs up from council and clears a long list of hurdles, Toronto will add six new subway lines, 10 LRTs and five bus and streetcar routes to its existing network over the next 30 years.
Here's a round-up of the new lines proposed under the OneCity plan. Click here for a larger version of the map.
SUBWAYS AND TRAINS - $18 BILLION - 72 KM
UNDERGROUND: RED, EXPRESS: PINK
- Build a Don Mills Express line east from King station into Leslieville and up Pape to the Eglinton LRT.
- Build a Scarborough and Etobicoke Express line from Pearson to Steeles via Union.
- Replace the Scarborough RT with an extended Bloor-Danforth line to Sheppard and McCowan.
- Extend the Yonge line to Steeles Avenue.
- Extend the Sheppard line west to Downsview station, linking the Spadina and Yonge lines.
- Renovate Bloor-Yonge station.
LRTs - $9.5 BILLION - 73.5 KM
NEW: PURPLE, ALREADY PLANNED: BROWN
- Expand the proposed Sheppard East LRT to Meadowvale, Toronto Zoo and Malvern
- Expand the proposed Eglinton LRT to Pearson
- Expand the proposed Finch LRT to Pearson and Humber College
- Build a Scarborough-Malvern LRT from Kennedy to Sheppard
- Build a Jane LRT from Steeles to Bloor
- Build a Waterfron West LRT from Union Station to Long Branch
- Build a Finch West LRT from Yonge to Keele
- Build a Don Mills LRT from Steeles to Eglinton
BUSSES AND STREETCARS - $1.2 BILLION - 25.7 KM
NEW: BLUE
- Build a Waterfront East streetcar from Union Station to Parliament Street.
- Build a Ellesmere bus rapid transit line (BRT) from Scarborough Centre via Sheppard to Kingston Rd.
- Extend the St. Clair streetcar to Jane.
- Build a Kingston Road BRT from Victoria Park station via Eglinton.
- Build a Wilson BRT from Wilson station to Keele Street.
All this adds up to 175 kilometers of new transit infrastructure. With a whopping $30 billion pricetag (that Stintz is confident we can afford) and a necessary long term commitment, is it likely OneCity will be realized, or will it go the way of Network 2011 and many other transit promises that have broken along the way?
Another big question is what Metrolinx will ultimately have to say about all of this. The so-called Big Move covers some of the same territory, and the relationship between the TTC and the provincial transit agency hasn't exactly been picture perfect over the last few months.
But perhaps the key thing that separates this plan from others is that there's a clear funding strategy for at least a third of price tag (who knows if the province and the feds will kick in the rest?). Even if the rest of the money doesn't materialize, we could get a hell of a lot done with $10 billion over the next 30 years. Will property owners ante up for our transit future?
Update (9:10 a.m.):
The OneCity website went live this morning. You can read up about the various elements of the proposal there. Here's what Stintz and De Baeremaeker have to say by way of introduction.
Discussion
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If the TTC can focus on relieving congestion in Toronto, it frees up Metrolinx to focus on relieving congestion on our highways.
We don't need a couple of councillor EAs with a box of crayons. We need a city traffic analysis showing where the people are going and figuring out how to transport them. Instead we are taking a bunch of existing infrastructure and extending it largely irrespective of any demand analysis. Some of this plan seems good, some of it isn't, but if the plan means having to swallow all of it? I'll pass.
A few redirected lines, a couple removals, and this could look a lot more viable. As it is, it lacks the appearance of actually being, you know... planned.
Anyway, this will hit the same roadblocks every other transit plan has. I don't have faith in the current expansion plan making it past the next election either...
That isn't a horrible idea at all. You know what they say about making assumptions. Just saying.
Yeah, we don't need any expansion. We can survive on the shitty transit system we have now for another 50 years. SMH....
Buy your Wonderland fare ticket at whatever station you get on at and have to insert it into the turnstiles to exit the Wonderland station.
Make it cheaper than the GO Bus to entice people and try to convince Wonderland to pay for part of it.
The park is the most attended seasonal amusement park in N.America and it's a pain in the ass to get to by current public transit from down town.
And to people complaining a lack of link to the Wonderland, switching between transit operators or modes of transit isn't fucking rocket science. There's plenty of YRT and TTC buses that go to Wonderland.
Unless passengers are going to have to pay YRT+TTC fares to get on at one of those new stations and pay the YRT fare on top of what they already paid to exit any of them. I know its what you do if you take one of the TTC buses that go into YRT territory, and I haven't read if that's what they're planning on doing for the new subway.
Another issue is that its astounding we have to resort to a property tax raise as a compromise to pay for transit - where are the road tolls? Many cities only have a downtown highway (in our case, the Gardiner) to collect tolls. This is a great way to reduce drivers and fund transit. Another way is tolls in busy doqntown areas where there should be a reduced amount of congestion - both London and Singapore do this.
It's very important that the city look to create infrastructure well and efficiently. (And by the way Paris built almost 300 subway stations like 90 years ago so I mean how ridiculous is it that this is such a struggle?)
I should also note, I live I live in York and take the TTC to work everyday and have for the last 15 years. I know what it's like to wait for a bus in the dead of winter.
The main issue I have is that De Baeremaeker, Stintz, and the rest of their group cannot be trusted with our tax dollars. Continued waste at City Hall. They vote against anything that reduces spending. They can't be trusted to implement the project within the budget they've laid out.
Anyone who believes this new tax will not be double in ten years and quadruple in 30 years is kidding themselves. You'll just be setting yourself up for never ending tax grabs. I can see it now. Cost overruns. We need to raise the transit tax.
Earn my trust. Then I'm willing to pay more.
I have no issue with the proposed property tax increase to directly fund a long term sustainable transit endowment. Estimated $190 increase? split over the 6 typical invoices is $32 more per, absolutely affordable. This seems a forward thinking way of sustainably raising municipal money. A common mantra now is directed taxes, this plan embodies that.
The multiple lines to the airport is smart, inline with most large cities around the world. Also, there are a lot of commuters to the airport area, so this transit will help.
The Jane 35 bus route is phenomenally busy, and the 35D extended to Concord - Langstaff road business parks is a brilliant route. A Jane LRT seems a smart idea. Also, Jane is actually a pretty big and wide street, probably the only issue will be the two underpasses at Dundas / St. Clair and the 401.
Note to Karen Stinz: Look into "Flying LRT"
the money is just going to end up in politicians pockets anyway with almost nothing being done.
I would gladly park the car & continue with public transit to downtown or elsewhere in TO, but usually the choices favour TTC - Take The Car.
It is also fair & reasonable the funding proposed for this transit plan. A Toronto property tax increase dedicated to transit of under 2% plus 2/3 cost sharing from provincial and federal govts, allocates the cost around to actual beneficiaries.
As far as I am concerned, the 4 priorities addressed are:
1. Downtown Relief Line via Don Mills express
2. Harbourfront East streetcar
3. Eglinton West LRT to Pearson Airport
4. Jane LRT (with St. Clair streetcar extension) - but it should go all the way to the Lakeshore Humber Loop.
It is shame on the Ford brothers, who dismissed it immediately, saying that they were never consulted, and that they cannot support a tax increase, however minimal. Toronto property taxes are very favourable compared to 905, give me a break.
This also does not address the DRL. The Don Mills line needs to run west of Yonge and become the airport line. We can't have two lines feeding into Yonge. One line passing through Yonge means less people feeding into Yonge. Why is Don Mills an express line? All the dense residential pockets south of Danforth are being ignored. The King streetcar is a joke. So why are we sinking money into a pointless Queens Quay East route, when a properly built DRL could accomplish all this.