Toronto again! Ford & Gilbert sound-off & more irrelevant comparisons

Toronto owes mayor a thank you on transit

Toronto Star.com February 24th

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/943888–toronto-owes-mayor-a-thank-you-on-transit#article

Toronto owes Mayor Rob Ford a big thank you for three things.

[Most definitely not]

The first is for raising timely doubts about the wisdom of proceeding with Transit City. This was the previous council’s expensive one-size-fits-all plan to replace buses on some routes with disturbingly long streetcars mostly on their own rights-of-way and sometimes underground — also known as light-rail transit or LRT.

The second is for reminding us that heavy-rail transit — usually known as subways — is the backbone of Toronto’s transit system and we could use more backbone.

The third is for his recent plan, still mostly secret, to have the private sector pay for subways from the proceeds of development of land around stations.

It’s the third thank you that should be expressed the most fervently, not because his plan will solve our transit woes — it won’t — but because Ford has cast a spotlight on the vital link between transit and land development. He has illuminated this link with a brightness no one else in Toronto has come near to achieving.

 

 ST CLAIR CLEANED UP – Richard Gilbert

Transformed Transit City just the ticket for Toronto by Richard Gilbert

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/901594–transformed-transit-city-just-the-ticket-for-toronto

 Or does Toronto, owe Ford a thank you?

 One respondent, clearly does not think so, the Cardinal agrees, Quote:

 Stop with the irrelevant comparisons to Hong Kong

 

Toronto is not Hong Kong and repeating the comparison over and over will not make it so. The Official Plan already recognises the need to meld transit and land use, this is not new. The subways built in the 50's and 60's were built primarily in response to demonstrated demand, they weren't justified on the basis of "created" demand until the SRT was built to stimulate Scarb.TC. There are existing subway stns that need to develop (Downsview, Eglinton, Islington, Warden, VicPk etc) before we start building others for which there is not enough development market yet. Go ahead and blow all the money on one subway line, then enjoy waiting 20 yrs for the next one, if there is a next one. Gilbert is full of it, yet again.

TransLink, BC Transit & the BC Government, would also do well to heed the statement that Vancouver is also not Hong Kong, any comparison is also irrelevant!

Comments

One Response to “Toronto again! Ford & Gilbert sound-off & more irrelevant comparisons”
  1. Justin Bernard says:

    We owe Rob Ford a big “f*** (edited, but Zwei totaly agrees with you!) you!” for ruining a decent transit plan because you do not like surface rail.

    F*** (edited) you Ford!

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