You've probably heard the news about the new transit plan for the Toronto area released by Metrolinx yesterday. Here are some additional highlights and analysis on the Metrolynx transit plan that may not have made the news.
Additional Highlights
The recommendation report from Metrolynx is quite long, but you can download all 93 pages (PDF) if you are interested. Reading through the report, the following highlights jumped out:
General Recommendations
- Creation of Bus Bypass Shoulders to let buses speed by traffic
- Creation of mobility hubs in different municipalities with customer service centres where you can buy tickets and get information
- Each mobility hub will be certified at LEED Gold or equivalent standards
- Municipalities will establish minimum density targets
- Renovate Union Station to create a "customer-focused facility"
- Give a taxi script or voucher where accessible service is not adequate
TTC
- Subways to Vaughan and Richmond Hill
- Eglinton Rapid transit
- a Finch/Sheppard corridor
GO Transit
- Express trains along the Lakeshore from Hamilton to Oshawa (every 5 minutes between Hamilton and Whitby)
- Trains to Bowmanville
- Converting all Lakeshore trains from diesel to electricity
Connections
- Transit along Yonge St from Hwy #7 to Newmarket
- Hwy #2 rapid transit (expected to be bus) from Pickering to Oshawa
- Integrated fare card
- Consolidated transit website
- A rapid transit line to Pearson
Some Top Priorities in the first 15 Years
- VIVA service through York Region
- Brampton's Queen Street
- Subway extention on Spadina to Vaughan
- Subway extension to Richmond Hill
- Rapid transit on Eglinton and Finch/Sheppard from Scarborough to Pearson
- Connect Union and Pearson by rail
- Upgrade the Scarborough LRT
- Rapid transit in Durham along Hwy #2
- Expres GO Transit Lakeshore Rail
Reactions
Reactions to the plan have been, to say the least, mixed. While some munipalities seem to be cautiously optimistic, others are concerned that the plan is addressing today's population, without accounting adequately for expected population growth.
Roger Anderson, the regional chairman of Durham Region noted that there is little plan for the north end of the city, saying "It's obvious that the GTA stops at Markham Rd." He also asks, "what are they going to be doing for the next 15 to 20 years, there's going to be a whole lot of people living north of Hwy. 2". Mayor of Oakville, Rob Burton, said “This looks like spending money to stand still, literally and financially”. Mayor Susan Fennell of Brampton expressed disappointment in the plan. She claimed that "Brampton, the fifth largest city in Ontario, fastest growing in Canada, doesn’t yet have all-day, two-way GO [transit]". TTC chair Adam Giambrone, although generally optimistic, also expressed some concern that perhaps Metrolynx may be "looking at private transit operations".
Mayor David Miller was optimistic about the plan, saying "Other countries do it...Look what they do in Europe". He also said "This city government and the TTC have bent over backwards to deliver a transit plan that we can start building now in real time. We're 20 years behind and we have to act."
Conclusion
One thing that many transit advocates agree on is that the current system is inadequate and has not kept pace with the needs of the population in the area. While transit advocates might disagree on the best way to move forward, at least it is a much-needed step forward. Remember that so far we only have this initial draft from Metrolinx, so it is reasonable to expect that the plan may evolve somewhat as time goes on.
Image by David Han
