Public opinion is sharply divided between those favouring subways and those who want light rail transit [LRT]. That’s what I thought until last month when I hosted a two-hour transit information session when residents chose subways and LRT.
Two-thirds (67 per cent) wanted a mixture — the solution being proposed by both the Toronto Transit Commission [TTC] and Metrolinx. Only 16 per cent wanted subways only, with seven per cent proposing LRT only.
Residents were also asked to show which funding tools — e.g. gas tax, road tolls — they would use to pay for their choice. The subways-only option costs more than twice as much as the mixed model and some five times more than only LRT.
Not surprisingly, only 27 per cent of those choosing only subways were able to show how they would pay for it — compared to 80 per cent for those who chose the mixed model.
Asked which new routes were most important, participants rated “reducing congestion on the Yonge subway line” number one. This places the downtown relief line, currently at the top of the Metrolinx list of projects, as the top priority for Willowdale.
Many participants ended the evening thinking differently than they had earlier. They welcomed an opportunity to receive real information and realistic options.
Shortly after my meeting, both Metrolinx and the City of Toronto launched similar consultations.
Hopefully, this will be the year that residents and politicians agree on what Toronto’s long-term transit expansion plan should look like and how we are going to pay for it.