If there’s one problem Toronto’s known for, it’s crack-smoking mayors. If there are two problems Toronto’s known for, it’s crack-smoking mayors and traffic. As long as newly elected mayor John Tory stays off the crack pipe, the first problem will be solved. If Tory wants to tackle traffic, he’s going to have to deal with Rob Ford’s legacy.
For over a decade, residents of Scarborough have been itching to replace the Scarborough RT, their aging rapid transit connection to the city. Metrolinx, a provincial agency aimed at improving public transit infrastructure throughout Ontario, made an agreement with the city two years ago to build four new LRT lines in Toronto—one of them a replacement for the Scarborough RT. Before the new line could be built, things took a turn for the worse: Rob Ford got involved. In a last minute decision, Toronto City Council, under pressure from Ford and his allies, voted against the LRT plan. Instead, they voted in favour of extending the Bloor-Danforth subway line into Scarborough.
As is often the case with Rob Ford’s decisions, this one was bad.
Really bad.
Time to Build
Rapid transit offers an alternative to driving for commuters. By building a Scarborough RT replacement, the city hopes to ease congestion on roads leading into the downtown core from Scarborough. The Scarborough subway extension, however, can’t be built quickly enough to achieve this. Because the LRT already has an Environmental Assessment and a completed preliminary design, construction could begin at any time and would take only three years to complete. The subway extension, conversely, hasn’t even been formally proposed. At the current rate things are moving, it will take four years before a detailed Environmental Assessment is completed, and at least ten before the subway is built. By the time the Scarborough subway extension is open, Toronto’s population will have swelled well past the three million mark.
If you think traffic is bad now, just wait.
Cost
In addition to taking a ridiculous amount of time to design and build, subways cost a ridiculous amount of money. In particular, subways cost more to construct than LRT lines—a lot more. Without even taking into account potential cost overruns and interest on debt, the current Scarborough subway plan is estimated to cost $2.8 billion. The LRT, on the other hand, would cost only $1.8 billion—a whole billion dollars less than the subway (or about 40,000 kilograms of crack cocaine, depending on who you ask). While the province previously agreed to pay for the LRT in full, including cost overruns, they’re only willing to pony up half of the funds needed for the subway extension. Even with the federal government’s promised contribution of $660 million, the city will be forced to come up with $740 million to have the Scarborough subway extension built—a sum that will likely be paid for by increasing property taxes.
Ridership
Public transit is meant to serve the public, regardless of cost. Owing to their size and speed, subways can transport more people at a time than the LRT. On paper, it seems like a subway might actually serve the people of Scarborough better than the LRT. Unless you consider the drastically different routes the two plans take as shown in the included picture.
The subway extension, as proposed, would run for 7.6 kilometres under McCowan Road and have only three stops. About 24,000 people are estimated to live and work within walking distance of them. The LRT, on the other hand, would run above ground for 9.9 kilometres along the existing Scarborough RT right-of-way. With seven stops, the LRT would be within walking distance of 47,000 residents and workers.
John Tory’s Stance
Tory, a self-proclaimed fiscal conservative who was elected on the promise of a responsible, intelligent government, is currently in favour of the status quo. Either unwilling to rock the boat or too afraid to lose political support from Ford’s former allies on council, Tory has no plans to revert to the LRT proposal.
Ford went against expert advice to put forward a plan that would work to Toronto’s detriment. If Tory wants to fix the issue of traffic in Toronto, then he must undo Ford’s subway plan and build the LRT. As the Toronto Transit Commission’s slogan goes, “It’s the better way.”
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