Last Friday I
met with one of the TTC’s newest commissioners, Toronto city
councillor Bill Saundercook, to discuss his aims for the transit
system. We took a tour of Toronto’s mystery subway station, known as
Bay Lower. Lying directly beneath Bay station on the Bloor line,
this stop was used briefly in 1966 when east-west trains would
switch onto the University line. If you’re curious, look up “Lost
Subway Stations” at
www.transit.toronto.on.ca.
The new
commissioner wanted to learn if this dormant piece of transit
infrastructure could somehow ease crowding on the existing system.
Whether or not the ghost station can be used, Saundercook is
meanwhile very interested in a proposed light rail route that would
pass through his west end ward. Several Toronto councillors have
taken a fancy to a streetcar line from the CNE to High Park along
Gardiner Expressway.
The reserved
transit right of way along the Queensway between Parkdale and the
Humber River could be linked to the 509 Harbourfront route near
Dufferin Street. Says the councillor, “That would give you a
connection right to Union Station, coming from the west. Then
(extend the route) westerly from the Humber River -- there’s already
a tunnel that takes (streetcars) underneath the Gardiner to Lake
Shore Boulevard.”
This
is one of those rare situations where it might be possible to build
part of a transit route without taking away space from cars, or
spending millions on underground tunnelling. And yet most transit
riders travel on streets where no such alternative exists.
Considering how
some residents and merchants have been fighting an exclusive tram
lane down St. Clair Avenue, how does the councillor foresee transit
improvements along existing roadways?
He acknowledges
the dilemma by describing where the Queen 501 streetcar leaves the
traffic-free right of way and must mix with traffic. “The Queensway
when it turns into Queen is a perfect example. As you cross over
Roncesvalles, you’re into a situation ... where that streetcar can
only move as fast as the congestion in front of it -- and that’s a
problem,” he says.
“How do you
improve that? Do you say that (along) Queen St. between Roncesvalles
and Yonge Street, the middle lane is out of bounds for traffic? How
do you enforce that -- it’s next to impossible. So, I don’t know
what the answer is, but ... you relieve some of the pressure on
these routes by offering up a kind of express route.”
Saundercook
admits that transportation projects often get approved by political
persuasion -- by the “energy” of the politician representing an area
-- but top priority should go to the proposals “that move the most
people, most efficiently.”
Asked how often
he takes transit, the councillor says “90% of the time.” What
improvements does he envision for existing service on the TTC? He
says he is still learning about how transit is run, and that
comments from riders would be “highly desirable.”
You can contact
any Toronto councillor via
www.toronto.ca or 416-338-0338.