The 401 was
gridlocked yesterday morning. A truck lost its load and jammed the
continent’s widest freeway for kilometers. As often happens,
parallel city streets seized up, trapping cars and thousands of bus
riders.
Not the best
day for new provincial minister of transportation Donna Cansfield to
start work, but it is a clear reminder that there’s no easy way to
protect our transport network from the emergencies that close
expressways or subways.
The civil
servants who keep provincial ministries running, regardless of who
the minister is, hopefully grasp the depth of integration between
roads and transit. If they don’t, let’s hope they are inspired by
next week’s hearings on the Greater Toronto Transportation
Authority.
The GTTA is to
be born this fall, and it’s up to politicians and the public to help
define what the agency will do, and what it won’t. We have a complex
transport system, and for the GTTA to work, it has to have a role in
overseeing not only new transit lines, but major streets and
provincial highways as well. Balancing between road and rail is
difficult as both drivers and transit patrons expect better
commutes.
It would be
exhorbitant to greatly expand expressways like the 401. The province
may add some high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes across the GTA, but
it will take a long time to build a full network that can be used
effectively by commuter buses.
When highway
congestion spills over onto streets with frequent transit service,
the total people-moving capacity of these corridors can drop
precipitously. Only subway riders lucky enough to be underground can
avoid gridlock. Alas, subways are very costly to build. Light rail
or express bus lines are a much, much cheaper option, but they
require exclusive street lanes in order to be effective.
That leaves
planners, elected officials and commuters with difficult choices
that must be faced now. In built-up areas, do we pin our congestion
hopes on expensive subways that take 10 years to open or bite the
bullet and spread light rail lines down the centre of existing roads
across the region?
Since many main
roads cannot be widened, auto drivers would have to concede space
for transit. With congestion worsening, will they go along? If we
don’t face this problem now, both cars and transit may be caught in
the same mess.
The GTTA, if it
is to be the province’s primary gridlock-fighting tool, must be
empowered to coordinate new transit projects and make difficult
choices. As it is envisioned now, we have to simply hope the agency
can develop a consensus among municipal politicians and those who
travel both by car and transit. If there’s no legislative power to
back up the GTTA, who will heed its decisions?
The Standing
Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs will meet at Queen’s Park
to consider Bill 104 to establish the GTTA on Thursday, June 1. To
speak, call 416-325-3506 by 5 p.m. today.