Metro readers have sent me many requests for help in making their commutes
more tolerable, and to vent about unnecessary hindrances in just getting
from A to B. While acknowledging that we have remarkably good transit
service compared to other places, the complaints paint a bigger picture of
uneven funding, uncoordinated planning and inconsistent customer service.
That picture may be about to undergo some significant changes.
In the next few
weeks, the new Ontario government will decide how much to spend on
gridlock solutions, and which MPPs will head the important bureaucracies
that oversee how our cities grow. In less than a month, citizens will
again visit polling station in schools and churches to decide which
politicians will run our cities and regions. In the City of Toronto, the
leading candidates for mayor have all promised to make transit a foremost
priority. Although members of city council have for years spoken about how
important the TTC is, words have not translated into action.
Within two months,
the federal government will announce which company is to build a major
component of the region’s future transport system -- a rail link to
Pearson Airport. Then, early next year we will learn what Paul Martin
intends to do for the country’s largest metropolis when he becomes Prime
Minister, possibly followed shortly by a federal election where a
new Conservative Party
may present a very different agenda.
Aside from election
day, there are few opportunities to join the debate on how we live and
move. As transit riders, we are too rarely consulted about our needs. Do
we want a new subway line over there, or an express streetcar to the
airport? Do we need exclusive bus lanes across the top of the region, or
something that travels on steel wheels instead? Would we simply prefer the
bus come more often and not in packs of three? What about cheaper fares or
the chance just to sit down on the way home?
Politicians and
transit officials have already shown a willingness to respond to the
concerns of In Transit readers, and there is an opportunity to influence
the decisions being made by these people, right now. If transit users ask
municipal candidates about their specific plans for fighting gridlock,
this could make the difference between lip service and actual improvements
after election day on Nov. 10.
I would like to know
your concerns too, so that during interviews with mayoral hopefuls or the
next provincial transport minister, I can relate what riders are asking
for. So tell me whether you are interested in big transit projects in
specific locations or an overall strategy that brings more reliable
service to all routes. Do you want the private sector to build and operate
new transit lines? Send your comments to
metrointransit@hotmail.com,
and please keep them concise for possible inclusion in a future column.
As if in answer to the
confusing array of transit projects planned for the GTA, there is a
well-timed public presentation of some of the leading contenders on
Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the Metro Hall Council Chambers, 55 John
St. at King, by St. Andrew subway station.