Monday April 01, 2013
Opinion/Readers' Letters, Toronto Star
Re: ‘Us vs. them’ on transit, Editorial March 30
By distorting two facts, this editorial did a disservice to a vital public discussion about the future of public transit expansion.
First, transit users are not getting a free ride. In Toronto, TTC riders pay the highest percentage of operating costs of any transit system in North America, by a long shot. Transit users are already paying, every day.
Second, the NDP’s proposal for new revenues to fund Metrolinx’s transit expansion plan is not obstructionist. Like the Toronto Regional Board of Trade’s proposal, the NDP’s proposal acknowledges the need for funding for public transit expansion, but with a different set of options.
The Star should provide space for the Board of Trade and NDP to argue the merits and drawbacks of each other’s proposals and help generate the necessary mature conversation the Star rightly calls for.
Franz Hartmann, Executive Director, Toronto Environmental Alliance
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