Toronto Environmental Alliance

March 7, 2011
Erin Criger
CityNews.ca

The city’s new transit plan leaves those who live in the suburbs stranded, the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) charged Monday.

TEA alleges the new plan, devised under Mayor Rob Ford’s leadership, will serve fewer people for the same cost as the original proposal.

The province is willing to spend $8.7 million on Toronto’s transit via Metrolinx. The old plan would serve 460,000 people, TEA says, and the new one would serve 217,000 – for the same cost.

Metrolinx has not yet approved Ford’s plan, which would see the Eglinton light rail line moved underground from Jane Street to Kennedy subway station, and the old Scarborough RT vehicles replaced with new light rail vehicles.

TEA says the same amount of money could build 52km light rail transit both above and below ground along Eglinton, Finch Avenue West, Sheppard Avenue East, and would improve and expand the Scarborough RT.  

“The plan has been changed and that certainly has been publicly stated – that Metrolinx was going to work with the city on a revised plan. We’re still working out the details. The plan will be approved by Metrolinx and if council decided to finance a subway on Sheppard then that vote will come to council as well,” TTC chair Karen Stintz told CityNews.

“The [TEA outline] doesn’t show what a proposed Sheppard subway would look like. It doesn’t show that there will be bus rapid transit along Finch. It doesn’t show other elements of the plan that are currently being discussed,” she added.

Ford’s election victory showed a deeply divided map of voters, with Ford’s support coming overwhelmingly from the suburbs.

As originally published here: http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/117632--mayor-...