drum118:
Well, does the city want the subway bad enough to cough up the cash needed? I think Scarborough and the rest of the city need to answer that one. Municipalities contributed 1/3 of the Spadina extension - are there any overriding reasons why the city can't do so now, other than political expediency?
AoD
How much of a debit load do expect the city to carry as well finance it that will takes money away from other badly needed items without raising taxes? 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50%???
How much of a tax hike is require to allow everything to get built?
We know at this point it will cost about $2 person per year to cover the LRT plan vs. $10 for the subway.
The city is partly to blame for the mess transit is in with the province taking most of it.
Up to the beginning of the 70's, TTC was allow to make a profit and keep the money to invest into the system. That not the case today to the point TTC has to turn over that profit to the city and then beg for money.
One of the condition the province put on the city during the realignment of the city and surrounding area was TTC scrapping the zone fare beginning of the 70's. TTC was to be roll into the Transportation and Work back then, but was allow to exist as is at the last moment. It had no veto power over Transportation & Works plans related to what TTC should do that Metro Council had to make the final call. Since Council was control by the suburbs, TTC was to build subways and service into their area over the objection of TTC. TTC was to disappear again in the late 90's when Harris scraped it under his plan, but was allow to live at the last moment.
The City/Metro Council allow low density to be built with the expectation of high order of transit, but not will to pay for it. How do you cover a low cost ratio route/line while providing service that a high ratio is providing.
In the 60's TTC was over rule in regard where the University line was to go. It also wanted to built the DRL and was over rule. The province forced TTC to built the Spadina line when it cancel the expressway.
The province forced TTC to built the SRT over the plan streetcar line.
The city and TTC had the chance 5 years ago to built this extension and chose not to due to cost.
If we look a around the GTA area, most areas are looking at 6-9% tax increase for 2014 let alone the past 2 years while Toronto is only looking at 2.5%. Toronto will still have the lowest tax rate than the GTA. The 905 gets far less in the way of transit at a higher cost to use it compare to Toronto.
How much more money would Toronto have to work with if the taxes went up 5-7%/year for the next 10 years?
TTC would have a lot more money to do things than it can today, let alone the next 10 years. That subway to Cloverdale let alone to Sherway on the BD can happen; the extension of the Sheppard line to Downsview; the Yonge line extension to Steeles and The DRL to Sheppard all can be built. Paris is about to double the size of their system over what TTC has today and they found the money.
Lack of leadership and council not working for the good of the city as a whole, as well having a job for life is stopping things now.
TTC was control by a small group with no connection to council in the past that things got done on time and under budget. Today it is control by the whim of councilors who sit on the the commission with no understand how it should operate. You also have a few non councilors on the commission that are lost in the dark on the running of the system as well dealing with council.
If Council wants a subway, it need to stand up to the plate and tell the taxpayer what they expect to see on their tax bill for the next 10 years as 3 years is not going to cut it. It also better be prepare to be shown the door next October in 2014.