syn
Senior Member
1) The evidence he was talking about is that the LRT supporters lost both the 2010 and the 2014 elections. Whether you agree with the LRT plan on not is another matter, but the LRT supporters losing the vote is a hard fact that can't be denied. Olivia Chow opposed the Scarborough subway, and went from 38% approval rating in the preliminary polls to 25% on the election day.
Before calling someone a troll, try to read what he actually wrote.
2) A statement that "voters were lied to" is a convenient cop-out for the side that lost the elections but refuses to admit the loss or adjust their position. Proponents of each plan had pretty good access to the media and could try to sway the voters their way. If the LRT side failed to win the elections, it means either the voters prefer the subway despite all its drawbacks (higher cost and fewer stations), or the losing side failed to communicate the advantages of their plan to the actual riders.
Perhaps you should take your own advice?
Any facts or evidence that run contrary to what the poster in question would like to believe are dismissed as part of some left wing/media agenda, while everything else is the truth.
Casting both elections as LRT vs Subway campaigns is incredibly simplistic, especially for 2010. I'd say for most it was a Ford vs No Ford campaign.
Even if you wanted to frame them as decisions on what people actually wanted, then let's be honest about what was proposed. That was my entire point.
Ford did not propose a 6km one stop extension. He promised a free subway that was 'deserved' because downtown had one, paid for by efficiencies and the private sector, in contrast to 'streetcars' (LRTs) that would destroy the road.
Tory didn't propose a 6km one stop extension. He campaigned on a $3.56 billion 3 stop extension, again, deserved because downtown has one.
Even the current proposal's support is impacted to some degree by the fact that it's supposed to be built along with a 17 stop LRT, which is highly doubtful since they don't even have enough for the SSE.
All of this ignores the fact that the LRT was approved, accepted and fully funded years ago. Even in 2016, the LRT had more support:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...nts-back-lrt-but-only-slightly-poll-says.html
Anyone would take a subway over an LRT - the problem is that there was little honesty about the cost and practical realities of building a subway extension.
If anything, these elections were about fantasy vs reality as far as transit goes. Fantasy won both times.