Downtown Rapid Transit Expansion Study

[sixrings]

I got more cultural tips, but I rarely go out in the winter because it's so cold and I'm not waiting for a bus in this weather. And btw, I live in the most dense area of CANADA and we don't have a subway stop nearby. But at least you can take a subway through a neighbourhood of two-story homes to IKEA on Sheppard.

Transit should be planned by people who live in and understand cities and preferably have seen a few in their lifetime. As for myself, London, Amsterdam, Rome, (insert most Europe capitals here) St. Petersburg, Istanbul, Cairo, Tehran, Athens, Monterrey, Washington, NY, Chicago....there's a pattern on which transit systems are built, and the morons that run transit in this city don't know what they're doing. Either that, or they're as corrupt as the feds spending millions on fighter jets. I rack my brain trying to figure out which scenario is true, but not for too long because it's best to join the legions of people my age and just get out of here.

The brain drain from this city is real. You can't expect my generation and the one after to travel the world and come back and settle for this. And it sucks, because we all know that T.O. has the potential to be the best place on Earth b/c it's diverse, it's North American, it's people are extremely chill AND, most importantly, it's NOT THE UNITED STATES.

I hope some esoteric force in the universe will communicate that to the powers that run this city because there is a lot at stake.

There is NOT going to be a EXODUS out of one of the best countries to make it out of the recession to alot of the areas you mention. First of all the cost of living is considerably more in alot of places you mentioned (NY, CHICAGO,ROME, GREECE, LONDON, AMSTERDAMN). Second of all, alot of these places are on the verge of financial collapse.

 

[mskashmoney]

you are asking me if im going to judge you for not liking sports events after you mock people who enjoy them? I dont care if you like things that exercise your brain. But when you make it sound like you are too good for things that many people like you are asking to be made fun of equLLY IF NOT WORSE. Btw I didnt make fun I simply said this is why some people think downtowners think they are better then others.

I lived at King and University. I also like to point out I dont think my brain was used much more exploring bloor west, high park, the danforth, the destillery or at TIFF. Also like to point out FC and INDY are beer filled events not necessarly for families. Also like to point out these "elementary" sports are both followed world wide by billions of people. (I am sure all the world cup lovers would love to hear your opinion of their sport)

Finally alot of suburban people when travelling downtown take transit because they cant stand the stop and go traffic and the expensive parking. The DRL is for both the downtown residents and the rest of the city. Its not a either or senario.

Well they have to beer-filled to make it more interesting I suppose. After all, it is just cars going in a circle or planes making loops in the air. Ha!

And the DRL should be planned mostly for us with some thought being given to connectivity with the new GO central station. But to plan it exclusively for GO Transit or for the benefit of some yahoos (sorry!) who want to watch brains being splattered at a UFC fight is ridiculous. We also want to make this a city people would want to visit and explore and for that we need to continue developing culturally but what's holding us back is that it's so difficult to get around. If it wasn't for the shit transit in this place I'd be out right now. But now I'm going to bed. G'night!

 

[mskashmoney]

There is NOT going to be a EXODUS out of one of the best countries to make it out of the recession to alot of the areas you mention. First of all the cost of living is considerably more in alot of places you mentioned (NY, CHICAGO,ROME, GREECE, LONDON, AMSTERDAMN). Second of all, alot of these places are on the verge of financial collapse.

Here's some news for you: the exodus is happening and it's been going on for some time. This is not "one of the best countries". There is no "best country" but for those who like cities with a cosmopolitan flair Toronto is NOT it. I left for six years and can't believe it could actually have gotten lamer since '04, but 'lo and behold, it has. NY, Chi, London, Amsterdam still have good economic climates....what on earth are you talking about?

 

[sixrings]

there are simply more people imigrating into toronto then leaving it. I will assume that you dont drink if you are making fun of people who enjoy a couple beers. As a result I will also assume that since you are not drunk when writing this rubbish, you clearly must be high. Maybe Vancouver will be more to your liking.

 

[skylyte]

Here's some news for you: the exodus is happening and it's been going on for some time. This is not "one of the best countries". There is no "best country" but for those who like cities with a cosmopolitan flair Toronto is NOT it. I left for six years and can't believe it could actually have gotten lamer since '04, but 'lo and behold, it has. NY, Chi, London, Amsterdam still have good economic climates....what on earth are you talking about?

You can leave anytime you want. Instead of offering solutions, you seem to be content in bashing the place you currently reside in. But then that wouldn't be as fun as making comments on a message board, would it now?

 

[sixrings]

You can leave anytime you want. Instead of offering solutions, you seem to be content in bashing the place you currently reside in. But then that wouldn't be as fun as making comments on a message board, would it now?

Agreed. We are all on here because we really transit is needed. WE might have different ideas on what should be done but ultimately we are part of the sollution, not apart of the problem. However that doesnt mean we want to continually hear someones perspective about how Toronto sucks and the grass is greener everywhere else.

 

[Tewder]

Come on...planes flying around in loops in the air, cars racing around in a circle? How can you call that "entertainment" when it's kind of elementary and pollutes the air? I don't think I'm an "elitist", communist and would never go to Starbucks. I just have taste for things that exercise my brain, are you going to judge me for that?

And I'm sure you agree, it's mostly suburban families with children go to such events and a DRL should be for us, not them, because we're the ones without cars that need it.

I don't know where you lived, but I'm at upper Cabbagetown. It would take me 45 minutes to get to Queen/Bathurst by transit b/c it's so pathetically slow. I could walk in 60. That situation has to change b/c remember I can't have a car, there's nowhere to park.

Your post is embarrassing. It's like watching your grandfather try to dance like the 'young-uns'... or your accountant try to act like a badass. I'm hipper than you dammit! I'm cultured dammit!! People who are those things don't vaunt it and don't judge others... and don't hang out on Queen Street drinking lattes.

 

[kkgg7]

There is NOT going to be a EXODUS out of one of the best countries to make it out of the recession to alot of the areas you mention. First of all the cost of living is considerably more in alot of places you mentioned (NY, CHICAGO,ROME, GREECE, LONDON, AMSTERDAMN). Second of all, alot of these places are on the verge of financial collapse.

Chicago is actually a LOT cheaper than Toronto. I mean A LOT. You can buy a 800sf condo for under 300K in near North Side with a lake view. Similar condo would cost $500K nowadays in Toronto. Car insurance is $800 a year, not $2500. Plus, similar jobs pay 20% more in Chicago.

NYC is also cheaper than Toronto, excluding housing, if you live a normal life, just because the economies of scale. Housing is a different story as NYC is a different league. You pay a premium for living in truly world cities. A friend of mine moved Toronto from Boston, one of the most expensive cities in the US, and find Toronto to be a lot pricier. Everything costs 20% more, with much less discounts, and 13% sales tax vs 6.25%.

I often wonder why Toronto is so expensive for what is actually offers. I am single, so there is not much pressure. However, for those middle income working families, who make $70-80K year, one third would go to income tax, 13% goes to HST, how can the remaining money be sufficient to buy much for the daily necessities, not to mention $450k "median priced" homes? Canada often claim to offer superior "quality of life", but I just fail to see it. Most households hardly have any money left at the end of month. I know money is not everything, but underestimating it is dead wrong too.

I don't think there will be an exodus either, as not everyone is 24 and can simply move everywhere he wants. They have families, established social network etc. There is visa issues, as you can't just pack up and move to the US or Europe to work there. Most will stay, and new people will come as Canada is still one of the easiest countries to immigrate to.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

Your post is embarrassing. It's like watching your grandfather try to dance like the 'young-uns'... or your accountant try to act like a badass.

hey...I like them things!

 

[ssiguy2]

I think Toronto's dreams of a DRL are precisely that.
Going down Queen is a possibility but will require massive amounts of money that Toronto doesn't and possibly never have.
I think Queen would be an ideal DRL but now that Metrolinx has gotten it's greasy hands on any Union DRL by way of the Pearson Rail Link, how will it get from Queen West up to Bloor? That will require even more tunneling.
A DRL could have been not only fairly easy to build but also affordable using the Georgetown rail corridor but now that that is not an option the price tag has soared.
The slow, smelly, polluting airlink is a DRL waiting to happen. All they have to do it electrify the line, add stations along the route suchas Eti North/Egl/St.Cl/Junc//Dun/Queen/Lib/CP/Rogers and with the Union/Bloor/Weston stations already built they could run those trains as part of the standard Metro system with an eventual spur line up to Woodbine/Humber after EtiNor station. This is wait Vancouver has doen with the Canada line where it disects as soon as it gets to Richmond where half the trains continue to YVR and the other half to Richmond Centre. A practical solution but no transfers needed.
That would have required some form of forethought and coordination between GO and the TTC which, unfortunately, is impossible as they hardly recognize each others existence.
Toronto should be putting it's foot down and demanding that after the Games which no one will watch and even fewer care about, the line must be electrifed with more stations and part of the TTC system or they will unceremoniously stop the trains.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

Approximately how much would the eastern leg of the DRL cost?

 

[mskashmoney]

Your post is embarrassing. It's like watching your grandfather try to dance like the 'young-uns'... or your accountant try to act like a badass. I'm hipper than you dammit! I'm cultured dammit!! People who are those things don't vaunt it and don't judge others... and don't hang out on Queen Street drinking lattes.

Your post is double as embarrassing considering you're defending the practice of watching cars drive in a circle and planes looping in the air through a veil of attacking the "elitism" I explicitly denounced. Ridiculing those activities (and the others I mentioned) doesn't automatically turn me into the stereotype you describe above. Your short-sightedness and ego-supporting generalizations do however.

If you want to have a pissing contest, be my guest. I do a radio show Tuesdays and Fridays at 5pm and you can call in: http://thegossipfree.com/

I'll be waiting, armchair warrior. Ha! And don't forget to reference this website and the topic. I can't wait till you try calling me a latte-drinking hipster on the air. It'll be a lot of laughs and my co-host will thank you.

 

[mskashmoney]

You can leave anytime you want. Instead of offering solutions, you seem to be content in bashing the place you currently reside in. But then that wouldn't be as fun as making comments on a message board, would it now?

I do offer solutions and I participate offline, including a stint as a PR intern at city hall. And you're right, it's not half as fun as making comments on a message board.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

let it go and move on!

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

will you guys can it already. Take that arguenebt to the Toronto issues board.