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Ontario Budget Cut and Transit Expansion

AlvinofDiaspar

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From the Globe:

Toronto-area transit projects put on hold
Jill Mahoney
Globe and Mail Update
Published on Thursday, Mar. 25, 2010 4:04PM EDT

Last updated on Thursday, Mar. 25, 2010 4:19PM EDT


The Ontario government is delaying funding for major transit projects in the Greater Toronto Area, including four central to Toronto Mayor David Miller’s ambitious public transportation legacy.

Citing deficit pressures, the province used Thursday’s budget to postpone $4-billion in spending over the next five years for key Metrolinx projects.

The move by Premier Dalton McGuinty’s government is likely to be interpreted as a drop in support for public transit in the GTA. Less than a year ago, the Liberals announced $9.3-billion for the fast-track expansion projects, a commitment widely viewed as a political victory for Mr. Miller.

“We’re going to work with Metrolinx to ensure that those [projects] that are needed most quickly continue on and that the other ones are still going to continue on, just over a longer period,” Finance Minister Dwight Duncan told reporters Thursday.

The government said the restraint measure could affect five planned transportation expansion projects: The Scarborough rapid transit line, the Eglinton cross-town line, the Finch West rapid transit line, the Sheppard East line and the expansion of the York Viva service.

The projects are major elements of Mr. Miller’s Transit City plan to expand public transportation – including light rail – deeper into Toronto’s suburbs.

The government is asking Metrolinx, its regional transportation agency, to submit a proposal phasing in the projects for a total of $4-billion in savings over five years, starting in 2010-2011. An official said it would take a few months for the government to decide which projects will be delayed.

The five projects were initially slated to be finished between 2013 and 2016, with most in time for the 2015 Pan-Am games. Construction has already started on the Sheppard East line and the York Viva expansion. Work on the other projects was to begin this year.

By delaying the projects, a government official said Thursday that the GTA will avoid traffic snarls caused by so much roadwork while also staying within the capacity of the local construction industry.

Government officials said the move would not affect the ongoing expansion of the Spadina subway line or improvements to GO’s Georgetown South line, which is expected to be finished by 2015 and will include a link between Union Station and Pearson International Airport.

Also in Thursday’s budget, the Liberals scrapped a program that helped cities replace aging buses, saying future purchases will now be eligible under the municipal share of the gas tax. The government will honour $174-million in one-time funding for 2009-2010 for cities that have already placed orders for new buses.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-transit-projects-put-on-hold/article1510564/

AoD
 
“We’re going to work with Metrolinx to ensure that those [projects] that are needed most quickly continue on and that the other ones are still going to continue on, just over a longer period,” Finance Minister Dwight Duncan told reporters Thursday.
The ARL takes down it's first competing projects. Looking at the budget , it looks like a $4b (over 5 years) line item strike. Metrolinx is left with the unpopular job of picking what to delay/cancel and for how long.
 
Why is it that transit projects get announced, but they are the first projects to be either canceled or delayed? What about highway projects? Are highway projects, like the 427 extension or 401 widening (IE. Hurontario Street), being delayed or canceled? Delay those projects before transit.
 
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Why did they bother announcing them in the first place if they are just going to take it back? What a joke.
 
a government official said Thursday that the GTA will avoid traffic snarls caused by so much roadwork while also staying within the capacity of the local construction industry.

Gotta love the clever wording.
 
Lol.....I think they spent less time on working out a budget, and more time making it sound good!! Hopefully Transit City doesn't end up like the Network 2011 plan!! Some sort of rapid transit is required for many parts of Toronto.
 
Why is it that transit projects get announced, but they are the first projects to be either canceled or delayed? What about highway projects? Are highway projects, like the 427 extension or 401 widening (IE. Hurontario Street), being delayed or canceled? Delay those projects before transit.

Add in the fact that part of this 'terrible' deficit was caused by the bailout of the auto companies. I agree that highway expansion should be cut before transit, but consider the demographic that actually votes. Those suburbanites are lucrative votes, and for the most part they don't care all that much about transit. If transit supporters were more vocal, perhaps this situation would not happen.
 
I really wouldn't mind one bit if both the Sheppard East LRT and the Scarborough RT/LRT conversion were cancelled.
 
Forget modal debates - looks like Eglinton, Finch and Scarborough is toast:

Sheppard will go on as will the SRT conversion.

The real one-two punch here was the cancellation of the bus program at the same time. Cancelling Eglinton, Finch, etc. will pretty much require an additional large round of bus purchases which the province has already said "no" to.


Also, look forward to TTC fares being bumped by 15 to 20% over the next couple of years and GO Transit reaching a 100% operational farebox recovery rate; I'm actually for this as it would bring funding stability.
 
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Not that surprising considering we're running a $20+ billion deficit. Well on the bright side, this does provide the opportunity to rethink some of these routes. Perhaps the province is trying to give the voters of Toronto an option to choose their transit future in the election this November rather than have construction too far along for any changes. I'm happy that the valuable Georgetown project is being preserved, as long as it actually results in real regional rail, and thrilled that Spadina will be going through. Sheppard East is obviously profoundly flawed and needs a complete rethink and new terminus at the major hub of the area rather than in forests and farm fields. The Scarborough-Malvern LRT does not serve any obvious demand pattern (Do people in Morningside Heights and UTSC actually want to go to Kingston Road? This was never studied) and is a clear example of "drawing lines on a map" planning. Finch and particularly Eglinton are much sadder losses, but we can only hope that they will be postponed for a year or two at most. They might also benefit from a bit of a rethink (i.e. Richview corridor instead of Eglinton median, more aggressive transit priority like gates).
 
Hate to tell you this, but Sheppard is one project which won't be cut due to federal involvement, and it being furthest along. :\
 

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