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The Urban Jungle
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Rob Ford - Why the Supervillian?

Why is the city in the transit business? Doesn't make any sense. Also, a good way to smash the union's corruptness if you privatize transit.
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I'll bite, why?

The City doesn't operate GO or VIA. Enbridge, Bell Canada, Rogers and others are all independant entities.

The TTC operates bus service in my little subdivision as much as 18-20 hours per day, 7 days a week. Outside of weekday peak periods these vehicles are almost always empty. I crossed York Mills Road today at 1:30 PM, there were 3 Westbound 95's nose to tail waiting at a traffic light. These 2 examples are a waste that we would no longer have to pay if a private operator took over.

Service offered but not used is not service it is waste.
 
These are real dollars and they are driving out-of-control increases in property taxes that are forcing Toronto residents, and especially its small businesses, to begin planning an exodus to the outer suburbs.
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Hear that, folks? An exodus! All those bidding wars on $700k condos? part of the exodus!
 
SimonP said:
One thing I do find worrying is the building narrative among Ford supporters that there is some sort of gay cabal out to get him. Ford just hints that "someone’s out to get him," but based on the comments from Sun readers, they know exactly who is after him. Delving into Toronto Sun comments is kind of scary, but here are a few selections just from near the top:
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Why scary? It's an unmoderated, uncensored board where the true sentiments of the citizenry can come out. Outside of the tiny urban bubble that some people choose to hide themselves in; there's a big scary, ugly world out there where people don't mince their words. It's unfortunate but true. Not someone, but a whole system of organizations and groups would like nothing more than to chase Ford out of the city because he speaks the truth, he seeks to enlighten the public on how and on what their hard earnings and taxes are being spent on, and he dares to challenge his peers at City Hall to raise their ethical standards to a higher level and address the constituents first and foremost.

This does seem to be completely orchestrated by a shadow group in light of Ford ascending to lead in the polls. Watch for the accusations, and downright dirty tricks to get more vicious as time goes on because Ford will be pulling away from the rest of the pack and have an insurmountable lead. Smitherman is shocked that his cake walk to the mayor's chair is in doubt now and the NDP councilors that have been maxing out at the trough like Kyle Rae just did with his going away party and free trip to Europe will come to a screeching halt. Perks and freebies; the corrupt ones at council are terrified that the good old days are over. The media will be more hostile too and try and make Ford lose his temper. Smitherman and the media don't understand that the more they criticise Ford for doing the right thing, the more popular he gets.
 
The truth spoke for itself - in the form of a tape. Certainly for someone interested in the former, you aren't arguing a taped conversation reveals less than press releases, and god forbid, the "truth" in the form of comments on a newspaper website?

And yes, Rob Ford should be talking about ethical standards. Right.

AoD
 
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grey said:
Good grief. Between Smitherman saying middling things, Pantalone being non-comittal, Sarah Thomson is looking better and better.
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If she somehow manages to usurp Smitherman from the frontrunner position, I may be forced to switch my allegiances. You heard it here today this 17th day of June.
 
spider said:
The TTC operates bus service in my little subdivision as much as 18-20 hours per day, 7 days a week. Outside of weekday peak periods these vehicles are almost always empty.
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Be careful, you might start to sound like that nutball who was running around chasing 122 buses counting the people on board, and getting in trouble with the police! So ... can I can conclude then that Rob Ford is in favour of cutting bus services? No surprise given he objected to the service increases.ever get elected?

spider said:
I crossed York Mills Road today at 1:30 PM, there were 3 Westbound 95's nose to tail waiting at a traffic light. These 2 examples are a waste that we would no longer have to pay if a private operator took over.
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How possibly can a single example be waste? That bus only runs 8 times an hour at 1:30 pm. If there are 3 together, that only indicates there was a service problem.
 
Fresh Start said:
If she somehow manages to usurp Smitherman from the frontrunner position, I may be forced to switch my allegiances. You heard it here today this 17th day of June.
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I'm curious... which Brampton mayoral candidate do you currently plan on voting for, Freshy?
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
The truth spoke for itself - in the form of a tape. Certainly for someone interested in the former, you aren't arguing a taped conversation reveals less than press releases, and god forbid, the "truth" in the form of comments on a newspaper website?

And yes, Rob Ford should be talking about ethical standards. Right.

AoD
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I never heard any tape recording, only read the articles. Ethical is not taking vacations around the world for 'conferences' on the taxpayer dime, not taking $170k to hire a lawyer to fight a libel suit, not buying out a homeowner their home under market value. When gaffes start costing the City money I will agree that Ford's buffoonery is bad for business, however in spite of that he was able to help secure for Rexdale one of the largest real estate projects in recent memory that will generate 9000 new jobs for locals.
 
"While, sure, he does deal drugs to kids, but he also keeps his apartment very clean and always pays his bills on time! And, also, this other completely unrelated guy did some bad things too!"
 
GraphicMatt said:
Holy hell, nice find - to bring the salient point over here:

Rob Ford's Director of Policy believes we should eliminate the TTC.

Over to you, Fresh Start.
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Eliminate or privatize? Why is the TTC paying bus drivers full hourly rate to run half-empty buses, streetcars and subways after 10 PM? Even Montreal's system closes down earlier than the TTC's and its operating budget is significantly less. Remember what happened when those fed-up condo-dwellers on the Lakeshore got fed up with the go slow 501 car and wanted to start up their own bus company? The TTC's monopoly over transit in the 416 needs to end. New York system's as expansive as it is today because 3 competing railway companies privately built lines all over the city and into the inner-subrubs like Queens and the Bronx. Now the City owns it and fares are dirt cheap including inclusive passage onto express subway lines that bypass minor stops.

One thing's for certain, the way the TTC running now is not working out: not for the customers, not for the staff, not for the adminstration. Why did you stop there, you should have read the rest of Mr. Towhey's address:

Is that it, then? Abandon TTC riders to private sector wolves?

Yes, and no. Yes, if the TTC can’t see beyond the obvious. If that’s the case, perhaps the city’s role in transit should be limited to licensing and regulating private sector operators. The city could earn a tidy sum in recurring revenue from doing so.

No, however, if the TTC can learn from this planning exercise, and get back to root causes. Why do I want transit? Not because I want drivers to have gold-plated pensions, or jobs for life. Not because I want to send fat-cat politicians on junkets to transit conferences in Singapore. Not because I want shiny mobile billboards for singles’ websites patrolling major traffic routes in my neighbourhood. No.

I want a fast, convenient and affordable way of getting from the door of my home to the doorway of my workplace, shopping centre, school, theatre, friends’ houses, etc. That’s what the TTC should be providing: door to door solutions. The subway has value only when it’s delivering this. Ditto buses. Ditto streetcars.

The TTC should take this opportunity to deconstruct its assumptions and rebuild its mission from scratch. Maybe city residents would be better served by licensed neighbourhood minibuses picking them up from their front doors and dropping them at the nearest subway stop. Maybe the city should subsidize taxi rates rather than buying new buses. Maybe there are other off-the-wall ideas that would help transform the TTC from a loadstone around the neck of taxpayers into a vibrant, essential service.

Maybe.

Knowing the calibre of Toronto’s political leadership thus far, however, I’m very afraid… maybe not.
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Fresh Start:

TTC and transit in general has never provided door to door services - be it now or 85 years ago. The subway certainly hasn't done so - if that's the raison d'etre of that mode, pray tell, just why are we itching to build more subways?

TTC may not be glamorous, but I don't call any service that carries what, 400+ million in a year anything but an "essential service".

New York system's as expansive as it is today because 3 competing railway companies privately built lines all over the city and into the inner-subrubs like Queens and the Bronx.
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Why look so far for examples in private sector involvement - perhaps you should remind me how TTC started in the first place and what private sector "solutions" were in place before that?

AoD
 
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Seriously, this is stone cold libertarian BS and I don't think you, Fresh Start, who loves buses and trains so much, want to go down this road. I know your big thing right now is supporting the most conservative candidates and policies possible to spite some leftists and get them all worked up, but this is a tad too far even for you.

Edit: On the other hand, I understand urbandreamer supporting this kind of thing, but that's because he sleeps on a bed he made himself out of old rags and plywood and spends his days wandering about the city eating burgers and yelling at buildings.
 
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