3 extensions? Don't tell me you're counting that RT extension. If so, please tell me why STC to Markham and Sheppard is more suitable for rapid transit than Sheppard from Don Mills to STC. Anyway, so what? Like I said, none of those are City of Toronto projects, and they're not in the most obvious location for subway in the city: finishing Sheppard.
Sheppard-Markham IS suitable for rapid transit expansion though. Think about it. NOT every commuter through Scarborough
wants STC. Diverting all the way south to almost Ellesmere is time-consuming for anyone living north of the 401. Terminating at STC precludes any further expansion as the TTC will ultimately loop the BD and Sheppard lines into one continuous line, rubbing salt in the wounds of commuters east of McCowan, north/south of STC. About finishing Sheppard, do you think it takes that much more time to travel in a straight path to Markham than a circuitous voyage through the 401 wastelands? Again not everyone's bound for direct NYCC-STC, what if Malvern, Progress Campus or UTSC are the destinations being sought? I'd rather shorten my bus trip
after STC, then take a short train trip
to STC and wait and commute endlessly to those nodes.
And why don't think a streetcar running in a tunnel under Eglinton is going to run a lot faster than a bus on the surface? At least in rush-hour.
Obviously he doesn't see the conventional wisdom in bypassing and avoiding surface pedestrians, traffic lights, gridlock, faulty roads, weather impediments, trevassing steep elevations, overcrowding, constant passenger pick-up/drop-off, onload/offload of wheelchairs/strollers, surly TTC drivers, fair disputes, etc.
I do think it's a complete waste of money to renovate an orphan system and extend it to the middle of nowhere, retaining a time-consuming transfer for everyone in Scarborough when for not much more money, we could replace the entire system with a subway extension from Kennedy.
True, you could look at it like that or consider SRT it's own line, not an extension of BD. Would you really want to sit on the same train from McCowan/Ellesmere all the way to Yonge St? Not only is it montonous it's unhealthy affecting the circulatory system. I'd rather advocate for 20 minute frequency on the Stoufville line than costly demolitions, rennovations or new constructions to the SRT. A BD extension works best only if STC is approached from the southeast using Eglinton-Danforth-McCowan.
The point is that Toronto asked for not a single subway extension when the Province was prepared to provide full funding for it. This is a disastrous failure. We're never going to get a gift like MoveOntario2020 again. We were offered essentially unlimited money, and we've refused to ask for a single subway improvement.
Too bad there isn't a emoticon for laughing my a** off! You honestly expected the government to spend 17 billion dollars exclusively on Toronto's meandering suburban subway futilities? If there was half a brain between the city and the TTC someone would've advocated for a Queen Line and/or at least the beginnings of a subway to Pearson. Since everyone cares so little about where density actually
lies but rather where it
could lie... someday... far... indifintely FAR ...tapering off into the abyss...
Wow. C'mon, just look at a map! It's going to be completely useless for people going from NYCC to STC, the original purpose of the subway. Scarborough Centre is the hub of transit in Scarborough and by far the biggest trip generator. There's nothing at Markham and Sheppard. Why is it that it's absolutely essential that the transfer be there, kilometres out of the way for the vast majority of riders?
STC is a big trip generator because people have no choice but to commute to it in order to transfer onto another route home. As more options open up for Scarborough residents the less the demand for STC will be. Markham Road is one of most suitable arteries in Toronto to support subways. Centennial College-bound buses are always running and the Milner Business Court has the highest ratio of offices in Scarborough after Consumers and STC. Sheppard itself has not much in the present but today's vacant fields can become tommorow's CityPlace or MCC (Malvern City Centre). Also take note that the path to STC southeast of Agincourt would run through lands not favorable to rapid development, hence expect vistas of decaying machinery, decrepit factories, smog-clogged highways and railways NOT mass development.
Quantity = quality, though, right? Whichever option results in more km of infrastructure absolutely *must* be the preferred option, since it "improves access to rapid transit," "represents an investment in underprivileged neighbourhoods" and, mainly, "increases our world-classiness by adding more colourful lines to our transit map."
Precisely! Adding more lines to an already well served part of the city is redundant and prejudicial whereby people are ostracized by their postal code. No one wants to ride on the Finch or Royal York buses from Albion Mall to the subway for 2+ hours. TC at least recognizes and fulfill a niche subways never will. Heck if 300, 000 commuters downtown can't get a west-east subway, what's the hope for the rest of us?