dowlingm
Senior Member
the problem is that the TTC can't be trusted not to pull the plug on the surface streetcars - look at how they don't want to run buses above the Eglinton subLRT.
I'm not saying that a Queen subway is good or bad... I'm saying it can't coexist with a Queen streetcar. To preserve the Queen car, we'll have to build the stations greater than 1 km apart and I don't see that flying in downtown Toronto.
You know, if we could get there by fairy, that would make an amazing tourist attraction!The fairy to the islands is what makes it so amazing! No way I'd want a subway, joke or not : - )
-on the other hand even if a DRL gets $upport and then is built, this does leave the problem of crappy service along Queen/King
Tourists will leave?
"Honey, let's go to Toronto for the weekend!"
"No way Jose, I can't drive down Spadina, so we're not going anywhere!"
ya that makes sense.
Here's the thing, I've worked for the city and province in tourism and people that visit Toronto don't care whether they can drive from the CN Tower to the ROM. Our downtown is very compact and a large percentage of the attractions are within a walkable distance of eachother. Tourists know that and I don't think I ever once spoke to one who had complaints about traffic. You know why? Tourists like to experience new things. Riding the subway or the streetcar is like an adventure for them. It's a fantastic opportunity to see the city in a whole other way and they jump at it.
You also make it sound like tourism and driving go hand in hand. Well, try driving in Paris or London as a foreigner. You'd be hard pressed to find a tourist doing that, and those two cities are doing quite well for themselves. Also, don't you think people know about traffic? They tend to come from places that have traffic too. it's not something that's unique to Toronto.
Lets say that we build the Queen subway with stations spaced every 850 metres or so (that's roughly the distance from Yonge to Sherborne, so well within what we're used to). Most people will transfer onto the subway, as they will know that subway will be twice as fast as the Queen Car.
Once the construction is finished there won't be the ridership to justify rebuilding the streetcar tracks. Like Bloor-Danforth, there will be little need for a surface bus. If we build it using deep level tubes that don't disrupt the suface, the Queen car has 25 years left until the next track rebuild. At that point, the ridership won't justify rebuilding the streetcar tracks.
A political decision to run the service as a heritage line would be its only hope.
I'm not saying that a Queen subway is good or bad... I'm saying it can't coexist with a Queen streetcar. To preserve the Queen car, we'll have to build the stations greater than 1 km apart and I don't see that flying in downtown Toronto.
is this just what you're assuming? cause every tourist i know has driven downtown... they even drive from place to place and pay for parking (ie from harbourfront to y&d square). get rid of the roads and we get rid of the tourists and all our suburban visitors.
is this just what you're assuming? cause every tourist i know has driven downtown... they even drive from place to place and pay for parking (ie from harbourfront to y&d square). get rid of the roads and we get rid of the tourists and all our suburban visitors.