Miller reveals transit plan
Favours streetcars over underground
No time to wait for subways, he says
DONOVAN VINCENT, CITY HALL BUREAU
Toronto Mayor David Miller says the city’s transit future rests with buses and streetcars, not subways.
“Subways are great. They’re fast and efficient, but we all know that new stations are only one piece of the puzzle. The fact is subways are expensive,” he said Tuesday as he unveiled the transit strategy that is part of his election campaigning.
He proposed a plan with little new and nothing grandiose, but rather an approach that continues the city’s trend toward dedicated routes for buses and streetcars. His challenger Jane Pitfield, on the other hand, promises to kill the St. Clair Ave. W. streetcar right-of-way and build two kilometres of new subway line a year for 25 years. Miller also promised a discounted “U-pass’’ for university and college students that would automatically be part of their school fees. “I’m going to make it happen,’’ Miller told reporters on hand at Downsview Station. Miller said the city doesn’t have time to wait for subways. “My vision for the future of Toronto Is a city that moves by public transit. Our city is big and growing fast. We can’t wait for subways to be constructed. We need to make our surface transportation — streetcars and buses — as reliable, as comfortable, as fast as the subway,” Miller said, adding that’s why he favours the $68-million St. Clair right-of-way.
He estimated that it costs more than $200 million a kilometre to build a subway line. Pitfield has pegged the figure at $100 million.
Miller’s transit plan also includes:
- A dedicated bus line on Yonge St. from Finch Ave. to Steeles Ave.;
- A dedicated bus line on Kingston Rd. from Victoria Park Ave. to Eglinton Ave.;
- Light rapid transit through the east Bayfront and Portlands;
- Light rapid transit along Don Mills Rd. from Steeles Ave. to downtown.
He steered clear of putting a price tag on his transit plan, saying some of the projects are still being reviewed or undergoing environmental assessments. Some of them have already been alluded to in the city’s $50 million a year Transit City proposal, and the Waterfront Revitalization plan.
His strategy also included “vision” projects, such as extending and upgrading the Scarborough RT into Malvern and beyond, and a rapid transit connection that links the Sheppard subway line to the Scarborough Town Centre. He vowed to continue to fight for the extension of the Spadina subway line to York University, a $2-billion project that has the backing of Toronto, York Region and the province, but still awaits financial approval from Ottawa. He also promised to speed up the implementation of Toronto’s bike plan and support the construction of a rail link to the airport as long as it doesn’t physically cut Weston off from its business community. He pledged to buy quiet, accessible and faster light rail cars to replace aging streetcars, and fight for funding through a National Transit Strategy.