unimaginative2
Senior Member
There are definitely huge pros and cons to this. I really don't think it would be a good idea to separate the subway from the buses, not least because the surface routes average about 60% fare recovery compared to about 85% for the system as a whole (i.e. surface routes plus subway). Integration between buses and subway is also the TTC's greatest and most notable strength.
Another big downside is local accountability. Maybe this is wishful thinking, since it's hardly helped much in the past, but councillors seem much more likely to take on the provincial bureaucracy when an area is being poorly served. I can't imagine a board appointed by the provincial government administering a vast bureaucracy being able to force the TTC to improve reliability of the Queen or Spadina lines. It would essentially be absolute rule of the TTC bureaucracy, which is about the worst possible situation, especially with their well-demonstrated hostility to any idea that they did not come up with themselves.
There are big advantages, though. The system would finally be properly funded. Service to 905 areas would improve dramatically (and for south of Bloor types who assume it becomes unserviceable sprawl as soon as you cross Steeles, the 905 is in many cases more dense than the adjacent 416 suburb). Fare integration would be a big plus. I'd love to see a real fare zone system like in Europe. Downtowners are getting fed up with the TTC. Not only is downtown service abysmally slow and unreliable as soon as you get off the subway, but it also costs a fortune to use it. Why would someone in their right mind pay $5.50 return for a 40 minute streetcar trip to U of T from Front Street and Spadina when they can walk in about 45 minutes (winter excepted, though that's not much benefit since you're often waiting at the stop 20 minutes for the streetcar to arrive)? The endless games around funding would be eliminated. GO and TTC would finally be combined, allowing GO to become an express service within the 416. Almost every other successful transit authority worldwide is integrated across the metropolitan area.
Another big downside is local accountability. Maybe this is wishful thinking, since it's hardly helped much in the past, but councillors seem much more likely to take on the provincial bureaucracy when an area is being poorly served. I can't imagine a board appointed by the provincial government administering a vast bureaucracy being able to force the TTC to improve reliability of the Queen or Spadina lines. It would essentially be absolute rule of the TTC bureaucracy, which is about the worst possible situation, especially with their well-demonstrated hostility to any idea that they did not come up with themselves.
There are big advantages, though. The system would finally be properly funded. Service to 905 areas would improve dramatically (and for south of Bloor types who assume it becomes unserviceable sprawl as soon as you cross Steeles, the 905 is in many cases more dense than the adjacent 416 suburb). Fare integration would be a big plus. I'd love to see a real fare zone system like in Europe. Downtowners are getting fed up with the TTC. Not only is downtown service abysmally slow and unreliable as soon as you get off the subway, but it also costs a fortune to use it. Why would someone in their right mind pay $5.50 return for a 40 minute streetcar trip to U of T from Front Street and Spadina when they can walk in about 45 minutes (winter excepted, though that's not much benefit since you're often waiting at the stop 20 minutes for the streetcar to arrive)? The endless games around funding would be eliminated. GO and TTC would finally be combined, allowing GO to become an express service within the 416. Almost every other successful transit authority worldwide is integrated across the metropolitan area.
