Save Transit City: Now Officially Saving Transit City

In the past, when the funding for Transit City was “reduced” it was then that Transit City was initially believed to be dead. A few months later the group of Toronto citizens that was initially formed to get this funding restored may now have the job which it was created to do; that is saving “Transit City”.

In the long history of failed attempts at building a rapid transit system in Toronto this is the latest to show some promise. However, the election of Rob Ford in Toronto not only puts this at risk but might place Toronto in another period where transit is once again at a standstill leaving those who live in the regions at the far end of the city reliant on buses.

One of Rob Ford’s misconceptions about the plan that may lead to its destruction is that LRT and streetcars are the same thing although they are very different things. In fact not only is LRT a better concept than a streetcar but it reduces the need for buses sharing the road with cars and it allows for high-occupancy-vehicle lanes to be removed. As a result of this traffic flow for cars would be greatly improved.

While many major cities have embraced LRT as a high quality addition to their transit systems, Toronto sill lives with the hope that its politicians will see the benefits. Also, it is useful to remember that before there was a subway along Yonge or Bloor, there was in fact a “streetcar”.