Oops Robby did it again!

[oldjones]

Run the "Bike to work day" in Febuary. See how many show.........

You can just as easily organize a "run to work day" as well........

But like I said I agree with a certain about of lanes like Adelade and Richmond where they make sense.

Thankfully Tory has I believe larger and more looming priorities on his mind.

Take a look at the last Sunday NY Times coverage of the 14% of New Yorkers who now bike to work, and of the rate at which that number has grown.

There just isn't room on the streets for everyone to ride alone in a private steel box that's bigger than a king-sized bed and needs more room than a hotel suite just to manoeuvre at the walking pace of average all-day traffic.

 

[Anbarandy]

Run the "Bike to work day" in Febuary. See how many show.........

You can just as easily organize a "run to work day" as well........

But like I said I agree with a certain about of lanes like Adelade and Richmond where they make sense.

Thankfully Tory has I believe larger and more looming priorities on his mind.

My response to the entitled, car-crazed and suburban elites:

Cancel forthwith every rapid transit plan and approved project north of Eglinton, west of Keele and east of the Bayview. Re-invest the money in TTC upgrades and maintenance, TCHC repairs and backlogs, current infrastructure repairs and backlogs and let the suburban, car-crazies fight among themselves as their roadways become clogged to a standstill.

 

[groggy]

My response to the entitled, car-crazed and suburban elites:

Cancel forthwith every rapid transit plan and approved project north of Eglinton, west of Keele and east of the Bayview. Re-invest the money in TTC upgrades and maintenance, TCHC repairs and backlogs, current infrastructure repairs and backlogs and let the suburban, car-crazies fight among themselves as their roadways become clogged to a standstill.

I like that plan.

Then we'd at least have some part of the TTC finally operating properly.

 

[Butler1000]

My response to the entitled, car-crazed and suburban elites:

Cancel forthwith every rapid transit plan and approved project north of Eglinton, west of Keele and east of the Bayview. Re-invest the money in TTC upgrades and maintenance, TCHC repairs and backlogs, current infrastructure repairs and backlogs and let the suburban, car-crazies fight among themselves as their roadways become clogged to a standstill.

How is my agreeing with bike lanes that make sense turned into cancelling all transit in the outlying regions? I take it every day from the outskirts of the city to downtown for work and as well for play. I DON'T drive downtown.

And you wonder why we think there is a downtown elitist thing. You make me laugh. We pay property taxes, provincial taxes too.
Oh and I have bike lanes near where I live. In a place where they make sense.

One day with nice weather does not make for an arguement for millions to repaint lines to accomidate a tiny section of the population.

 

[Anbarandy]

How is my agreeing with bike lanes that make sense turned into cancelling all transit in the outlying regions? I take it every day from the outskirts of the city to downtown for work and as well for play. I DON'T drive downtown.

And you wonder why we think there is a downtown elitist thing. You make me laugh. We pay property taxes, provincial taxes too.
Oh and I have bike lanes near where I live. In a place where they make sense.

One day with nice weather does not make for an arguement for millions to repaint lines to accomidate a tiny section of the population.

The suburban elites somehow believe that Toronto can just magically solve their car commuting headaches by waving a wand to accommodate their thirst for more roadway, and 'everyone else just get the hell outta my way' car commuting mentality. Every other from of commuting: be it transit, rapid transit, cycling, pedestrian or whatever MUST accommodate their car commuting NEEDS at the expense of everyone else.

It is this mindset, this car-crazed hunger, this selfish urge that is the foundation of their commuting beliefs that forms and underscores their beliefs that every transit and commuting project MUST NOT, simply MUST NOT impinge on their God given right to drive their cars unimpeded by transit, rapid transit, cyclists, pedestrians and little children.

 

[MattRoxx]

The suburban elites somehow believe that Toronto can just magically solve their car commuting headaches by waving a wand

Speaking of elites and wand waving...

Candidates Quick to Slam Tory Transit Announcement

Only a matter hours after a transit platform was laid out by mayoral candidate John Tory, his rivals are reacting.

The plan, dubbed One Toronto Transit Plan, would see more than 50 km of existing rail in Toronto be used for a “SmartTrack” express route linking an area near the airport, through Union Station, and into Markham.

Karen Stintz was quick to slam the idea, calling out John Tory for the length of time it took him to announce his plan, along with the fact the new line bumps back the Downtown Relief Line.

In a media release, Stintz says today’s announcement “relegates the relief line to the bottom of the heap”, citing Tory as having a lack of understanding on how the city works.

Stintz also points out that the plan uses GO Transit infrastructure, saying “The City of Toronto does not have decision-making authority over the GO Transit line.”

Olivia Chow also took a moment to add comment to the latest plan to get people moving around town.

Chow says that until today, John Tory was making a pitch for the Downtown Relief Line, but mocked the candidates statement of “the wrong line at the wrong time”, saying last night he claimed it was “still a priority.”

Tory, along with Chow and Stintz, joined a number of mayoral candidates at a round table, where transit took center stage.

David Sonacki took to Twitter to voice his opposition to the transit announcement, saying should he win come October, he “ will not shift priorities mid-stream, will not propose vanity projects, and will not depend on pixie dust for money.”

 

[oldjones]

While Tory's idea sounds like a good one, it's a stand-alone floated at the eleventh hour to win votes, not part of an overall transit plan. Apparently this was a lightbulb moment. Why would he have kept secret such a useful proposal that Fords and Stintzs of Council couldn't have ignored as they fumbled, backtracked and stalled all transit progress for the last four years?

One has to ask: Did Tory just start really thinking about this stuff yesterday? Haven't we had enough of brilliant, innovative schemes like the SRT, UTDC or the Sheppard stubway and the Scarburrow that don't fit into any overall transit service for the whole City?

It's a great idea for one piece of that puzzle, but Tory's not showing any more overall awareness of the big picture than when he wanted to fund everyone's religious schools. Nice but naive.

The real problem is that years and years of tax-stinginess, and cost-cutting and flat-linmed budgets have left us with a broken and failing transit system inadequate for present needs, and unable to plan for the future. One line won't help wherever it runs, aboveground or below.

Where was John Tory and this vision when he was interviewing Rob Ford the Transit City killer?

 

[Butler1000]

While Tory's idea sounds like a good one, the fact that it's a stand-alone floated at the eleventh hour to win votes, neither part of an overall transit plan, nor a useful proposal that Fords and Stintzs of Council willfully ignored as they fumbled, backtracked and stalled all transit progress for the last four years.

One has to ask: Did Tory just start really thinking about this stuff yesterday? Haven't we had enough of brilliant, innovative schemes like the SRT, UTDC or the Sheppard stubway and the Scarburrow that don't fit into any overall transit service for the whole City? It's a great idea for one piece of that puzzle, but Tory's not showing any more overall awareness of the big picture than when he wanted to fund everyone's religious schools.

Actually according to what I read he consulted with several transit groups including metrolinks. The plan covers a few things including a proposed line by the province. It has connections to the Bloor line, the airport, the Eglington line at both ends, as well as east downtown and union. It also seems to cover to dufferin. So the airport there would have coverage.

It has the possibility of taking a lot of traffic from the yonge line, and the DVP.

I need more time to look at it but other than its above ground I like it.

I seem to remember several people asking about using the existing unused train corridors for just this. It looks like he has done just that. That's a hell of a lot of KM coverage with some express-like elements to it.

 

[fuji]

Tory and Hudak are backing transit plans that refute one another. Tory wants to use GO as a backstop for the TTC, which will require faster, more frequent trains and that means electrification.

Hudak has promised to cancel electrification, which would torpedo Tory's plan.

I suspect that Hudak somehow thinks electrification is an environmental thing and therefore automatically wants to oppose it, he is just too stupid to understand you need electrification to run trains closer together so that they can stop and start up quicker.

Tory has a good idea, Hudak is a moron.

 

[oldjones]

Actually according to what I read he consulted with several transit groups including metrolinks. The plan covers a few things including a proposed line by the province. It has connections to the Bloor line, the airport, the Eglington line at both ends, as well as east downtown and union. It also seems to cover to dufferin. So the airport there would have coverage.

It has the possibility of taking a lot of traffic from the yonge line, and the DVP.

I need more time to look at it but other than its above ground I like it.

I seem to remember several people asking about using the existing unused train corridors for just this. It looks like he has done just that. That's a hell of a lot of KM coverage with some express-like elements to it.

Yeah it's got nice possibilities at first glance, although his financing is as pie in the sky as Ford's. In fact it is Ford's in new language: Borrowing against future value we'll recover from imagined developers. Try that on your bank; wasn't borrowing against notional increases in equity the crumbling foundation of the sub-prime mortgage collapse? But it still offers more progress for more folks faster anmd farther across the City than any other plan. And it plays better than its closest competitor, Chow's Buses Now, Subways When We Can Plan. A good election gimmick fer'sure.

But for all its merits, in terms of Tory As Mayor this is less than persuasive. Why was he silent about it, and blandly softballing easy ones to Rob when City Hall was in chaos and nothing was being done for transit? Did he only just notice? And where are the those supporting voices—and the ⅔ of the money—from MetroLinx, the Province and the Feds when announced? Individuals with visions we have no shortage of, what we need are guys who toil with others to do the gruntwork of getting the vision built. Did I miss Tory objecting every time—and there have been many times—when electrifying the GO lines was proposed and kiboshed? Tory has ample history of attractive visions, but none at all of accomplishing them.

Maybe Tory for Transit Czar, as Stintz proposes, but unless he does a follow-up and names a hotshot to ramrod his plan, not Tory for Mayor.

 

[common]

Hmmm. I thought she wrote the article in that link.

she moved too globe and mail late march, globe and mail are transition into tabloid newspaper and follow thestar into oblivion

 

[common]

Take a look at the last Sunday NY Times coverage of the 14% of New Yorkers who now bike to work, and of the rate at which that number has grown.

There just isn't room on the streets for everyone to ride alone in a private steel box that's bigger than a king-sized bed and needs more room than a hotel suite just to manoeuvre at the walking pace of average all-day traffic.

has it occurred to you that they have a comprehensive subway system

 

[AdamH]

has it occurred to you that they have a comprehensive subway system

Which doesn't at all cater to bicyclists. On the New York Subway, bicyclists have to "yield" to other riders, which means they can't get on a full subway car and expect other passengers to wait... This basically means they can't get on the subway at all during rush hour..

Also, unless you have a folding bike, they won't let you on their buses at all (and even folding bikes aren't allowed on their express buses).

In short, these cyclists aren't likely using the transit system in New York at ALL.

 

[Butler1000]

Actually one reason why the bike lanes work in New York and other cities is because they have a one way street system. Adding the lanes only meant a slight narrowing without a lane loss. I don't believe they have the barriers either.

Any bike lanes in Toronto tend to involve the loss of a car lane, and adding a bike lane each way.

This is why it would work on streets like Adelade and Richmond. And some of the North/South streets as well.

To put in the system many would like would involve a fundamental shift to one way streets.

 

[Anbarandy]

Any bike lanes in Toronto tend to involve the loss of a car lane, and adding a bike lane each way.

.

Wink, wink.....

...... just about the only way we can drag the congestion creating, road clogging, grid lock causing drivers out of their cars.

I say we make it so mentally, emotionally and physically taxing on them that they have to go to Car-Oholics Anonymous.

"My name is Elmer Ford and I am a Car-Oholic. It has been 6 months since I last clogged, congested and gridlocked a street."

 

[Butler1000]

Wink, wink.....

...... just about the only way we can drag the congestion creating, road clogging, grid lock causing drivers out of their cars.

I say we make it so mentally, emotionally and physically taxing on them that they have to go to Car-Oholics Anonymous.

"My name is Elmer Ford and I am a Car-Oholic. It has been 6 months since I last clogged, congested and gridlocked a street."

A second point is this. On many of the poads going east west there are streetcars. And they are two lanes each way. And allow parking.

I don't think most who live downtown would agree with you. Especially the elderly/mobility challenged.

 

[groggy]

A second point is this. On many of the poads going east west there are streetcars. And they are two lanes each way. And allow parking.

I don't think most who live downtown would agree with you. Especially the elderly/mobility challenged.

I live downtown and I agree.
Bikes are the only fast way across town now, and the only one where you can accurately guess how long it'll take.

The elderly will be well served by better transit and the occasional cab.

 

[Butler1000]

I live downtown and I agree.
Bikes are the only fast way across town now, and the only one where you can accurately guess how long it'll take.

The elderly will be well served by better transit and the occasional cab.

Don't forget them icy streets and the cold!

 

[AdamH]

Don't forget them icy streets and the cold!

You're obsessed with the cold. Did you not grow up in Canada or something?

 

[Butler1000]

You're obsessed with the cold. Did you not grow up in Canada or something?

Actually I was born in Winnepeg. I'm fine with it and take the streetcar every day.

But this is a town of immigrants and the looming large elderly demographic. It will be very tough to get them out of their vehicles if they have to stand outside. That's my point.

You won't get them out until the proper transit is built. Period. If its a choice of sitting in a warm car, even if it takes more time, they will do it. Cripes I have able bodied friends who grew up here and won't do it.

And as I look at my parents and their mobility issues no way they can take transit.

See now?