Well normally I would say, yes, its not the current mayor fault but in her case as a council members she has advocated for and made several policies that have caused the current crisis.
Personally she is a key player in both wanting the Gardner removed and did remove part of it, and wants to close it as long as possible , as well as has been a key player in the bike lane failure project.
Some of Olivia Chow's policies and decisions have been criticized for potentially increasing car traffic, including:
- Removing the Gardiner Expressway East: Chow's proposal to remove the Gardiner Expressway East and replace it with a surface-level road has been criticized by some for potentially increasing traffic congestion and travel times.
- Reducing Parking Requirements: While reducing parking requirements can encourage more compact, walkable neighborhoods, it can also lead to increased competition for parking spaces and potentially more circling traffic.
- Increased Density without Corresponding Transit Improvements: Some critics argue that Chow's support for increased density and development in certain areas has not been matched by corresponding improvements to public transit, potentially leading to more car traffic.
- Lack of Congestion Pricing: Chow's decision not to implement congestion pricing, a policy she had previously supported, has been criticized by some for potentially increasing traffic congestion.
- Prioritizing Local Traffic over Through Traffic: Chow's decision to prioritize local traffic over through traffic on certain roads has been criticized by some for potentially increasing travel times and traffic congestion.
Other policies that may have increased car traffic include:
- Increased Development in Suburban Areas: Chow's support for increased development in suburban areas has led to more car-dependent communities and potentially more traffic congestion.
- Lack of Investment in Alternative Modes of Transportation: Some critics argue that Chow's investment in alternative modes of transportation, such as cycling infrastructure and public transit, has been insufficient, leading to increased reliance on cars.
It's important to note that the impact of these policies on car traffic is complex and depends on various factors, including implementation details and broader transportation trends.
To be fair, other big cities like London have massive government subsidies to make massive functioning subway systems that massively reduce traffic - our subway once was a pleasure to ride - It is Mike Harris who takes the most credit for destroying our subway system with the unification of Toronto hoax where he saved money mostly by ending services and expansion of services like Gardner maintenance, subway maintenance and expansion and removing almost all funding from schools by excluding things like school pools from the funding formula (which at the very least needed money to shut down those pools safely rather than have decaying danger holes and heat sinks in school buildings.
She has a history of big future projects like Olympic bids that fail, and Dundas 3 million dollar renaming rather than dealing with essentials. The 3 million dollar renaming is pure insanity and the soccar game is the next insanity that needs to be stopped.
Two fixes:
One DVP should have tolls on it TEMPORARILY for everyone not living in the GTA. WIth 100 k per day use or more even a dollar per use could potential generate 36 million a year.
-Massive increase in TTC prices to make its self sustaining with logical discounts - say anyone without a car or drivers license.
-support of park outside the city and take transit to get into the city with people will avoid the DVP in general because there cheap but many will not as long as its a reasonable amount.
www.cp24.com
