transit

Good Lord, I agree with Ford

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

What is wrong with me, I agree with Rob Ford. Toronto needs subways.

Now before you go all crazy think about this. We should be building for 2050, not 2015. I know it seems like a long time from now but in reality it isn’t. It is our grandchildren’s time and personally I hope to be alive to see it.

The goal to get subways isn’t to get cars off the road. (Rob was very wrong on that one) That is going to happen anyway as the cost of ownership and gasoline climb. The goal of subways is to move as many people as possible efficiently. Subways are more efficient than street-cars; but the inverse problem is true too. Without riders, they’re more wasteful.

People are against subways because they are so costly, especially when they don’t know where the money is coming from. They know the current subways are not fully utilized, for example the Sheppard Subway. Sheppard wastes 7 million dollars a year. The issue isn’t the cost, it’s the lack of riders. If it was fully utilized then no one would be complaining. So, how do you increase ridership?

First, you change zoning. All along Sheppard avenue should be rezoned as high density housing. They are condos there now, around the Ikea, but when the subway was finished years before there was nothing. Development was finish and people can start moving in but it has been awhile. By changing the zoning, not only will there be more riders, but more tax revenue. I own a condo and a house and pay similar taxes on both. The same plot of land under my condo condo generates taxes dollars from me, my neighbours and the hundred of other units in the building. The land under my house only generates taxes from me.

Developers should be encouraged to build 20,30 40 story buildings. That can lead to gentrification like in the Liberty village area, but that can be offset with bylaws stating the amount of green and commercial space required. People are going to have to start living closer to were they work and start use public transit. By rezoning to high density we will be building subways to where the people are, not building the subway and hoping people will come.

Rob Ford’s problem is his brother and others who give him advice. You cannot bully people into doing what you want and now that the council has shown they can and will stand together you have to convince. If Rob had shown that the subways could be paid for by tolls on the DVP and 401, a modest increase in property tax and a vehicle registration tax people might have gone for it. If he had shown thought leadership and done his homework as opposed to yelling about how “they don’t want these damn streetcars.” He might have gotten his way. Subways are more efficient, and in the long run the better choice it was just poorly articulated.

As it stands I will continue to ride my bike to work. I live close enough that the commute is easy. But if I couldn’t ride I would take the subway over any other transit option including owning a car. While I rarely agree with the Mayor I think he with this one. Toronto needs subways. It’s just a shame he was unable to articulate it.

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Moving towards a better tomorrow?

Monday, February 6th, 2012

You know what I hate? A lot of things, but one thing I really hate is when someone thinks I’m stupid and they can pull a fast one on me. Like I will blindly accept whatever they say and just agree. Take this bull shit ad from the TTC.

In case you can’t read it,

Better transit runs on better funding.

Fares don’t cover the cost of every trip, so as ridership grows the TTC’s costs grow.

The TTC gets less financial help than any other major North American transit system – only $0.84 per customer from Toronto property taxpayers.

Montreal gets $1.28 per customer from city and provincial governments

Chicago gets $2.64 per customer from local state and federal governments

More help from provincial and federal governments will allow the TTC to meet Toronto’s growing transit needs.

First off as the ridership grows the costs may grow but not at the same rate. A streetcar travelling along Queen street costs the same to operate whether there is one person on it or a hundred. You still have to pay the driver, pay for gas, pay for rails. The only difference is that an increase in stopping and starting might be less fuel efficient. But on a busy route like Queen, chances are the streetcar will stop at every stop anyway.

Secondly, the ad is comparing one level of funding (Toronto) against two (Ottawa) and three (Chicago) levels of funding which is misleading. While the Harris government left Ontario reeling, and it’s still recovering, the TTC has been wholly supported by the people of Toronto. Both in terms of fares and in terms of municipal taxes, that is the real issue here.

Lastly who gives a flying-fuck about Chicago. We’re not American, and it’s not like their governments are shining beacons of good decisions, let’s focus on Canada.

Now, the TTC is considered one of the most costly transit systems in Canada. For the 2011 operating year, the TTC had a projected operating budget of $1,447 million dollars. Revenue from fares covered approximately 70% of the budget, whereas the remaining 30% originated from the city. (from Wikipedia) If they wanted to get Torontonians riled up then what they need to do is quit pussy-footing around the issue and drive the point home:

Better transit runs on better funding.

Fares don’t cover the cost of every trip, Toronto property taxes account for 30% of the funding. 40% of TTC riders are not Toronto taxpayers.

Montreal transit gets 10% of it’s operating budget from the provincial government.

Ottawa receives 9% of it’s funding from the Ontario government.

Brampton, Durham, Oakville, St. Catherines, Thunder Bay, Wasaga Beach, Waterloo all receive millions of dollars for their transit, why not Toronto?

Contact Bob Chiarelli, the Minister of Transportation bchiarelli.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

With an ad like that you would get people’s attention, and provide them with a source of action. Someone to contact to complain. At the very least Toronto should have a fare system which includes zones so all riders pay their fair share regardless of whether or not it is through fares or taxes.

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Great Ideas from Japan

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

I came across a number of incredible ideas while in Japan. I took photos of a few and wanted to share them and why I think they are so great. The first is a turning lane that extends into the intersection. What you are seeing is a car which has proceeded into the intersection and is now waiting to turn. What this does is allow the driver to see how far into the intersection they can extend and begin their turn without impeding oncoming traffic. Some of the traffic signals in Japan can be confusing but I think this one is spot on.

One thing that did concern me however is the idea that the car has already turned their wheels. This is dangerous because if they are bumped from behind they will be thrust into oncoming traffic exposing the driver to a T-bone hit.

The next idea is side walks for the blind. I have seen this on the subway platform on the TTC but in Japan they have it on the side walk. These are different textured panels which are set into the concrete of the side walk. These panels provide directional information and warnings for the blind. Another advancement they had, which I couldn’t take a photo of is different music playing for each direction of the crossing. I am not sure if this is everywhere or just the intersection in Asakasa where I took this photo. You will also notice in the top right the pattern extending across the white lines of the side walk.

The last picture is from a public toilet. The Japanese take cleanliness very seriously. The extends to the public spaces. I have written before about the amazing toilets. Well in an effort to promote cleanliness and health the Japanese provide sanitary spray and tissue for you to wipe the toilet with before you sit down. There are even instructions in Japanese and English in case you are not sure what to do. It is a simple solution using materials that are already found in the bathroom anyway, they just moved the location into the stall.

Now I can’t speak for the rest of Japan, but I find Tokyo to be very easy to move around in. Most of the signs are either accompanied by visual representations or English. The transit repeats the instructions in English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean. There are enhancements to make things easier for the handicapped and to ensure public safety.

While Japan is by no means perfect there are good ideas that we should look at adopting to improve quality of life in Canada.

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