Toronto’s Transportation Plans evaluated on Affordability and Community’s Willingness to pay

March 31, 2010 - PRLog -- Under outgoing Mayor Miller and his supportive merry gang of incumbent councillors of 12 to 20 years with their outrageous spending at twice the annual rate of inflation since 2003 for unsustainable “left leaning socialist ideologies” the one transit policy that has become certain for all to learn from is Future Streetcar corridors on Toronto’s main internal arterial roads are a disaster and NOT the way to go for any new transit projects.

As far back as 2006 a comprehensive study was available to the TTC and others pertaining to the efficiency and effect of public transport priority schemes on public roads. Guess they missed that one!

One of the major findings was “that despite a more comprehensive approach to measuring the benefits of bus and streetcar priority, road-space reallocation is difficult to economically justify in road networks where public transport usage is low and car usage high.”

Any long term transportation plan for Toronto must recognize that while improvements to public transport, walking and cycling opportunities are crucial, their cost must be evaluated in the context of affordability and the community’s willingness to pay.

Toronto or elsewhere should not continue to propose Draconian measures to restrict car use — this has and will continue to adversely affect the levels of access and equity provided by Toronto’s existing or expanded transport system.

Nor should Toronto propose to limit future road capacity where new roads are needed to accommodate growth. Growing areas need roads. New and upgraded roads also provide opportunities to improve public transport and cycling in these areas.

Remember the restrictive height bylaws in Toronto city core and the disaster that proved to be over time?  

When Toronto is developed with higher densities around centers of activity and transport nodes and supports increased high-density residential developments within key areas along existing transport corridors in close proximity to employment centers then a large percentage of Toronto’s growth will be met.

Peter CLARKE believes that it is through such sustainable modes in the city a core which will continue to ensure a substantial percentage of growth in travel demand will be met and also encourages greater use of walking, cycling and public transportation.

TORONTO is OUR CITY, YOUR VOTE, OUR FUTURE and TOGETHER leads to your victory on October 25, 2010 by restoring the people’s common sense back on Toronto council.

http://torontopolitics2010.blogspot.com/

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CLARKE an INDEPENDENT NOT a CAREER Politician or supporter of any political party, special interest group or lobbyists. PETER is your average citizen candidate and answerable only to the people NOT a political party, special interest group or lobbyist