I think that local planning is more in tune with day to day transit operation. However, Metrolinx (GO Transit) should definitely be working with the TTC to tie regional transportation with that of local transit.
Honestly, the TTC is too pig-headed to work successfully with Metrolinx. And I don't even think they are necessarily wrong to be that way. Their job is to service Torontonians first. And they are largely subsidized by the city's residents. However, the subway network does function as a long-haul network with regional implications. This is why Metrolinx should be running it.
Metrolinx should be in charge of inter municipal transit while local authorities provide short distance travel.
This is what I'm getting at. Let the TTC become a bus and streetcar service. This is also the biggest money loser at the TTC. Spinning it off frees the subway network of an anchor. And the city can finally have a real debate on levels of service wrt the bus network.
Metrolinx might also be more amenable to fare by distance, expansion into the 905, connections to the GO heavy rail network, and more GO stations inside the 416, etc.
This however might mean that Metrolinx can probably take over the subway network which in Toronto seems to be a long distance travel method rather than the hop on / hop off use it sees in New York or London. The TTC would continue to operate streetcar / LRT and bus service.
An electrified GO added to the existing subway network can give Toronto significant transit expansion by simply tying the two together and providing all day service for GO.
Not just that. We're sitting here arguing over saving Malvernites 10 mins with a billion dollar LRT on Sheppard when there's a viable rail line right through the community that could save the majority of Malvernites heading to the core an hour or more, for half the price. Put all the rail lines under one management authority. Give them the money and watch what happens.
At least Metrolinx cares about moving people. Toronto politicians care about using transit as a development tool to gentrify areas more than they do about actually getting people to where they want to go. The biggest thing Metrolinx could do for Toronto isn't electrification. It's opening more GO rail stations and GO lines. Most of Toronto is no more than 5 km from a rail corridor. Build more GO lines and you will change the face of this city. Would we be discussing LRT this much if places like Malvern and Agincourt had a GO train passing through every 15 mins?
I wouldn't mind this at all, as it would be a nice compromise between fully at-grade and tunnelled.
Wouldn't this be one stomach-churning roller coaster of a ride?
Good idea. Only thing is though then Metrolinx would pretty much have to fund local transit as well (or at least set up some kind of funding scheme), because the only reason the TTC even comes close to breaking even is the revenue generated from the subway network. If they had to fund the bus network without that revenue, they'd be toast.
First off, I am arguing for Metrolinx to take over the subway and long-distance LRT networks. I am not suggesting that Metrolinx take over the whole TTC.
Next, I would argue that our current setup works against expansion. Transit is seen as a money pit, yet it's not the subway network that's the problem, it's the bus network. If this were the corporate world, shareholders would be demanding that the bus 'division' be spun off. And I think that's a great idea. It sets us up for steady expansion of the rail network. Torontonians will face some pain through reduced and more expensive bus services. But this is actually a good thing. It forces proper management of the bus network. Not the ridiculous setup now where 3 85s show up at your stop at once and you don't see another bus for 15 mins. It forces rationalization of resources. And it encourages densification. Less dense neighbourhood = worse bus service.
And if you had that funding arrangement for the TTC, you'd have to have it for all GTA transit agencies. I would think that would be where the NDP's 50% operating subsidy would come in quite handy.
Politically, this will get very interesting. Reduce to bus and streetcar, the TTC would be a lot, lot smaller. It might actually be politically easier to sell the argument that this smaller TTC should get the same subsidies as every other transit agency in Ontario.
That's part of what I was hoping for
. Come up with something that actually makes sense from a regional transit perspective, instead of from a social planning perspective.
Although part of me does worry about Metrolinx getting into a Robert Moses-esque "I can do whatever I want" mindset, where the public opinion means nothing to them, especially because they would only be accountable to the Premier. But given that option over what we currently have (pointless political bickering), maybe a Robert Moses-esque mentality wouldn't be a bad thing, as long as it was directed towards transit and not highway expansion.
Bingo. Just look at what's on the table. Think of a decade and a half from now when most of this is built. Ask yourself if the region got its money's worth. And if you don't think it did, ask yourself why. For me the region will have wasted billions, not accomplished much and it's not because Transit city didn't get built, it's because we never had a competent authority that could herd cats.
This is the key. Metrolinx' #1 priority in my opinion should be to electrify the GO network, and add more stations inside of Toronto. Get the long haul trips off of the subway, so that they can cater to inter-neighbourhood travel patterns, instead of inter-city travel patterns.
Like it or not the subway will be part of the long-haul for a very, very long time to come in Toronto. This is exactly why Metrolinx should be managing it and not the TTC. The subway network should be aiming to complement the GO rail network. Sheppard West is a good start. Now imagine getting Sheppard to Agincourt. I'd suggest that if at least does this, it might be "good enough", even if it never reaches STC.
At least the province speaks with one clear and concise voice. The municipalities are a gaggle of conflicting interests and views.
It's not their fault. Those municipal politicians have to represent local interests. It's the province's job to be managing competing municipal interests. And they've failed miserably at doing so.
