Opponents of city-building initiatives often demand “balance,” by which they usually mean preserving a status quo that preserves their privilege. They pretend that the status quo is a carefully calibrated equilibrium from which any deviation will bring negative, even catastrophic, consequences
. This is especially true when the removal of curbside car parking is at stake.
Urban transportation studies, however, provide ample evidence that the status quo isn’t working, including on Bathurst Street where streetcars and buses,
carrying 35,000 people daily, lumber along behind single-occupant cars. The space inside a bus, often crammed with up to 50 passengers, is about the size of two curbside parking spots.
A range of city plans and policies take aim at our outdated dependence on cars — and the associated waste of precious urban space for parking.
Toronto’s Official Plan prioritizes walking, cycling, and transit;
Complete Streets Guidelines promote the sharing of public road space; and the
TransformTO climate plan focuses on reducing the almost five megatonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) spewing from vehicle tailpipes in the city.
RapidTO projects help advance these municipal objectives by giving TTC vehicles, including buses, their own lane, in part by eliminating on-street parking. Opponents understand the urgency for change, so they disguise their rejection of city initiatives with statements like: “I love (fill in the blank: busways, wider sidewalks, bike lanes) … but it won’t work here.” In truth, solutions that tip the status quo toward fairness, efficiency, or affordability, rarely interest them.
