kEiThZ
Superstar
But does the 168 m extension that Porter want, include the 150 m that will have to be done anyway, or will it actually be 318 m (at each end)?
If what we are looking at, at a minimum to maintain the status quo, is a 150 metre extension. And to operate the jets we only need 18 metres more ... than this is really making a mountain out of a mole hill. And really badly handled by Porter, which should have presented it differently.
As per my understanding and all the pictures shown, they are asking for 168m at each end. Wouldn't 318m at either end put them outside the MEZ (or close enough to require an expansion of the MEZ)? So I firmly believe it's 168m at each end.
And looking at performance figures of the aircraft, they actually do only need 18m more to make flying them from the Island viable.
And it's not that Porter badly handled it. It's just the reality that asking for a runway extension would inevitably end up as a political issue. But now you understand why those of us who understand the issue better just don't think the impact will be substantial.
The only real impact that I think warrants study is traffic in the area. Theoretically, with flights limited to 200 per day and using Q400s capable of carrying 80 passengers, that's 14 000 passengers per day. Given that most passengers at YTZ are origin-destination, not transiting passengers, this means 14 000 pairs of feet transiting the neighbourhood potentially. Switch the 200 flights to CS100s with 110 pax and you have 22 000 passengers per day. Even assuming that Porter's transit percentage comes up, you maybe looking at 20 000 people going down that tunnel per day. Roughly that works out to about 1400 passengers per hour. Of course that theoretical maximum is a very long way off. But we should be sure that the neighbourhood can handle it.
I think the tunnel can handle the pedestrian traffic. I don't know if the drop-off area is adequate. Looking at Google Maps, I think it could given that most passengers will probably be arriving by Porter shuttle or walking in from the streetcar. But it is a legitimate community concern. I do think the TPA should be contributing to a redesign and beautification of the drop-off area.