howl
Active Member
What I find most disappointing about Chow's position is that in my mind it doesn't really matter if its subway or LRT . . . what's important is consistency. Once the City makes a decision between two equally acceptable options they need to stick with that decision no matter who the mayor is. That is the mistake Ford made - a decision was made but he chose to switch mid-stream for political reasons, as if these things were as simple as painting new lane marking on the pavement. If Chow decides, for political reasons, to switch back she is just as bad as Ford. It leads to even more delay and waste.
The decision to switch from one to the other should only come as a result of some technical or financial roadblock. What Chow should have said was that she supports further study of the project and if the subway proves to be untenable she would support going back to the LRT option. Right now I think the biggest stumbling block is the design of Kennedy Station. Metrolinx needs to start construction within a year or so, which means the plans are currently being drawn up and approved. If they need to go back to the old RT-connection design there could be delays to the Crosstown. Also, the RT conversion was taken out of the current Crosstown contract award, which means it would need to be part of a separate bidding process and contract award, and likely would not be completed until sometime well after 2020.
The decision to switch from one to the other should only come as a result of some technical or financial roadblock. What Chow should have said was that she supports further study of the project and if the subway proves to be untenable she would support going back to the LRT option. Right now I think the biggest stumbling block is the design of Kennedy Station. Metrolinx needs to start construction within a year or so, which means the plans are currently being drawn up and approved. If they need to go back to the old RT-connection design there could be delays to the Crosstown. Also, the RT conversion was taken out of the current Crosstown contract award, which means it would need to be part of a separate bidding process and contract award, and likely would not be completed until sometime well after 2020.