[Agram]

I have said for years there needs to be house cleaning from top to bottom and out sourcing of various sectors for TTC. A few other systems need them also.

Can you elaborate on this some more please.

 

[drum118]

how is it that on Gary Websters watch the TTC has basically disintegrated and he seems to get none of the blame. he is the chief general manager and should be fired for what has allowed to happen to the TTC since Ducharme left

I can defend Gary Webster and support your call at the same time, but the real problem starts with the chair of TTC and the commissioners. No chair have I seen since 2004 has held TTC staff at all levels feet to the fire and made them accountable for their actions. Various commissioners in the past have veto action and override the chair request to take staff to the whipping board. You can add the city to this also.

It has made no different since the late 60's who was GM of TTC, since they have not been able to do their job without being interfere by politicians who had no idea how a transit system should be run to the point they were add things to the system that too costly to do with no real return on ridership or the bottom line. Doing away with zone fares as well building the University line were never on TTC radar. Add the SRT to that list.

The commission has grown from 3 to 9 since 1922.

David Gunn walk as well Ducharme when Howard was chair because he override their authority and cased them the power to do their Job in the first place with staff. Webster has been walking that thin line since he took over and he will be gone when his contract is up or when Ford wants a real yes man in his place.

Until you change the structure of the commission and not having mayor sugar plum transit plans been forced onto the GM and staff, TTC is sunk. GW doesn’t want Ford subway plan as well Metrolinx plans for the Yonge Line as well of part of TC. I know there is support within TTC management ranks to mothball the existing Sheppard line for the last few years, but cannot do it because of politics'. There is a plan in place to shrink TTC by a 1/3 if money becomes an issue before Ford came into office. We got a little taste of it this year and will see more next year.

GW is not like DG. Never saw DG in action and only going by what I have read. It will be some time if at all before you find a person like him and who is welling to stand behind his action to do the job in the first place. GW is better than Ducharme, but not by much. GW lives in Pickering and does not ride his system other than the Yonge Line to get a real feel for the system.

 

[taal]

I know there is support within TTC management ranks to mothball the existing Sheppard line for the last few years, but cannot do it because of politics'. There is a plan in place to shrink TTC by a 1/3 if money becomes an issue before Ford came into office. We got a little taste of it this year and will see more next year.

Would it really be cheaper to shut down the line from Yonge to Don Mills and run buses instead.

How can the TTC be shrunk by 1/3rd I just don't see how that's even remotely feasible ? I can see cutting a ton of routes but to get to the 1/3rd level I'm sure the really busy routes in rush hour (i.e. the 30/40 or so that are generally overcrowded) would need to have service cut. Many of these routes are crowded out of rush particularly on the weekend ?

 

[accura407]

Would it really be cheaper to shut down the line from Yonge to Don Mills and run buses instead.

How can the TTC be shrunk by 1/3rd I just don't see how that's even remotely feasible ? I can see cutting a ton of routes but to get to the 1/3rd level I'm sure the really busy routes in rush hour (i.e. the 30/40 or so that are generally overcrowded) would need to have service cut. Many of these routes are crowded out of rush particularly on the weekend ?

Maybe for late evenings and weekends. Why not shut down the subway after 9pm and Sundays for example? Monday-Saturday till 9pm. I think there's some good cost savings in that...

 

[rbt]

How can the TTC be shrunk by 1/3rd I just don't see how that's even remotely feasible?

I would assume they meant the level of operating subsidy provided rather than the total expenditure.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Would it really be cheaper to shut down the line from Yonge to Don Mills and run buses instead.

How can the TTC be shrunk by 1/3rd I just don't see how that's even remotely feasible ? I can see cutting a ton of routes but to get to the 1/3rd level I'm sure the really busy routes in rush hour (i.e. the 30/40 or so that are generally overcrowded) would need to have service cut. Many of these routes are crowded out of rush particularly on the weekend ?

Since Rob Ford avoids public transit, it would not be a problem for him if the TTC is shrunk by 1/3rd. As for the rest of us...

 

[allabootmatt]

Gunn has given The Globe a summary of views he says he presented to Stintz and Milczyn in May, here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...cision-ever-former-head-warns/article2086415/

To save you all the trouble, he hates everything: Sheppard, Eglinton, the new streetcar order, the new subway trains, the use of standard gauge tracks on new lines, and so on. Given all this remains in the TTC capital budget, I think it's safe to say he didn't get much traction, no pun intended.

 

[nfitz]

LOL, it's almost like someone at the Globe is following this thread, and decided to do the story after the thread got awakened on Saturday.

 

[SimonP]

I certainly agree on some things, (standard gauge, craziness of the Sheppard scheme), but he comes across as a cranky old man. Some of his proposals, such as buying 200 articulated buses instead of new streetcars, make him seem very out of touch.

His opinions seem to be a throwback to 30 years ago, and reflect views that have been rejected by most modern planners.

 

[BMO]

chip on his shoulders much?

 

[GraphicMatt]

Gunn is very much a manager, not a politician, so his strategy tends toward making do with the money the commission has, as opposed to advocating for more funds on behalf of the TTC.

 

[BMO]

Gunn is very much a manager, not a politician, so his strategy tends toward making do with the money the commission has, as opposed to advocating for more funds on behalf of the TTC.

A transit system isn't the same like any other business. It is inherently unable to be successful and cost-effective (with the ONE exception in the entire world being Hong Kong). A self sustaining system is not attractive to anyone, and an attractive and successful system is not a financially safe one.

Catch 22.

 

[GraphicMatt]

A transit system isn't the same like any other business. It is inherently unable to be successful and cost-effective (with the ONE exception in the entire world being Hong Kong). A self sustaining system is not attractive to anyone, and an attractive and successful system is not a financially safe one.

Catch 22.

I agree completely. Gunn's comments are valuable, but I am very concerned that certain politicians will ignore all his other advice and latch on to the idea that we should be increasing the cost recovery ratio.

 

[rbt]

A transit system isn't the same like any other business. It is inherently unable to be successful and cost-effective (with the ONE exception in the entire world being Hong Kong). A self sustaining system is not attractive to anyone, and an attractive and successful system is not a financially safe one.

Add to this that loss of other revenues (property, income, and sales taxes) may occur if the transit system is not attractive and that's good summary.

 

[TonyV]

Gunn has given The Globe a summary of views he says he presented to Stintz and Milczyn in May, here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...cision-ever-former-head-warns/article2086415/

To save you all the trouble, he hates everything: Sheppard, Eglinton, the new streetcar order, the new subway trains, the use of standard gauge tracks on new lines, and so on. Given all this remains in the TTC capital budget, I think it's safe to say he didn't get much traction, no pun intended.

He makes one excellent point, that it is stupid to be extending the Yonge subway line. The extension will crack the very spine of that line. We need the DRL instead.