[The Mad Navigator]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-with-funding-push/article1535450/?cmpid=rss1

Mayor David Miller is using the TTC’s public announcement system to encourage riders to pressure the premier to restore $4-billion in postponed funding for rapid transit in the city.

The 30-second spot, which began airing at 6 a.m. Thursday, will be broadcast every 10 minutes in subway stations across the city for the next four days.

“This is Mayor David Miller,†the message begins. “Thanks for choosing the TTC. Transit City is our plan to get Toronto moving by bringing reliable rapid transit to all parts of the city and to improve your transit experience. The provincial government is proposing to cut promised funding for Transit City in half, putting the entire plan at risk. Call Premier McGuinty and your MPP today and urge them to restore funding and save Transit City.â€

On Monday, Mr. Miller’s entreaty moves into rotation with regular messages about buying metropasses, refraining from smoking and staying back from the yellow line. Until then, his ad will be the only announcement broadcast on the TTC unless there’s an emergency.

As well, Save Transit City posters will begin appearing on the system Friday.

“This is a no cost way for the mayor to communicate directly with riders and have them do their part to get the funding restored,†said Stuart Green, a spokesman for Mr. Miller.

He defended commandeering the TTC’s airwaves for a message with political overtones.

“This isn’t about anything but enhancing service on the TTC so it’s completely appropriate to use the TTC resources to inform the users of the system about what this cut means to them,†he said.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross knew of no other instances when the TTC had lent its airwaves to a sitting politician.

“We think its appropriate to allow the mayor of Toronto to use the system to advocate for and on behalf of transit riders,†he said. “I’ll let others define whether its political or not.â€

Chief General Manager Gary Webster recorded a message thanking riders for their patience after the last transit strike in 2008. In 2003, after the SARS crisis abated, local celebrities lent their voices to a campaign urging transit riders to return to the city’s restaurants and attractions.

But the SARS campaign wasn’t a political rallying cry. Mr. Miller’s Save Transit City spot is a direct shot at the provincial Liberals, who in their budget last month delayed $4-billion in previously announced funding for five rapid-transit projects in the Greater Toronto Area, including light-rail lines on Finch, Eglinton and Sheppard, the refurbishment and expansion of the Scarborough RT and a rapid-bus network for York Region.

Metrolinx, the province’s regional transportation agency, is expected to lay out a preliminary plan for phasing the projects at its board meeting next month. The Sheppard Line, which has already broken ground, will almost certainly go ahead on time.

Asked whether other members of council could have access to the TTC’s public announcement system, he said the agency would need to look into it. “I don’t want to speculate on a hypothetical.â€

Listen here!

I'm gonna get/steal me a poster!

 

[kettal]

If they smart, they would make posters of beautiful renderings of the new stations and intersections with the new LRTs.

 

[The Mad Navigator]

If they smart, they would make posters of beautiful renderings of the new stations and intersections with the new LRTs.

You've given them too much credit already. I'm predicting it will be a rather generic looking poster.

 

[adma]

I heard Miller on the P.A. today. I was half expecting some passengers to go bonkers like Fred Flintstone during the Rockenspeel commercial

 

[andomano]

Is it just me or is Miller a good candidate to be the next Mark Dailey? (for those who remember the Great Movie segways)

[video=youtube;ezO789RBqd8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezO789RBqd8&feature=related[/video]

 

[junctionist]

If they smart, they would make posters of beautiful renderings of the new stations and intersections with the new LRTs.

They'd do better by building St. Clair or Spadina to Transit City specs and make it clear for everyone how fast and efficient LRT is in Toronto and how competent they are at building it. (Or would they?)

 

[kEiThZ]

This from the mayor who only a few years ago wanted to can an entire subway line on the very corridor where he's now building one of his precious Transfer City lines. Where was he concern for the riders back then?

 

[GraphicMatt]

He used the closing of the Sheppard subway as an example of the kind of thing that could happen if council didn't address the funding shortfall by adopting the Land Transfer Tax and Vehicle Registration Fee. He never wanted to close it.

 

[grey]

Annoying.

But hopefully it works.


Transit city would have been handy to upzone all those avenues and bring in more property tax revenue.

 

[kEiThZ]

He used the closing of the Sheppard subway as an example of the kind of thing that could happen if council didn't address the funding shortfall by adopting the Land Transfer Tax and Vehicle Registration Fee. He never wanted to close it.

Nice revisionism. He thtreatenend to close the subway if he didn't get his way. It's as simple as that. He didn't look anywhere else to raise revenue or cut spending. He simply threatened to impose as much pain as possible on inner surburban residents. Now he wants those same folks to fight for his legacy.

 

[Mapleson]

You can't induce public outrage. Generally, it makes a modern population more cynical about the whole thing. I wonder how much these "no cost" posters will cost.

 

[The Mad Navigator]

You can't induce public outrage. Generally, it makes a modern population more cynical about the whole thing. I wonder how much these "no cost" posters will cost.

Sure, that maybe a few people's viewpoints, including the SOSers', but not everyone's, and certainly not mine. You can focus on the finances all you want, but at least Miller has something I've never seen in a Toronto mayor before in my lifetime, and that's balls. And I'm 31.

 

[nfitz]

Sure, that maybe a few people's viewpoints, including the SOSers', but not everyone's, and certainly not mine. You can focus on the finances all you want, but at least Miller has something I've never seen in a Toronto mayor before in my lifetime, and that's balls. And I'm 31.

Well I'm older than that, and I remember another mayor with balls. And that was Drapeau. Say what you will about him (and I certainly did when he was mayor), he got things done.

With the exception of Pantalone (who doesn't particularily inspire me) all the candidates are running on a platform of stopping things getting done, except Smitherman ... who seems to think the best thing to do is study everything. Yeah, that's what this city needs ... another @*(% study. Build it already! Whatever it is, just $@*( build it!

 

[GraphicMatt]

Nice revisionism. He thtreatenend to close the subway if he didn't get his way. It's as simple as that. He didn't look anywhere else to raise revenue or cut spending. He simply threatened to impose as much pain as possible on inner surburban residents. Now he wants those same folks to fight for his legacy.

You're the one trying to create a false narrative here. Miller proposed the new LTT and Vehicle Registration fee to balance the budget. Council surprised everybody by voting against the new taxes (a few councillors flipped on voting day). This left the city with a critical budget shortfall.

Miller and his team then went to the media with a list of things that might have to be cut if the new taxes weren't passed. Included in that list was the Sheppard subway.

It was a grandstanding play to illustrate the importance of passing the new taxes.

And painting this as Miller's legacy only is pretty shortsighted. If Toronto just rolls over on this it's like saying to the government that we don't really put a priority on transit construction.

 

[Fresh Start]

Build it already! Whatever it is, just $@*( build it!

LMAO. That must've been Scarborough's initial reaction when they introduced ICTS.