News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
A Message to Our Readers
 11K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
EarthCam Time-Lapse Documents Rafael Viñoly-Designed New Stanford Hospital Construction
 43K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
Resort Town
 6.7K     0 
A

ahrvojic

Guest
Article

Flaherty backs `transitway'
Jun. 13, 2006. 01:00 AM
BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA—Greater Toronto needs a major new expressway to serve the swelling urban region and Ottawa is ready to pay a share, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says.

And in a comment that will be music to the ears of transit-boosters, Flaherty said the new roadway should be able to accommodate transit users, too.

"We do have a need for highways outside the city of Toronto.... I wouldn't even call them highways, but they need to be transitways," he said in an interview from Dublin.

"I do not think we'll see a significant public highway built in southern Ontario in the future without public transit as part of that right-of-way," he said.

That vision of a shared roadway is a big change from the past, when dedicated lanes for transit buses have been slow to materialize on Highways 403 and 407.

Flaherty expects transportation to top the agenda today when he meets with key GTA political leaders.

He chairs the Conservatives' Greater Toronto caucus that tonight will meet with Peel Region Chair Emil Kolb, Halton Region Chair Joyce Savoline and Bill Fisch, the chair of York Region.

Flaherty, who represents Whitby-Oshawa, said a major new highway is needed north of the Oak Ridges Moraine, a protected natural feature that runs east-west through the regions around Toronto. But he warned that Ontario can't afford to wait the several decades it took to build the last major expressway, Highway 407, the privately owned toll road.

Asked whether Ottawa would be willing to pony up for this new mega-project, Flaherty replied, "We're partners."

The Conservatives' first budget confirmed $16 billion in infrastructure spending, and Flaherty said upcoming talks with the provinces would determine how the funding is split.

Transportation investments are essential to ensure the GTA and southern Ontario "remain attractive for business."
 
Since the Conservatives GTA Caucus are mostly suburbanites in 905 and beyond are we surprised that they are throwing their weight behind another expressway for their region?

An expressway north of the Oak Ridges Moraine is the LAST thing this region needs.
 
"The Conservatives' first budget confirmed $16 billion in infrastructure spending, and Flaherty said upcoming talks with the provinces would determine how the funding is split."

So are they saying if you don't accept matching funding (not full funding) for a project that is low priority and not on the GTA's infrastructure requirement horizon for at least 20 years then they will spend those federal dollars elsewhere?

I can see it now, sprawl utopia north of the greenbelt, with an empty transitway wisking 2 passengers a day past corn fields.
 
Given the significant new funding for public transit in recent years I dont know that some funds to highways is unbalanced. The fact that public transit is still such a consideration for road building is, to me, an unexpected good sign. Anyone who has had to drive the DVP, 401, 400, etc will recognize that it can be a frustrating and inefficient experience.
 
mpolo.

I have no problem with expressway funding. But it is unbalanced when you consider the TTC funding is also suburb-focused.
I'd love it if we could hear more tlak about the Scarborough RT Replacement, and a new subway line within Toronto.
 
Like I've said before, we need a BALANCE of transit and highways (and in fact, new highways can be designed to accomodate transit). Completely ignoring roads is no better than completely ignoring transit. You can't move much in the way of goods around on public transit.
 
Completely ignoring roads is no better than completely ignoring transit. You can't move much in the way of goods around on public transit.
Click to expand...

But if more commuters took public transit, that would free up our existings roads for use by transport. Building more roads just convinces more people that driving is the way to go, so they buy second cars and eschew transit. Soon those roads fill up, and we're right back where we started -- minus a few hundred million dollars, of course.
 
we need a BALANCE of transit and highways (and in fact, new highways can be designed to accomodate transit). Completely ignoring roads is no better than completely ignoring transit.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. Since funding and politics is drastically skewed towards highways and people with cars at present, there should be a moratorium on any new highways until we've spent enough money on transit so that equal numbers of people use each method in Toronto, York, Peel and Dufferin.

Fantastic idea! I'll support you in this Ontarian!
 
I completely agree. Since funding and politics is drastically skewed towards highways and people with cars at present, there should be a moratorium on any new highways until we've spent enough money on transit so that equal numbers of people use each method in Toronto, York, Peel and Dufferin.
Click to expand...

I also agree with your sentiment.

Though I'd love to see the day when equal numbers of people use roads and transit in Dufferin County.
 
What the GTA needs is three things, in this order:

1) Make each part of the city easily accessible by at minimum one mode of transportation. It's ridiculous to build new houses or businesses in areas that no one can access without major travel problems.

2) Level the playing field between different modes. In most cases, people who use transit are at a disadvantage in terms of convenience, and that's not fair.

3) Continually boost capacity on transit AND roads as the population increases because a livable city requires a balanced transportation system free of gridlock. A new highway north of 95% of the GTA is absurd, however improving flow on the 401 is vital. While GO and the TTC play a large role and need improving, we have to accept that at some point, highway capacity will have to be increased to the downtown core given the massive population and business growth it's experiencing.
 
Chuck:

The highway capacity is there, the issue is prioritizing usage - there is no reason why instra-urban single occupancy vehicles should have the same priority as say truck traffic.

As to the issue of highway capacity to the downtown core - not really - the core in most cities will hit a limit as to how much traffic local street can handle in any event, making increased highway access moot.

AoD
 
^^ Interesting concept. I've never heard of anyone before suggesting that cargo traffic get a priority above passenger traffic on a highway. I'm not opposed to the idea. Some of the highways down in the USA keep trucks out of the express lanes, which is the opposite to what AoD is proposing.

Is there much truck traffic on the 407, or do the truckers mostly stick to the 401 to avoid the tolls? Does a lot of truck traffic go through the city (not stopping), or do most of the trucks on the highways make a stop in Toronto?
 
A lot of the talk around tolling all GTA highways suggests lower or zero tolls for trucks, to discourage congestion from SOVs (commuters, mainly).
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top