April 02, 2010
Ford wants to terminate Toronto’s War on the Car
By David Menzies
Armed with common sense and a dogged determination to do the right thing when it comes to spending taxpayers’ money, Toronto mayoralty candidate Rob Ford says if elected he will finally end Toronto’s ongoing “war on the car.â€
For several years, the majority on the current city council has looked upon the automobile as a pariah. As such, the city has gone out of its way to make motoring in Hogtown miserable.
Need proof? Earlier this week, the Board of Trade released a report indicating that Toronto commute times are even worse than Los Angeles. Indeed, Toronto ranked dead last among 19 urban centres, with an average total commute time of 80 minutes.
Ford, who is currently a long-serving Toronto city councilor, has long maintained that an anti-car ideology by the current council is just making things worse for Toronto drivers. Even though 70% of Torontonians drive to work, Mayor David Miller prefers that citizens walk, cycle or hop aboard an already-overburdened public transit system.
But Ford promises that if elected mayor, many things will change for Toronto motorists under his watch. Examples:
Speed bump moratorium.
Toronto is rapidly becoming the speed bump capital of the world. So-called “traffic calming†areas, which have a speed limit of 30 km/h and are peppered with asphalt bumps that cost $3,500 per unit, continue to proliferate (more than 30,000 so far.) Ford says not only is it frustrating to drive in an area festooned with speed bumps, but city vehicles – ranging from snowplows to garbage trucks – are damaged by these lumps.
Cancel suburban bike lanes.
Ford says he can understand the need for bicycle lanes on some downtown streets, but the bike lanes in suburbia are hardly used and are essentially “roads to nowhere.â€
Drop the annual $60 car registration fee.
Ford calls this highly unpopular tax nothing more than a blatant “cash grab.â€
Spruce up the Gardiner Expressway.
Mayor Miller wants to see this vital artery razed because it’s essentially an eyesore. Ford says without the Gardiner, traffic would be chaotic as this expressway moves hundreds of cars into and out of Toronto on an hourly basis.
Park the streetcars.
Ford says these lumbering vehicles from yester-century only serve to congest traffic. As well, it is sometimes unsafe for passengers to enter and exit streetcars given the tracks are situated in the left lane.
End the quota system embraced by Parking Enforcement Officers.
Ford says Toronto’s overzealous meter maids go out of their way to impede businesses (i.e., tagging courier vehicles) yet don’t do nearly enough to crackdown on able-bodied people who appropriate handicapped spots.
Bottom line: after a prolonged assault on the automobile, Ford’s pro-car platform will surely resonates with shell-shocked Toronto drivers. Will there be a Ford in Toronto’s future? We’ll all find out come election day this fall.
