Hypnotoad
Senior Member
From the National Post:
Moscoe tries again on TTC passes for condos
Howard Moscoe is launching a fresh bid to get the city to force developers to provide a free, one-year transit pass for everyone who buys a condominium along the city’s subway lines.
The city councillor said his scheme has been stalled in the city’s bureaucracy for nearly two years, and he plans to raise the idea again at the next possible meeting of council.
“It’s just kind of disappeared -- it got swallowed up by the bureaucracy,†said Mr. Moscoe, a former chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission who has promised he will not let the idea die.
Mr. Moscoe first proposed the idea in a motion passed by city council in January, 2006, calling for the city’s official plan to include a requirement that anyone building a condominium of more than 25 units within 500 metres of a subway line or a main bus route be required to offer a free transit pass to their buyers. The motion went to city planning staff for consideration and there it has sat for the past 18 months, to Mr. Moscoe’s intense frustration.
“I’ve been asking the planning department for two years to look into this and nothing has happened,†he said yesterday. “It’s a no-brainer to me ... [but] we’ve heard nothing.â€
Mr. Moscoe has been adding the transit pass requirement to individual developments along the main subway and bus routes as they come up. “I’ve added this requirement to more than 50 new developments and not one of them has challenged it: they don’t seem to have any problem with the idea at all,†he said.
“In fact, it’s a great marketing tool for them and it helps sell condos.â€
He said the idea would boost TTC ridership, cut down on traffic along already busy major streets and cost developers less than $1,000 per unit. “It’s a win-win-win situation.â€
Rod McPhail, the director of transportation planning for the city, agreed that the councillor’s idea was a good one, but said the city’s lawyers were less enthusiastic. “Our legal department has said we can’t do that as a zoning requirement,†Mr. McPhail said. “Philosophically, I think it’s a great idea: I couldn’t agree with the councillor more.â€
“It’s just just legally it’s very difficult to make that part of the official city plan.â€
Mr. McPhail said municipal planners are working now to find ways around the possible legal difficulties. “I’m trying to find out what other ways we might be able to do that.â€
He was not able to say when the planners will be able to report back to Mr. Moscoe or city council.
But the councillor scoffed at the city lawyers’ objections and said if there were problems with his proposed measure, it would already have been challenged before the Ontario Municipal Board. “This city has a constipated legal department,†he said. “They specialize in saying no.â€
Link: http://communities.canada.com/natio...coe-tries-again-on-ttc-passes-for-condos.aspx
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I think this is a great idea. It is a good cost recovery strategy for the city when it makes major public infrastructure investments, like new subways and LRT. It also helps set ridership patterns. If new residents are given the chance to ride the subway for free they may get use to the idea and continue to do so.
Developers along Sheppard have done this voluntarily, including Tridel and the developers of St. Gabriel's village. If developers are doing so voluntarily (either as part of a targeted development charge scheme or to attract buyers) then the city should work through its legal department to get this initiative off the ground.
Moscoe tries again on TTC passes for condos
Howard Moscoe is launching a fresh bid to get the city to force developers to provide a free, one-year transit pass for everyone who buys a condominium along the city’s subway lines.
The city councillor said his scheme has been stalled in the city’s bureaucracy for nearly two years, and he plans to raise the idea again at the next possible meeting of council.
“It’s just kind of disappeared -- it got swallowed up by the bureaucracy,†said Mr. Moscoe, a former chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission who has promised he will not let the idea die.
Mr. Moscoe first proposed the idea in a motion passed by city council in January, 2006, calling for the city’s official plan to include a requirement that anyone building a condominium of more than 25 units within 500 metres of a subway line or a main bus route be required to offer a free transit pass to their buyers. The motion went to city planning staff for consideration and there it has sat for the past 18 months, to Mr. Moscoe’s intense frustration.
“I’ve been asking the planning department for two years to look into this and nothing has happened,†he said yesterday. “It’s a no-brainer to me ... [but] we’ve heard nothing.â€
Mr. Moscoe has been adding the transit pass requirement to individual developments along the main subway and bus routes as they come up. “I’ve added this requirement to more than 50 new developments and not one of them has challenged it: they don’t seem to have any problem with the idea at all,†he said.
“In fact, it’s a great marketing tool for them and it helps sell condos.â€
He said the idea would boost TTC ridership, cut down on traffic along already busy major streets and cost developers less than $1,000 per unit. “It’s a win-win-win situation.â€
Rod McPhail, the director of transportation planning for the city, agreed that the councillor’s idea was a good one, but said the city’s lawyers were less enthusiastic. “Our legal department has said we can’t do that as a zoning requirement,†Mr. McPhail said. “Philosophically, I think it’s a great idea: I couldn’t agree with the councillor more.â€
“It’s just just legally it’s very difficult to make that part of the official city plan.â€
Mr. McPhail said municipal planners are working now to find ways around the possible legal difficulties. “I’m trying to find out what other ways we might be able to do that.â€
He was not able to say when the planners will be able to report back to Mr. Moscoe or city council.
But the councillor scoffed at the city lawyers’ objections and said if there were problems with his proposed measure, it would already have been challenged before the Ontario Municipal Board. “This city has a constipated legal department,†he said. “They specialize in saying no.â€
Link: http://communities.canada.com/natio...coe-tries-again-on-ttc-passes-for-condos.aspx
--------
I think this is a great idea. It is a good cost recovery strategy for the city when it makes major public infrastructure investments, like new subways and LRT. It also helps set ridership patterns. If new residents are given the chance to ride the subway for free they may get use to the idea and continue to do so.
Developers along Sheppard have done this voluntarily, including Tridel and the developers of St. Gabriel's village. If developers are doing so voluntarily (either as part of a targeted development charge scheme or to attract buyers) then the city should work through its legal department to get this initiative off the ground.