S
spmarshall
Guest
Me:
Billonlogan:
Guess that answers my question then.
Billonlogan:
Guess that answers my question then.
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G
ganjavih
Guest
Royson like so many other Torontonians had high hopes for Miller, maybe a little too high.
I dunno, seems as though he's been bashing Miller right from the get-go.
B
billonlogan
Guest
Not to get off topic, but that's the problem down at City Hall, far too much party politics ie. NDP. What ever happened to the notion councilors not affiliated with a specific political party? Look at Trinity-Spadina, two well qualified candidates in Kennedy and Goosen but only one allowed by the NDP to run as a candidate. The same with Miller and Gambrione, they are too closely tied with the NDP to make their own decisions for the better of the city. Most people know, Moscoe has to go, but solidarity together will keep him firmly in the chair at the TTC. That's too bad, the city deserves better.Guess that answers my question then.
A
ahrvojic
Guest
Article
`The car rules' T.O., says TTC ex-chief
Worried about future of transit
Blames Miller, Moscoe for exit
Jun. 9, 2006. 05:51 AM
KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
Toronto is just not a transit city.
"This is a transit city? Oh, my God," chuckles Rick Ducharme, the city's pre-eminent expert on the matter, who took some time between packing boxes in his office at TTC headquarters to talk about his seven years as chief general manager of Canada's largest public transit system.
"The car rules. That's just Toronto; North American city."
In a wide-ranging 90-minute interview in his soon-to-be-vacated office overlooking the Davisville subway station, Ducharme laid the blame for his departure at the feet of Toronto Transit Commission chair Howard Moscoe and Mayor David Miller, both of whom he said meddled in union matters that were better left to management.
And he fretted about the future of transit in Toronto, which looked solid when the province announced subway funding in its spring budget. Ducharme says transit's future now may not be as rosy.
"The province has changed the rules since the budget," Ducharme said. "There's no such thing as consistency in this stuff."
Ducharme declined to go further, saying it was a matter the city's budget team would have to deal with. But when talk turned to whether Toronto is on the right track as a transit city, as laid out in its official plan, Ducharme laughed, bringing up the example of the legal fight it faced in trying to hand over two lanes of St. Clair Ave. W. to streetcars.
"I'm not building a new streetcar line. I'm fixing the tracks. And when I do, I want to put the concrete six inches high. That's all St. Clair is. It's that simple. And look at what we're going through. And we're a transit city? Oh yeah, right." The city's official plan calls for more streetcar rights-of-way on major arterial roads.
Ducharme said Torontonians don't understand how much better the streetcars could be if they could operate without cars trying to make left-hand turns in front of them.
"You can give me another 100 streetcars and I'll park them. What good are they operating in mixed traffic? Same with buses," he said, adding that a transit city would have no problem turning over roadways for use only by buses and streetcars. "I can move a lot more people with what I've got out on the street. I'm not allowed to.
"Our mistake was we kept streetcar lines," Ducharme said. "In the United States, they ripped them all out. Now they're rebuilding them on dedicated rights-of-way, which is a lot easier.
"St. Clair to me  unbelievable  is more difficult to do than building a brand-new right-of-way in the States. They're doing it everywhere. We should have ripped everything out, have no streetcar lines and come and rebuild them, and oh, we'd be heroes."
As head of the TTC, the sheer size of the system meant Ducharme was responsible for 85 per cent of all transit in the Toronto area.
He has always called it the way he saw it. He was never out to make friends. Before the TTC, Ducharme was managing director for GO Transit and he voiced the same opinion: Transit vehicles should have the right-of-way. He just wanted the buses, streetcars and subway trains to run on time.
If the TTC wasn't up to the challenge, he said so. He infuriated his political bosses in 2003 when he told Torontonians they'd have to walk to the post-SARS Rolling Stones concert because the system simply couldn't carry 200,000 people to Downsview Park.
Politicians on the commission were red-faced at the day's headlines, but Ducharme got the message out, and the walk to and from the all-day concert became part of the day's memories.
If he has a legacy, it's in a single acronym: SOGR. He got politicians and the media to repeat his mantra: State of Good Repair.
They could talk all they wanted about subway expansion and new buses, Ducharme said, but he demanded that the state of good repair budget  which kept the current fleet on the road and operating safely  be met first.
Ducharme agrees the extension of the Spadina subway line to Vaughan is the correct next move, which should be followed by completing the Sheppard subway line to Scarborough. And he believes the Scarborough RT ought to be refurbished, that a subway is not needed between Kennedy and the Scarborough Town Centre. "That's insane," he said of that possibility.
But none of these should go forward at the expense of keeping the buses, trains and streetcars operating safely.
Ducharme granted the interview because he believes Miller and Moscoe have shown him such little respect this week. In the interview, he levelled more blows at the mayor and the TTC chair.
Ducharme said:
They both meddled in recent labour talks leading up to the wildcat strike, essentially pulling the rug out from under him.
Moscoe came out of nowhere with a deal with Bombardier to be the sole source of new subway trains.
Miller just about blew last year's collective bargaining talks with the union and almost incited a strike with a phone call that Ducharme said left union president Bob Kinnear seething.
Moscoe and Miller took the credit for avoiding a strike last year when Ducharme's staff and Kinnear's key negotiators had spent the weekend secretly hammering out a deal.
"That's why I'm leaving. I can't handle it anymore," Ducharme said. "There are no limits to what Howard can do. I've been through his issues. He's bulletproof. This notoriety is going to make sure he definitely gets re-elected.
"Is this frustrating? Of course it is. I wouldn't be leaving if it wasn't frustrating, I'd just keep putting up with his crap. But my family comes first and they told me more than once, why am I doing this? They watched me change the last two or three months. I'm not sorry, I'm just sorry for staff because they're going to suffer."
`The car rules' T.O., says TTC ex-chief
Worried about future of transit
Blames Miller, Moscoe for exit
Jun. 9, 2006. 05:51 AM
KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
Toronto is just not a transit city.
"This is a transit city? Oh, my God," chuckles Rick Ducharme, the city's pre-eminent expert on the matter, who took some time between packing boxes in his office at TTC headquarters to talk about his seven years as chief general manager of Canada's largest public transit system.
"The car rules. That's just Toronto; North American city."
In a wide-ranging 90-minute interview in his soon-to-be-vacated office overlooking the Davisville subway station, Ducharme laid the blame for his departure at the feet of Toronto Transit Commission chair Howard Moscoe and Mayor David Miller, both of whom he said meddled in union matters that were better left to management.
And he fretted about the future of transit in Toronto, which looked solid when the province announced subway funding in its spring budget. Ducharme says transit's future now may not be as rosy.
"The province has changed the rules since the budget," Ducharme said. "There's no such thing as consistency in this stuff."
Ducharme declined to go further, saying it was a matter the city's budget team would have to deal with. But when talk turned to whether Toronto is on the right track as a transit city, as laid out in its official plan, Ducharme laughed, bringing up the example of the legal fight it faced in trying to hand over two lanes of St. Clair Ave. W. to streetcars.
"I'm not building a new streetcar line. I'm fixing the tracks. And when I do, I want to put the concrete six inches high. That's all St. Clair is. It's that simple. And look at what we're going through. And we're a transit city? Oh yeah, right." The city's official plan calls for more streetcar rights-of-way on major arterial roads.
Ducharme said Torontonians don't understand how much better the streetcars could be if they could operate without cars trying to make left-hand turns in front of them.
"You can give me another 100 streetcars and I'll park them. What good are they operating in mixed traffic? Same with buses," he said, adding that a transit city would have no problem turning over roadways for use only by buses and streetcars. "I can move a lot more people with what I've got out on the street. I'm not allowed to.
"Our mistake was we kept streetcar lines," Ducharme said. "In the United States, they ripped them all out. Now they're rebuilding them on dedicated rights-of-way, which is a lot easier.
"St. Clair to me  unbelievable  is more difficult to do than building a brand-new right-of-way in the States. They're doing it everywhere. We should have ripped everything out, have no streetcar lines and come and rebuild them, and oh, we'd be heroes."
As head of the TTC, the sheer size of the system meant Ducharme was responsible for 85 per cent of all transit in the Toronto area.
He has always called it the way he saw it. He was never out to make friends. Before the TTC, Ducharme was managing director for GO Transit and he voiced the same opinion: Transit vehicles should have the right-of-way. He just wanted the buses, streetcars and subway trains to run on time.
If the TTC wasn't up to the challenge, he said so. He infuriated his political bosses in 2003 when he told Torontonians they'd have to walk to the post-SARS Rolling Stones concert because the system simply couldn't carry 200,000 people to Downsview Park.
Politicians on the commission were red-faced at the day's headlines, but Ducharme got the message out, and the walk to and from the all-day concert became part of the day's memories.
If he has a legacy, it's in a single acronym: SOGR. He got politicians and the media to repeat his mantra: State of Good Repair.
They could talk all they wanted about subway expansion and new buses, Ducharme said, but he demanded that the state of good repair budget  which kept the current fleet on the road and operating safely  be met first.
Ducharme agrees the extension of the Spadina subway line to Vaughan is the correct next move, which should be followed by completing the Sheppard subway line to Scarborough. And he believes the Scarborough RT ought to be refurbished, that a subway is not needed between Kennedy and the Scarborough Town Centre. "That's insane," he said of that possibility.
But none of these should go forward at the expense of keeping the buses, trains and streetcars operating safely.
Ducharme granted the interview because he believes Miller and Moscoe have shown him such little respect this week. In the interview, he levelled more blows at the mayor and the TTC chair.
Ducharme said:
They both meddled in recent labour talks leading up to the wildcat strike, essentially pulling the rug out from under him.
Moscoe came out of nowhere with a deal with Bombardier to be the sole source of new subway trains.
Miller just about blew last year's collective bargaining talks with the union and almost incited a strike with a phone call that Ducharme said left union president Bob Kinnear seething.
Moscoe and Miller took the credit for avoiding a strike last year when Ducharme's staff and Kinnear's key negotiators had spent the weekend secretly hammering out a deal.
"That's why I'm leaving. I can't handle it anymore," Ducharme said. "There are no limits to what Howard can do. I've been through his issues. He's bulletproof. This notoriety is going to make sure he definitely gets re-elected.
"Is this frustrating? Of course it is. I wouldn't be leaving if it wasn't frustrating, I'd just keep putting up with his crap. But my family comes first and they told me more than once, why am I doing this? They watched me change the last two or three months. I'm not sorry, I'm just sorry for staff because they're going to suffer."
F
fiendishlibrarian
Guest
You know, if he had been this insistent during his tenure, I can't help but think he may have bolstered his position vis-a-vis Moscoe. If Moscoe was too political, Ducharme wasn't enough.
S
spmarshall
Guest
Which is why I admired David Gunn when he was CGM. He had his State of Good Repair plan, and he pushed it through. But even a hard-nosed guy like Gunn couldn't take Moscoe. I agree that Moscoe needs to go - and I would like to see some friendly persuasion to step to the sidelines from those who are publicly supporting him.
C
cdl42
Guest
Re: Rick Ducharme Resigns from TTC
This whole Ducharme thing is quite shocking and all, but the unexpectedness and mystery surrounding it seems to have made the media forget to take a step back and have a critical look at Mr. Ducharme's tenure at the TTC. The article above ("'The car rules' T.O., says TTC ex-chief") just shows how Ducharme was part of the TTC's problematic atrophied can't-do attitude.
- He states that he has no desire to improve service: "You can give me another 100 streetcars and I'll park them. What good are they operating in mixed traffic? Same with buses"
- He says we should have ripped out all our streetcars because they run in mixed traffic... then goes and states that buses aren't any better! He seriously thinks that if we had ripped out our streetcar network in the 70s, that we would be rebuilding it all in private ROWs today.
- Even if we built 10 new St. Clair ROWs, 90% of the network route KMs travelled would still be in mixed traffic. He has no desire to make buses and streetcars run reliably or conveniently. How does every single other city find ways to do it (or at least try)? I challenge Mr. Ducharme to find me a transit system anywhere in the western world that runs completely independently of traffic.
- I hope it was just the reporter's interpretation and Ducharme isn't trying to take credit for State of Good Repair.
Now, what of Howie Moscoe? The man's a twit, detached from the real world, and worst of all, an embarrassment. He needs to go; it would be nice if he doesn't run for re-election.
This whole Ducharme thing is quite shocking and all, but the unexpectedness and mystery surrounding it seems to have made the media forget to take a step back and have a critical look at Mr. Ducharme's tenure at the TTC. The article above ("'The car rules' T.O., says TTC ex-chief") just shows how Ducharme was part of the TTC's problematic atrophied can't-do attitude.
- He states that he has no desire to improve service: "You can give me another 100 streetcars and I'll park them. What good are they operating in mixed traffic? Same with buses"
- He says we should have ripped out all our streetcars because they run in mixed traffic... then goes and states that buses aren't any better! He seriously thinks that if we had ripped out our streetcar network in the 70s, that we would be rebuilding it all in private ROWs today.
- Even if we built 10 new St. Clair ROWs, 90% of the network route KMs travelled would still be in mixed traffic. He has no desire to make buses and streetcars run reliably or conveniently. How does every single other city find ways to do it (or at least try)? I challenge Mr. Ducharme to find me a transit system anywhere in the western world that runs completely independently of traffic.
- I hope it was just the reporter's interpretation and Ducharme isn't trying to take credit for State of Good Repair.
Now, what of Howie Moscoe? The man's a twit, detached from the real world, and worst of all, an embarrassment. He needs to go; it would be nice if he doesn't run for re-election.
C
cdl42
Guest
Re: Rick Ducharme Resigns from TTC
Steve Munro goes in to greater detail on his website of what Ducharme's legacy is:
The World According to Rick Ducharme
Several articles in today’s Star deal with Rick Ducharme’s departure from the TTC and his view of the transit world in Toronto. Although I’m already working on a post on related subjects, Rick’s comments deserve a reply now.
Transit Priority
In Kevin McGran’s piece The car rules T.O., Ducharme talks about the difficulty of getting transit priority for surface operations. He complains that if he were given 100 new streetcars, he would just park them (and presumably Mayor Miller’s 100 new buses too) because, without transit priority, there’s no point in running more service.
This is a self-serving attitude that infected TTC management over a decade ago — it’s not their fault the service is rotten, just blame everything on traffic congestion. The problem is that this argument doesn’t wash when you look at the real world.
Between 1990 and 2001, service declined on the streetcar routes by 25 to 40 percent thanks mainly to budget cuts. The claim is that service just followed demand, but in fact the actual stats show that the cuts came first. Moreover, we are not seeing better service when demand starts to rise again because the TTC cut its fleet size to match the new, lower service level.
Next, the scheduled trip times on the streetcar routes are almost identical to those in 1990. What has happened is that a simpler form of transit priority — green time extensions at traffic lights — offset the delays from congestion.
Frequency of service is a big issue during peak and offpeak periods, and the TTC runs just enough to get by. I will return to this problem later.
St. Clair Project
Ducharme complains about the delays in getting the St. Clair project underway. This was not a delay occasioned by the Commissioners or by Council, but by a neighbourhood group who sued to block the project. Without going into the details of their position (some of which I support), there were two big problems:
* The TTC hired consultants to run the design and public participation process who were very insensitive to neighbourhood issues. The preliminary design for the line, posted on the project’s own website, showed extensive sidewalk cuts to accommodate road widening. This gave the lie to the claim that this is a project to beautify St. Clair and improve its pedestrian amenities.
* The requirements and demands of the road engineers in the Works Department trumped local desires at many turns. This is part of a larger problem with the imposition of suburban road standards on older city neighbourhoods. TTC management never fight this publicly and often wind up defending the road proposals to ensure that the Works Department does not oppose transit projects.
Building a Transit City & The Ridership Growth Strategy
Ducharme talks about the idea that, in our Transit City plans, we are going to build a network of similar lines similar to St. Clair. The strange part about this is that it was Ducharme’s TTC that prevented the City of Toronto planners from including an LRT network in the new Official Plan. The plan contains a few references to LRT, but you have to look closely.
Meanwhile, there is the saga of the Ridership Growth Strategy. This arose from my repeated calls at TTC budget time for a report setting out what was possible to improve transit service, what it would cost, and how long it would take to implement. The standard TTC management response to any request is “we can’t afford it†and/or “it won’t work hereâ€. This is not an acceptable response, but the Commissioners let management get away with it over and over again.
Then-counciller Miller moved that staff report on various options during debates on the 2001 budget. The Commission passed his motion, but nothing happened.
Councillor Miller moved essentially the same motion in the 2002 debates, and the wheels started to turn. The report surfaced in early 2003, just in time for Mayoral Candidate Miller to trumpet what transit could be doing. Unfortunately, something happened along the way.
The original report did not contain any subway expansion proposals because the intention was to show what could be done in the short term with limited resources. Subways, by definition, do not fit this scheme. Ducharme supported the subway engineers within the TTC who brought forth a separate report on Rapid Transit Priorities including the Spadina and Sheppard extensions. This was duly rolled into the RGS as a fourth priority — system expansion.
As a result, a plan that should have focussed our efforts on improving surface transit and making the fare system more flexible was co-opted to become an endorsement of subways. This is Ducharme’s doing.
To be fair, I asked Howard Moscoe at the time why he supported this change of focus, and he said, in effect, don’t worry, we will never have the money to pay for it. Well, the problem is that by stating as policy that you want to build $3-billion worth of subways, you set off the search for funding and crowd every other option off of the table. This was a big tactical mistake by Moscoe who, at the time, was much enamoured of LRT.
Ripping Out the Streetcar Lines
Ducharme cattily observes that if we had destroyed our streetcar system, he could have come back as the great saviour and rebuilt them on private rights-of-way. I doubt it.
The service levels provided by TTC on most routes is not at a level where you can justfy turning a street into a transit right-of-way. Indeed, good candidates for LRT are consistently ignored by Ducharme such as Sheppard, Don Mills and the SRT replacement.
State of Good Repair
While we congratulate Ducharme for focussing on repairing and rebuilding the system we have, let’s not forget that he inherited that mantra from his predecessor, David Gunn.
Budget Advocacy
A major problem at the TTC — at both the management and the political levels — is that policy debates that should be in public are conducted in private, if they are conducted at all. Attempts to improve transit service have consistently been shot down both by the TTC’s own finance staff and by the City’s Budget Advisory Committee. In the former case, we don’t even know that it has happened because the budgetary decisions are taken privately.
I understand that this year’s Service Plan has been delayed because the planners wanted to run more service that the bean counters wanted to pay for.
This is outrageous. If we are going to make this sort of decision, make it in public with all of the facts before the Commission and Council. Have an “A†list of “must have†services with their associated cost, and a “B†list of “nice to haves†that would improve the experience of TTC passengers. We don’t get this debate because TTC management precludes it, and I place this squarely at Ducharme’s feet.
What is the Commission’s Role
In case anyone thinks I have been writing a polemic against Rick Ducharme here with kudos to come for Howard Moscoe, think again.
The Commission’s role is to set policy, to direct staff on matters where there are alternatives that must be weighed at the elected, political level, and to seek advice on a range of options for the development and operation of the system. It is not Howard Moscoe’s job to go to Wilson Yard every morning to see that the first train goes out on time.
Yes, the Commission will get involved in decisions where a policy issue is at stake — what the fare structure should be, what the standards for service quality should be, how procurement processes should be handled, where the next LRT line should be built. But the Commission must let management do its job.
If I have any complaint about the Commission, it is that they spend too much time sweating the details and not enough time looking at broad policy matters. If the Commission does not understand an issue, they should ask for a report, and management should produce this information fully and fairly without prejudging the outcome.
In labour negotiations, there can only be one negotiating team. Either it’s the management working on the basis of policy constraints laid down by the Commission (and modified as necessary during negotiations), or it’s the Commission, Council and Mayor. A negotiating team that cannot make a “final offer†has no leverage at all.
If the Commission intends to play a larger role in TTC management, then they need to learn about the system they purport to run. Understand how the budget works, understand what is involved in improving service, understand the nuts and bolts of the system. If you can’t do that, then at least let the professional management do their jobs.
If you want a better system, get their advice (and maybe advice from some transit advocates while you’re at it), have the debate about where Toronto is going in public, and defend your policies at Budget Advisory Committee and Council. If the City’s CFO doesn’t like what you are doing, tell him, thanks, but this is our decision and it’s your job to figure out how we will implement it.
That’s what really being in control means, and it’s a job the Commission and Council shirk far too often.
Steve Munro goes in to greater detail on his website of what Ducharme's legacy is:
The World According to Rick Ducharme
Several articles in today’s Star deal with Rick Ducharme’s departure from the TTC and his view of the transit world in Toronto. Although I’m already working on a post on related subjects, Rick’s comments deserve a reply now.
Transit Priority
In Kevin McGran’s piece The car rules T.O., Ducharme talks about the difficulty of getting transit priority for surface operations. He complains that if he were given 100 new streetcars, he would just park them (and presumably Mayor Miller’s 100 new buses too) because, without transit priority, there’s no point in running more service.
This is a self-serving attitude that infected TTC management over a decade ago — it’s not their fault the service is rotten, just blame everything on traffic congestion. The problem is that this argument doesn’t wash when you look at the real world.
Between 1990 and 2001, service declined on the streetcar routes by 25 to 40 percent thanks mainly to budget cuts. The claim is that service just followed demand, but in fact the actual stats show that the cuts came first. Moreover, we are not seeing better service when demand starts to rise again because the TTC cut its fleet size to match the new, lower service level.
Next, the scheduled trip times on the streetcar routes are almost identical to those in 1990. What has happened is that a simpler form of transit priority — green time extensions at traffic lights — offset the delays from congestion.
Frequency of service is a big issue during peak and offpeak periods, and the TTC runs just enough to get by. I will return to this problem later.
St. Clair Project
Ducharme complains about the delays in getting the St. Clair project underway. This was not a delay occasioned by the Commissioners or by Council, but by a neighbourhood group who sued to block the project. Without going into the details of their position (some of which I support), there were two big problems:
* The TTC hired consultants to run the design and public participation process who were very insensitive to neighbourhood issues. The preliminary design for the line, posted on the project’s own website, showed extensive sidewalk cuts to accommodate road widening. This gave the lie to the claim that this is a project to beautify St. Clair and improve its pedestrian amenities.
* The requirements and demands of the road engineers in the Works Department trumped local desires at many turns. This is part of a larger problem with the imposition of suburban road standards on older city neighbourhoods. TTC management never fight this publicly and often wind up defending the road proposals to ensure that the Works Department does not oppose transit projects.
Building a Transit City & The Ridership Growth Strategy
Ducharme talks about the idea that, in our Transit City plans, we are going to build a network of similar lines similar to St. Clair. The strange part about this is that it was Ducharme’s TTC that prevented the City of Toronto planners from including an LRT network in the new Official Plan. The plan contains a few references to LRT, but you have to look closely.
Meanwhile, there is the saga of the Ridership Growth Strategy. This arose from my repeated calls at TTC budget time for a report setting out what was possible to improve transit service, what it would cost, and how long it would take to implement. The standard TTC management response to any request is “we can’t afford it†and/or “it won’t work hereâ€. This is not an acceptable response, but the Commissioners let management get away with it over and over again.
Then-counciller Miller moved that staff report on various options during debates on the 2001 budget. The Commission passed his motion, but nothing happened.
Councillor Miller moved essentially the same motion in the 2002 debates, and the wheels started to turn. The report surfaced in early 2003, just in time for Mayoral Candidate Miller to trumpet what transit could be doing. Unfortunately, something happened along the way.
The original report did not contain any subway expansion proposals because the intention was to show what could be done in the short term with limited resources. Subways, by definition, do not fit this scheme. Ducharme supported the subway engineers within the TTC who brought forth a separate report on Rapid Transit Priorities including the Spadina and Sheppard extensions. This was duly rolled into the RGS as a fourth priority — system expansion.
As a result, a plan that should have focussed our efforts on improving surface transit and making the fare system more flexible was co-opted to become an endorsement of subways. This is Ducharme’s doing.
To be fair, I asked Howard Moscoe at the time why he supported this change of focus, and he said, in effect, don’t worry, we will never have the money to pay for it. Well, the problem is that by stating as policy that you want to build $3-billion worth of subways, you set off the search for funding and crowd every other option off of the table. This was a big tactical mistake by Moscoe who, at the time, was much enamoured of LRT.
Ripping Out the Streetcar Lines
Ducharme cattily observes that if we had destroyed our streetcar system, he could have come back as the great saviour and rebuilt them on private rights-of-way. I doubt it.
The service levels provided by TTC on most routes is not at a level where you can justfy turning a street into a transit right-of-way. Indeed, good candidates for LRT are consistently ignored by Ducharme such as Sheppard, Don Mills and the SRT replacement.
State of Good Repair
While we congratulate Ducharme for focussing on repairing and rebuilding the system we have, let’s not forget that he inherited that mantra from his predecessor, David Gunn.
Budget Advocacy
A major problem at the TTC — at both the management and the political levels — is that policy debates that should be in public are conducted in private, if they are conducted at all. Attempts to improve transit service have consistently been shot down both by the TTC’s own finance staff and by the City’s Budget Advisory Committee. In the former case, we don’t even know that it has happened because the budgetary decisions are taken privately.
I understand that this year’s Service Plan has been delayed because the planners wanted to run more service that the bean counters wanted to pay for.
This is outrageous. If we are going to make this sort of decision, make it in public with all of the facts before the Commission and Council. Have an “A†list of “must have†services with their associated cost, and a “B†list of “nice to haves†that would improve the experience of TTC passengers. We don’t get this debate because TTC management precludes it, and I place this squarely at Ducharme’s feet.
What is the Commission’s Role
In case anyone thinks I have been writing a polemic against Rick Ducharme here with kudos to come for Howard Moscoe, think again.
The Commission’s role is to set policy, to direct staff on matters where there are alternatives that must be weighed at the elected, political level, and to seek advice on a range of options for the development and operation of the system. It is not Howard Moscoe’s job to go to Wilson Yard every morning to see that the first train goes out on time.
Yes, the Commission will get involved in decisions where a policy issue is at stake — what the fare structure should be, what the standards for service quality should be, how procurement processes should be handled, where the next LRT line should be built. But the Commission must let management do its job.
If I have any complaint about the Commission, it is that they spend too much time sweating the details and not enough time looking at broad policy matters. If the Commission does not understand an issue, they should ask for a report, and management should produce this information fully and fairly without prejudging the outcome.
In labour negotiations, there can only be one negotiating team. Either it’s the management working on the basis of policy constraints laid down by the Commission (and modified as necessary during negotiations), or it’s the Commission, Council and Mayor. A negotiating team that cannot make a “final offer†has no leverage at all.
If the Commission intends to play a larger role in TTC management, then they need to learn about the system they purport to run. Understand how the budget works, understand what is involved in improving service, understand the nuts and bolts of the system. If you can’t do that, then at least let the professional management do their jobs.
If you want a better system, get their advice (and maybe advice from some transit advocates while you’re at it), have the debate about where Toronto is going in public, and defend your policies at Budget Advisory Committee and Council. If the City’s CFO doesn’t like what you are doing, tell him, thanks, but this is our decision and it’s your job to figure out how we will implement it.
That’s what really being in control means, and it’s a job the Commission and Council shirk far too often.
D
doady
Guest
Re: Rick Ducharme Resigns from TTC
That article shows why suburbanites should never be in charge of transit. Good riddance to Rick Ducharme.
That article shows why suburbanites should never be in charge of transit. Good riddance to Rick Ducharme.
G
GregWTravels
Guest
Thunder Bay Source: Moscoe's words to Thunder Bay
The Thunder Bay Source is reporting the Moscoe is asking residents of Thunder Bay to write to Toronto City Council (specifically Mayor Miller) to hold up the decision to build the subway cars in Thunder Bay.
www.tbsource.com/localnew...?cid=83718
TTC chair defends Bombardier tender
Tb News Source
Web Posted: 6/13/2006 5:46:12 PM
Residents of Thunder Bay are being asked to step forward and support the Toronto Transit Commissions decision to award a $700 million rail car contract to the city's Bombardier plant.
The contract was awarded to Bombardier through a sole source agreement and negotiations are now underway for the Thunder Bay plant to build 232 subway cars for Toronto.
The chair of the TTC, Howard Moscoe, is facing heavy criticism for not tendering the contract out to the lowest bidder. Moscoe defends the move, saying taxes paid back to the province and the jobs the contract will create in Ontario, will more than make up for any potential cost savings that may occur from shipping the jobs overseas. Local union officials say the contract will not only provide much needed stability to Bombardier, but will also create new jobs.
TTC Chair Moscoe is asking residents of Thunder Bay to write to Toronto's mayor and council, making clear how important this contract is to the Lakehead and all of Ontario. Mayor Lynn Peterson supports Moscoe's call.
Residents are asked to write or email Toronto City Council at the address. below. Mayor Peterson says it is important letters be addressed to the mayor and all of council so that the message has the broadest impact possible.
Mayor David Miller and All of CouncilToronto City Hall, 2nd Floor100 Queen St. West, Toronto ON
M5H 2N2
E-mail: mayor_miller@toronto.ca
The Thunder Bay Source is reporting the Moscoe is asking residents of Thunder Bay to write to Toronto City Council (specifically Mayor Miller) to hold up the decision to build the subway cars in Thunder Bay.
www.tbsource.com/localnew...?cid=83718
TTC chair defends Bombardier tender
Tb News Source
Web Posted: 6/13/2006 5:46:12 PM
Residents of Thunder Bay are being asked to step forward and support the Toronto Transit Commissions decision to award a $700 million rail car contract to the city's Bombardier plant.
The contract was awarded to Bombardier through a sole source agreement and negotiations are now underway for the Thunder Bay plant to build 232 subway cars for Toronto.
The chair of the TTC, Howard Moscoe, is facing heavy criticism for not tendering the contract out to the lowest bidder. Moscoe defends the move, saying taxes paid back to the province and the jobs the contract will create in Ontario, will more than make up for any potential cost savings that may occur from shipping the jobs overseas. Local union officials say the contract will not only provide much needed stability to Bombardier, but will also create new jobs.
TTC Chair Moscoe is asking residents of Thunder Bay to write to Toronto's mayor and council, making clear how important this contract is to the Lakehead and all of Ontario. Mayor Lynn Peterson supports Moscoe's call.
Residents are asked to write or email Toronto City Council at the address. below. Mayor Peterson says it is important letters be addressed to the mayor and all of council so that the message has the broadest impact possible.
Mayor David Miller and All of CouncilToronto City Hall, 2nd Floor100 Queen St. West, Toronto ON
M5H 2N2
E-mail: mayor_miller@toronto.ca
D
drum118
Guest
Re: Thunder Bay Source: Moscoe's words to Thunder Bay
Is Thunder Bay willing to cover the cost that TTC riders will have to fork out by the way of a fare hike to cover the extra cost to built the new subway train and LRT's????? :rolleyes :rolleyes
Is Thunder Bay willing to cover the cost that TTC riders will have to fork out by the way of a fare hike to cover the extra cost to built the new subway train and LRT's????? :rolleyes :rolleyes
M
Mark Dowling
Guest
Re: Thunder Bay Source: Moscoe's words to Thunder Bay
The Globe has a story today about a Bombardier exec sending out invites to a Giambrone fundraiser. The TTC vice chair (and national NDP president) says he doesn't know anything about it...
www.theglobeandmail.com//.../National/
The Globe has a story today about a Bombardier exec sending out invites to a Giambrone fundraiser. The TTC vice chair (and national NDP president) says he doesn't know anything about it...
www.theglobeandmail.com//.../National/
It is not unusual for Bombardier and other large companies, especially developers to buy tickets to fundraisers for city councillors.
Mr. Moscoe told The Globe that at his own recent fundraising banquet, Bombardier bought four tickets, for $400. German-based competitor Siemens, which has complained that it was unfairly shut out of the subway contract, bought an eight-person table for $750, the maximum allowable donation.
"Yeah, so?" Mr. Moscoe said yesterday when asked about Mr. Giambrone. ". . . It's the norm at city hall. Companies buy tickets to fundraisers." Mr. Moscoe blames the controversy around the Bombardier deal on lobbyists hired by Siemens, who he said are behind "all kinds of stupid, wild accusations" made by his political opponents at city hall.
B
billonlogan
Guest
Re: Thunder Bay Source: Moscoe's words to Thunder Bay
The more things change, the more they stay the same."Yeah, so?" Mr. Moscoe said yesterday when asked about Mr. Giambrone. ". . . It's the norm at city hall. Companies buy tickets to fundraisers."