jaye101,
Your obviously new here and you have to catch up. Read through these threads and you'll find some sound critical analysis about Transit City.
Yes, I find the plan mediocre. Contrary to your belief that this will give us one of the largest rail systems in the world, what it'll really yield is one of the largest streetcar systems in the world that'll be dumping riders on to essentially 2.2 subway lines. It's a plan that does nothing to relieve the existing congestion at Yonge-Bloor. It will continue to forces tens of thousands of riders per day to transfer at Kennedy (and as Scarborough grows that could reach a 100k). The plan also seeks to create the same situation at Don Mills. As a Scarborough resident, I consider this flat out unfair. Why is it that most North York riders can get a two seat ride to the city centre but Scarborough residents are forced to endure some of the worst designed transfers in the city? No wonder everybody drives in Scarborough. What makes anybody think that a LRT is going to change that, is beyond me....particularly one that will only average 5 km/h more than the bus (according to the LRT).
Nobody here is saying LRT is bad period. There are corridors in Toronto where LRT is appropriate. For example, I believe the proposed SRT extension should be built as a Transit City LRT using Progress and the Malvern hydro corridor. As pointed out earlier, Finch West and the Waterfront (both east and west) are great candidates. North South streets are great candidates too. But at least put LRT in the right corridors. Why is south Morningside preferred over McCowan North, Vic Park, Warden or Kennedy in Scarborough? Those are far busier bus routes. Why Jane over Weston or Dufferin? Do you really think that an Eglinton subway which averages 26 km/h (4 kph less than the Bloor-Danforth line) is going to make people from Scarborough take the TTC to the airport? For the price tag of the plan (before the first shovel it's gone from 6 billion to 10 billion) which will probably reach about 15 billion, we could have finished every subway dream this city has and still had change to spare to build things like bus lanes (which I'd like to see on every arterial), the odd LRT (on suburban N-S corridors) and streetcar line (where LRT would not fit).
As for Sheppard East not being viable. Of course its not viable as long as it's 5 stations. However, even the Sheppard East LRT's EA has assessed that the corridor would attract far more riders with a subway extension than with a LRT. So if you think that the Sheppard East LRT is not viable, what makes you think the LRT will be? Especially if the EA says otherwise? Further on this point, viability depends on how you define it. As several have pointed out here, the Sheppard line carries more or nearly as many riders as some entire subway systems in the world. However, using the TTC's metrics which place an artificially high bar for viability, the subway is a failure. However, they set no such bar for LRT. As long as the proposed LRTs carry as many passengers as the bus routes they are replacing, they are to be considered successful. So a subway expansion that adds lots of riders is not viable, but a billion dollar LRT that merely replaces existing buses is viable.
Finally, I suggest you stop comparing Toronto to the rest of North America. It's a rather poor standard. We have nothing in common with places like LA. And I have no desire for Toronto to emulate Houston. That's like comparing yourself to the failing students in the back of the class. Compare yourself to to other leading cities. I want my Toronto to be on par with New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, etc. Can you see any of them surviving with just 3-4 subway lines and LRT for the rest? They would consider that mediocre.
And I say all this as a Malvernite who would benefit from two of the proposed LRTs and the RT extension.....
