Ran into an article about this insane insanity...
Sorry if it has already been posted.
It is so dumb that they do not do the subway option... man, if only citizens would protest, block off the construction projects, cause unrest, whatever, riots be it (well, maybe not riots), I don't care, just that there comes a subway rather than this dumb lrt which would only clog up the streets.... ARGH.
This project makes me so depressed.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/741499--work-begins-on-sheppard-lrt
Work begins on Sheppard LRT
Published On Mon Dec 21 2009
Construction officially began Monday on a new light rapid vehicle line that will run east from the Don Mills subway station along Sheppard Ave. E.
Originally planned to be a subway along Sheppard to the Scarborough Town Centre, the new 14-kilometre light rapid vehicle route will extend to Meadowvale Rd.
"With this light rail transit (LRT) line, you'll have rapid, reliable transit to the subway and downtown," TTC chair Adam Giambrone said at Monday morning's official groundbreaking ceremony.
Sheppard is the first of seven Transit City light rapid vehicle lines planned to create a 120-kilometre network on major routes like Finch Ave., Eglinton Ave., Jane St. and Don Mills Rd.
Two thirds of the $950-million Sheppard East light rapid vehicle line is being funded by the province, and one third by the federal government. The Toronto Transit Commission will operate it when it opens in 2013, and expects it to move 20 million riders a year.
The line will help rejuvenate Sheppard Ave., Giambrone said.
"The LRT acts as a catalyst," he said. "We've already heard of people buying up property. You're going to see both residential and commercial development. It's an exciting opportunity to actually redevelop a neighbourhood."
Development charges levied by the city on the new developments along the route will help pay for new civic amenities such as community centres and libraries, he added.
While the line will require an operating subsidy from taxpayers, it won't be quite as labour intensive as buses, because one TTC operator can move 300 passengers versus 75 riders on a bus, Giambrone said.
Transit City is bringing mobility to the people, said Mayor David Miller.
"From my perspective, the great thing is it allows everyone to live in the city," he said. "It doesn't matter your income level, you'll have rapid transit in your neighbourhood."
Miller, who was a city councillor when the Sheppard subway was approved in the 1990s, said he regrets transit development hasn't happened sooner.
"The sad thing I think is these kinds of projects should have happened 20 years ago," Miller said. "The thing I'm proud of is they're happening now."
Still, it's disappointing it wasn't a subway, which was killed for cost reasons, said Councillor Mike Del Grande (Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt).
Light rapid vehicle lines are a lot cheaper: The 14-kilometre Sheppard East line will cost about the same to build as the 6.2-kilometre Sheppard subway.
"It's second best for Scarborough," Del Grande said. "Scarborough wanted a subway and we were told we weren't going to get a subway, and if we didn't take this, it would go elsewhere. I think some improvement is better than no improvement, is what it boils down to."
Transit City needs to be built, and the sooner the better, said Michael Roschlau, president of the Canadian Urban Transit
"The suburbs are underserved by transit," Roschlau said. "All the lines are important and all the lines need to be built."