This city is deteriorating not due to a lack of vision, but a lack of taking ownership in city hall (both politicians and staff). The city is filled with plans to make this a better place, but far too many are unfunded or unapproved. The city has the funding tools it has, it can complain about needing more tools, but without them the city needs to toughen up and run a budget and raise taxes when the things they believe in need funding. Meanwhile Josh Matlow and Mike Colle hold a press conference to present that "they need answers" on the Eglinton LRT, something their level of government is not responsible to deliver. Shouldn't it be that the public is complaining to Robin Martin and Jill Andrew who should then call the province to account? Clearly the Eglinton LRT is late and I'm not sure that it is any secret that there were some legal battles between Metrolinx and the consortium... so the people who are responsible for dealing with the issue are. Is there not enough wrong with what the city is doing to focus on for these councillors? Did Toronto city hall become good money managers and completely efficient while I wasn't looking? I was unaware city infrastructure and property was so well maintained that all that remained to do was to hold other levels of government to account for not meeting the city's exacting standards.
The solutions to the security issues on the TTC will no doubt be knee jerk... like the shields to protect TTC workers. That isn't a strategy, that suggests the solution to security issues is for everyone to live their lives behind a shield, rather than questioning why violent or mentally deranged people are roaming the city. Now with some stabbings on the TTC undoubtedly if anything is done it will be half baked. It will accept that crime will occur and increase over time, rather than be committed to reducing it over time to make the city a safer city in actuality.
On the King Streetcar, the solution to improving speed seems like something easy to define and solve. Why don't some councillors and the mayor get together and hold the city to account by saying they want King Streetcar to hit some targets on line speed and reliability and hold a press conference on that? Light priority, removal of some stops, and some policing on traffic rules seems like it would lead to meaningful change.
I don't think anyone really needs to follow traffic rules anymore... I think the mantra "there are bigger crimes to solve" has led to people feeling comfortable ignoring no turning signs, blocking intersections, etc. I'm curious when the last charge for graffiti was laid. If you don't enforce the smaller things they become larger issues.
