I'd love for a survey to be created regarding the transportation habits of people who live within 500 metres north of Steeles. In built form, this area is no different from the rest of York Region, except that it is within walking distance of one of the best served TTC routes in the city. With transit fares about 50-60% lower than the rest of York Region and frequencies comparable to any downtown streetcar route, I bet transit usage is massive. You would save nearly $1,500 per year by walking a little farther to Steeles and cutting YRT out of your trip.
I like to imagine those numbers are sitting somewhere in a dusty TTC file cabinet, never to be opened.
I think such survey data would indisputably prove the need for major fare reform, for starters. If people (especially in the 416) want to harp on forever about what their property taxes pay for etc., that's just peachy. But anyone who wants to sincerely start looking at how to get suburbanites on transit, how to reduce 'gridlock,' and what low-hanging fruit there are for streamlining transit as a REGIONAL concept (instead of just being about how to get 416ers around, while also grudgingly allowing 905ers to get to/from work), the Yonge-Steeles intersection is a good place to spend a day.
Count the hundreds of buses going by, watch the YRT/VIVA buses not pick up Torontonians even though they're all trying to get to Finch, see the number of people finding ways to dodge the double fare (by getting dropped off, walking or driving to Finch) and you will see a problem that should be Job One for Metrolinx after they finally implement some kind of regional investment strategy, and have Presto fully online.
It's not just that it's costing YRT money or even skewing their ridership numbers. It's that the whole setup is antithetical to fostering a transit culture and all the good stuff that comes with doing so successfully.
