You may have noticed posters placed in some TTC stations advising riders that tokens will no longer be accepted at unmanned entrances. These ads represent a new, more aggressive push for adoption of the PRESTO card that has been in deployment for several years across the GTA. While there are useful qualities to tap cards, tokens have three important features that the Province of Ontario and City of Toronto overlooked when pressuring the TTC to phase out this alternative currency that has been used since the 1950s.The primary benefits of PRESTO cards stem from their ease of use in the digital era. You can “top-up” online with a credit card. That’s fine for many TTC riders. It’s not so easy for many others. Public transit is a fundamental social pillar used by some of the most vulnerable people in our society: the poor, elderly, sick, and young. For these riders, added complexity—even small levels of added complexity—are a barrier to access. Tokens are simple, well understood, easy to use, and ubiquitous. For those who cannot readily use the Internet, having to visit “select” TTC stations in person to “top-up” creates unnecessary hardship, not to mention that such money is not immediately available for use on their card. As a result, cash becomes the next simplest, viable alternative. And the cash fare is roughly 12% more, effectively the same as sales tax!Taxing the vulnerable is a practice we detest, but there are deeper issues such as identity. Not all TTC riders can easily establish and maintain a verifiable identity—something that is required to have a PRESTO card. Tokens are anonymous, untraceable, and that’s a good thing. Even assuming the best case of world-class technology and privacy law adherence, recent history repeatedly teaches us that it’s not enough. A support worker at a homeless shelter or food bank can hand a token to a visitor effortlessly—not so with a PRESTO card.It is true that transit users can currently still use the “main entrances” of TTC stations in order to pay with tokens. The overlooked result is a social-class divide, where vulnerable riders are no longer allowed to use the unmanned entrances they had used for decades with tokens & turnstiles. Instead, they must go wait in long lines with the other “people who refuse to modernize”, corralled into a place for that lower class of rider. Tokens do not draw lines across social class like PRESTO cards. Preventing the use of tokens to some entrances will not increase PRESTO card adoption. It simply separates people according to entrances in a manner that were decried in social movements of decades past, with no tangible benefit.I am not advocating against the PRESTO card. It has value. My concern rests with phasing out the token so aggressively. The TTC reassures us that it is a “transition period” and that a “network of vendors will eventually be established” to support single-ride anonymous card purchases. Yet, in the meantime, it is barrelling forward constraining token usage without viable alternatives in place. Why not simply delay token phase out until everything is ready? Modernizing transit need not create social class divides.
Subways and Art in Toronto
Most of the world’s greatest cities have acknowledged the importance of creating beautiful subway stations. These public investments not only attract tourist but they create inviting, attractive public places for everyone to enjoy on their daily commute.After the Yonge and Bloor subways were constructed the public reacted to the gaunt design and utilitarian nature of the stations. Now, the engineers that run our transit system are eminently practical. They are totally focused on making sure the trains run on time. They don’t want to waste money on “art” when it can be spent on brake shoes and that’s understandable because the transit systems in Toronto is one of the most underfunded in the world.The TTC grudgingly adopted a public art policy but it was ½% for art and it applied only to the areas of the subway to which the public has access. The frugal executives at the TTC figured they had to spend about that much on wall tiles anyway so they might as well make them pretty. That’s why the kind of art done in our subway stations is now almost always tile designs and are sometimes not very inspiring.One of the most beautiful installations on the Spadina line is the “Arc en Ciel” at the Yorkdale Station. It was created by Michael Hayden a Canadian Artist who has since achieved worldwide recognition for his light sculptures. “Arc en Ciel” consisted of 158 multi-coloured neon lamps installed in the arched roof of the station that created a dazzling moving rainbow effect whenever a train entered or left the station. Over time water leaks damaged the transformers and rather than incurring the expense of replacing them (which Michael said would have been less than $1,000) the TTC pulled everything out. In 1978, after the work was completed Michael moved to California where he lives and works today. He is best known for his installation at O’Hare airport in Chicago and is now working on a 350 foot pedestrian tunnel in Cleveland.I am passionate about public art. In real life, before I was elected, I was a junior high school art teacher. When I became chair of the TTC I was determined to see the return of the rainbow at Yorkdale station. That opportunity came in 2010 when Yorkdale Shopping Centre approached me as the local councillor for help in securing building permits to expand the mall. I signed a memorandum of co-operation with them for about $2M in community benefits, $325,000 of which was set aside for the restoration of the “Arc en Ceil”.The project was approved by the Commission that year and it has taken more than 6 years to work its way through TTC bureaucracy. Because of delays, and what with the change in the American dollar and rising prices, the cost of the project has ballooned to $800,000. I once asked a developer what is was like working with the TTC. His answer: “I’d rather have pins pushed into my eyeballs.”With help of Josh Colle, the current chair of the TTC we managed to finally raise the funds and the momentum to push forward. Toronto Council put their final stamp of approval on the project at their July 2016 meeting.Lighting technology has gone through a revolutionary change since the ‘Arc en Ciel’ was first installed in 1978. Neon has been replaced by LED lights with computer controlled pixels one inch apart. Michael is furiously working on the computer program that will pilot the new installation at his home in Santa Rosa, California. The finished work is scheduled to be installed by a Toronto firm called the Brothers Markle Inc. in October 2016.The goal is to flip the switch that turns the rainbow on in mid-November: watch for it! In Michael’s words, “It will be magnificent.”
Your TTC Fare Will Go Up in Downsview
Metrolinx, the Provincial body in charge of building transit in the GTA, is considering a number of changes on how we pay for transit. This conversation will result in the average trip being more expensive for residents in Downsview.Metrolinx is doing this, because of budget pressures and because different modes of transit (buses vs. trains) and the distance of each trip (1km vs. 10km) need to be factors in calculating the price of each trip.Currently, a trip from Downsview to the downtown core, which normally requires a bus and a subway ride, costs the same as a trip from Bay St. and Queen St. to Bay St. and Bloor St. -one bus ride. This means that people in inner suburbs benefit from a system that understands that the distances traveled in the suburbs are greater than they are in the downtown core.Metrolinx is considering changing this. Their rationale for questioning the current system is that it is not fair to charge the same price for someone that rides a train versus a bus, or takes a short trip versus a long trip. What this misses is that the accountant's methodology to building transit will create a dysfunctional system.If we want more people riding transit, we need to figure out a transit system that caters to the needs of riders, not the other way around. Metrolinx seems to be coming to the decision that the riders need to meet the demands of the transit system -they've done this before.Leading up to the PanAm games, Metrolinx built the UP Express from Union Station to Pearson International Airport. Their business model assumed that there would be a wealthy market of transit riders that would pay a premium fee for the convenience of the service they created. What they missed, is that most of the transit trips to the airport were made by the 10,000 employees who are employed by the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA). Since the service was not practical, or affordable for most of the employees, the trains ride mostly empty -even a reduction in fares has not changed ridership.The UP Express experience should have taught Metrolinx that its focus on market based transit building is not a viable model. For Downsview, this could mean a more expensive transit fare in the next couple of years. Let us not forget where the decision are being made: the Province is not investing in the operating costs of transit, so Metrolinx is trying to come up with the money by raising the price of transit.
LRT Transit: A Modern Route for Public Transportation
In a growing community, such as Downsview, getting around can be a hurdle -to say the least. We have to account for traffic jams, congested highways, and public transit delays and an increase in cars on the road has contributed to our city’s growing pollution problems.A new transit model has been proposed and it is expected to eliminate a gigantic portion of the above mentioned issues. The Light Rail Transit (LRT) is an innovative model on route to take over public transit in Toronto. This environmentally friendly approach, high passenger capacity and cost efficient blueprint will give passengers a better experience.Metrolinx along with the Toronto Transit Commission have come together to build the Eglinton Crosstown, Finch West LRT and Sheppard East LRT. The LRT will tackle a very congested portion of the city making public transportation much more accessible without having to build expensive and outdated subways stations.The LRT is not only a luxurious mode of public transportation but it is also eco-friendly as it runs on wind and solar energy. Besides, LRT vehicles can carry 255 passengers per train which is triple the amount compared to buses that only have the capacity to carry 55 passengers on board. The average speed of LRT’s is 27 kilometers per hour; making it slower compared to subway train (39 km/hr) but much faster than a bus (17 km/hr). Another perk about this modern vehicle is that it has multiple door where it facilitates the entrance and exiting of passengers; including those with disabilities.Furthermore, many residents will benefit from using the LRT’s in a timely and efficient manner as several will run on existing streetcars lines without being affected by other traffic.Symone Walters, who is actively involved in the community through the Community Action Planning Group, has expressed other benefits for the betterment of the community that will surround these transit projects. Walters hopes “employment opportunities will be implemented through these transit lines as the demand for more transit grows.” She anticipates people in the community will be “enticed to use public transportation”, specifically because the LRT as an easier and faster form of transportation. Lastly she expressed that “having LRT vehicles above ground can attract passengers to discover our growing community.”Although the overall project is estimated to take 25 years, the first phase has already begun with construction along Eglington Ave. There will be 25 stops from Mount Dennis to Kennedy Ave., this portion is expected to be completed by 2021.The execution of Toronto’s new transit plan is expected to exceed everyone’s expectations. From its ability to transport more passengers at once to its eco-friendly technology and the thousands of job opportunities it will create. We are moving towards world class public transportation –something all transit takers in Toronto deserve!
On the Go? Grab Some Fresh Fruits and Vegetables during your Commute
If you regularly commute through Downsview Station you may have recently noticed a food market with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Grab Some Good TTC pop-up food market is an initiative by Toronto Public Health, the TTC, and FoodShare Toronto to make healthy and affordable food more accessible throughout the city.The produce sold at the pop-up market comes directly from the Ontario Food Terminal (which is the main food distribution centre for Toronto,) and from local farms who supply seasonal produce. This guarantees low-cost high-quality fresh produce that is never sitting on a shelf.The pop-up market has a variety of affordable and fresh produce including: oranges, cantaloupe, watermelons strawberries, blackberries, carrots, kiwis, peaches, pineapples, lettuce, kale, spinach, cilantro, bell peppers, eggplant, garlic, mushrooms, avocados, cauliflower, cilantro, garlic, ginger, and other produce. For commuters that needed a meal on the go there were fresh salads and fruit cups available.Barbara Emanuel, Manager of Healthy Living at Toronto Public Health explained that, “prices are as low as possible to enable access to fresh produce,” which encourages commuters to make healthier food choices without breaking their food budget.In addition to providing healthy food alternatives at affordable prices, FoodShare employs community members like Rickysha Jean-Baptiste, a lifetime resident of the Downsview neighbourhood, who works at the pop-up market. Rickysha began working with FoodShare Toronto after completing a placement through the University of Guelph-Humber, where she studies. Her passion for the Grab Some Good market is visible through the friendly customer service she provides to commuters. According to Rickysha, her and her colleagues usually serve over 100 customers in their 4 hours of operation, and consistently receive positive feedback from commuters who would love to see an earlier start time for the pop-up market.The Grab Some Good pop-up market is a pilot project that started in May 2016, and will hopefully become a permanent fixture at Downsview Station. You can purchase affordable, fresh, diverse, and healthy produce at Downsview Station on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
Construction Progress at York University Station
Since the conception of the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension, I have worked together with the community, the city, and the TTC on fulfilling the objectives of the project to ensure transit in our community is improved. To date, the tunnelling for the six new subway stations is complete and the remaining construction involves the station infrastructure and subway tracks which are well underway.Today, the York University Station is a visible part of the campus and the construction of the station's interior is moving along steadily. The station's six escalators have been installed, and the electrical and mechanical infrastructure work have started. At the centre of the station is a light well, a glass curtain wall that provides natural light and a view of the York University campus for transit users. Additionally, the glass surfaces of the station will be glazed to ensure that it is bird-friendly. The distinctive shape of the roof will be finished with solar reflective material and is intended to keep the station cooler.As construction of the station nears completion, the work to re-open the roads for transit on York Boulevard will begin later this summer. I share the community's enthusiasm to inaugurate the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension in late 2017.
The problem with a free ride
I am not a fan of Uber. In fact, the more I come to understand the concept of what Uber is, the more I dislike Uber, but let me explain why.
I was at the corner of Bathurst and Sheppard not too long ago. I went there to meet a friend for a coffee. And as I pulled into the coffee shop, there was this tent set up with this little table. And the roof of the tent said Uber. The tent had some four or five young people, and there was this young woman, very bubbly. She was recruiting people for Uber.
But I sat there for a few minutes, and imagine this: they were offering you a job and free gas! So I thought to myself “wow, how does it get better than that? Here they are on street corners offering you a job! And free gas as well!”
Well, it then dawned on me that Uber is no more than an app based recruitment agency! That is really their function. That is at the core of who they are.
You know what the lifespan of an Uber? Three months. And the wage? $11.00 per hour (Source: http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/) . That’s not a job. As a worker, you are better off delivering pizzas or working at Wal-Mart. More job security and better pay.
You know who the real winner in all of this is? It’s not even the consumer. Uber only cares about the bottom line. Cases like a man who got charged over $1000 for a 40 minute ride are not the exception (Source: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/uber-customers-taking-legal-action-for-expensive-new-year-s-eve-rides-1.2729078). The winner is Uber. It’s the recruitment agency. They want to monopolize the industry so that they can charge whatever they want. When they can they try to gauge employees and consumers. If the competition was gone, your Uber ride would go through the roof.
For the workers, the drivers, they already had a tough time. There’s shift drivers, there’s agents, there’s brokers, there’s license-plate owners and people who own cars, it was never a playing field. The drivers were overworked and not well paid in general. Uber is no better and no different than any temp agency, but they are not even at the bad boss level. A bad boss may want to fire you without reason. Uber claims they have no employees driving cars. That they are just an app. What drivers get from this deal is little money, no future, and a little free gas. They end up paying for the vehicle, the insurance and yes, they pay for the gas too.
Toronto budget talks in Downsview
The city’s 2016 budget forgets most vulnerable populationsIt was a full house at the Bathurst-Finch Community Hub last month when concerned Downsview residents gathered to learn about Toronto’s 2016 budget.The forum was organized by Social Planning Toronto as part of their Budget Watch series of events. Presenters Israt Ahmed of Social Planning Toronto and Myles Stocker of TTC Riders focused on the need for new revenue tools and the lack of support in the budget for the city’s most vulnerable populations.“The city doesn’t have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem” said Ahmed. Social Planning Toronto is asking questions about how the city can create new and equitable revenue tools. They are advocating that we cannot continue to rely so heavily on revenue sources such as the Residential Property Tax, which disproportionately affects lower-income families. As indicated in a briefing note by City staff, possible revenue tools could include an LCBO tax, which could generate $44 million, a parking tax at $300 million and a tobacco tax that could net $25 million.Also facing issues with revenue and subsidies is the Toronto Transit Commission, which was another focal point of the meeting. The TTC is the city’s second highest cost only behind the police budget, yet we still face consistent fare hikes and little improvement to service.
Stocker highlighted the fact that the TTC is the least subsidized transit system in North America. “If more people knew, we’d be more ashamed about it” he said. “There have been no subsidy increases and riders are expected to pick up the slack for the system being underfunded. Government has to accept that you can’t pay for the system through the fare box.”How does this lack of funding for the TTC affect communities like Downsview? Stocker noted that since much of the attention is often around capital projects, communities relying heavily on bus services are forgotten. “New projects are great but we also need to focus on existing services that need improvement” he said.TTC Riders has been advocating for a low-income Metropass to improve equity and accessibility within our transit system. The current cost of a monthly pass is out of reach for many and even the cash fare increase that took effect in January of this year creates a greater struggle. This need for funding to address the growing lack of affordability within our city is also a core concern at Social Planning Toronto, where they have been tirelessly championing the Poverty Reduction Strategy.In November 2015, City Council unanimously approved the Poverty Reduction Strategy, yet there is not enough new investment in the budget to help those suffering from poverty. Communities like Downsview have a voice and need to speak up for those who are most vulnerable. Ahmed was sure to remind us of this before encouraging everyone to get involved; “People think politics is just for elections. Politics is everyday. Speak out.”City Council approved the 2016 budget on February 17th but Social Planning Toronto and TTC Riders will continue to advocate for the Poverty Reduction Strategy and equitable transit access. They both have petitions and information on how you can get involved on their websites: www.socialplanningtoronto.orgwww.ttcriders.ca
The future of the busway corridor near York University
We opened the York University Busway in 2009 when I was Chair of the TTC. It is a bus only roadway linking the Downsview station to York University and was constructed to address over- crowding and reliability issues on route 196, the York University Rocket. The busway is used by the TTC, York Region and Go Transit busses. There are some 1.400 busses a day servicing York University. The busway increased the average speed of route 196 by 41% making it the third fastest TTC route at rush hour and it is now faster than any of the subway lines. Due to the savings in time from using the busway, service frequency on route 196 was increased while at the same time we were able to lower the operating costs by reducing the number of buses needed to service the route from 20 to 16. Negotiating land for the route with York University was difficult. The University did not want to give up an inch of their land to accommodate the busway. In the end, they only agreed to allow access to their lands on a temporary basis; until such time as the subway was built. Now that the subway is nearing completion and the section northward onto the campus is scheduled to be removed, the city has to decide what to do with the balance of the busway through the hydro corridor. This road cost $37M to construct. $18.4M was contributed by the City of Toronto and the balance paid in equal shares by the Governments of Canada and Ontario. Now that we are constructing the Finch West LRT, expected to be completed by 2021, it appears that the busway will become redundant. I am proposing an alternative to closing it; convert the Busway to an Oil Tanker Route. The busway should be retained, converted to an oil tanker only route and extended westward to connect directly with highway 400. This would provide a unique opportunity to keep the oil trucks away from the Subway stations, reduce wear and tear on the pavement, and relieve some of the traffic congestion in the Finch corridor. In fact, it might be a good way to remove all heavy trucks from Keele Street. So, who will pay for this? Well, the oil companies of course. Before you shed a tear for the big oil companies, as most of the politicians in this election seem to be, consider that the price of a barrel of oil has dropped by half but the price of gas at the pump hasn’t. You can be sure that the oil companies will continue to register even higher profits this year. I would bring back the David Miller Vehicle Tax but this time, instead of putting it on passenger cars, I would put the tax on trucks over 20 tonnes and use that money to extend the busway. I would pass a bylaw that prohibits heavy trucks from using Finch Avenue and Cheeswood Rd, forcing them onto the Busway (now a truck corridor). The city could instead levy a highway 407 type toll on oil trucks. In any case, it could all be done without spending a dime of public funds. It would provide a safe, direct route for trucks into and out of the tank farms without compromising subway safety. Otherwise it’s only a matter of time before we have an oil spill into the subway that would make the Murray Road propane explosion look like a Canada Day firecracker.
Gardiner Expressway Should be a Park
By Julian Heller
Great cities have great parks. New York. London. Paris. Toronto?
In my opinion the recent debate about tearing down a short stretch of the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto missed the point entirely.
While traffic on the portion in question from Jarvis Street to the DVP has very low numbers of vehicles, and the time for travel will only be slightly affected, hardly anyone talked about the great possibilities which could be realized, for the benefit of generations to come.
Commuters from northwest Toronto would almost never actually use that stretch of roadway so what should citizens be asking for?
Like Downsview Park, an historic opportunity to create a linear park from the Don River to the Humber River where the ugly elevated Gardiner now stands, would give all of Toronto a world-class park connecting the city to Lake Ontario.
Montreal built a tunnel for a highway right under downtown many years ago. That city has also built subways year after year. It, of course, has the park on top of Mount Royal. Never mind the Leafs-Habs “rivalry” – this is about city-building.
There are several long standing design ideas for Toronto’s solution which have been floating around since the 1990’s, but no one has had the courage to make it happen.
Here’s how in 4 steps:
1.Build a tunnel under the Lake, or drop a pre-cast tunnel on the lake bed to accommodate vehicle traffic from Park Lawn to the DVP.
2.Once the tunnel is ready to take the traffic flow, demolish the Gardiner.
3. Open excavate a subway line to extend the downtown relief line westward along the path of the Gardiner.
4. Put a park on top. This would be at ground level.
The cost? Priceless. A gem for the ages, many construction jobs, and a much needed subway.
As they say in the hockey world, “Get’er Done!”
What would you like to see happen with
the Gardiner
Expressway?
E-mail us your thoughts at
info@downsviewadvocate.ca