One of the reasons that people are stuck in their cars in Toronto is the problem with transit.

The good news is that we have excellent transit planned and under construction, including the 15 km Ontario Line - which will be transformative, and the 9 km Crosstown LRT, which will also be transformative when it opens (any month now, presumably).

The other good news is that we have excellent transit coverage across the city. Nearly everywhere in the city, you are just a short walk from a transit stop. Over 1.7 million rides take place on transit each day in the city. But we are a growing city - and we need to add more people without adding more cars.

So what is the problem with transit?

A thread: The first issue is the frequency of buses, streetcars, and subways. Historically the subway has been loved because of its speed and frequency. You could walk down to the platform and within minutes, a train would come. This changed when service levels were cut, post pandemic. Waiting for the subway became a thing.

Having a transit line on a map is one thing - the frequency of the train or bus or streetcar determines whether or not it is poor, good or great public transit.

Folks sometimes confuse frequency with technology, assuming that subways always run more frequently and buses always run less frequently. But of course it is possible to have a subway with low frequency and a bus service with high frequency. A bus that comes every 2-3 minutes and does not operate in mixed traffic (Bus Rapid Transit) is a higher level of service than a subway that runs every 15 minutes.

Our big problem in Toronto is frequency. We have great coverage, but terrible frequency in many places. Solving this does not require putting a shovel in the ground. It requires more buses and higher service levels.

Traffic congestion in Toronto is hitting some kind of peak. Anyone who gets in a car to go anywhere in the core knows at this point the journey will be insufferable. Cars crawl along city streets, slower than walking - when they move at all.

What if there is a simple policy fix - a miracle of sorts...that can make this problem go away?

A thread: London, England implemented a congestion charge in 2003 - and it has significantly reduced traffic volumes in central London. Initial reports indicated a 15-20% drop in traffic within the charging zone.

While there have been fluctuations over the years, the charge has generally helped to maintain lower traffic levels compared to pre-2003 figures. Imagine going back in time - 20 years - in terms of our road capacity.

The good news is that tons of transit infrastructure *is* under construction - the Finch LRT, the Crosstown LRT and now even the Scarborough subway. Of course, it’s been a long time coming, but mostly b/c we easily distracted by campaign gimmicks. Hopefully not this time.

https://twitter.com/stouffvillew/status/1629842661854126081

I’m proud of the work my planning team and I did to get these transit projects initiated, planned and procurement off the ground, including the Ontario Line (which is 2/3 the ‘relief’ line which we kickstarted during my tenure). Metrolinx is now building these projects,….

We are thrilled to announce Tyndale Green: a new rental housing community by Markee Developments in partnership with Tyndale University. All the good things: an extension of the ravine landscape, a new community hub & cafe, a new daycare, shared streets and 752 affordable homes. Crucially, 100% of the affordable homes will remain affordable in perpetuity. We are creating a community that is affordable, vibrant, walkable, environmentally sustainable, and sensitive to its natural and built surroundings.

Ontario’s proposed Highway 413 is a $6-billion sprawl accelerator. Astonishingly, it has been billed as a way to make cars move faster, but it extends so far from any destination it is estimated to shave only 30 seconds off a GTA trip. Silly! #StopThe413 theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editor… This plan is a form of subsidy for real estate developers to upend prime agricultural lands & wetlands. It will facilitate more distant & more car-dependent housing - this is the antithesis to planning for the 15-minute neighbourhood. It is a discredited 1950's development model.

This new $10-billion 400-series freeway will upend 55 km of prime farmland & conservation land across the Toronto region. This superhighway is intended to unleash another generation of sprawl. Its proponents are land speculators. Our GreenBelt is at risk.

thestar.com/business/2021/… ‘According to real estate & construction experts, the plan is more than a highway proposal. It’s a bonanza for land speculators & builders.’ The table was recently set for this with the removal of protections on environmental wetlands, by stealth (in a Covid recovery bill.)

Six years ago I was offered a wonderful new opportunity that brought me right into the heart of the public sphere — to serve the people of Toronto as Chief Planner. #Keesmaat4Mayor #topoli I truly loved working with my Planning team and with the people in the diverse neighbourhoods of this great city. I learned that Torontonians love their city and have a tremendous amount to contribute to its future. #Keesmaat4Mayor #topoli

Everyone who rides the subway to work or school every day knows that we’ve reached a crisis point. You wait on a dangerously overcrowded platform as packed train after packed train passes you by. And when you finally get on, you’re crushed. Toronto commuters need relief, now. 1/4 We have the tools available to accelerate the Relief Line and get shovels in the ground — subway riders need relief, not reports. 2/4