The term “Scarberia” originated in the ’60s and denotes a deserted area seemingly far from Toronto. For me, the word is a way of comparing Scarborough’s transit service to that of an underdeveloped hinterland.
All Torontonians have a love-hate relationship with the TTC, but anyone commuting from Scarborough would agree that we’ve been shafted. Scarborough has three meager subway stops. The Bloor line extends west through Etobicoke, and ends within sight of Mississauga. When you get to the east end of the line, Kennedy station, you can take a number of infrequent buses, or hop on the RT.
The deceptively named Rapid Transit line opened in 1985 after the TTC was charged with finding a way of connecting Toronto to the developing Scarborough Town Centre. Instead of building subways, the city opted for a cheaper solution by installing a rail line for above-ground passenger cars.
Originally, there were hopes that the RT line would reach Malvern and even Pickering. In the mid ’70s, political changes altered plans and budgets numerous times. Today, the RT is an embarrassing six stops long, five of which are barely used. When the car turns, it screeches like nails on a chalkboard. When it snows heavily, passengers are forced to map out alternative bus routes.
Most passengers get off the RT at the Scarborough Town Centre and descend two levels, where buses pull out as soon as passengers arrive. If it’s not rush hour, they’ll be waiting 30 minutes for the next bus to pull in late—if it comes at all. Instead of abundant rail lines, Scarberians have ended up with aging passenger cabins that won’t last another decade, complete with a make do system of connecting buses.
Scarborough residents who can’t afford personal transportation and don’t want to hurt the planet will only face more problems as the area grows substantially. One area of rapid growth is enrollment at Scarborough campus. UTSC has many commuting students, 57 per cent as of 2005. When the student union announces monthly metropass sales, a line extends well beyond 10 metres to the end of the Student Centre for at least two days.
At the campus UPASS referendum last year, students voted against an automatic metropass. The lack of an opt-out option is frequently cited as a reason, but perhaps students are frustrated with an inefficient, outdated system. Having taken courses on both campuses this semester, I have noted only two cases when the ride between Scarborough and St. George took under 60 minutes. People taking this commute are losing time that could be used for assignments, study, or even sleep.
The Ontario government is pushing a plan to extend the RT up to Sheppard Avenue by 2015, but this isn’t enough. The TTC has proposed its Transit City plans to build new light-rail lines around the city that connect and extend subway routes. These would essentially be trams with lanes separated from the streets, extending all the way out to Malvern and (thank God) UTSC by 2014.
After the plan was first advertised, UTSC students were buzzing. When it was announced that the 2015 Pan Am Games might take place at UTSC facilities, announcements continually highlighted the pressure it would put on Toronto to finally implement better transit.
I’m not asking for a perfect system, just something that actually works. It’s clear we have a plan that could solve a lot of looming problems, but a worldwide recession and urban-unfriendly federal government threaten these plans. Scarborough faces an inefficient, dying transit network. What governments, the TTC, and citizens need to do is opt for something more expensive that will pay off in the long run. Otherwise, Scarborough will be notorious city-wide for its Soviet-style efficiency.
