Metrolinx, the agency in charge of the city’s transit makeover, unveiled its long-awaited $50-billion plan to expand the transportation system throughout the GTA. The 25-year plan is the largest of its kind in North America in more than half a century.
Metrolinx chair Rob MacIsaac ruled out funding the initiative through a dramatic fare increase, promising no new fees or tolls until 2013. However, the plan fails to outline who will foot the bill.
The plan aims to have 75 per cent of GTA residents living within 2 km of a rapid transit line, up from 42 per cent today.
Despite this modest progress of saving five minutes a day, MacIsaac argued that the new transit spending is essential. Toronto is estimated to grow by 2.6 million people over the next 25 years, “Not proceeding with this plan would be higher than the cost of proceeding with it. We cannot be scared away from this challenge,” he said.
Metrolinx has identified eight goals, few of which are likely to appeal to students. Among these are implementing a complete walking and cycling network with bike-sharing programs. U of T students who live in the 905 region may benefit from an integrated transit fare system based on the “smart card” model that has been adopted in cities such as Montreal and Madrid. A high tech information system will help passengers plan their trip and pay either online or by phone. Finally, Metrolinx plans to create a network of connected mobility hubs. The plan calls for hubs to be more than just stations, but rather destinations unto themselves.
Andrae Griffith, a student at Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning who sits on the Regional Transportation Plan Advisory Committee. noted, “There will be about 7000 km of bike lanes and I think a lot of students will definitely appreciate that infrastructure.”
Rachel Strong, a fourth-year student from Richmond Hill, thinks that the transit system definitely needs to be upgraded. “I drive to school everyday,” she said. “If I could get downtown faster and without having to hop from one bus to the next, then for sure I would consider it.”
