Scarborough LRT vs Subway station map, Toronto, Canada

Confusing is the watchword for the Scarborough LRT. Metrolinx, the provincial organization with the mandate for regional transit has put in a plan called “Transit City”, and has allocated funding for a Light Rapid Transit, or LRT on Sheppard Avenue East. Environmental assessments, financial funding, purchase of rolling stock has been completed and construction work on the line has already started. In comes Rob Ford, the new Toronto mayor, who wants to put a subway on Sheppard instead. All the Transit City plans, decades in the making, are put on hold. Major Ford’s vision is to have the Sheppard line funded by the private sector, based on increased densities, namely condominium development, along the Sheppard line. Today I have no clarity on what will or should happen. There is a vacuum of information on the current plans for the Scarborough LRT.

On the pro side of the LRT is that existing densities on Sheppard East are just minimally sufficient for an LRT, but sorely low for justifying a subway line. I cannot see how any logical analysis can create the densities sufficient for a subway within 10 years. That being said, I am sure that when the Yonge subway was being built this issue was the same. But the Yonge subway was built and Toronto benefited from it with rapid expansion. Today the Yonge corridor and its subway are over capacity.

A Scarbrough subway built today will actually serve less people than an LRT. This is because the subway stops will be further apart and the subway turns south at Kennedy Road, cutting off the rest of Scarborough East. This subway route covers less than one third the LRT route. On top of this there are significantly less subway stops than LRT stops, so riders between Victoria Park and Kennedy would have to walk it to the closest subway stop. There are a lot of people who take transit east of Kennedy Road that would need to rely on a bus to get to Kennedy North (Kennedy/Sheppard) subway station. That being said, densities east of Kennedy are lower than densities between Victoria Park and Kennedy. On the plus side, when they get to the subway it would be faster to travel to the Yonge line.

Unfortunately for all Scarborough residents, no matter what solution is implemented, be it LRT or subway, residents who travel to the Yonge line will be met by an overcrowded Yonge Subway traveling south in the morning, and north in the evening. This bottleneck will still not be alleviated by either solution.

What I like about the subway solution is that it is visionary. It does away with the analysis paralysis and says, with no doubt in anyone’s mind, that Toronto East will not only thrive, but grow very quickly, and the subway will usher in this rapid growth. I believe this vision from Mayor Ford will prevail. This can only be beneficial for all of Toronto.

Subways would be faster, reducing travel time significantly. They are impervious to Canadian winters and snow. They are significantly more reliable than buses or LRTs. Cars and trucks cannot crash into them, slowing the morning commute. A subway extension from Don Mills station to Kennedy would greatly increase the now very underutilized “Stub”way from Yonge to Don Mills station, the stubway that goes nowhere. These are the obvious benefits.

Visionary also describes the way Rob Ford would partner with private companies to build and pay for the Scarborough subway. Toronto has never done public-private financing like this on a large basis. Sure you hear this verbiage in many cases, but few projects have succeeded. Private business partnering with the TTC would force the TTC and the City of Toronto into a much more financially progressive mindset that they lack today. This can only be a good thing. The TTC squanders valuable land opportunities that they own, forcing yearly increases at the fare boxes. Look no further than the progressive MRT in Hong Kong for an innovative transit operator that doubles as one of HK’s largest land developer. The TTC owns valuable land, so why are they not developing on it?

For those of us that live near Sheppard Avenue East a subway will mean years of inconvenience, a lack of subway stations and increased financial pressure on the TTC, but visionary this project is.

I support the Scarborough subway.

Addendum April 2 2011: Provincial funding backs the Eglington Crosstown Subway, leaving the Sheppard line to be fully funded by the City, to the tune of $4B. Where the City of Toronto will get their funding is unknown. Shining new transit reality is a dream lost

Will the Sheppard subway extension ever get built?

This TTC token is now rationed to only 5 per purchase. What a pain in the ass. Shame on you TTC.

It is inevitable as the seasons: a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) fare increase. Here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, our three levels of government (federal, provincial, and municipal) do not subsidize mass transit as much as other cities, so the TTC is forced to increase fares more frequently. So be it. The trouble, however, starts long before the fare increase. Prior to City officials approving the fare increase by a vote, riders buy up adult tokens, making them more scarce. The TTC tries to control this by putting limits on the number of tokens purchased at any one time. This time the limit is 5. When you use 2 per day, this limit is a huge inconvenience on all riders. Goodwill towards the TTC goes down the toilet because riders spend an inordinate amount of time waiting to buy tokens rather than carry on with their lives, or worse still is not being able to buy tokens at all.

The rate increase was approved yesterday, November 17 2009, but will take effect January 6 2010. This means that riders need to scrounge for tokens and tolerate this huge inconvenience for about 1.5 months.

Of course no riders want a fare increase. The more money we spend paying for our commute the less we have for other items. Still, is there a way to lessen the inconvenience of the transition? A couple of years ago the TTC printed tickets, which were good up until the fare increase effective date. Purchasing tickets was a good transition option. Alas tickets were easily counterfeited and was eliminated due to cost.

All large city mass transit systems are subsidized. This gets most people off the road, allowing those that do drive faster commutes, decreases air pollution and makes commuting more economical for most riders. This is untrue for Toronto:

By the late 1980s, the annual cost of keeping the TTC afloat was now up to a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayers’ money, although at 32% of all revenues, this was the lowest subsidy required of any city in North America. source

It seems every time the TTC has a fare increase, there is a run on tokens, resulting in shortages. The TTC resorts to rationing, which infuriates the riders. Whereas prior to the fare increase riders could buy a pack of 50 tokens, rationing forces riders to buy a maximum of only 5. If you take the TTC daily you need 2 a day, which means you’ll need to repurchase tokens within 2.5 days. Lineups ensue as riders quickly run out of tokens, followed by mayhem and anger against the TTC. One could lament that if riders simply did not horde tokens there would be enough for all, but logic dictates otherwise. When you know a product will increase in price and you will need it in the future, a prudent shopper will buy more today in order to spend less tomorrow. This is natural and expected human behavior.

The TTC is not set up to quickly and efficiently sell tokens. Even in the best of times the TTC works on cash only. Your choice is to buy from a ticket seller at the station, or from a vending machine at the station. Both are slow. Outside of subway stations, certain stores sell TTC tickets, but they are hit and miss, are not well marked, and often run out.

In contrast, the Hong Kong subway has fancy debit cards. They look great and serve as tourist freebies when they are finished. Fast and efficient, you buy a fixed amount of money from a vending machine and choose your design. They speed up getting on the subway. So efficient is the debit card system in HK that I am embarassed to say that their system has been in existence for going on 20 years, and Toronto has no such technology. I can’t help feel that we are so vastly underserved by the TTC.

A debit card system would greatly assist in combating the hassle regular riders face when fares increase. They would almost eliminate the need for tokens. Buy a card, put money in it. On a bus or subway, swipe and the fare will be deducted. There would be no physical object that one purchases that denotes a set fare. A rate increase would mean more will be deducted at the effective date, but the rider would not experience any inconvenience prior to this date.

Another solution would be that rate increases would be effective immediately. Though this would catch many riders by surprise, maybe a week of grace could be used, after which all fares would increase. This would greatly decrease the inconvenience experienced by riders today. This solution is akin to the “rip the bandaid off quickly, experience immediate pain, but less pain as time goes on”.

Trying to hide the fact of a rate increase would be impossible. There would also be a possibility that those in the know could make lots of money with this information.

Whatever solution is used, the current one of rationing tokens to 5 simply inconveniences and infuriates TTC riders. This solution shows just how backward thinking the TTC really is. The void of creativity cannot be covered up. One possible solution that many riders will employ is to simply not use the TTC and drive their cars to work. After all, with another 1.5 months of hell ahead of us and no solution in sight, driving would solve many problems. I would rather live my life my way and not worry about where to buy TTC tokens.