THE TORONTO PARTY transportation positions

The transportation plan unanimously re-affirmed by members of The Toronto Party in March 2008 and titled "Get Toronto Moving" recommends a policy of balanced transportation planing by supporting improvements to all forms of transportation to assist people in getting around in the mode of their choice, to vastly reduce traffic congestion and to attract investment. This balanced transportation is in contrast to current one-dimensional, anti-car, policies of the city.

The full plan can be accessed at www.gettorontomoving.ca, with another portion of the plan (the Toronto Waterfront Viaduct) accessible at www.toviaduct.com.

Recommended facility improvements include upgrades for transit, extension of the subway system, including a northern Yonge-Spadina subway loop, completion of the Spadina Subway to the Scarborough Town Centre, replacement of the Scarborough Rapid Transit line with an eastern extension of the Bloor-Danforth Subway to Malvern, a western transit extension of the Bloor-Danforth Subway to Sherway Gardens, and Eglinton Subway, a "U-shaped" Downtown Relief Subway and express transit from Union Station to Pearson Airport.

For roads, the current backlog of road repairs will be cleared up immediately, two new expressways will be built in existing available corridors, one to the northwest and one to the east, a new 401 to 407 link would eventually be built in the north, and all of the major missing links in the arterial roads grid system would be filled in. The elevated Gardiner Expressway would eventually be replaced by a new freeway on a beautiful modern cable-stayed viaduct over the parallel railway lines which would be a major tourist attraction.

For bicycles, a new system of safe extensive off-road cycle trails crossing the city along existing corridors would be constructed.

Private funding will be invited to invest in the construction of these new systems so that taxes will not have to be raised to pay for them. Construction will be carried out in three phases over a 12-year period. As one phase is constructed, environmental assessments will be carried out for the next phase.

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The committee does not support the use of tolls on the DVP or Gardiner Expressway or the introduction of congestion charging in Toronto. In London, England where congestion charging is used, The London Chamber of Commerce reports that commercial activity has declined by 9%. this has prompted 1/3 of the merchants in the area to consider relocating. 28% are considering closing their businesses. With a 38% increase in unemployment in Toronto in the last 6 years, we cannot afford to introduce a measure that will result in further job losses. The London Chamber of Commerce is now calling for an inquiry into congestion charges and the plans of the London city government to expand the charges to other zones n the city. For more information visit www.londonchamber.co.uk.

The party has also questioned the allocation of 51% of the 2007 capital budget to the Toronto Transit Commission and the cuts made to the budget to clear the $300 million backlog of road repair. The backlog on road repair is expected to reach $400 million in the near future.

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So far parts of our plan are slowly working their way into city policy. A portion of our public transportation strategy was adopted in the announcement of the TTC's Transit City plan.

In 2007, the Mayor announced a bike path plan that is similar to our party's bike path plan.

And, in Vancouver, the provincial and federal government are working with the city to build new roads and bridges through a balanced infrastructure plan much like the one our party has recommended for Toronto. See "All worked up over new roads, bridges for Vancouver area", The Toronto Star, Petti Fong.