a street against the city is a street that doesn't deserve the city
On Tuesday, October 11th, 2005, the divisional court of Ontario ruled in favour of a group opposed to the construction of a dedicated right-of-way for streetcars on St Clair Avenue West. As a result, the City of Toronto may have to abandon the plan for a DROW, which would have the following effects:
-the loss of millions of taxpayer dollars in planning costs already spent on a project that can no longer proceed
-the likely penalty by contracts already tendered to construct the DROW
-further delay to replace tracks that needed to be replaced two years ago
This blogger is disgusted that a small group of business owners and residents opposed to the project has successfully derailed a project that would improve public transit on a street and promote the revitalization of a neighbourhood. Furthermore, it is appalling that this group can win the case based on technicalities and semantics, despite the fact that it is a well known fact that this is one of the most intensely researched and consulted projects in the history of the City of Toronto. Lastly, a group whose primary tactics are based upon inciting fear and spreading unfounded myths should not have the power to overturn the decision of elected officials, including the Minister of the Environment, the TTC Commission, and City Council.
Efforts in the past to support the Dedicated Right of Way, in this blog's opinion, have been too intelligent and too tame compared to the seemingly aggressive activities of the opposition groups. Therefore, we propose to the residents of the City of Toronto to BOYCOTT St Clair Avenue. Their outrageous position demands an outrageous response.
Don't Shop There. Don't Eat There. Don't Go There.
The businesses should lose as much as the City has as a result of their actions. They should lose as much as the 35,000 people who ride the St Clair streetcar daily who will not see their travel options improved.
We recognize there are businesses on the street who support the right-of-way. We're now encouraging them to be as vocal as the opposition groups. Display signs showing your support of public transit that brings more people onto the street than cars do, and therefore, more potential shoppers.
There's still many myths out there, even in news reports reporting the events of today. This blog will debunk these myths, provide the truth, and a forum for those who support the streetcar to do so.
LINKS OF INTEREST
Toronto Star story on Ruling
-the loss of millions of taxpayer dollars in planning costs already spent on a project that can no longer proceed
-the likely penalty by contracts already tendered to construct the DROW
-further delay to replace tracks that needed to be replaced two years ago
This blogger is disgusted that a small group of business owners and residents opposed to the project has successfully derailed a project that would improve public transit on a street and promote the revitalization of a neighbourhood. Furthermore, it is appalling that this group can win the case based on technicalities and semantics, despite the fact that it is a well known fact that this is one of the most intensely researched and consulted projects in the history of the City of Toronto. Lastly, a group whose primary tactics are based upon inciting fear and spreading unfounded myths should not have the power to overturn the decision of elected officials, including the Minister of the Environment, the TTC Commission, and City Council.
Efforts in the past to support the Dedicated Right of Way, in this blog's opinion, have been too intelligent and too tame compared to the seemingly aggressive activities of the opposition groups. Therefore, we propose to the residents of the City of Toronto to BOYCOTT St Clair Avenue. Their outrageous position demands an outrageous response.
Don't Shop There. Don't Eat There. Don't Go There.
The businesses should lose as much as the City has as a result of their actions. They should lose as much as the 35,000 people who ride the St Clair streetcar daily who will not see their travel options improved.
We recognize there are businesses on the street who support the right-of-way. We're now encouraging them to be as vocal as the opposition groups. Display signs showing your support of public transit that brings more people onto the street than cars do, and therefore, more potential shoppers.
There's still many myths out there, even in news reports reporting the events of today. This blog will debunk these myths, provide the truth, and a forum for those who support the streetcar to do so.
LINKS OF INTEREST
Toronto Star story on Ruling
posted by TTCtoken at 5:18 PM
6 Comments:
i [heart] St.Clair Ave.
The sheer stupidity of the SOS group is unbelievable. Here we are, trying to bring Toronto into the 21st century with a clean, green solution for transit, and all that this group can do is to spread false rumours about the project. Shame.
I will boycott all stores on St. Clair that do not prominently display support for the ROW.
Listen, you guys are the dumbest shits that ever walked this planet. Sit you fucking ass down dumb bitches.
Today, many of the trucks delivering to stores along St Clair do so by double parking. Traffic is able to get around them by zigging onto the streetcar tracks, then zagging back.
We should bear in mind that all of the things that are currently bought along St Clair are bought there because residents of the neighbourhood prefer to buy them there. If the ROW is built, those St Clair stores will close because they will be unable to receive their goods in through the front door. Most of them have no laneways or back doors. During most of the day, a single double parked truck will completely block all traffic on St Clair. Once goods are no longer available on St Clair, people who buy there now will have to jump on the TTC to visit larger stores. Good for the TTC, but remember the cost: $4.00 per roundtrip currently. Or even worse, they may jump in their cars and drive somewhere ... surely not what we want to encourage!
During the court hearing (I was there), the TTC lawyer actually argued that the stores could survive by having their delivery trucks park in the no parking zones. What hypocrisy. It showed the court clearly that the TTC and the City have not done their homework on this ROW.
I don't think SOS is opposed to efficient public transit. SOS is just saying, let's listen to everybody (which was NOT done during the so-called consultation process), let's think everything through carefully, and do what is best for everybody. Including (for example) all the elderly and disablled residents of the St Clair neighbourhoods who need those little local shops.
In the St.Clair area there were both residents and business people who were in favour of the ROW; and those who were against it held that view for a number of reasons, none of which positions them "against the city". One is not against the city because one wants to preserve neighbourhoods, because one wants to preserve shop-and-walk neighbourhoods, because one wants to avoid gridlock and blocked traffic, because one believes that cyclists and pedestrians should also be on the list of priorities, or because one is concerned about access of emergency vehicles. So the idea of boycotting St.Clair is nonsense. The problem is that the TTC spent so much time and money on diversions i.e. the discussion of 9 alternatives for transit improvemement. If they had just put the rapid transit plan on the table in the first place, then there might have been a fair and thorough assessment of the impact. The process was excruciatingly long and tedious. But it was not effective. I attended all meetings and even some citizen workshops. But so much of it was just diversion. Reliable information was hard to come by, and I felt that people's real concerns were never addressed by the planners and TTC officials.
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