Streetcars the wrong way to grow, says Sheppard group

Rob Ford's lead may have eclipsed the talk about any actual issues in this year's city elections. But the Save Our Sheppard (SOS) community group still wants to discuss Toronto's transportation future.

The group wants the city and province to abandon plans for light rail, also known as streetcars, on a dedicated right-of-way along Sheppard Ave. That line is the first of the Transit City projects expected to be complete. SOS wants it scrapped in favour of a subway and the group is taking the issue to the thoroughfare in question.

It will host a Transit Awareness Blitz on Wednesday, September 8th from 07:15 to 08:45 a.m. along Sheppard at three intersections: Victoria Park, Warden and Kennedy. Some pro-subway mayoral candidates have been invited but so far only Rocco Rossi has confirmed he will be at Victoria Park during the blitz. Sarah Thomson's handlers were enthusiastic but haven't promised yet to deliver her to Warden that morning and, organizers are still awaiting word on Rob Ford's appearance at Kennedy which, after all, is a very long way from Etobicoke in rush hour.

Comments

[Daniel]

If only all streetcars had dedicated right-of-way. They are unreliable and at the mercy of the terrible traffic around the city. Keep all transit underground.

[Franklin Dwight]

Street cars are an antiquated and inefficient method of public transit. Plastering over this backward step with names like 'light rail' do little to minimize the fact that Toronto continues to fall further behind other major cities in infrastructure. The TTC is 30 years out of date, and requires a serious investment, not a minor patch-up job if the city wants people to be able to continue commuting in and out of the city in any reasonable time-frame.