City calls for Sheppard subway financing plan

The clearest indication yet of how Mayor Rob Ford is looking to finance his Sheppard subway extensions is revealed in a new request for proposals posted by the city on behalf of the Toronto Transit Infrastructure Ltd.

That's the consulting arm of the TTC that was pressed into service to apply for federal funding for privately backed infrastructure projects.

The document shows that TTIL is looking for a consultant that would come up with a plan on how development charges, tax increment financing and development rights over subway stations, could be used to pay for the subway, which Ford wants to extend west of Yonge to Downsview station and east to Kennedy, running seamlessly onto the Scarborough RT tracks.

The $200,000 contract would also include revenue forecasts on each of the city's planned transit expansion routes, including the provincially funded Eglinton Crosstown.

The request for bidder proposals suggests that any increase in value and development charges realized along the Eglinton line could potentially be poured back into the Sheppard corridor, something that raised eyebrows at the Toronto Environmental Alliance, which continues to campaign for a return to the more affordable light rail transit plan that Ford rejected.

"This basically means the benefits of any new development or construction along Eglinton are going to be redirected to the Sheppard West or East," said TEA's Jamie Kirkpatrick.

"If I lived along Eglinton or I was a councillor along there I’d be asking a lot of questions about what does this actually mean for my community," he said.

Transit blogger Steve Munro echoed some of those concerns.

"This begs the question of how we would ever fund rapid transit entirely with TIF revenue when we must raid the benefits of other projects," he wrote.

The other thing that's clear from the document is how many revenue sources would be required to build the project that was seen as a white elephant even before the existing Sheppard stubway was constructed.

"You could raise some money but it's not even in the ball park of what you would need," said City Councillor Joe Mihevc, who was a long-serving TTC commissioner and vice-chair of that board before he was exiled by the Ford administration.

Even those who don't re-develop their properties could be asked to pay more in taxes once the subway is built, he said.

In addition, the idea of charging development premiums along the corridor didn't work before and it won't work now, said Mihevc. The last time the city dug a hole on Sheppard it had the effect of encouraging more development on Yonge St. There's still plenty of alternatives for developers who don't want to pay a special levy, he said.

Consultants have until June 1 to bid on the job. The city has until the end of June to apply for Ottawa's $1.2 billion infrastructure program.

 

Transit guru arrives next week looking for TTC gravy

 
David Gunn has finally ended weeks of speculation and said, "I do," to the TTC. He arrives next week to search out the rivers of gravy some believe run through Toronto's subway tunnels.

TTC chief general manager Gary Webster is on the record welcoming the second set of eyes in preparation for what's expected to be a historically difficult budget cycle in 2012. 

But he worked with Gunn when he was at the TTC through the difficult period of 1995 to 1999. So he knows where the transit guru is likely to cast his eyes in search of efficiencies. Webster doesn't believe he's overlooked much.

He buys into Gunn's philosophy that maintaining the system has to come before expanding it. Ideally you do both, he says. But you can't compromise safety in the name of expansion and you can't spend money you don't have.

 

Could the Red Rocket retire to Florida?

Should the Rocket be teal? That's one line of comment on Metro Jacksonville, a civic affairs website that examines issues and solutions for Florida's largest city.

Apparently teal is the colour of the Jacksonville Jaguars, that city's football team.

The site suggests Jacksonville buy the TTC's old cars if it the city decides to join the streetcar renaissance that's been going on in places like Portland, San Diego and Houston.

Jacksonville, it says, has a mobility plan that could fund fixed rail around 2030, according to the site. But it could be nearly that long before Toronto is ready to let go of its CLRVs and ALRVs, which won't be immediately sold or scrapped when the new light rail vehicles arrive in Bombardier starting in 2013.

Because we're already short of streetcars, the existing 35-year-old models will still be needed to furnish the existing 11 downtown lines.

Metro Jacksonville suggests that buying Toronto's old Rockets would save the city millions if it decides to jump aboard light rail. But the website is also clear that Toronto's cars would be a victory for substance over style: "While many may not view the CLRV as being "sexy" like the modern streetcar, cost savings would be in the tens of millions, considering modern streetcars run as much as $3 million per vehicle," says the website.

 

Late-night bus service set to take a trim

It's an open secret that some bus service is expected to take a hit when the TTC releases its operating budget . But it's not clear whether the details will be publicly available before transit officials depute before the city's budget committee on Friday, Jan. 14.

Any service reductions would likely be on poor-performing routes between 10p.m. and 1a.m., said transit workers union head Bob Kinnear, who was informed about three weeks ago that a few bus routes would likely have their hours trimmed.

"Every year we re-allocate the routes so it's likely some routes will change but what that looks like I can't say right now without the benefit of having the budget come before the commission," TTC chair Karen Stintz told The Toronto Star on Wednesday.

And "change" doesn't necessarily mean "cut," she warned.

Asked if a fare increase was on the table, Stintz would only say, "Again, it's being reviewed right now."

There will be a TTC board meeting to discuss budgets but Stintz said it wasn't clear whether that would take place before Jan. 14 or after. She attributed some of the uncertainty to this year's expedited City Hall budget process.

"We're working under these compressed timelines and it's making everything a little more fluid," she said.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross has warned that any talk of service cuts is premature. But there are only three ways the TTC can find operating money: cut service, increase fares or obtain increased government subsidies.

 

 



Audit shows busy subway stations still need attention

The Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area released its December TTC scorecard this week. It identifies mostly routine maintenance issues at the south end of the Yonge-University subway line.

Although the scorecard notes there has been continuous improvement since last year, the actual score suggests that there's a way to go.

There is nothing to suggest that the introduction of station managers at the Queen and King stations has enhanced the stations' appearance.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross suggested that many of the issues identified in the audit are longer-term problems. Here's his email response:

"The TTC has an ongoing program to keep on top of litter and other issues, such as water leaks, brake dust and the removal of gum. Many of the observations in the report cited do require longer-term fixes and staff resources, particularly leak remediation. Light fixtures and lenses that were noted as missing is something we’re working to address with another supplier, as some of the parts are no longer available. Missing ceiling slats are a result of other work that is being carried out that requires us to remove the slats until that other work is completed," he wrote.

"Maintaining the appearance of subway stations to a level of acceptance or better is an important part of the TTC’s commitment to customer service. The TTC recognizes that even superficial blemishes can leave a bad impression with visitors to the city. Our daily riders also want clean subway stations, as do we. The TTC looks forward to continuing work with the BIA to further improve station appearances downtown, but also across the entire system."

Beauty in the eye of the rider

 
The idea of elevated light rail has frequently been dismissed as a non-starter in Toronto. The fear is that it could create Gardiner Expressway-like scenarios around the city and interfere with above-ground utility lines.

But this photo of the Brentwood Station on Vancouver's Millennium line, sent by Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig, proves it needn't be ugly and could in fact add a little wow to the landscape. Of course this picture is shot from above, not the view most people would enjoy. Other photos online, however, show that the station is still arresting from the rider's perspective.

Metrolinx and the TTC are analyzing the potential impacts of above-grade trains as a way to meet Mayor Rob Ford's goal of reserving road space for cars but expanding transit. Building above ground is less expensive than burying rail lines. With automated light rail such as that used in Vancouver it's also cheaper to operate because you don't have to pay drivers and computerized signalling means you can run more trains.

The technology being used in Vancouver is the next generation of Toronto's SRT, which theoretically can also operate unstaffed.

Metrolinx interest in Sumitomo trains now official

Metrolinx has issued a statement confirming its interest in piggybacking on a pending order in California for Sumitomo Corp. of America trains that could run on the Toronto air-rail link. The Sumitomo bid was reportedly about $22 million lower than the lowest among five competing bids.

GO Transit president Gary McNeil, who has been leading the ARL project until a full-time executive can be hired, probably in January, said that companies such as Bombardier and Siemens also manufacture this type of equipment. But nobody makes it in Canada.

At the Metrolinx board meeting Tuesday, McNeil restated his earlier comments to The Toronto Star that locomotives are exempt from Ontario's recent 25 per cent Canadian content requirements.

But the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) agency that is poised to buy 18 of the cars for about $57 million, apparently won't make a final decision until December after several SMART board members missed the agency's November meeting, according to a report last week by the Marin Independent Journal.

 

TTC takes a bath and comes up looking like $1 million

You won't need sunglasses to protect your eyes from the dazzling tiles and ceiling slats, but if the subway looks a little brighter lately, it's not your imagination or another break in the tunnel.

The TTC is on a cleaning binge attempting to muck out all 69 stations by the end of the year with the help of some temporary workers.

"We're getting into the nooks and crannies as best we can," said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross.

Cleanliness plays into customer service, said outgoing TTC vice-chair Joe Mihevc.

The TTC has hired 32 temporary workers, who operate in teams of four or five, cleaning mostly the exterior of the stations in the afternoon and moving inside after the evening rush.

The $1 million bath is money that's in the budget, said Ross.

"Customers are actually coming up to our crews and saying, 'This looks great,'" he said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crusading lawyer remembers fallen cyclists

Bike advocate and personal injury lawyer Patrick Brown sent this seasonal bulletin.

"Each Halloween is a haunting reminder of the unnecessary and tragic loss of Ryan Carriere [father, husband, cyclist, artist and so much more].  Hopefully Martin and the others will see fewer and fewer memorial rides," Brown wrote in an email.

Toronto cycling advocate passes the torch

 
Yvonne Bambrick, the enthusiastic and civically engaged head of the Toronto Cylists Union is cruising to greener pastures, although she's not saying which way she's pointed.

Bambrick was the first executive director of the union since that was established in 2008. When she decided earlier this year it was time to move on, she stepped into the role of communications director while Andrea Garcia, director of advocacy and operations, got her feet firmly planted on the union pedals.

Under Bambrick's direction, the union has become an influential voice not just for cycling in Toronto, but for walking and transit. She has lent her energy and support to the upcoming Bixi bike sharing program, cycling lane expansion and projects like the Union Station bike station and on-street bike parking.

Although she is a fierce advocate for cycling as a means to a healthier city, Bambrick is also a patient listener even when others' views aren't necessarily aligned with her own.

Here are her closing remarks.