I want to get on/off/on the bus

No, I’m not opposed to taking transit. I just want to be able to step off now and then to run some errands.  The TTC, on the other hand, wants to hold me hostage. 

While many other transit systems have payment systems that allow riders to hop on and off during a set travel period, the TTC carries on with an arcane transfer system that completely handcuffs its riders.

Cars are not the answer

Cars were a great invention as they expanded the mobility options in many ways.

They transformed the way we live, work and play. We could move goods and provide services as never before.

Unfortunately cars no longer fit onto our streets, as there is just not enough physical space to accommodate cars for our rapidly growing population.

A cure for the Allen Road blues?

Over the past few years, I have noticed that the Allen Road has been changing. North of Sheppard, three new traffic lights have been installed over the years that slow traffic considerably.

The section south of Sheppard and north of Transit Road has been completely changed from an express road to a confusing all-day bottleneck! Two new traffic lights have been added, one of the three north lanes has been “removed” and the lane markings don’t line up on either side of one of the new street lights.  What used to be a relatively speedy route to travel north and south has been turned into a traffic nightmare!

With these changes to the northern section of the Allen Road, it makes little sense to me why there would be a proposal to continue the Allen Road all the way to the Gardiner – in a tunnel, nonetheless (have we learned nothing from Boston’s Big Dig?).

I wasn’t even born when the Allen Road was proposed, but from what I have heard there was quite a bit of opposition and controversy (to put it lightly!) surrounding its development, and that it was ended at Eglinton. I can’t even begin to imagine the opposition and controversy that extending the Allen to the Gardiner would spark if it made its way from just a statement to a studied project!

I think instead of wasting our time looking into extending the Allen Road to the Gardiner, we should be looking at how to make the existing road more safe and efficient to drive on. The current condition of the road makes me feel bad for anyone who lives near (me included) as it appears that more and more cars are using neighborhood streets that were not intended for such use instead of the Allen.

As well, for anyone who has gotten off the Allen at Lawrence or gotten on at Eglinton you have surely seen a “Creeper” (car that butts into line at the last minute, without waiting its turn) making a dangerous move to save themselves a few minutes! Instead of wasting our time talking about extending the Allen, let’s figure out how to prevent the dangerous “Creepers” and how to make the traffic flow better at these points so we pollute less, while  idling getting on and off the Allen Road!

About Adam Zendel