“Save Our Subways:” Doug Ford’s grassroots campaign that sounds more like a desperate call for help
“Save Our Subways:” Doug Ford’s grassroots campaign that sounds more like a desperate call for help
Ever committed to building underground transit and using phone calls from constituents as a reliable measure of public opinion, Doug Ford says he’s launching a campaign to save the Rob Ford subway plan. Councillor Ford is dubbing the campaign “Save Our Subways”—or S.O.S. for short. Given the mayor’s sinking support among city councillors and voters alike, playing on the universal signal for distress seems appropriate. Though perhaps not exactly the message the Fords intended. Read the entire story [Globe and Mail] »
(Images: Rob Ford and Doug Ford, Christopher Drost; ocean, David Sifry; subway car, Buddahbless)
HOLD
A
PLEBISCITE!
It should be SOUL – Save Our Underground LRT.
My overall feeling towards the Ford Mayor Brothers is loathing. I am not sure which is the stronger component of the loathing — is it contempt; is it disgust?
Building a transit system should not be hard or expensive , we can leave Eglinton LRT underground from Black Creek to the west Don river as it was planned to be from day one then take it down the centre to Sloane from there follow the hydro right of way north of Eglinton till it connects with the existing RT, replace the RT with it the rest of the way along existing RT line, extend the Bloor Danforth subway to meet it before Midland along the existing RT line that gets rid of the RT another waste of money from Ontario! Then for Finch you can run the surface LRT right across the top of the city from Humber College all the way to the zoo following the hydro line north of Finch , this will not be expensive and buses to York already use part of this route so no reason why it can’t be done sections would have to travel on Finch around Humber College and around the Dam at Dufferin but otherwise you have a nice easy route to lay surface track which is not expensive and no streets need to be completely used for LRT thus congestion is less. as for Sheppard it can be extended from Don Mills to Victoria Park with a Consumers stop as well and then turn south running along the hydro right of way between Pharmacy and Warden with a cut and cover tunnel to Eglinton then follow under the LRT and go across the Don valley following the existing train track in the valley along the route that the Leslie street extension was supposed to follow all the way to Union Station some of it of course may need to be tunneled, But then you have the DRL combined with the Sheppard line later it can be connected to Downsview from Yonge and have a Willowdale station as well added when funding arises. Surface buses along Finch and Eglinton where the LRT turns off can still be run as well. Bus routes also should be returned to 2010 levels of service, I think this would not cost more than 9 Billion which is more or less what Transit City or Ford’s underground only LRT will cost and its much better roads don’t get clogged and we get a DRL as well as part of Sheppard and 2 crosstown North and Central LRT lines, the province is giving $8.4 Billion as well as $375 million for Sheppard and TTC fares can be raised .25 plus the Land transfer tax can be left as is and some private sector funding for development on Sheppard and Eglinton raised to help pay without breaking us, but no; experts will study and buck this to death, Lawsuits will follow and Ford and Stinz and council will fight it out till we have a poor system or no new transit at all.
It doesn’t just sound desperate, it is desperate.
He’s hyperbole over facts. Even when the facts are within a report that the brother’s tried to hide for a year, enter Brother Doug who is now sprouting that it doesn’t matter, because “if you build subway, they will come” even though history shows a very different result, even recent history.
We can all have different opinions on transit planning based on facts, but these brothers are basing their entire misnomer of a movement – “Save Our Subways” – on lies, fear and a huge assumption that the public are too dumb to know otherwise.
Do I need to point out that there’s already a grassroots campaign called “Save Our Subways”. They’ve been operating since 2009. You can check them out at saveoursubways.ca. Oh, and they’ve completely disavowed Doug Ford’s plan.